{"id":3870,"date":"2024-02-22T18:57:27","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T18:57:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/?p=3870"},"modified":"2024-02-22T18:57:29","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T18:57:29","slug":"gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Gibbs As An African American Last Name"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 18,406 black Americans with Gibbs as their last name. That represented 28% of the total of 65,064 entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Gibbs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We end with a review of early records of black military service in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#After_The_Civil_War\" title=\"After The Civil War\">After The Civil War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Gibbs_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\" title=\"Gibbs In The 1900 And 1940 Census\">Gibbs In The 1900 And 1940 Census<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Historic_Black_Figures_With_The_Gibbs_Surname\" title=\"Historic Black Figures With The Gibbs Surname\">Historic Black Figures With The Gibbs Surname<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Jonathan_Gibbs\" title=\"Jonathan Gibbs\">Jonathan Gibbs<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Gibbs_In_Black_Military_Records\" title=\"Gibbs In Black Military Records\">Gibbs In Black Military Records<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Buffalo_Soldiers\" title=\"Buffalo Soldiers\">Buffalo Soldiers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Black_Civil_War_Sailors\" title=\"Black Civil War Sailors\">Black Civil War Sailors<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"After_The_Civil_War\"><\/span>After The Civil War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1870 census was the first survey after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1850 and 1860, only free African Americans were recorded in the census. The many enslaved were omitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From 1870 onward, all black Americans were included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>3,009 people named Gibbs were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 390 as mixed.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a total of 14,264 people with the name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Civil-War-Yellow-Silhouette.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Civil-War-Yellow-Silhouette.jpg 800w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Civil-War-Yellow-Silhouette-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Civil-War-Yellow-Silhouette-768x576.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gibbs_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\"><\/span>Gibbs In The 1900 And 1940 Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The mixed category was dropped from the census in 1900, so we just need to look at the black numbers this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>The 1900 census recorded 5,658 people with the last name Gibbs as black within a total of 22,704 that year.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the way, the mixed category returned in the 1910 and 1920 censuses. It was dropped again in 1930, but replaced with extra categories for colored and non-white in a way that seems confusing now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This changed again in 1940 and we can simply focus on one black category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>The 1940 census recorded 7,276 people named Gibbs as black within a total of 34,054.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Historic_Black_Figures_With_The_Gibbs_Surname\"><\/span>Historic Black Figures With The Gibbs Surname<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Gibbs-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3885\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Gibbs-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Gibbs-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Gibbs-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Gibbs.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is a notable African American in history with Gibbs as their last name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Jonathan_Gibbs\"><\/span>Jonathan Gibbs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1821<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Died: 1874<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Jonathan Gibbs was the eldest son of a methodist minister. His father died when he was ten and he and his brother Mifflin converted to Presbyterian. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His church sent him to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire where he became only the third black graduate in 1848.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He became a minister in 1856 in New York where he worked with Frederick Douglass on the abolitionist cause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gibbs settled in Florida in the late 1860s and became involved in politics. He was ultimately appointed as Secretary of State, being the first African American to hold that office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gibbs_In_Black_Military_Records\"><\/span>Gibbs In Black Military Records<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Military records are a rich resource of information for family history research. Here are examples of the Gibbs surname from military service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Buffalo_Soldiers\"><\/span>Buffalo Soldiers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Buffalo-Soldiers-Stamp.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2647\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Five regiments for black soldiers were formed during the Civil War. They were known as the Buffalo Soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their records are part of the national archive of military monthly returns. The information includes the year and place of birth, where they enlisted, their occupation, and their height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the earliest military entries for Gibbs was in December 1867. Lawrence Gibbs was a Private in the United States Tenth Cavalry. He was stationed in December 1867 at Fort Larned, Kansas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another entry was in June 1915. Arthur L. Gibbs was a Private in the United States Tenth Cavalry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are researching military ancestors, there is a free index of these records on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/search\/collections\/1934\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ancestry.com<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FamilySearch.org.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have to create an account on either website, but you do not need to pay for the Buffalo Soldiers archive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Black_Civil_War_Sailors\"><\/span>Black Civil War Sailors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Parks Service has a free archive of African American sailors during the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The information includes their age, height, rank, occupation, and where and when they enlisted. It also includes every ship that they served on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can search the database on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/civilwar\/search-sailors.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Parks website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/civil-war-ship-black-crew-members.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1691\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/civil-war-ship-black-crew-members.jpg 400w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/civil-war-ship-black-crew-members-240x300.jpg 240w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">John Gibbs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the earliest entries for Gibbs was for John Gibbs from Norfolk, Virginia. He enlisted in July 1863 at Hampton Roads when he was aged 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The record shows that John was assigned on March 1864 to the ship Roanoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Butler. His naval rank was Landsman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>&#8220;Landsman&#8221; was the lowest rank at the time and was given to recruits with little sea experience.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">York Gibbs<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the later entries was for a sailor who enlisted at Mobile Bay in August 1865. York was aged 22 and was from Hyde County, North Carolina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was assigned to the ship Tennessee on March 1865.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Laborer. His naval rank was Coal Heaver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>Coal heavers in the Navy shoveled coal into the furnace in the engine room.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 18,406 black Americans with Gibbs as their last name. That represented 28% of the total of 65,064 entries. This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Gibbs. We end with a review of early records of black &#8230; <a title=\"Gibbs As An African American Last Name\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/gibbs-as-an-african-american-last-name\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Gibbs As An African American Last Name\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3885,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3870"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3870"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3886,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3870\/revisions\/3886"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3885"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}