Gabriel Gilbert (abt. 1870 - 1949)

Born about Mar 1870 in New Iberia, Iberia, Louisiana, United States

Husband of Medora (Lebarre) Gilbert — married 22 Feb 1888 in St. Martin, Louisiana, United States

Died 6 Jan 1949 at about age 78 in Beaumont, Jefferson, Texas, United States

Biography

Gabriel Gilbert is a part of US Black heritage.

Gabriel Gilbert was born 06 Jan 1878, he died 6 Jan 1949^[1] Burial Blessed Sacrament Cemetery Beaumont, Jefferson, Texas, United States of America^[2]

Gabriel and his wife had six children only two were living in 1937

GABRIEL GILBERT was born in slavery on the plantation of Belizare Brassard, in New Iberia Parish, Louisiana. He does not know his age, but appears to be about eighty. He has lived in Beaumont, Texas, for sixteen years.

"My old massa was Belizare Broussard. He was my mom's massa. He had a big log house what he live in. De places 'tween de logs was fill with dirt. De quarters de slaves live in was make out of dirt. Dey put up posties in de ground and bore holes in de posts and put in pickets 'cross from one post to the other. Den dey build up de sides with mud. De floor and everything was dirt. Dey had a schoolhouse built for de white chillen de same way. De cullud chillen didn't have no school.

"Dem was warm healthy houses us grew up in. Dey used to raise better men den in dem houses dan now. My pa name was Joseph Gilbert. He old massa was Belleau Prince.

"I didn't know what a store was when I was growin' up. Us didn't have store things like now. Us had wooden pan and spoon dem times. I never see no iron plow dem days. Nothin' was iron on de plow 'cept de share. I tell dese youngsters, 'You in hebben now from de time I come up.' When a man die dem days, dey use de ox cart to carry de corpse.

"Massa have 'bout four hundred acres and lots of slaves. He raise sugar cane. He have a mill and make brown sugar. He raise cotton and corn, too. He have plenty stock on de place. He give us plenty to eat. He was a nice man. He wasn't brutish. He treat he slaves like hisself. I never 'member see him whip nobody. He didn't 'low no ill treatment. All de folks round he place say he niggers ruint and spoiled.

"De li'l white folks and nigger folks jus' play round like brudder and sister and us all eat at de white table. I slep' in de white folks house, too. My godfather and godmother was rich white folks. I still Cath'lic.

"I seed sojers but I too li'l to know nothin' 'bout dem. Dey didn't worry me a-tall. I didn't git close to de battle.

"My mammy weave cloth out cotton and wool. I 'member de loom. It go 'boom-boom-boom.' Dat de shuttle goin' cross. My daddy, he de smart man. I'll never be like him long as I live in dis world. He make shoes. He build house. He do anything. He and my mammy neither one ever been brutalize'.

"De first work I done was raisin' cotton and sugar cane and sweet and Irish 'taters. I used to cook sugar.

"I marry on twenty-second of February. My wife was Medora Labor. She been dead thirty-five year now. I never marry no second woman. I love my wife so much I never want nobody else. Us had six chillen. Two am livin'.

"Goin' back when I a slave, massa have a store. When de priest come dey hold church in dat store. Old massa have sev'ral boys. Dey went after some de slave gals. Dey have chillen by dem. Dem gals have dere cabins and dere chillen, what am half white.

"After while dem boys marry. But dey allus treat dey chillen by de slave womens good. Dey white wife treat dem good, too, most like dey dere own chillen.

"Old massa have plenty money. Land am only two bits de acre. Some places it cost nothing. Dey did haulin' in ox-carts. A man what had mules had something extra.

"Us have plenty wild game, wild geese and ducks. Fishin' am mighty good. Dey was 'gaters, too. I seed dem bite a man's arm off.

"If a slave feelin' bad dey wouldn't make him work. My uncle and my mammy dey never work nothing to speak of. Dey allus have some kind complaint. Ain't no tellin' what it gwine be, but you could 'low something ailin' dem!

"I 'member dey a white man. He had a gif'. I don't care what kind of animal, a dog or a hoss, dat man he work on it and it never leave you or you house. If anybody have toothache or earache he take a brand new nail what ain't never work befo' and work dat round you tooth or ear. Dat break up de toothache or earache right away. He have li'l prayer he say. I don't know what it was.

"I's seed ghosties. I talk with dem, too. Sometimes dey like people. Sometimes dey like animal, maybe white dog. I allus feel chilly when dey come round me. I talk with my wife after she dead. She tell me, 'Don't you forgit to pray.' She say dis world corrupt and you got to fight it out." Read the full text , click here [Gilbert (GCG7-X4N)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FGCG7-X4N]

Interview: Gabriel Gilbert was interviewed in Beaumont, Texas as part of the Federal Writer's Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The results are made available by the Library of Congress. ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K39B-LZS : Wed Nov 15 16:39:39 UTC 2023), Entry for Gabriel Gilbert, 6 Jan 1949.
2. ↑ Findagrave MEMORIAL ID 216138984
3. ↑ [1] Library of Congress - WPA - Slave Narrative - Gabriel Gilbert - Vol. 16, Part 2, Texas, pages 68-70, images 73-75 of 300.

• Southwest Louisiana Records, Donald Hebert, CD-ROM.

1. GUILBERT, Gabriel (Joseph & Francoise JULIEN) m. 22 Feb. 1888 Medora LEBARRE (SM Ch.: v. 11, p. 112)

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSRW-5WM : accessed 13 August 2021), Gabriel Gilbert, Ward 1 (all east of Bayou Teche excl. St. Martinsville village)), St. Martin, Louisiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 69, sheet 4B, family 61, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,581.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KW27-ZZQ : 21 May 2020), Gabriel Gilbert, Justice Precinct 4, Jefferson, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 123-114B, sheet 4B, line 76, family 76, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4080.
• "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K39B-LZS : 20 February 2021), Gabriel Gilbert, 06 Jan 1949; citing certificate number 2943, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,223,119.
• Son's death record names parents: "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3FQ-BYW : 20 February 2021), Gabe Gilbert in entry for Abraham Gilbert, 16 Apr 1919; citing certificate number 14405, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,073,563.