The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
John Gilbert was born on 19 February 1760 in the small farming and seaside town of Fairfield, Connecticut. He was the son of Ebenezer and Prudence (Burr) Gilbert and the younger brother of Burr and Ebenezer, who also served honorably in the Revolutionary War.
John married on 11 November 1783 to Elizabeth Lyon, born on 18 January 1763. They had nine known children:
Betsy was born on 17 September 1784.
Clarissa was born on 28 September 1786
Moses was born on 3 November 1788
Burr was born on 6 December 1790
Abygail was born on 12 March 1793
Rachel was born on 12 April 1797
John was born on 18 June 1799
Hulda was born on 4 April 1804
He entered Revolutionary War military service in the Fairfield town militia at the young age of 14 or 15. When the call went out from George Washington, the Fairfield Militia participated in the Battle of Long Island in 1776, where he saw combat and eventually retreated to Fairfield. After the burning of Danbury, Connecticut, on 25 March 1777, by British General William Tryon. John enlisted in the newly formed 8th Connecticut Line on 1 January 1777. On 25 May 1777, John signed up to be a Continental soldier, for the duration, in Colonel Isaac Sherman’s Connecticut Regiment, along with Joseph Plumb Martin. They went on to see service in several battles.
When George Washington led the Continental Army to Valley Forge, John and Joseph Plumb Martin participated in a holding action so the army could safely march to Valley Forge on 9 December 1777. The 8th Connecticut arrived at Valley Forge on the evening of 23 December 1777, and the soldiers had not eaten in three days. John and his brothers Burr and Ebenezer wintered over at the Valley Forge. The 4th and 8th Connecticut joined with the 1st and 2nd. Service was in Captain David Smith Company, Rhode Island units from the 1st Division under Major-General Charles Lee, the Varnum’s Brigade.
John survived Valley Forge and continued his loyal service in the patriotic cause. His rank dates are as follows: he served as a Private from May 1777 to January 1780; Corporal from January 1780 to January 1781; and Sergeant from January 1781 to December 1781. He received a pension for disability resulting from injuries sustained while in service but failed to get his land grant.
The Patriot died on 31 March 1816 and is buried in Van Cortlandville, Westchester County, New York.
Sources:
John and Elizabeth Gilbert: Revolutionary War Pension file W16268
John’s Valley Forge ID: Connecticut 16328
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Additional Information:
Philipstown 1st settled during 1715. Philipstown was formed 1788, as one of the 3 original towns in Putnam Co. Philipstown's main population centers now, are the village of Cold Spring, the hamlet of Garrison, and village of Nelsonville