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- Sergeant JOHN T. GIBSON, Co. G, 86th Illinois
John T. Gibson was born on August 7, 1842 in Washington, Illinois in Tazewell County, one of ten children known to have been born to George D. Gibson, who was born on August 2, 1810 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, and Alice (Birkett) Gibson, who was born January 31, 1820 in Vergennes, Addison County, Vermont. George came to Tazewell County, Illinois in 1836 and was married to Alice Birkett in 1837. The family is known to have owned farms in Deer Creek Township seven or eight miles southeast of Washington, Illinois and three miles slightly southwest of Washington, Illinois and it was on these farms that John grew to manhood farming the land beside his father and brothers. The family is found in Deer Creek Township in Tazewell County at the time of the 1860 census. George D. Gibson had a sister by the name of Sarah Dunn Gibson. Sarah was married to Vivian Cloud and among their fourteen children was a son named, Milton Homer Cloud. Milton also volunteered to serve in the Washington/Deer Creek/Morton company. So, John T. Gibson and Milton Homer Cloud were 1st cousins serving together in Co. G. Another member of Co. G was Ralph Mericle, who was a 1st cousin once removed from John T. Gibson. Ralph's grandfather was the oldest brother of George D. Gibson.
On August 9, 1862, John T. Gibson volunteered in Deer Creek, Illinois to serve in a company which was being raised in the Washington/Deer Creek/Morton area of Tazewell County by a Washington Photographer by the name of William B. Bogardus. When Bogardus had about 90 volunteers he led the Washington/Deer Creek/Morton volunteers into Peoria where they went into camp at Camp Lyon, near present day Glen Oak Park. On August 27, 1862, Bogardus and 87 of his volunteers were mustered into service as Co. G of the 86th Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry. Bogardus was elected Captain of Co. G by the men of the Washington/Deer Creek/Morton company. John T. Gibson was elected to fill the position of 2nd Corporal.
On September 7, 1862, the men of the 86th Illinois marched out the gates of Camp Lyon, through the streets of Peoria, with much fanfare, and boarded a train bound for Camp Joe Holt, Jeffersonville, Indiana. Three weeks later, the men of the 86th were in the field in Kentucky as part of Colonel Daniel McCook's Brigade, in pursuit of Confederate troops in Kentucky. On Oct. 8, 1862, the men of McCook's Brigade were engaged with those troops in the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky, the 86th Illinois suffering their first casualties. There would be many more to come.
During the next two years, Corporal John T. Gibson served faithfully in Co. G as the men of the 86th served in Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and North Carolina. During this time, John was witness to and a participant in numerous battles and skirmishes, some of the bloodiest fighting in the Western Theatre of the war, including the Battles of Chicakamauga, Georgia; Resaca, Georgia; Rome, Georgia, Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia; Peach Tree Creek, Georgia; Jonesboro, Georgia, Averasboro, North Carolina and Bentonville, North Carolina to name a few and marched with Sherman to the Sea. In December of 1863, Corporal John T. Gibson was elected by the men of Co. G to fill a recently vacated Sergeant position. Corporal John T. Gibson was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on December 4, 1863, while the 86th was at Morgantown, Tennessee during the march north through east Tennessee to relieve the beleaguered troops in Knoxville, Tennessee. Sergeant Gibson served in this capactity through the end of the war.
A few weeks after the defeat and surrender of Confederate General Johnston's Army to that of General Sherman, the war came to a close. The men of McCook's Brigade marched on to Washington City (now D.C.) where they participated in the Grand Review and where they were mustered out of the service on June 6, 1865. Shortly after that Sergeant John T. Gibson and the men of Company G were on their way back to their homes and families in Tazewell County.
On January 1, 1868, John T. Gibson was married to Emily Thayer in McLean County. Emily was born on Nov. 21, 1843 in Washington County, Vermont, the daughter of Aaron Thayer and Esther (Field) Thayer. The Thayers had ten children and were residing in Vermont when Aaron died in 1863. Three years later, the oldest son, Erastus, talked his mother into moving the family west and came west settling in Tazewell County, Illinois in 1866. The following year, 1867, the entire Thayer family moved to Yates Township in McLean County. On New Years Day of 1868, John and Emily were married. John and Emily were first cousins, once removed. John's grandmother, Charlotte Field Birkett, was the sister of Esther Field Thayer, Emily's mother. One son, who died at the age of 2 days, is the only child known to have been born to John and Emily. His information follows;
1. Infant Son Gibson, born October 11, 1868; died October 13, 1868; buried in the Chenoa Township Cemetery in Chenoa, Illinois
At the time of the 1870 census, John T. & Emily (Thayer) Gibson are found residing in Yates Township (east of Chenoa, Illinois), McLean County, Illinois where John is farming for a living. They have no children at this time. At the time of the 1880 census, John T. Gibson is found widowed and residing in Chenoa Township, McLean County, Illinois where he is now employed as a Hardware Merchant. It is now known that Emily's mother, Esther (Field) Thayer, died on July 13, 1879. Esther's earthly remains were laid to rest in the Chenoa Township Cemetery. Two weeks later, Emily (Thayer) Gibson died on July 28, 1879 in Chenoa Township of McLean County and her earthly remains were laid to rest in the Chenoa Township Cemetery, near her mother's, amongst the Thayer family.
