Biography:
The Life of Gilbert Darling
by Pat Darling
Gilbert Darling was born in Cattaraugus
County, New York on Jan 8, 1833. In 1850 Gilbert was found in Ida,
Monroe County, Michigan, with his mother, Marilda, and five of his
siblings, Abraham, Henry, Christopher, Lodusky, and Marilda.
Another apparent sibling, Robert,was located in the 1870 census. There
may have been other older children left behind in New York. Marilda was
in Michigan by 1846 so it seems likely that her husband, David, died in
New York between 1843 and 1845, but his death has not been found.
Gilbert apparently lived with his mother
in Ida, until April 8, 1854, when he married Mariah Abbey Glazier in
Kalamazoo. Mariah was born in Vermont, but little is known of her
background. It is not known where or how Gilbert met her. No record of
the marriage has been found in Kalamazoo or the state records. In 1858
Gilbert and Mariah bought land in the Village of Mattawan in Antwerp
Township. This is just twelve miles southwest of Kalamazoo. The 1860
census shows Gilbert and Mariah living in Lawton, Antwerp Township, Van
Buren County, Michigan. They had three children born to them since
their marriage.
William O. was born 1855
Ellen was born three years later, in
1857
Harry Marcellus was born 21 Feb 1858
Frank Burt was born later, on 20 Jan
1869
They had lived there barely three years
when the Civil War broke out. After the first year of the war, Gilbert
enlisted. It was Aug. 5, 1862. He gave his age as thirty, birthplace
Cattaraugus Co. New York, occupation Cooper. He became a member of the
Fourth Regiment of Michigan Cavalry. In the Company Descriptive Book his
description was: height 5 feet 8 inches; complexion dark; eyes brown;
hair black; and occupation now given as Carpenter. Sept. 1862 he was
Absent Without Leave. Sometime after that he was taken prisoner, and
paroled on Nov. 10 near Mitchellsville, KY. On July 1, 1865, he was
Mustered-out at Nashville and paid $55.25 for clothing and $25 Bounty,
with $75 still due. Interestingly, his regiment was involved in the
capture of Jefferson Davis at the end of the war. Gilbert was not listed
among the names of men in the regiment who were present at the capture
on the morning of May 10th, but he is listed as one of the men on the
expedition. The Company Muster Rolls seem to end in April 1865, so this
expedition was not part of his military record.
It appears that Gilbert spent much of the
later part of the war in Tennessee, and apparently liked the area. He
decided he would like to live there, and he sent for his wife and
children. This must have put a tremendous responsibility on Mariah. She
had to sell their property, and had three small children to deal with.
She may have been living with her father at this time, and he may have
helped her. On September 22, 1865, she sold their lots in Lawton Village
for $500. On October 5 Gilbert signed a Proof of Acknowledgement
Instrument from Davidson County, Tennessee. After the sale was final,
she and the children moved to Edgefield, Davidson County, Tennessee to
join Gilbert.
Life was not pleasant in Tennessee for
Mariah. She probably had several babies that were born and died while
living there, and Ellen may have died there also. Gilbert was working in
Nashville and came home only on weekends. Her two sons were not old
enough to be of much help, and life became a drudgery. On January 20,
1869, Mariah gave birth to a son, Frank Burt, who did not die. She now
had one more mouth to feed, and increasing responsibilities. Gilbert was
not easy to live with, and by August she was fed up. She wrote a letter
to her father, Newcomb Glazier, who was living in Michigan, stating:
“I am tired of living where I am no
better than a negro. Here a poor white person isn’t thought no more
of than the blacks are.” Added to the problems between her and
Gilbert, this made her want to leave him.
We do not know how long it took for
Mariah to get back to Michigan, but the 1870 census shows her and the
two youngest children living with her father in Lawton. Next door is her
father’s sister, Mary Elizabeth Hayden, and her family. Her husband
and Newcomb worked together as carpenters.
The following year Mariah filed for
divorce. The divorce records reveal much of what had been going in the
lives of Gilbert and Mariah. She requested custody of the two younger
children, Harry and Frank, and that her marriage be resolved. The
divorce was apparently granted, but it is unknown whether Gilbert ever
appeared before the court to state his side of the case. Mariah moved
on, with her father, and eventually met and married William Ellis of New
York. They moved to Wisconsin, where her sons, Harry and Frank, grew to
adulthood.
