John Gilbert Family Part 1; from 1772 in Eastern York County

Following my talk on the Dosch Burial Grounds in Lower Windsor Township, several people asked for more details on several of the families noted in my talk. This post is about John Gilbert; his first and second wives are daughters of Michael Dosch, the originator of the burial grounds that bear his name. John Gilbert Family Part 1 is the tenth in this series of posts. Other posts in this series and related posts include:
- Christian Rathfon Family in Pleasant Garden from 1784 to 1827 NOTE: New information has been added to the Rathfon post.
- Michael Dosch Family from about 1773 in Eastern York County
- Christopher Dosch Family; Father of York Co.’s Michael Dosch
- George Dosch Family Part 1; Uncle of York Co.’s Michael Dosch
- George Dosch Family Part 2; Uncle of York Co.’s Michael Dosch
- George Dosch Family Part 3; Uncle of York Co.’s Michael Dosch
- George Dosch Family Part 4; Stepfather of York Co.’s Peter Klein
- Susquehanna River Bridge Planned at Long Level in 1793; George Dosch Family Part 5
- Peter Kline Family from about 1773 in Eastern York County
- Gilbert Sisters in Big Hats
- The tale of Gilbert Bridge over Yellow Breeches Creek
John Gilbert was born June 9th 1772 on the farm of his father, Andrew Gilbert, Sr., in Eastern York County. John had several older sisters and would eventually have a younger brother, Andrew Gilbert, Jr. John Gilbert, the oldest son, purchased the farm of his father on October 25th 1797; this is the 123-acre parcel plotted on the map at the beginning of this post. Andrew Gilbert, Jr. purchases a farm three miles further south; in the vicinity of what is now Craley.
About 1796 John Gilbert married the daughter of his neighbor Michael Dosch; see ‘Michael Dosch Family from about 1773 in Eastern York County’ for a map showing the locations of the Gilbert and Dosch properties. Original records for John Gilbert’s wife Mary, either have her name as Anna Maria (Gilbert bible record), Mary (Gilbert land deeds) or Anna Mary (her gravestone).
In the ‘Taxing Window Glass in 1798’ post, it is this John Gilbert that is living in the stone house on Michael Dosch’s main property during 1798. Therefore John Gilbert, his wife Mary and their child John Gilbert, Jr. were initially living with his in-laws, even after purchasing his father’s farm in 1797.
Adam Shenberger is married to Catharine Dosch, the oldest daughter of Michael Dosch. In the ‘Taxing Window Glass in 1798’ post, it is this Adam Shenberger that is living on his father-in-laws’ farm that is directly south of his father’s property. After Michael Dosch died in 1799, Adam Shenberger purchased much of Michael’s property. Adam Shenberger moves into the stone house near the Dosch Burial Grounds and on August 27th 1803 sells some property to his brother-in-law John Gilbert. This is the 239-acre parcel noted in the map at the beginning of this post. Therefore by the age of 31-years, John Gilbert owns 362-acres.
John and Mary Gilbert had 10 children. Adam and Catharine Shenberger had 9 children. Adam Shenberger died September 28th 1822. Mary Gilbert died February 27th 1824. When widower John Gilbert married widow Catharine (Dosch) Shenberger, he was marrying his sister-in-law. I don’t have exact date for their marriage, however it would have been before February 14th 1826 when the widow signs her name Catharine Gilbert in a document appointing guardians of her minor children to her first husband Adam Shenberger. Several land deeds after 1830 have John Gilbert married to Catharine. A small plot of land that Catharine is given from Adam’s Estate is passed down to a son of John Gilbert. I suspect that Catharine (Dosch Shenberger) Gilbert is buried in the Dosch Burial Grounds with her first husband Adam; however her gravestone no longer exists.
The Family of John Gilbert
John Gilbert was born 9 Jun 1772 in York County, PA. John was a veteran of the War of 1812. John married Anna Maria Dosch; she was born 25 Sep 1777 in York County, PA. John Gilbert was an Elder in the Lutheran Church of the Canadochly Union Church. John Gilbert died 15 Aug 1846; John and Anna Mary Gilbert are buried in the old part of Canadochly Cemetery, Lower Windsor Township, York County, PA. They had 10 children:
- John D. Gilbert, Jr, (b. 9 Jun 1797 – d. before 1860); First marriage was to Catherine, they had 7 children. Second marriage was to Nancy, they had 5 children. Lived in Columbia, Lancaster Co., PA.
- Catharina Gilbert (b. 19 Aug 1799 – d. before 1810)
- Jacob Gilbert (b. 21 Dec 1801 – d. about 1802)
- Magdalena Gilbert (b. 8 Apr 1804 – d. 30 Nov 1875); Married to Francis Hartman, they had 11 children. About 1830 this family moves to Indiana and remains in Bartholomew County, Indiana for the remainder of their lives.
- Anna Maria Gilbert (b. 28 Dec 1806 – d. 2 Apr 1853); Married to Henry Leber, they had 10 children. They are buried in Canadochly Cemetery, Lower Windsor Township, York County, PA.
- Michael Gilbert (b. 16 Feb 1809 – d. before 1880); Married to Sarah Ann Rutter, they had 13 children. Michael’s family lived in Pennsylvania until about 1837, then lived in Indiana until 1840, then moved back to Pennsylvania until about 1846. In 1846 they moved to Ohio until 1850 when their final move was to Iowa; the final location being Burrel Township, Decatur County, Iowa.
- Samual Clark Gilbert (b. 10 Sep 1811 – d. 3 Aug 1884); Married to Rebecca Keller, they had 10 children. Besides being a farmer, Samuel was a Justice of the Peace and a Major in the State Militia. They are buried in Canadochly Cemetery, Lower Windsor Township, York County, PA.
- George M. Gilbert (b. 2 Jun 1814 – d. 1891); Married to Anna Delila Green, they had 6 children. This family moves to Indiana and remains in Bartholomew County, Indiana for the remainder of their lives.
- Jacob Z. Gilbert (b. 6 May 1817 – d. about 1888); Married to Sarah, they had 9 children. Early in their marriage they lived in Monroe County, Ohio, however soon return to live in Harrisburg, PA.
- Joseph L. Gilbert (b. 3 Jan 1820 – d. 13 Jul 1894); Married to Leah Keller, they had 5 children. They farmed in Lower Windsor Township, York County, PA.
Go to John Gilbert Family Part 2.
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