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32–33. Truman Gilbert was born in Kent (Warren), Connecticut, on Wednesday, July 27, 1757, and died in Palmyra Township, Portage County, Ohio, on June 15, 1841. Eunice Phippeny was born in 1758, baptized in Unity Parish (now Trumbull), Connecticut, on Sunday, March 23, 1760, and died in Portage County, Ohio, on October 17, 1840. They were both buried in Palmyra Cemetery (a half mile west of the center of Palmyra Township). They were married in March, 1780. She took the name Eunice Gilbert. He is the son of Ezra and Mary (Hurlbut) Gilbert. She is the daughter of Joseph and Mehitabel (Fairchild) Phippeny. They had nine children:
| i. | Charles Gilbert was born in Litchfield County, Connecticut, on February 3, 1783, and died in Palmyra, Portage County, Ohio, on March 17, 1855. His wife, Amelia Batterson, was born January 15, 1783, in Fairfield, Connecticut (per Ancestry.com and died 7 Sep 1852 at age 67; both are buried in Palmyra Cemetery. Per Portrait and Biographical Record ..., they had nine children: Reilly, Noble, George, Champion, Theodore, Martin, Warner, Laura, and Theron; like his parents, eight boys and one girl. (Laura married first Ebenezer Olmstead, and second, David Waller.) Charles was a Lieutenant in the War of 1812. His company served from August 24 to September 4, 1812 [12 days] and included Sergeants Truman Gilbert, Lyman T. Gilbert, and Hugh McDaniel, and private Marvin Gilbert. (War records give Charles's birth date as 1784.) | |
| ii. | Marvin Gilbert was born in Litchfield County in 1790, and died in Palmyra on October 6, 1845. He is buried in Palmyra Cemetery; wife (1), Amy, died 31 May 1842 (check this?) at age 48; wife (2), Anna Fisher, married 16 Apr 1818. He was a pvt. in War of 1812. | |
| iii. | Champion Gilbert was born in Litchfield County on February 10, 1785. | |
| iv. | Truman Gilbert was born in Litchfield County. He married Jan McKelvey, daughter of William and Mary (Topping) McKelvey. Jan was born November 2, 1787 in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. William was a Revolutionary War soldier, pensioned in 1818. The McKelveys came to Palmyra in 1804, moved to Trumbull County in 1807, and then to Huron County in 1815. | |
| v. | Benjamin Gilbert was born in Litchfield County. (There are several mentions to Truman Gilbert having eight sons and one daughter, but the only reference that can be found of Benjamin is in the Roster of Rev. Soldiers, below.) | |
| vi. | Walter Gilbert [#16]: He was born in Warren, Kent, Litchfield County, Connecticut, on March 31, 1795, and died in Middleville, Barry County, Michigan, on January 21, 1873. | |
| vii. | Lyman P. Gilbert was born in Litchfield County on April 9, 1795, and died in Palmyra on March 3, 1869. He married Nancy Edwards on May 13, 1813 in Palmyra; she died 31 Jul 1870 at age 73. Both buried in Palmyra Cemetery. He was a sergeant in War of 1812. (His birth date comes from the IGI.) | |
| viii. | Ezra Gilbert was born in Litchfield County in 1798, and died in 1838. Dr. Ezra Gilbert married in 1818 Margaret Robinson, b. 1796, d. 1880. (Portage County marriages gives 10 Mar 1824.) (See DAR Lineage Book vol. 102, p. 144.) | |
| ix. | Rebecca Gilbert was born in Litchfield County in 1799-1800. She married Ebenezer Buckley. |
At age 17, Truman Gilbert enlisted to fight in the American Revolution, and served a total of six different tours of duty as described below. As was frequently the case in those times, he served tours of duty in the off-season, returning home in the spring or summer to help with the farming. He was married in 1780, between his last two tours, served in 1782, and then settled down to raise a family. They had nine children from 1783 to 1800. In 1806, the entire family moved to Portage County in the northeast part of Ohio, and settled near the town of Palmyra. Both Truman and Eunice lived there until they died, she at age 82 and he at 83.
This Truman Gilbert is the beginning of a naming series: Truman Gilbert, Walter Gilbert, Truman Gilbert, Walter Joshua Gilbert, Truman Judson Gilbert, Walter John Gilbert, and Truman John Gilbert, seven generations. This fact was related to the author [Walter John] by his grandfather, Walter Joshua, and served as a clue in linking the Gilberts of his recollection to those in The Gilbert Family, p. 225. The entry on this page includes:
Truman Gilbert lived in that part of Kent, Connecticut, which was set off as the town of Warren. He enlisted (volunteered) Jan. 21, 1776, at Litchfield, Connecticut, in Capt. Bezaleel Beebe's Company, Col. Andrew Ward, Jr.'s Regiment, to serve eight weeks [Kilbourne's History of Litchfield, Connecticut, pp. 94-95]. He was also a private in the Thirteenth Regiment of Connecticut Militia in Capt. Joseph Carter's of Kent Company. Marched Aug. 12, 1776; discharged Sept. 30, 1776. This regiment was called into service at New York in August and September, 1776 [Record of Connecticut men in the Revolution, p. 467].In Official Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers 1775–1783 Buried in Ohio, p. 157, is found the following.
