William Gibson was born on October 9, 1823, in Ireland to John Gibson. According to an early biographer, his father was a shoemaker, and he was the oldest of fourteen children. He immigrated to the United States around 1840 and settled in Baltimore, Maryland. He worked as a collector for the Baltimore Clipper newspaper. He married Rosabel Allen on September 18, 1855, and they had at least eight children: Mary, born around 1857; William, born around 1862; Rose, born around 1865; Sarah, born around 1867; Bell Jane, born around 1869; Isabella, born around 1871; Mattie, born around 1873; and Charles, born around 1875.

 

He remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War. In September 1861, he received a commission as a 1^st lieutenant in Company A of the Purnell Legion, Maryland Infantry. He eventually received a promotion to captain. The regiment took part in the Battle of Antietam. In October 1862, Union officials assigned him to recruiting duty. He mustered out on October 24, 1864.

 

He returned to Baltimore after leaving the army, and he resumed his work for the Clipper. He moved to Washington, D.C., around 1868 and ran a printing company with his brothers. By 1870, he owned $3,200 of real estate and $4,500 of personal property. According to a local writer, he “gained the respect and confidence of a large circle of people. He was prominent in patriotic and fraternal organizations.”

 

His wife died in 1891. He applied for a federal pension in October 1898 and eventually received one. In June 1902, he suffered an “attack of paralysis,” and he died in Washington on December 23, 1902.

 

Image: William Gibson (Evening Star, 24 December 1902)

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