At the time of the 1880 census, John T. Gibson is found widowed and residing in Chenoa Township, McLean County, Illinois where he is employed as a Hardware Merchant. On September 14, 1881, John T. Gibson was married 2nd to Elizabeth D. "Lizzie" Youle in Tazewell County. Lizzie was born on October 27, 1853 in Sand Prairie Township, Tazewell County, Illinois, the daughter of William Youle and Sarah (Askren) Youle. William Youle and Sarah (Askren) Youle were both born in Yorkshire, England. William was born in 1823 on the Holme upon Spaulding Moor in Yorkshire, England, while Sarah was born July 28, 1819 in Yorkshire. They were married on May 6, 1845 and nine children are known to have been born to them. The Youle came to America in June of 1851 where they first settled in Sandusky County, Ohio. The following fall of 1852, the family came on west to Illinois where they settled along the Tazewell County/Mason County line. They are believed to have moved to the Delavan, Illinois area in 1866. Mr. Youle engaged in farming during the greater part of his life. He also was an extensive stock raiser and stock dealer. From 1873 until his death, he was engaged in the lumber business, where he was a member of the firm of Youle & Brunson. His death occurred Aug. 4, 1878. He was a man loved and respected by all who knew him. In business William Youle was enterprising and successful; as a citizen, honored and esteemed; and as a husband and father, loved. He was the first to introduce Osage hedge, for fences, into Tazewell County, and was for a time engaged in the hedge business. Two children are known to have been born to John and Lizzie. They are;
2. Fred Dana Gibson, born December 27, 1884 in Pontiac, Livingston County, Illinois; died in Cook County, Illinois on __________ __, 19__.
3. Paul Youle Gibson, born February __, 1894 in Denver, Colorado; married to Eva Viola Mills on November 3, 1931 in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia; died on May 5, 1968 in Yountville, Napa County, California; buried in the ___________ Cemetery in ___________, California.
Sometime before 1884, John and Lizzie are known to have moved to Pontiac, Illinois in Livingston County where their first son, Fred, was born in December of 1884. In 1887, the surviving members of the 86th Illinois organized a reunion which was held in Peoria, Illinois on the 25th Anniversary of their being mustered into service, August 27, 1887. John T. Gibson was one of 23 men from Co. G to make that first reunion, the most of any other company in the 86th. At that time, John gave his address as Pontiac, Illinois.
About 1892 or 1893, John T. Gibson is known to have moved to Capital Hill, in Denver, Colorado. John, Lizzie and Fred are all residing there at the time George D. Gibson, John's father, died in Nov. of 1893. In February of 1894, John's 2nd son, Paul, is born in Denver.
On November __, 1894, Elizabeth D. "Lizzie" (Youle) Gibson died in Denver, Colorado, leaving John T. Gibson with a 10 year old son and a 9 month old son. Lizzie's earthly remains were laid to rest in the Prairie Rest Cemetery in Delavan, Illinois in Tazewell County.
John T. Gibson was married for the 3rd time to Anna Youle, an older sister of Lizzie's. This is believed to have occurred sometime in 1895, probably in Denver as this record is not found in Illinois. Anna may have gone out to Colorado to help with the children and John and Anna may have married there. John was about 53 years of age at this time, while Anna was about 43 years of age at this time. Anna is now known to have been born on December 15, 1849 in Yorkshire, England. John and Anna are known to have resided in Colorado until about 1897, but about that time, they returned to their families in Illinois.
At the time of the 1900 census, John T. & Anna Gibson, along with sons Fred and Paul, and two Youle nephews are all found residing in Delavan, Illinois in Tazewell County. On May 1, 1904, Anna (Youle) Gibson died in Delavan, Illinois. Her earthly remains were laid to rest in the Prairie Rest Cemetery in Delavan, Illinois in Tazewell County. Sometime before 1910, John T. Gibson and his son Paul moved to Peoria, Illinois, where they are found residing at the time of the 1900 census. Not long after this, John T. Gibson moved to St. Louis, Missouri. John is known to have resided at 1249 Amhurst Place in St. Louis for some time.
In the 1918 reunion booklet of the 86th Illinois reunion for that year, it was reported that Sergeant John T. Gibson had passed away in February of 1918. A death certificate for John T. Gibson is on file in Missouri which states that John T. Gibson died on April 16, 1918 in St. Louis. The informant for the information on the death certificate was John's son, Fred D. Gibson. Sgt. John T. Gibson's earthly remains were sent to the Missouri Crematory in St. Louis, where they were cremated on the morning of April 18, 1918. The remains were then returned to Clayton R. Lupton, Undertaker, of St. Louis, Missouri. Mr. Lupton turned the cremains over to the family, possibly Fred D. Gibson, and they were taken back to Tazewell County, where Sgt. John T. Gibson's earthly remains were laid to rest in the Prairie Rest Cemetery near Delavan, Illinois in Tazewell County. The following obituary was found and provided by Carol Dorward;
Tazewell County Reporter, Washington, IL, May 2, 1918.
[Under Delavan column.]
John T. Gibson, who resided in Delavan until about fourteen years ago, died in St. Louis. The body was cremated and the ashes were brought here for interment at Prairie Rest.
by Baxter B. Fite III and Carol Dorward
(Baxter and Carol would enjoy hearing from anyone, especially descendants, who might be able to add to the biographical material about Sergeant John T. Gibson and the Gibson family. Baxter and Carol would also love to get copies of any pictures that may still exist of Sergeant John T. Gibson, especially any of him in uniform, for his Find A Grave site and the local Historical Societies.)
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1842 - 1918 (75 years)
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