Rev. George M. Gipson


George & Rebecca Gipson (Watson)

George Gipson (Ancestry.com1)
 Farmer and Preacher

Nickname:Mack
Born:December 5, 1849, Near Bell Factory, Madison County, Alabama
Died:January 9, 1923, Shiloh, Alabama
Buried:Shiloh Cemetery, Ryland, Madison County, Alabama
Son of:Richard Gipson

Notes:

•  Son of Richard Gipson and Mary Elizabeth Hogue. His mother was a Cherokee Indian from an Indian reservation in Hurricane Valley. - Watson

•  "George M. Gipson was a farmer and a preacher. Most of the time he preached in homes in the area, but there are records that show he did preach at a Missionary Baptist Church in Killensworth Cove, also at a Methodist church in the Hurricane Community. At the age of 13 he joined the Confederate Army. He joined in Ryland and was inducted in Maysville. During the two years he was in service he was a bugle boy. When he came home he met and married Rebecca Elizabeth Rogers. This was 1866. They made their home in the Hurricane Community. They had six children, the oldest being Willie Richard Franklin, born in 1871; James B.H., born in 1879; Mary M.E., born in 1880; George Robert, born in 1883; John W.B., born in 1885; and Nanny E.I. born in 1887. Rebecca died in 1915. George died in 1923. Both are buried in the Shiloh Church in Ryland." - Watson

•  "Born December 5, 1850 in Madison Co., Ala. Entered service as a private in December, 1862 at Maysville, Ala in Captain Sam Sanford's Co., 4th Ala. Cavalry. Surrendered at Macon, Ga., May, 1865.
     W. M. Jordan makes the following statement: 'In December, 1864 or January, 1865, S. W. Sanford undertook to organize a Company for 4th Ala. Cav. He recruited Gipson and several others but not enough to make a Company; when they reached the Regiment some of them joined Gurley's Company and Gipson and others joined Whitman's Company K.'
     (Note: Rev. George M. Gipson is buried in the Ryland Cemetery. On his tombstone his birth date is given as Dec. 5, 1849. He died Jan. 9, 1823.)" - 1907 Confederate Census

•  "The Family
     In 1839, Richard and his Cherokee wife, Elizabeth, became parents. Their new son, also named Richard, was a welcome addition. Ten years later, a second son, George, was born to Richard and Elizabeth. George was destined to grow up fast. The 'War Between The States' was a rumor spreading on the wind. By 1860, Richard had married and moved to Madison and took up carpentry as a trade.

The Civil War
     Suddenly, rumor had became fact. It was 1862. 13-year old George was inducted into the Army of the Confederacy. Leaving Huntsville as a member of the Madison Rifles, his unit met up with the 4th Alabama Infantry Regiment in Dalton, Georgia. The unit would be among the shattered remnants of Lee's armies during the final surrender at Appomattox. God took care of George. In 1865 he was sent home, a mature 16-year old, ready to start his own life. Having served in the Army, George missed out on an education. However, having a good head on his shoulders, farming was a natural answer for a career.

The Preacher
     A year later, George Gipson fell in love with and married Rebecca Elizabeth Rogers. On Sunday afternoons and under the flickering light of a candle, Rebecca would read the Bible to her husband. George listened and learned. Before long, he was spreading God's word throughout Hurricane Valley and North Alabama. George made his living farming. He raised his family by tilling the soil, but preaching the gospel became his life's purpose." - Gipson

•  There seems to be some confusion about where he was born, lived and died. His pension application says he was born in Madison County and Shiloh Cemetery is in Madison County. Beyond that we are unable to resolve the inconsistencies in the data. - Editor's Note


Related Links:

•  1907 Confederate Census - 1907 Confederate Census: Limestone, Morgan, & Madison Counties, Alabama, by Johnson Historical Publications, 1981.

•  Ancestry.com 1 - Page owned by 101846branches and can be viewed only with an Ancestry.com paid subscription. (Originally found at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/7230914/person/511872718.)

•  Ancestry.com 2 - Page owned by glenda51548 and can be viewed only with an Ancestry.com paid subscription. (Originally found at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/9289968/person/-826003872.)

•  Find A Grave - Page created by Jason Presley.

•  Gipson - Article about the Gipson family was submitted by Donald Ernest Gipson for The Heritage of Madison County, Alabama, by The Madison County Heritage Book Committee, John P. Rankin, Chairman, page 207.

•  Pension application - Photo of the original viewed through an Ancestry.com paid subscription.

•  Watson - Article titled "The Gipson Family" by Treva Ann Watson for The Heritage of Madison County, Alabama, by The Madison County Heritage Book Committee, John P. Rankin, Chairman, pages 204-207.


The Following Pages Link to this Page:
•  Richard Gipson