Generation 1
Edward GILBY was born about 1709, probably in Finchingfield, Essex.
He married Elizabeth CLEMENTS, date unknown.
Known children of Edward and Elizabeth are:
- Adam born about 1746 in Finchingfield, died 26 January, 1827. (more below)
- Philip born about 1746 in Finchingfield.
- Edward born about 1734, Finchingfield.
- John born about 1732, Finchingfield.
- Elizabeth born about 1736, Finchingfield.
- Emmanuel born about 1744, Finchingfield.
- Edward born about 1745, Finchingfield.
- Amy born about 1735, Finchingfield.
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Generation 2
Adam GILBY married Mary BOCKING, date and place unknown.
For a time, Adam worked as a labourer.
Known children of Adam and Mary are:
- James born about 1786 in Finchingfield, died 1868. (more below)
- Mary born about 1776, Finchingfield.
- Abraham born about 1780, Finchingfield, died March 1839, Essex.
- Sarah born about 1784, Finchingfield.
- Thomas born about 1789, Finchingfield. (more below)
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Generation 3
James GILBY married Susanna PARMENTER on 1st April, in Stambourne, Essex.
In 1814, James worked as a malster in London.
Known children of James and Susanna are:
- Charles born in 1814 in Stambourne. (more below)
- Caroline born in 1817, Stambourne (more below)
- Bransom born in 1818 in Hornsea, Cambridge, died 1819 in Stambourne.
*****
Thomas GILBY married Alice HITCHEN date and place unknown.
Known children of Thomas and Alice are:
- Ezekial born about 1823 in Finchingfield.
- William born about 1818, Finchingfield.
- Caroline born about 1820, Finchingfield.
- John born about 1825, Finchingfield.
- Martha born about 1828, Finchingfield.
- Ann born about 1830, Finchingfield.
- James born about 1833, Finchingfield.
- Charles born about 1838, Finchingfield.
- Emmanuel born about 1835, Finchingfield.
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Generation 5
Charles GILBY married Mary Anne RENHAM in 1839 in Chesterton.
Known children of Charles and Mary Anne are:
- Alfred born about 1840 in Chesterton, baptised on 3rd January, 1841. Died 23rd May 1892 in Birmingham. (more below)
- Arthur born about 1842, Chesterton, died 19th July, 1868 in Buffalo, USA. (more below)
- Caroline born about 1844 in Chesterton. Died 23rd March, 1876. (more below)
- Walter born about 1847 in Chesterton, died 20th April, 1861.
- Nathan born about 1848, died 1888 in Queens Hospital, Birmingham. (more below)
- Matilda born 30th June, 1850, died 30th September, 1851.
- Louisa, born 12th February, 1851, died 15th November, 1869.
- George born 11th May, 1854, died 4th September, 1858.
- Charles Horace born 13th August, 1856.
- Isabella born 2nd October, 1858. Died 24th April, 1859.
- George Herbert born 29th November, 1860.
- Ernest Henry born about 1862. Died 3rd March, 1863.
*****
Caroline GILBY married Robert HART on 3rd July, 1836 in Barnwell, Cambridge.
Known children of Caroline and Robert are:
- James born about 1839 in Cambridge.
- Eber born about 1841 in Cambridge.
- Alfred born about 1843 in Surrey.
- Joseph born about 1839, Surrey.
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Generation 6
Alfred GILBY married Sarah Hannah MASON in 1865 in Cambridge.
Between 1865 and 1891, Alfred was a police officer in Birmingham.
At the time of his death in 1892, he lived with his family at 42 Chain Walk, Aston, Birmingham.
Known children of Alfred and Sarah Hannah are:
- Alfred Mason born 1872 in Birmingham. (more below)
- Lily born about 1865 in Cambridgeshire.
- Grace born about 1867 in Birmingham (more below)
- Herbert born about 1876 in Birmingham (more below)
- Sidney born about 1877, Birmingham.
- Percy born about 1880, Birmingham, died 1881.
- Elsie Daisy born about 1887 in Birmingham.
- Percy Archibald born about 1883, Birmingham. (more below)
- Joy Hilda born about 1885, Birmingham.
