Family Legacy

William Gibbs DOB: 12/31/1882     DOD: 1945
Rebecca Chloe Gibbs DOB: 1/10/1887     DOD: 1956
Married in Mo/Date/Yr
Out of this Union
8 Boys and 7 Girls
The Beginning
Of the
Legacy


My Olive Plants, My Children
 
Coming from Living Waters
Streams of much strength
Imbued with sense and purpose
Ingrained in them of one mind
The Family
 
 
Coming from the Olive Plants
Sitting around their table
Revealed a seeking bridegroom
A man of God who found a help mate
 
He who finds a wife finds a good thing
 
A wife, a mother giving birth to a seed
A heritage for the Lord
 
Coming from the lineage of the Chloe Family
Lady she was called
Enriched with many virtues
 
United with the Lineage of the Gibbs family
Called My planting
Established with purpose, resolve
And the character and strength of a good name
 
Of one flesh God’s Heritage, Thus
The seed of posterity
Produces, reproduces and reproduces
Revealing the offspring of the
Legacy

 

 

The Legacy

 
Praise the Lord!
 
Row 1 (left to right) Aunt Annie, Aunt Bessie, Aunt Mary Emily, Aunt Martha
Row 2 Aunt Rebecca(Beck), Aunt Louise, Aunt Florence
Row 3 Uncle Teddy, Uncle Dalton, Uncle Anthony, Uncle Paul, Uncle Tom, Uncle James, Uncle Addison

There was yet another brother name William who died at the tender age of 3.  Aunt Annie, Uncle Paul, Aunt Bessie, and Aunt Martha all married and left home to start a family of their own.  These brothers and sisters were separated by two different states and a capitol, yet the distance could not separate the three fold cord that bound and kept them together:   Parents who sowed the Seed of the Lord in their lives, parents who raised them out of their love making them aware of the importance of family, and prayer.
 

Grace having kissed her lips, integrity and virtue were her apron strings
Aunt Annie (Mom we see you)
 
A sense of God and His love, His suspenders of strength
Uncle Tom (Dad we see you)
 
A purpose and a resolve
Uncle Addison (Dad we see you)
 
To feed the hungry, to look out for one another
Uncle Anthony (Dad we see you)
 
To offer shelter when and where needed
Uncle Teddy we see you
 
A supporter and Helper to the family and an ingathering of friends
Uncle Dalton (Dad we see you)
 
 
Loving hospitality, in her voice the sound of chimes
Aunt Martha (Mom I see you)
 
Always a meal prepared with gladness of heart
Aunt Mary Emily we see you
 
And set before family and friends, always a welcome mat
Uncle Paul (Dad we see you)
 
The warmth that always delights the heart, joy bells were in her hem
Aunt Beck (Mom we see you)
 
The embrace that speaks on its own, family I am so glad to see you
Aunt Bessie (Mom I see you)
 
She wore his name with great love, care, and respect
Uncle James (Dad we see you)
 
Their countenance, life flower beds with their family in bloom
Aunt Louise we see you
 
Her trust and faith in the Lord was steadfast and secure
Aunt Florence (Mom I see you)
 

 

Out of their love and longing for each other, collectively they came together and held the Gibbs’ first Family Reunion in 1973 at Uncle Tom’s and Aunt Adrina’s home.  Over  the years the Gibbs’ Family Reunion has been held at Hume Community Center, Bull Run, Algonkian Park, Bing Crosby Stadium, The 4H Club under the large pavilion, Winchester, and back here to the 4H Club. 





 
 

Our parents framed us out of their love in the same three fold cord that binds and keeps us together and has passed the Legacy of Family to us in the keeping of the Gibbs’ Family Reunion. 
 
Thus, we, the children of this awesome and powerful Legacy, for nothing is more honorable and powerful than Family, are looking forward to the next generation of the Gibbs’ Family members who wish to come and participate in the planning and preparation for the 2017 Family Reunion Meeting.  Please see Jimmy Gibbs, Ann Baltimore, Joseph Lewis, Gwendolyn Brown, Glenda Moore, Dorothy Bridges and Sonny Gibbs.      
 

These are our memories which live on in our hearts
That attests to our beginning
Our Legacy we build upon
The past gathered with the present, and with our future
In celebrating
The Gibbs Family Reunion

 

Submitted by: Dorothy Bridges


 

History of Gibbs Family Reunions
Author William D. Gibbs (Billy Boy)

 
The formal Gibbs Family reunion started around 1960 at Uncle Addison’s house in The Plains.  What I remember about the reunion was Jimmy Gibbs’ Galaxie 500.  It was a two tone blue car and it was a good looking car.  My daddy drove Fords all his life so I kept up on the ford models.  All I can say is Jimmy had a nice, brand new car at the family reunion.  I think the grills were in the garage.  There were lots of people there and it was a lot of fun.  This continued for two or three years and then stopped.
 