Gilbert, TrumanFrom the Pension Roll of 1835, vol. 4, MidWestern States, page 153 (Portage County, Ohio), is found Truman Gilbert's pension record.Enl as Pvt Conn State Tr. Apr 1775, served for 2 mos; 1776, 4 mos; 1778[sic], 4 mos; 1778 3 mos; 1779, 2 mos; 1782, 2 mos; Capt Beebe, Capt Joseph Carter, Capt Samuel Carter. In battle of New York City. Br 1756, Warren, Connecticut Mar Eunice Phippany 1780. Children: Charles, Marvin, Champion, Benjamin, Walter, Lyman, Ezra, Rebecca [Truman is not listed]. D June 15, 1841, Palmyra, O. Bur Palmyra Twp, O. Placed on pension roll on July 6, 1833. Ref: Bureau of Pensions. Fur infor Old Northwest Chap.
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In Portrait and Biographical Record of Portage and Summit Counties, Ohio, (1898), p. 751, in an entry on Theron Gilbert (son of Charles and Amelia), the following is found.
Truman Gilbert, paternal grandfather of Theron, a native, also, of Connecticut, was a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and in 1806 came to Ohio by means of ox-teams, settling in Palmyra township, Portage county, where he engaged in farming until called away by death. He reared a family of nine children, of whom the names of eight can be recalled to memory, viz: Charles, Truman, Lyman, Marvin, Walter, Champion, Ezra and Rebecca. [missing is Benjamin]In History of Portage County, Ohio, are found the following references to Truman Gilbert and his family.
[p. 501] When Truman Gilbert was raising his house in 1806, and was being assisted by the neighbors, as usual, and some Indians, an eclipse of the sun occurred, which badly frightened the latter. They left the work, got out their bows and arrows and began firing their arrows up into the heavens in the direction of the slowly darkening sun, to scare off the evil spirit.On page 503 of the same book, it mentions that on April 2, 1810 the first elections were held in Palmyra township in which Truman Gilbert was elected as a fence viewer and Charles Gilbert as constable. The above information is also given in Portage Heritage, History 1807-1957 on pages 402 and 403.[Note: This eclipse occurred on June 16, 1806. It began in eastern Canada and was full at local noon over northern Maine and proceeded southeast to northern Africa. It also should be noted that the Indians' primitive remedy was obviously successful.]
The following paragraph is found in Memorial to the Pioneer Women of the Western Reserve.
In 1806 Mrs. Truman Gilbert arrived with her family. They lived in their traveling wagon, till with the help of Indians and a few white neighbors, they got their house put up. Mr. Gilbert had to go twenty miles to mill, cutting his way through most of the distance. Once the barrel of meal failed, and they lived on turnips till he returned. They had eight sons and one daughter, Rebecca. Their eldest son, Charles, and wife Amelia also had eight sons and one daughter, Laura. Forty-five years elapsed before a death occurred in their family. ...In Early Ohio Tax Lists, compiled by Esther W. Powell, 1971, are found the following:Palmyra, in Portage county, is a township of pretty good [sic] and more settlers than any other town on the Reserve, except Cleveland and Warren. The people, mostly from Connecticut, are distributed all over the town. The land is nearly all taken up. Large farms improved; large bearing orchards; peaches in abundance, and many other kinds of domestic and wild fruits; wheat 25 cents cash, $1 in trade. Cattle 50 per cent lower than in New England.
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The 1820 census of Portage County, Ohio, page 48A, Palmyra, lists Truman Gilbert as having two males 16-26, one male over 45, and one female over 45. It also gives separate entries (in Palmyra) for Ezra Gilbert, Lyman P. Gilbert, Champion Gilbert, Marvin Gilbert and Charles Gilbert who are probably the sons of Truman, as well as several other Gilberts: Jabez, Jabez (2), Sylvester, and Isaac T.
The 1830 census of Portage County, Ohio, page 230, Palmyra, gives Truman Gilbert as having one male age 70 to 80 and one female also 70 to 80. On the same page are listed several other Gilberts: Jabez, Jabez Jr., Ezra, and Charles.
The 1840 census of Portage County does not list a Truman Gilbert, but on page 231 (Palmyra) are listed two Gilbert families: Charles Gilbert and Margarette Gilbert, the latter having a male and female each aged 80 to 90 in the household. This is probably Margaret (Robinson) Gilbert, wife of Ezra Gilbert, and his parents, Truman and Eunice Gilbert.
When the graves of both Truman and Eunice were visited in February, 1983,
the tombstones, both simple, rectangular tablets, were erect and quite readable.
They give both full dates of death as well as giving his age as 84 and
hers as 82.