- May Ethel born about 1882, Birmingham.
*****
Arthur GILBY married Maria WILDE on 10th March, 1863 in Aston, Birmingham
.
*****
Nathan GILBY married Annie FLOWERS in 1867 in Cambridgeshire.
Nathan spent a short time a police officer in Birmingham in 1865. He later worked as a railway ticket collector.
Known children of Nathan and Annie are:
- Charles A. born about 1865 in Birmingham. (more below)
- Louisa born about 1869, Birmingham.
- Beatrice Alice born about 1875, Birmingham.
- Minnie Ada born about 1877, Birmingham. (more below)
*****
Caroline GILBY married Henry SANSUM in 1867 in Strand, Middlesex.
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Generation 7
Alfred Mason GILBY married Blanche Edith WAYNE, date unknown.
In 1891 Alfred was living at 42 Chain Walk, Aston, Birmingham and working as a clerk.
Known children of Blanche and Alfred are:
- Denis Wayne born on 5th January, 1905 in West Bromwich, died December 1981, in Southam, Warwickshire. (more below)
- Alfred Cecil born about 1900 in West Bromwich.
*****
Grace GILBY married Ernest Horton LUKE in 1896 in Birmingham.
In 1901, Ernest worked as a clerk for a hardware merchant.
Known children of Grace and Ernest are:
- Clarence born about 1898 in Sparkhill, Birmingham.
*****
Herbert GILBY married UNKNOWN in 1899 in Birmingham.
Herbert’s known children are:
- Herbert born about 1900 in Yardley, Birmingham.
*****
Percy Archibald GILBY married Elsie M. GRIMLEY in 1915 in West Bromwich.
*****
Charles A. GILBY married Maria HODNETT in 1891 in Birmingham.
Known children of Charles and Maria are:
- Frank C. born about 1896 in Birmingham.
- Ethel J. born about 1897, Birmingham.
*****
Minnie Ada GILBY married Joseph Edward VALE in 1908 in Kings Norton, Warwickshire.
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Generation 8
Denis Wayne GILBY married Ellen Mary LUCAS, and had two children, one of whom was my father. (details not shown to protect the living.)
March 1, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Post for William Gilby
William Gilby Says:
My gg-grandfather was James Gilby 1776-1864 born in Willsby (Wilksby?), Lincolnshire.
My g-grandfather John Gilby, 1812- 1863, b. Kirton, Lincolnshire had a shop at 6 Bridge St. City of York, Yorkshire. He emigrated 1853 to Oakville, Ontario, Canada. His brothers were James, Charles, William, Robert, and Frank. His wife was Alisemon Straw of London. My grandfather was John Gilby, my father William James Gilby.
Is there any trace of this family in Lincolnshire that you know of? I suppose we must be distantly related.
Sincerely,
William (Bill) Gilby, Victoria, BC, Canada
March 1, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Posting for Richard Gilby
Richard Gilby Says:
Like your site, I am your 3rd cousin once removed, would like to get in contact.
April 17, 2008 at 1:36 pm
[...] Most Popular Posts HandfordSocial Network for Family HistoriansMoney, then and nowHello/Brief ExplanationGilby [...]
May 14, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Hello Kate,
I came across your website while searching birthplace clues for our earliest known ancestor Edward Gilby. I am very impressed by it. My relationship calculator shows that we are fourth cousins, twice removed.
I am still working on the convergence/migration of the Gilby/Gilbey family going backwards in time. The Cambridge/Haverhill area now appears to have been a South East jumping off point from a southwards Lincolnshire migration. As yet I have not traced anyone back to Gilby Village. The Civil War keeps getting in the way.
Michael Gilbey
May 14, 2008 at 11:33 pm
I noticed a reply from William (Bill) Gilby above. I went to school with a Bill Gilby and would like to know if that is him. Is there any way to find out?
Thanks
John Kelley
May 16, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Hi Michael,
Thanks for your comment! I think we might have been in touch before – about 2 years ago.
