James Gibbs was apprenticed as a sailor/seaman in the Virginia (VA) State Navy during 1775. Gibbs was identified separately as identical with DAR Ancestor #: A032485 and SAR Patriot #: P-327947 based upon a genealogical direct blood-line linkage between Nat’l. Society SAR Approved Member-Robert R. Truitt, Sr. (105276) and Samuel Truitt, husband of Mary Gibbs, daughter of James & Nancy (Oliver) Gibbs.

James Gibbs was born approximately 1758 at Lancaster County (Co.) located on the Northern Neck mapped at the mouth of the Rappahannock River. Parents, John Gibbs (1729-1804) and Judith “Juda” Christy, age 21, were married during 1752. A baptismal register at Christ Church Parish, Middlesex Co., VA (not to be confused with the same name church found at Lancaster Co.) held a record for James’ father’s baptismal date 14 Dec 1729, after his birth 17 Nov 1729. James’ grandparents were throughout the same baptismal register identified as Zacharias Gibbs and wife (w.) Mary. Born (b.) 1704 and died 16 Sep 1773 at Bromfield Parish, Culpeper, VA, Zacharias Gibbs’ will was discovered within Will Book B (1770-1783) pg 106; source, An 18^th Century Perspective: Culpeper County by Mary Stevens Jones, Copyright 1976, publ. by The Culpeper Historical Society, Inc., pg 30. James’ uncles Francis (1734-1810) & Zacharias, Jr. (1733-1830), and, father John Gibbs, above, were named in the will dated 5 Aug 1773 and Proven 16 Nov 1773 at Court in Culpeper; see, Dorothy Ford Wulfeck’s Culpeper County Virginia: Will Books B and C, 1965, pg 10 -Zacharias Gibbs. Richard Vernon, a neighbor was observed as a witness at Court in Culpeper. Francis Gibbs and Richard Vernon were separately recorded, together as Virginia Colonial militiamen raised for Orange Co., VA between 1755 -58 in the French and Indian War. Francis served in Capt. Hogg’s Company of Rangers, VA militia regt. raised for Orange Co.; under British commander Gen’l. Edward Braddock. Richard Vernon was found, characterized upon the same pg. as wagon master, forage master and assistant commissary under Gen’l. Braddock; source, Virginia’s Colonial Soldiers: Bounty Land Warrants, Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck, Copyright 1988, publ. by Genealogical Publ., Co., Inc., Baltimore, pg 314.

Writer Raleigh Travers Green published during 1900 his Genealogical and Historical Notes on Culpeper Co., VA, with a history of St. Mark’s Parish, that connected the entire tract of land that involved the title to several million acres of land “within the heads of rivers Tappahannock, aka Rappahannock, and Quirough or Potomac, the courses of those rivers, and the Chesapayoak,” that was granted by King James to (the proprietor) Lord Culpeper. Part One, pgs 10, 11 and 32 through 36 of the publication, above, by Green separately delignated, Northern Neck grants and leading Episcopalian, Culpeper Co. and Orange Co., families between 1748 and (Bromfield Parish, Culpeper) 1793 as follows: “Lewises, Burtons, Vawters, Caves, Gibbs, Strothers, Thorntons, Barbours, Conways, Gibsons, Pannills, Gaines and Beales.” Also, Green wrote that before the Revolutionary War, vestries, during approximately 1749 including Culpeper Co., (formed from Orange Co.,), were placed in charge of supplying medical men like Dr. Thomas Howison and Dr. James Gibbs, that looked after poor parish congregants; see, Ibid. Miscellaneous Items, Medical Men…, pg 111.

James recorded that he was age 17, when the Revolutionary War began. He was given permission by his father, John Gibbs, to be apprenticed to Capt. James Markham [R.72 (US Pension Application)] as a sailor/seaman in the Virginia State Navy from Lancaster Co.; source, US Pension Application of James Gibbs [S.16825], see: Southern Campaign American Revolution Pension Statements & Rosters. Initially, James sailed aboard a Galley, named Page, stationed at Carter Creek Rappahannock River [Lancaster Co.] i.e., topo mapped online now as Carter Cove, Chesapeake Bay, commanded by Capt. James Markham. The Virginia Navy vessel Page and crew, sailed regularly the Chesapeake Bay and Capes of Virginia during 1776. During his 2^nd year of a 3 year enlistment, Seaman Gibbs and most of the crew of the Page, was transferred to the Ship Dragon maintained at the mouth of the York River. His ship was attached to a small Virginia State Naval squadron commanded by Commodore Richard Taylor [S.25873]. James was discharged by Capt. Markham approximately during 1778-79. James was recorded to immediately join the US Merchant Service. On the crew’s 1^st voyage to France, his sailing ship was wrecked and its cargo lost in the Bay of Biscay.

After leaving the merchant service during 1779, James Gibbs resided about 9 years at Culpeper Co., VA, and he married at neighboring King George Co., on 23 Mar 1788, Nancy Oliver (1762-1835). James Gibbs and his wife, Nancy resettled at Mason Co., Kentucky (KY) from Virginia in 1798. After 6 years, the Gibbs family resettled to Lewis Co., and the remainder at Greenup Co., KY.  James Gibbs, age 76 personally appeared on 4 July 1834 before a Justice of the Peace for Greenup Co., for the purpose of submitting his pension declaration for Virginia Naval Service during the Revolutionary War.  He was recorded to reside in Greenup Co., between 1834 until his death in 1835.  Although James remained alive until age 77, little family record could be mined by the writer, online. However, an approved 2004 Nat’l. Society SAR Membership Application for Robert R. Truitt, Sr. (105276) established a direct family lineage. Regrettably, the James Gibbs family burial grounds were found unrecorded.

James Gibbs, Virginia State Navy Service was located within John H. Gwathmey, Historical Register of Virginians In The Revolution, Copyright 1938, reprinted by Genealogical Publ., Co., Inc., Baltimore, pg 304. A final note to the reader: James Gibbs’ brothers, Julius Gibbs (1753-1834) [W.10055] see, SAR Patriot #: P-165619; and Churchill (Edward) Gibbs (1754-1846) SAR Patriot #: P-165575 are identified with Revolutionary War service upon pg 304.