Shephard aka
Buck Gibson
The Melungeon
Buck Gibson was born about
1765 and along with Vardy Collins was called the 'head and source' of
the Melungeons of Newman's Ridge. It is not known who his parents
are or where he was born. He first appears in Wilkes County,
North Carolina in the part that would later be called Ashe
County. It is also unknown who his first wife was but it would
appear he had been married before he married to Matilda Denham who was
born about 1802. There has been much speculation as to who Buck's
father was but today it remains speculation.
GIBSONS IN WILKES COUNTY
The first Gibson found
in Wilkes County was John Gibson, son of Gideon Gibson of the Pee Dee
Settlement in South Carolina. John was probably born around 1740 and
married by 1767 to Agnes Adair, daughter of James
Adair, Indian trader and author of "History of the American
Indians" published in 1775.
20
Aug 1767 GEDION GIBSON,
Gentleman, on Great Pedee in Craven Co, SC, for 700pd, to JAMES ADAIR of Dobbs Co, NC, negroes
Lucey, Kilis, Pleasant,
Candice, Hannah, Nell & Judith. Witt JOHN CADE, [This Cade
family is from Louisa County, Va.] JOHN
GIBSON, SARANN McTYRE. [Misc Records South Carolina, Vol
OO, p 136]
Surry and Wilkes County, NC Taxables", Vol. i, 1771-1777 by William
Perry Johnson, cpy 1974.
John Gipson is on page 33 in the Benjamin Cleveland District which is
today, Wilkes County. He shows: John Gipson, Negro Killis, Frank, Plesent, and Luse,
5 polls.
John Gibson
died near Nashville, Tennessee in 1790 and Agnes Adair Gibson joined
the Gibson family at Port Gibson where they had settled earlier.
More on John Gibson can be found here.
David and Mary Gibson appear
on the 1778 tax list of Wilkes County, North Carolina and the next
Gibson that appears is Thomas Gibson when he made a land entry on 9
June 1780 on Cranberry Path in Wilkes County. They may have been from
the Orange County, North Carolina line which goes back to Louisa County
or could just as well have came from the Pee Dee River Settlement.
William Gibson/Gipson born Dec 1753 Monk's Corners, South Carolina
lived in Guilford County, North Carolina and enlisted from Rowan
County, North Carolina. His mother was widow during Revolutionary
War. After the Revolution he lived in Guilford County, North Carolina
for 3 years then to Winchester, Virginia for 2 years then to Rockingham
County, North Carolina for 1 year then to Wilkes
and Rowan County, North Carolina for 12 years. Then to Clinch
River in Virginia and in 1800 moved to Kentucky, 1829 he moved to
Indiana and applied Oct 19, 1832 from Boone County, Indiana and died
Apr 9, 1835.
The 1790 census of Wilkes County finds the following Gibsons;
Tenth Company
Andrew Gibson
Jordan Gibson
Joel Gibson
Archibald Gibson
Ezekiel Gibson
The Raleigh Register and
Daily North Carolina Weekly Advertiser published on October 5, 1802
property to be exposed to sale at the court house in Wilkesborough to
satisfy taxes due; 100 acres on the Waters of New River, given in by
Thomas Gibson for 1798 and 150 acres lying on New River Waters, given
in by Sheppard Gibson, for 1799.
The Gibson
DNA Project (Lineage III) shows a shared ancestor of Buck Gibson to
the Louisa County, Virginia Gibson lines but also with the John Gibson
line of the Pee Dee Settlement. While Joel and Andrew Gibson
appear to have came from Rockingham County, North Carolina and
associated with Champ Gibson and Thomas Gibson who died in 1780, wife
Mary, of Henry County, Virginia it is unclear who David and Mary Gibson
were residing in Wilkes County in 1778. William Gibson born in
Monks County, South Carolina, another early settler in Wilkes County is
also unaccounted for. These Louisa County Gibsons seem to be
connected to the Gideon Gibson family of the Pee Dee Settlement through
DNA, and it is my speculation at this time the Gibsons of Charles City
County were early Indian traders as the first Thomas Gibson accompanied
John Smith to erect a home for Powhatan in 1608.
It is worthy to note that Bryson Gibson born 1782, son of Thomas Gibson
, early settler of Stony Creek Church in present Scott County, Virginia
*does not* match the DNA of the Louisa County or Pee Dee Gibsons.
Bryson's family went to Magoffin, Morgan Counties in Kentucky and were
known as 'Indians of Magoffin' and to Highland County, Ohio where they
were called 'Carmel Indians'. It is unknown how or if Bryson was
related to Buck Gibson. There were as many as FIVE different
Gibson lines found on Newman's Ridge.
Later associations with the
traders Robert Hicks, George Reeves, Robert Lang, James Adair etc.,
indicate they likely accompanied these traders to the Cherokee,
Catawba, Chickasaw and other tribes. Granville County, North
Carolina records of 1749 show Edward Nicks, son in law of Thomas Gibson
who died in Louisa County in 1734, along with John Gibson as neighbors
of Christopher Gist and his son Nathaniel [said to be father of
Sequoyah] on the Dan River. Sneedville in Hancock County,
Tennessee was first called Greasy Rock and according to Lewis Jarvis,
attorney of Hancock County; was a rendezvous point for traders.
This cession map shows the 1785 Cherokee boundary
line as well as the 'Kentucky Road' passing through Sneedville/Greasy
Rock in current Hancock County, Tennessee.
Useful Links
Gibson
Research
Indiana
Rockingham
County Indians
Gibson
Family of Pee Dee