DAVID GILBERT. Among the citizens of solid worth who for many years have made their home in Union Township, Clay County. Mr. Gilbert is worthy of more than a passing notice. He is a farmer by occupation and may usually be found at his well-regulated homestead, occupying the southwest quarter of section 1. He was born in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 26, 1808, and is thus at this writing, October, 1889, a veteran of eighty-one years. His parents were David and Jemima (Pococ) Gilbert, the former an Irishman by birth and the latter a native of Baltimore.
David Gilbert, Jr., was eight years old when his parents left Maryland and emigrated to the young State of Ohio, settling in the vicinity of Marietta, Washington County. He was there reared to man's estate and when starting out for himself in life, settled in the open country, know as the Northwestern Territory, forty miles west of Ft. Wayne, Ind. He entered 160 acres of land in what is now known as LaGrange County, Ind., but after a residence of four years returned to Washington County, Ohio. He was not yet satisfactorily settled and now took up his line of march across the Mississippi and for a comparatively brief time was a resident of Howard County, Iowa. On the 20th of June, I860, he could have been found located on the Republican River in Clay County, Kan., where he homesteaded the farm which he now owns and occupies. This, as well as most of the land which he subsequently purchased and entered, is beautifully located in the Republican River Valley. He was at one time the owner of 800 acres, but has now only half that amount, having divided up the balance among his sons.
For twenty-eight years Mr. Gilbert has farmed in the river bottoms, and during that time has lost only one crop, that being caused by grasshoppers in 1869. In his farming operations on the upland he had been almost equally fortunate, losing but two crops by chinch bugs, in 1886, and one by the drought of 1887. The greater part of his land is in a highly productive condition. He has planted 200 apple trees besides other fruit trees and made the ordinary improvements brought about by the intelligent and progressive agriculturist.
When Mr. Gilbert settled on the Republican River there were but two families west of him for a distance of 125 miles. Buffalo and antelope abounded in large numbers and these furnished most of the subsistence of the settlers. The nearest town was Atchison, and thither Mr. Gilbert had to go for his supplies, even taking his plow there to be sharpened. There were no mills then in this region and the bread stuff of the Gilbert family for the first year consisted of boiled corn. Mr. Gilbert has seen Kansas at its worst and at its best, but he never lost confidence in its future and still considers it one of the best States in the Union. He has passed his life in the quiet pursuits of farming and his career as a citizen has been such that he is recognized as one of the most useful members of his community. He has kept himself well posted upon matters of public interest, although never mixing in politics. His first Presidential vote was cast for Andrew Jackson during his first candidacy for the Presidency. Until the election of 1888 he uniformly voted the Democratic ticket, but having supported old Tippecanoe in 1840, he felt called upon to do the same for his grandson.
Mr. Gilbert has been three times married, having children by each wife. The maiden name of his early choice was Freelove Trowbridge, of Washington County, Ohio. She left five children, namely, William, Walter, Rosalia, Sarah and Ann. His second wife was Elizabeth Sweet, of St. Joseph County, Mich.; she died leaving one son, David. The present wife of Mr. Gilbert was formerly Miss Jane Taylor and there were born to them six children�Elizabeth, Martha, Rozalia, Lucy, Henry and Josephine. Most of these have reached mature years and have families of their own. Mr. Gilbert has been for many years a consistent member of the Baptist Church and is a man held in the highest respect by all who know him. His portrait which appears in connection with this sketch is a work of art, and will be prized by all his friends.