The reunion picked up again around 1970 at the house on Still House Hollow Farm.  By this time Grandma Gibbs has passed.  I’m not sure whose idea it was to start the reunion back.  Maybe our house was chosen because it was the closest to Grandma Gibbs’ last house.  Again there was a lot of people and a lot of food.  Cars were parked all the way down the driveway.  The reunion may have been on a Sunday afternoon.  One year it rained and our house was fill of tracked mud the next day.  Mama didn’t seem too upset about this.  She spent several days cleaning up the mess but didn’t complain.  When the reunion started it has continued to this day.  It met at our house for about three years.
 
After that we had a reunion at Bing Crosby stadium in Front Royal hosted by Aunt Annie.  We also met at the Association build at Mt, Morris Baptist Church in 1976.  I remember this because this was the year I took the Virginia State Bar and I was still concerned about it.  Aunt Mary Emily was alive then and I remembered her sitting back in her chair and discussing family issues.  There were some questions about whether we should continue to meet on church grounds because you weren’t supposed to ‘taste’ on the church grounds.
 
Another year, Uncle Anthony hosted the reunion at his new house in Rectortown.  Uncle Anthony and Aunt Thelma had a big back yard and a little creek behind their new house.  Again there was a lot of food and lots of people.
After this, we shifted to Leeds Ruritan Park in Hume.  This is where the famous picture of all the brothers and sisters was taken.  We met there a lot of years.  One year when Aunt Florence was living in Fairfax Circle, I rode with her to the family reunion.  I wasn’t bringing any food in those days but the trunk of Aunt Florence’s Caprice or Impala was packed with food.
 
In 1982, we met at Bull Run Park between Manassas and Centreville.  I remember this because Rev Clint Washington cane and brought his mother, Mrs Gladys Washington.  Rev Washington was driving a nice brand new green Lincoln.  I’m not sure what it is about me and new cars.  It may have something to do with the fact that I had just traded in a 1977 Pinto, with no radio and no air conditioning and a straight stick.
We also had a reunion at Dalton Jr, because he lived in sterling at the time.  Jr Russell came to this reunion.
At some point, we finally got to the 4-H Center in Front Royal and have there ever since.  I know it was before 1988 because Uncle Addison passed in 1988.  I can remember Uncle Addison in the bed of his red truck backed up to the pavilion and unloading the cooler with the drinks.  Uncle Addison parked his red truck there every year and brought the drinks.
 
Other people also had their favorite spot.  Uncle Paul’s was down in the corner with his grill.  I think he liked to cook chicken and hot dogs.  Dalton’s favorite spot was up by the men bathrooms.  He had a big grill and liked to cook deer meat.
 
 
 Uncle Morris always came with his new wife towards the endo of his life.  He was in a wheelchair and used oxygen.  This didn’t change his funny disposition. Every year he jokingly told me he wanted me to handle his divorce.  I always told him no because he was probably guilty of whatever Miss Ida accused him of.  Gordon was always smoking a big cigar.  I think Gordon smoked the biggest cigars I ever saw.
In recent years, we have moved down the hill.  I’m not sure why we did this.  I personally like the top of the hill.  Tony Baltimore has become the guru cook assisted by his friends.  Tony has done fish, hot dogs, chicken, hamburgers, and ribs.  Jimmy and David always bring the fried chicken.  I understand that Aunt Martha always brings potato salad but I’ not quite sure how Billy gets his own bowl of potato salad to take back to West Point.
I think there is a representative from each of the Gibbs brother and sisters who had children.  There were fifteen Gibbs children, eight (8) brothers and seven (7) sisters.  One boy, Willie died early and Uncle Teddy and Aunt Mary Emily did not have children.
 
Conclusion
I’m glad there is a Gibbs family reunion.  At least I see most of my cousins at least once a year.  Also, it is good to see relatives other than at funerals.  Because I went to school in Massachusetts, I did not know all of my relatives.  I used to ride the bus from DC and did not know Joan Gibbs Collins for several months even though we rode the bus together.
 
If something in this paper is inaccurate, I apologize.  If someone has more information that they would like to add, Email us at:thegibbsfamilyreunion@yahoo.com
David states Psalms 37:25: I have been young and now old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.  Truly, this is the testimony of the Gibbs family.  Thank you.



Handwrittten Note from Aunt Beck about the Gibbs Family Reunion.