I have thought for a while that our branch of the Gilby family may have come from Lincolnshire originally, but as you say, the Civil War makes it difficult to find a definite connection. I have the same problem in other branches of my family and it can very frustrating.
I have been to Gilby – it’s only about 10 miles away from where I live. There isn’t a lot to see in terms of actual structures, but it is apparent that it was settled and farmed for some time. And, it was interesting to think it may be where my distant ancestors came from. If that was the case, I’m guessing they moved to one the nearby towns in search of work and slowly worked their way south over a number of generations.
October 2, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Hi, Our branch came from Finchingfield to Scotland in 1878 when Joseph Gilby married after leaving the army; that is when the ‘e’ in our name started.
We too started with Edward and Elizabeth Clements – they married in Finchingfield on 11th Sept 1732; Adam’s marriage to Mary Bocking, also in Finchingfield was on 8th Nov 1773.
We would love to find out if the family originally came from Gilby in Lincolnshire
November 18, 2008 at 1:33 am
Hello Kate.
While browsing your website I realised that you do not have the missing child of Edward Gilby & Elizabeth Clements. He is Abraham Gilby and he would have been born in Finchingfield c1747 – c1750. I was aware of this Abraham for many years and also of his descendants which were like a large jigsaw piece awaiting to be slotted into the Gilby/Gilbey tree. Earlier this year I finally uncovered evidence of his parents. I was aware that this Abraham had originally married an Elizabeth Ridgewell and was able to trace the marriage to 07 July 1764 in Hempstead, Essex. The Essex Records Office still hold details of this marriage along with a marriage allegation and bond, (ref D/ACL 1764), made by his mother as Abraham was still under 21 years of age. The mother was Elizabeth Gilby a widow of Finchingfield, (Elizabeth Stammers). The allegation goes on to state that Abraham is a husbandman and is upwards of 19.
There was only one Elizabeth Gilby in Finchingfield at this period which was Edward Gilby’s wife, Elizabeth Stammers. Edward died in 1750 and it would appear that Abraham was never baptised which is why his family could not be traced.
The details of this Abrahams descendants can be found on my tree which is located in various places, Genes Reunited, Ancestry and One World Tree. The saddest part of all this is Abrahams first wife Elizabeth Ridgewell and his first daughter Elizabeth b1766 both died within days of each other of smallpox. They were buried together in 1768.
There were a number of Abraham Gilbys about at the turn of the 17th century which had caused researchers confusion. I have over the years traced everyone of them and correctly located them in the tree. This Abraham was the last of them.
November 18, 2008 at 5:33 pm
Further to my earlier message in May, I have now been able to trace the Gilby surname back to the year 1320 in Ashby Lincolnshire. Ashby is now an area of South Scunthorpe and only about 10 miles from the site of Gilby village which was first mentioned in documents about 1138/9. The birth of a Thomas Gylby was recorded in Ashby in c1320. No parents are mentioned. Prior to that time, surnames were not in general use except by nobles and perhaps merchants. The convergence of the Gilby name with the backwards passage of time also centers on this area of North Lincolnshire. Prior to that, variants of the name are mentioned in both Norman and Norse but the jury is still out in terms of it’s origin. Given North Lincolnshire I am personally more inclined to think it is Norse as the Vikings did settle in this area. One use of the name Gilby in Norse meant “Pledge”. Gilby was also apparently a Norse God of Grumpiness. This last one could at times certainly apply to myself.
Whether it will be physically possible to ever trace the name back any earlier is difficult to say. The above research although only a few lines on paper has taken me a considerable number of years in the researching.
November 18, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Twice in an earlier message I mentioned that Elizabeth Stammers was the wife of Edward Gilby. I should have said Elizabeth Clements.
November 20, 2008 at 2:43 pm
The name does seem to be Norse, the ‘by’ suffix would certainly suggest a Viking origin. I was under the impression it translated as Gill’s farm, or homestead, suggesting that Gilby village was originally home to a Norse chap called Gill and his family. I like the idea of a grumpy god though, that definitely suits me in the morning LOL
When you say you have traced the Lincolnshire Gilbys back to 1320 – have you been able to find a connection between them and the East Anglian branch? I’m certain there is one, so I’d love to know who and when. I’ve noticed a couple of Gilbys mentioned in material about the Civil War, and I’m guessing they are ‘ours’.
