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FAMILY MEMBERS ARRANGED IN DATE ORDER

To earlier Gilbert family members

c.1738-1800 WILLIAM GILBERT

Born at Waldron (?) in January (?) 1738.
Parents; William Gilbert (17??-1787) = ?? (his first wife).
Married; (1) Elizabeth Attwood (1741-1786) spinster, at Waldron 5 May 1772.
Witnesses Thos.Slatter & John Westgate.
No children.
Married; (2) Mary Ashdown (1765-1836) 3 December 1789 at Waldron.
Witnesses Thomas Ashdown (1745-17??) & Sarah Ashdown (1748-17??).
Children; William (1790-1844), Thomas (1791-1851), Mary (1798-1837)
William paid land tax for a cottage and farmland at Little London, near Waldron, from 1770 until his death in 1800.

The Farm at Waldron

Died; January 1800.
Buried at Waldron 13 January 1800 aged 61. According to the Waldron Parish register he left no will and a grant of administration was made to his widow, Mary, on 10 June 1800.

1741-1786 ELIZABETH GILBERT (nee ATTWOOD)

Born; 1741?
Baptised; 10 February 1741, Waldron.
Parents; Nicholas Attwood (b.Waldron 1707) = Anne Stevenson
(They also had a son Thomas, born in Waldron 1738 = Anne Daw in 1773. Thomas died in 1819, aged 81)
Married; William Gilbert (1738-1800) as his first wife, at Waldron on 5 May 1772. Witnesses were Thomas Slatter and John Westgate.
No children.
Died 1786.
Buried at Waldron on 8 April 1786.

1765-1836 MARY GILBERT (nee ASHDOWN)

Born; 1765
Baptised; 8 October 1765 at Waldron
Parents; James Ashdown (1743-17??) = Mary Ranger
(James was baptised on 13 February 1741/42 at Waldron, Sussex, son of John Ashdown and Sarah Clarke. He married Mary Ranger on 23 March 1760 at Waldron, Sussex.)
Married; William Gilbert (1738-1800) as his second wife, at Waldron on 3 December 1789.
Witnesses; Thomas Ashdown (1745-17??) and Sarah Ashdown (1748-17??) her uncle and aunt.
Children; William (1790-1844), Thomas (1791-1851), Mary (1798-1837)
When her husband died, she took over land tax payments for the cottage and farmland at Little London.

The Farm at Waldron

Died; 19 January 1836 aged 70.
Buried; at Waldron 23 January 1836.

1785-1834 MARIA GILBERT (nee JENNINGS)

Born; 26 January 1785
Parents; John Jennings
Married; William Gilbert (1790-1844) on 6 August 1822 at Waldron.
Children; William (1823-1874), David (1825-1916)
Williams courtship of Maria lasted 12 years, he wrote in a letter to Mr.Funnell, minister at Burwash, at the time of her death. The witnesses at the marriage were Thomas Gilbert (William's brother), and Harriett Jennings.
Maria had been at one time owner, and possibly inn-keeper of the War-Bill-in-Tun at Warbleton.

The Warbill-in-Tun pub, Warbleton

Died; 27 June 1834, aged 49.
Buried; 2 July 1834, Waldron churchyard, aged 49.

1790-1844 WILLIAM GILBERT

Born; 1790
Baptised; 18 February 1790 at Waldron
Parents; William Gilbert (1738-1800) = Mary Ashdown (1765-1836)
Married; Maria Jennings (1785-1834) on 6 August 1822 at Waldron.
Children; William (1823-1874), David (1825-1916)
Lived at Little London, near Waldron. Started paying land tax for farmland at Waldron in 1811, and took over from his mother (widowed) all payments for the family house and land from 1815.

The Farm at Waldron

He had therefore become effective head of the household at 25. His wife Maria had been at one time owner, and possibly inn-keeper of the War-Bill-in-Tun at Warbleton.

The Warbill-in-Tun pub, Warbleton

His courtship lasted 12 years. In his will, dated 1834, he mentions no property other than a share of the War-Bill-in-Tun, so it can be concluded that the house in which he was living did not belong to him but, presumably, his mother Mary who died in 1836. When his sister died in 1837, all three womenfolk in his family had passed away and he was left with the care of his two small sons.
It is assumed that he took possession of the Little London house on the death of his mother. He continued to operate the farm (or 'farms', as his son David wrote) with the increasing assistance of the two boys.

