Clarencetown, Old Grays & Miley

John Gibson. Origin: Loyalist

John Gibson received four parcels of land on Long Island. Two of the grants were in the Clarencetown area: 300 acres, granted 3 February 1789 and bounded by the land of Archibald Taylor, James Pemberton, the sea, and a salina; and 88 acres on 3 July 1789. Gibson’s third, but earliest grant of 300 acres was in the adjoining Miley area, issued on 22 January 1789 and bounded by Great Harbour and vacant land on all other sides. His fourth grant was issued for 80 acres on 3 February 1789 in the Miley area. All of the land depicted on the Lands & Surveys Map is adjacent to land granted to Archibald Taylor, and in a government cotton survey of 1785, the large Long Island cotton producer, listed on a single line, was “Taylor & Gibson.” It is clear that these two men were closely related, most likely business partners at least, if not family. Also interesting is that this family’s tenure and ownership began in the Clarencetown Area, but is now at the northern end of the island instead.

A John Gibson was born on Eleuthera 18 March 1741 to Robert and Mary Gibson. There was also a John Gibson who was a surgeon for the British army in the North Carolina Regiment of Militia. Also serving in this militia was a James Pemberton, which is the name of a person who received a land grant adjoining that of John Gibson on Long Island. Later in the war, the Surgeon John Gibson served as the surgeon of the Refugee Hospital on James Island, South Carolina (from December 1781-May 1782).

An advertisement in the Bahamas Gazette 26 January 1789 for a run-away negro man named Romeo states that Romeo formerly belonged to “Doctor Gibson of Long Island now deceased.” Although there were Gibsons in the Bahamas prior to the Loyalist period, because his land grants state he was a Loyalist with a 10 year waiver of quit rent and there was a Dr. Gibson on Long Island, we decided that this land grantee was a Loyalist.

References: DM, LSC, Book A