Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Ancestors of Robert Eggleston Gibson

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Ancestors of Robert Eggleston Gibson

Generation No. 2

      2. Jack (John J) Gibson¹, born 04 Dec 1879 in Whiting, Monroe Co., IA.; died 10 Dec 1957 in Long Beach, CA.. He was the son of 4. Joseph Wilkins Gibson and 5. Orilla Jane Eggleston. He married 3. Babe Mary Allyne King 10 Feb 1926 in Long Beach, CA..

      3. Babe Mary Allyne King¹, born 06 Jan 1896 in Kinsman, OH.; died 03 May 1988 in Garden Grove, CA.. She was the daughter of 6. George Elwood King and 7. Theresa Elma Allen.

Notes for Jack (John J) Gibson:
Jack, Bob and John's father, was born in Whiting, IA. Upon moving to South Dakota, along the Moreau River, he grew up on his father's horse ranch. His duties included mending the fence, and busting broncos. His schooling was only to the 4th grade, but he was truly self-educated. His only (younger) brother, William died when William was 4 years old. Dad was married four times before he met my mother. He had served as Chief of Police in Sioux City, SD., as well as a member of their fire department.
After arriving in Des Moines, IA., he became a motorman on the city's electric cars.
He met my mother, Mary while he was a motorman on the red lines (electric cars-Pacific Electric) in Southern California. He worked for 30 years for the railroad, and retired in 1949. He was a member of Masonic Temple Lodge 327, F&AM, and Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.
Dad died from a heart attack on 10 Dec 1957 while shopping at a hardware store in Long Beach. Mary lived until 1988, died at the age of 92.
He was buried in Faith, SD, which is at the corner of Meade, Zieback and Perkins County. His mother and father are also buried there.
Faith is about the same size of town as Bison, and, like Bison, is totally dependent on the local farms and ranches. It borders on the reservation and at the same time there was a sizable Indian population there. Joseph and Orilla's son John ("Jack") GIBSON, born 1879 in Iowa three years after they married. They were known to live in Sein, South Dakota. Per the 13th U. S Census Vol. 24, 1910, Orilla, age 55, and Joseph W. GIBSON, age 60, were living in Moreau Precinct. Their son "Jack" Gibson is listed on the same census page, age 30, widower with two sons living with him - William, age 7 and Harold, age 1. Joseph and son Jack are both listed as occupation "farm operator". A book on local history of the South Dakota area they homesteaded in indicates his name was John Gibson and that he went by "Jack". His Uncle's name was John J., and so Jack, it was. By 1926 Jack was living in Long Beach, California where he deceased in his home in Long Beach late 1957 survived by a wife and five sons.

The following obituary for Jack Gibson appeared in "The Faith Independent" [Faith, South Dakota] on 1 Jan 1958:

"Jack Gibson Rites Held In California -

Jack Gibson, only child of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Gibson of the lower Moreau River country passed away at his home at Long Beach, California at the age of 78. The Gibson's were early pioneers coming from near Whiting, Iowa in 1902. Because of a stubborn asthmatic condition, Jack was forced to leave his native homeland for a more favorable climate in the west. There he worked as conductor and motor-man for the Pacific Electric trains serving inter-urban areas in southern California, until he was pensioned several years ago. His wife and five sons survive."

Jack Gibson

Born Whiting Iowa b. 1879 d. 1957. A brother was born in 1883 and died of diphtheria in 1887. Name unknown, but it may have been William.
Family moved to Gregory County, South Dakota in 1893.
Relocated to Perkins Co., S.D. in 1902. The "ranch" was located on the Moreau River about 40 miles from Faith.
Joseph and Orilla remained in Perkins Co. until Orilla's death in 1930.
Until 1914 or 15 he was a horse and mule trader located at the Moreau River "ranch".
In 1901 he married Bill's mother Grace Steward; in 1904 she fell ill and died. Then in 1907 he married Grace's sister, Pearle. She died in childbirth when Harold was born in 1909. In 1912 he married George's mother Inga Antizen; the marriage ended in divorce in 1914.