At the 1841 census he was recorded as aged 51, living in Little London. The household consisted of William, his son William (aged 17), his son David (aged 15), Caleb Cambridge (aged 15) and Mary Sellins (aged 25).

He was taken ill on Tuesday 18 June 1844 and died the following Monday.
David wrote an account of his father's death-bed with himself on one side and his brother William on the other. David's uncle Thomas (William's brother) also came for a time.
Died; 24 June 1844 aged 54
Buried; at Waldron 28 June 1844.

1791-1851 THOMAS GILBERT

Born: 23 November 1791 Heathfield
Baptised; 10 (or 16) January 1792 at Waldron
Parents; William Gilbert (1738-1800) = Mary Ashdown (1765-1836)
Married; Mercy Errey (1802-1851) on 25 June 1823 at Heathfield.
Children; Elizabeth (1823-1853), Mary A. (1825-1894), Thomas (1827-1873), Jabez (1829-1854), George Linman (1832-1908), Naomi (1834-1916), Lois (1836-1914), William (1840-1928).

Living at Little Saperton, near Sandy Cross Lane, Heathfield by 1823 (their first daughter Elizabeth was born there in 1823) and recorded on the register of electors for Heathfield in 1837 as occupying Little Saperton ("Copyhold house and land", i.e. a tenant on a manor or estate).

More details about Little Saperton, Heathfield.

At the 1841 Census Thomas (aged 45, farmer) was living at Little Saperton with his wife Mercy (aged 35), daughter Mary (aged 15), sons Thomas (aged 13) and Jabez (Iaged 11), daughters Naomi (aged 5) and Lois (aged 4) and son William (aged 1).
The family emigrated late in 1851 to USA (New York and later Illinois) with some of their children (although Jabez and George had gone earlier, and some others followed later).
Died: 8 (or 18) August 1851, Buffalo, Erie County, New York, apparently from injuries sustained after a fall down stairs, complicated by pneumonia. (His wife Mercy had died on the voyage and was buried at sea, and he died five months later.)

For more details see "Gilberts in the USA"

1798-1837 MARY GILBERT

Born; 1798
Baptised; 13 December 1798 at Waldron
Parents; William Gilbert (1738-1800) = Mary Ashdown (1765-1836)
There was, it seems, a notion in the family memory that Mary went to America, but nothing has been found to substantiate this. Mary Gilbert, born 1825, certainly did emigrate to America, so perhaps the two got confused.
Died; 20 April 1837.
Buried at Waldron 23 April 1837, aged 38, unmarried.

1802-1851 MERCY GILBERT (nee ERREY)

Born: 17 July 1802, Heathfield
Baptised; 15 August 1802, Heathfield Independent Chapel
Parents: William Errey (15 April 1778 - October 1840) = Elizabeth Gurnett (2 July 1780 - November 1859)
Married; Thomas Gilbert (1791-1851) on 25 June 1823, Heathfield.
Children; Elizabeth (1823-1853), Mary A. (1825-1894), Thomas (1827-1873), Jabez (1829-1854), George Linman (1832-1908), Naomi (1834-1916), Lois (1836-1914), William (1840-1928).

The Errey family were from Heathfield and Warbleton.

Living at Little Saperton, near Sandy Cross Lane, Heathfield by 1823 (their first daughter Elizabeth was born there in 1823 and subsequently all their 8 children were born there.

More details about Little Saperton, Heathfield.

At the 1841 Census Thomas (aged 45, farmer) was living at Little Saperton with his wife Mercy (aged 35), daughter Mary (aged 15), sons Thomas (aged 13) and Jabez (Iaged 11), daughters Naomi (aged 5) and Lois (aged 4) and son William (aged 1).
The family emigrated late in 1851 to USA (New York and later Illinois) with some of their children (although Jabez and George had gone earlier, and some others followed later).
Mercy died on the voyage to America (15 April 1851), and was buried at sea off Newfoundland. Thomas died 5 months later.

For more details see "Gilberts in the USA"

To later Gilbert family members