James Gibson (1769 - 1856)

Husband of Elizabeth (Bordley) Gibson — married 5 Jun 1817 in Christ Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

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Biography

Probably born in Philadelphia. Baptized at Christ Church, Philadelphia on 28 May 1770. His exact date of birth is confirmed in this record.

Educated at Princeton, taking a degree in 1787. He married Elizabeth Bordley (or Boardley) in 1817 at Christ Church.

From the Historical Society of Philadelphia:

James Gibson (1769-1856) was from Pennsylvania and studied at Princeton University. He was admitted to the Philadelphia bar in 1791 and admitted to the Philadelphia Supreme Court in 1793. He married Elizabeth Bordley (1777-1863) and was related to the Shippen family of Philadelphia.

In addition to his work as a lawyer, Gibson worked with several companies that dealt with the speculation in and distribution of Northern and Western Pennsylvania lands, and he may have served as an agent for those interested in these lands. Among the companies for which he worked were the Asylum Company, which worked with lands in Luzerne, Northampton, and Northumberland counties; the Holland Land Company, which had bought land in western New York State; and the Pennsylvania Population Company, which oversaw lands in far western Pennsylvania counties such as Erie, Crawford, and Allegheny.

In 1792, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed an "act for the sale of vacant lands within this Commonwealth." At least some of these lands, particularly those in western Pennsylvania, were to be given to Revolutionary War soldiers. Shortly after the act's passage, the Pennsylvania Population Company was formed by the state's Comptroller General John Nicholson, land agent Theophilus Cazenove, Dr. William Irvine, and others, to control lands in the "Erie Triangle" (Erie County) that had been deeded to Pennsylvania from the government in 1792, and other portions of westernmost Pennsylvania.

Though it is not clear exactly what role Gibson played for the Population Company, he presumably handled its legal affairs, and may have been somewhat involved in ensuring that some of the lands were given to Revolutionary War soldiers, as was the government's original intent.

Sources

• Princetonians, 1791-1794: A Biographical Dictionary, by J. Jefferson Looney, Ruth L. Woodward, p.267.

• http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/g/Gibson0236.html
• Christ Church Historical Collections Online