Before the war Gilbert met Mary Cooley, a neighbor of his mother,
and now he started a family with her in Milan, Monroe County. Their
children were:
Stella born 11 Dec
1862
John Chester born 8
Jul 1864
Christopher Gilbert
born 19 Jul 1866
Emery born 7 Apr
1872
Ella born 31 May
1875
Robert Dorr born 8
Jun 1879/1880
George born 30 Jun
1881
Mary born 7 Oct
1883
Gilbert worked as a farmer in this area
for a number of years. Some time before 1880 he moved to Springfield,
Kalkaska Co. Michigan, where some of his children were born. Later he
moved to South Boardman. After his wife died on 26 Mar 1896, Gilbert
apparently moved on, as most of his children were married. He met a
young woman by the name of Sarah Alma Hoadley, a nurse, in Holland,
Ottawa County, Michigan. They were married in 1899. The Marriage Record
Book of Ottawa County, Michigan, page 229, reads:
“Record 114, May 16, 1899, Gilbert
Darling, age 60, Resident of Holland City, Mich., Occupation Miller,
Father David Darling, Mother Marilda Atkins, Previously married one
time, Place of Marriage Grand Rapids” followed by the name of the
Justice of the Peace and the witnesses, then the bride’s
information.
It seems that Gilbert lived out the
remaining seven years of his life in the Zeeland/ Blendon area of Ottawa
County. He died in Blendon 25 April 1906, and was buried in
Boardman Township, Kalkaska County, Michigan. The following
inscription is found on his head stone:
Gilbert Darling
Born Jan 8, 1833
Died Apr 25, 1906
Aged 73 yrs, 3 mo, 17 days
Updated biography of Gilbert Darling
This is a correction to the life of
Gilbert Darling. It appears that there are two different men by the same
name, both born the same year in New York. Further research has turned
up a story for each of them.
Updated story of Gilbert #1:
Gilbert Darling #1 was born in New York
on Jan 8, 1833. In 1850 Gilbert was found in Ida, Monroe County,
Michigan, with his mother, Marilda, and five of his siblings, Abraham,
Henry, Christopher, Lodusky, and Marilda. Another apparent
sibling, Robert,was located in the 1870 census. There may have been
other older children left behind in New York. Marilda was in Michigan by
1846 so it seems likely that her husband, David, died in New York
between 1843 and 1845, but his death has not been found.
Gilbert was again enumerated with his mother in Ida in the 1860 census.
A year later, in November 1861, he married Mary Cooley, whose family
lived nearby in Monroe County.
They lived in Milan, Monroe County. Their children were:
* Stella born 11 Dec 1862
* John Chester born 8 Jul 1864
* Christopher Gilbert born 19 Jul 1866
* Emery born 7 Apr 1872
* Ella born 31 May 1875
* Robert Dorr born 8 Jun 1879/1880
* George born 30 Jun 1881
* Mary born 7 Oct 1883
Gilbert worked as a farmer in this area for a number of years. In 1870
he is still listed in Milan. Some time before 1880 he moved to
Springfield, Kalkaska Co. Michigan, where he is listed in the 1880
census. His youngest child was born there in 1883. Later he moved to
South Boardman, where his wife died on 26 Mar 1896. Gilbert moved on
after her death, as most of his children were grown and married. He met
a young woman by the name of Sarah Alma Hoadley, a nurse, in Holland,
Ottawa County, Michigan. They were married in 1899. The Marriage Record
Book of Ottawa County, Michigan, page 229, reads:
“Record 114, May 16, 1899, Gilbert Darling, age 60, Resident of
Holland City, Mich., Occupation Miller, Father David Darling, Mother
Marilda Atkins, Previously married one time, Place of Marriage Grand
Rapids” followed by the name of the Justice of the Peace and the
witnesses, then the bride’s information.
The 1900 census lists Gilbert and Sarah Alma in Zeeland, Ottawa County,
MI.
He lived out the remaining seven years of his life in the Zeeland/
Blendon area of Ottawa County. He died in Blendon 25 April 1906,
and was buried in Boardman Township, Kalkaska County, Michigan.
The following inscription is found on his head stone:
Gilbert Darling
Born Jan 8, 1833
Died Apr 25, 1906
Aged 73 yrs, 3 mo, 17 days
Updated story of Gilbert Darling #2:
Gilbert H. Darling was born in 1832/33 in
Cattaraugus County, NY. He is first found in the 1850 census of
Waynesfield, Lucas County, OH. He is enumerated with his mother,
Concurrence, and his younger siblings Oliver P., born 1834, Cynthia W.,
born 1837, and William B. born 1842. His father, John J. Darling, had
died on Jan. 1, 1848 in Waynesfield. John’s parentage is unknown.