In 1913 Jack moved to Sturgis S.D. and worked as a policeman. His young (motherless) sons Bill and Harold apparently stayed with the grand parents, at least part of his time in Sturgis. In April of 1913 he was the first peace officer to arrive on the scene after Poker Alice (Alice Tubbs) shot two cavalry soldiers from Fort Meade. One died; Alice was charged with murder but was later acquitted. Poker Alice was a well known gambler, saloon keeper and madam throughout several western mining towns and camps. Alice was born in 1851 and died in 1930; she lived in Sturgis for some 38 years.

In 1915 he was appointed Chief of Police for Sturgis, serving until 1917. Sometime during his Sturgis stay as a police officer he was ambushed by an outlaw. The outlaw attacked with a gun in each hand and fired both at close range. Each bullet passed through Jack's winter greatcoat resulting in a powder burn in the rib area of one side. He subdued the man and jailed him.

In 1917 he moved to Duluth and enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard; he was discharged late in 1918. He then worked as a motorman for the Duluth Electric Railway. At sometime during his Duluth stay he was married to Martha Hogstrom. She died of the flu epidemic shortly thereafter.

In 1919 he, Bill and Harold, moved to Long Beach, California. He went to work as a motorman for the Pacific Electric Railway company; his employment record was backdated to 1917 due to a two year seniority agreement for signing on. They lived at 1127 E. 7th St. at least part of the time.

In 1926 he married Mary Allyne King; they lived in an apartment at 7th and Walnut for about a year.

In 1927/ 28 they moved to 813 Washington Place; the house was a bit of a shack without electricity. Soon after he bought an existing house and had it moved to the lot at 813 Washington Place. It was used by Mary long after his death in 1957. It was sold in 1965.

More About Jack (John J) Gibson:
Burial: 20 Dec 1957, Faith, SD.

Notes for Babe Mary Allyne King:
Mary died of heart failure at age 92. She is buried next to her mother and father in Kinsman, Ohio. Mary Allyne King

Born in Kinsman, Ohio. B. 1896 D. 1988

All three King girls (Abby, Esther, Mary) were born in the family farmhouse in Kinsman,Ohio. She lived there until about 1914. Grandpa King installed one of Kinsman's first indoor "water closets" on the second floor. One of Mary's chores was to hand pump water up to the attic head tank.

Around 1914, after graduating from high school, she attended Western Reserve University (or College) in Cleveland. As part of the war effort, in 1917 she was one of the 238 Women's Radio Corps of Cleveland. The group studied wireless operations twice a week so as to prepare for any war related needs.

In the 1918/19 period she lived with her sister Abby (and Rollie) Lewis in Charlevoix, Michigan. While there she worked as a secretary to realtor Earl Young and also played the piano at the local silent movie house. She told me that quite often she became interested in the plot and could not follow the movie score. At such times she would improvise by playing hymns timed to the screen action.

In 1920 the King family moved to Long Beach, California. Two addresses are known: 65 Atlantic Ave. and 1026 E. 2nd Ave. About 1921 they moved to Riverside where grandpa (George King) bought a house and small orange orchard on the city outskirts (address may have been 455 Cover St.). The place was near an old, clapboard General Store at which grandpa would buy maple nut ice cream for us. Later they moved near the city center at 4277 Lemon Street.

An interesting highlight of the Long Beach time was that grandpa wanted to buy a chicken ranch on Signal Hill, but neither grandma (Theresa Allen) nor mom would agree. Later Signal Hill developed as the richest, most concentrated oil play in the country.

Sometime before 1926 she moved back to Long Beach where she worked as a secretary. One of the aforementioned addresses may have been from this time period.

In 1926 she married Jack Gibson. They spent their first year living in a fourplex located at 7th and Walnut.

More About Babe Mary Allyne King:
Burial: 22 May 1988, Kinsman, OH.

More About Jack Gibson and Mary King:
Marriage: 10 Feb 1926, Long Beach, CA.

Children of Jack Gibson and Mary King are:

	1	i.		Colonel Robert Eggleston Gibson, born 12 Mar 1928 in Long Beach, CA; married (1) Rosanne Roney 19 Jun 1954 in Pasadena, CA.; married (2) Sandra Barman 01 Nov 1997 in Malibu, CA..
		ii.		John King Gibson¹, born 07 Feb 1927 in Long Beach, CA.

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