Gilbert’s mother is believed to be Concurrence Bradford.
On April 8, 1854, Gilbert married Mariah Abbey Glazier in Kalamazoo, MI.
Mariah was born in Vermont, but little is known of her background. It is
not known where or how Gilbert met her. No record of the marriage has
been found in Kalamazoo or the state records. In 1858 Gilbert and Mariah
bought land in the Village of Mattawan in Antwerp Township. This is just
twelve miles southwest of Kalamazoo. The 1860 census shows Gilbert and
Mariah living in Lawton, Antwerp Township, Van Buren County, Michigan.
They had three children born to them since their marriage.
* William O. was born 1855
* Ellen was born two years later, in 1857
* Harry Marcellus was born 21 Feb 1858
* Frank Burt was born later, on 20 Jan 1869
They had lived there barely three years when the Civil War broke out.
After the first year of the war, Gilbert enlisted. It was Aug. 5, 1862.
He gave his age as thirty, birthplace Cattaraugus Co. New York,
occupation Cooper. He served in the Fourth Regiment of Michigan Cavalry.
In the Company Descriptive Book his description was: height 5 feet 8
inches; complexion dark; eyes brown; hair black; and occupation now
given as Carpenter. Sept. 1862 he was Absent Without Leave. Sometime
after that he was taken prisoner, and paroled on Nov. 10 near
Mitchellsville, KY. On July 1, 1865, he was Mustered-out at Nashville
and paid $55.25 for clothing and $25 Bounty, with $75 still due.
Interestingly, his regiment was involved in the capture of Jefferson
Davis at the end of the war. Gilbert was not listed among the names of
men in the regiment who were present at the capture on the morning of
May 10th, but he is listed as one of the men on the expedition. The
Company Muster Rolls seem to end in April 1865, so this expedition was
not part of his military record.
It appears that Gilbert spent much of the later part of the war in
Tennessee, and apparently liked the area. He decided he would like to
live there, and he sent for his wife and children. This must have put a
tremendous responsibility on Mariah. She had to sell their property, and
had three small children to deal with. She may have been living with her
father at this time, and he may have helped her. On September 22, 1865,
she sold their lots in Lawton Village for $500. On October 5 Gilbert
signed a Proof of Acknowledgement Instrument from Davidson County,
Tennessee. After the sale was final, she and the children moved to
Edgefield, Davidson County, Tennessee to join Gilbert.
Life was not pleasant in Tennessee for Mariah. She probably had several
babies that were born and died while living there, and Ellen may have
died there also. Gilbert was working in Nashville as a cooper and came
home only on weekends. Her two sons were not old enough to be of much
help, and life became a drudgery. On January 20, 1869, Mariah gave birth
to a son, Frank Burt, who did not die. She now had one more mouth to
feed, and increasing responsibilities. Gilbert was not easy to live
with, and by August she was fed up. She wrote a letter to her father,
Newcomb Glazier, who was living in Michigan, stating:
“I am tired of living where I am no better than a negro. Here a
poor white person isn’t thought no more of than the blacks are.”
Added to the problems between her and Gilbert, this made her want to
leave him.
We do not know how long it took for Mariah to get back to Michigan, but
the 1870 census shows her and the two youngest children living with her
father in Lawton. Next door is her father’s sister, Mary Elizabeth
Hayden, and her family. Her husband and Newcomb worked together as
carpenters.
The following year Mariah filed for divorce. The divorce records reveal
much of what had been going in the lives of Gilbert and Mariah. She
requested custody of the two younger children, Harry and Frank, and that
her marriage be resolved. The divorce was apparently granted, but it is
unknown whether Gilbert ever appeared before the court to state his side
of the case. Mariah moved on, with her father, and eventually met and
married William Ellis of New York. They moved to Wisconsin, where her
sons, Harry and Frank, grew to adulthood.
In 1870 Gilbert and his eldest son, William, age 18, were living in
Waynesboro, Wayne County, TN. They were both listed as coopers.
Nothing has been found regarding Gilbert after 1870. A search was done
of the 1880 census index of the entire country, and he was not located.
William was not located again until 1894, living near his mother in
Minnesota. He died in 1930.
The search goes on for the death of Gilbert H. Darling.