It’s ok, I guessed you meant Elizabeth Clements – I have so many Elizabeths and Marys in my tree I often confuse them. I once spent the best part of an afternoon searching for the wrong Mary in the wrong place.
November 20, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Researching a surname by geographic spread does not use direct ancestral links from one generation to another, it entails looking for how many occurences of the name there were throughout the UK and the size and distibution of those occurences at particular points in time. Most direct ancestral links tend to fade out about the 1500’s. Although it is not possible to prove who was related to whom by this method, it is never-the-less quite useful in showing how the families split and migrated throughout the country with the passage of time. The surname Gilby and it’s variants are relatively unique. This tends to indicate the source of it’s origins is likely to be reasonably accurate. Other surnames like Smith, Archer, Brewer are not as likely to have such a common link and probably arose spontaneously in a number of locations dependent on a persons trade or calling.
Homestead was certainly another use of the word/name Gilby in Norse. I suspect that like modern English, similar sounding or spelt words in Norse. (assuming they could spell), had different meanings dependent on how they are pronounced or the context they are used in. Lead for instance can mean a metal, a form of tether, or being ahead of someone else.
March 2, 2009 at 3:54 pm
Hi Kate, Came across your site whilst searching for Edward Percy Gilbey of Newport Essex born 1917-1997. And I think by chance I have found a relative on here… Would you Michael Gilbey be brother to Roland J Gilbey?
Kate, do you have Edward in any of your records? I find that the gilbey/Gilby I come across are listed in Standsted, Elsenam, Finchingfield and mainly essex, so Im very interested in the Lincs connection…
June 7, 2009 at 8:41 pm
I’ll email Michael and ask him?
I’m afraid I don’t have your Edward, at that date I only have my immediate family and their siblings.
There is a very strong connection with that part of Essex, also south Cambridgeshire. The Lincs connection fascinates me. I’m sure there must be one, but the records just don’t seem to be there, I’m guessing due to the disruption caused by the civil war.
March 19, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Hello Kate & James
James, I am not related to Roland J Gilbey.
Edward Percy Gilbey was born 1917 the Saffron Walden registration district. His parents appear to be Alfred Percy Gilbey and Rose E Cornell, they married in 1912. Alfred Percy Gilbey was born 1890 Saffron Walden registration district. At the moment I am not certain who his parents are but it seems likely that he is named as Percy Gilbey in the 1901 census and is at he home of a Sam and Fanny Fish in Newport. His relationship is given as a nephew. Presumably if one can trace a Gilbey/Fish marriage in the Saffron Walden area somewhere around the 1890’s, then these people are likely to be the grandparents of your Edward Percy.
March 19, 2009 at 7:51 pm
John,
It would now appear that the ancestry of your Edward Percy Gilbey is as follows;
Edward Percy Gilbey 1917
parents Alfred Percy Gilbey 1890 Saffron Walden & Lydia Dennison c1857 Newport, Essex
Stephen Gilbey 1843 Wenden or Wendens Ambo & Maria Gratton c1837 Arkesden, Essex
Daniel Gilby 1798 Littlebury & Rebecca c1805 Newport, Essex
I have no further information on this line prior to 1798 but I strongly suspect this branch of the Gilby/Gilbey line will be linked to those from the Stanstead/Bishops Stortford area.
April 10, 2009 at 10:51 pm
hello, i am a gilbey my grandfather was born in finchingfeild
June 7, 2009 at 8:54 pm
We’re probably related lol
April 19, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Michael,
Thank you so much, I made one error tho on the DOB of Edward, I believe it to be 1916 may 10th & DOD would be april 12th 1997….most probably still the same Edward that we are talking about.
I have come stuck too upto 1798, I’m trying to see if there is a link between us and the Gilbey’s Gin family, being that they are from the Elsenham and Bishops Stortord area. If your not familiar with that area, its basically a 20 mile road that links Harlow town all the way to Saffron waldon with BStordford and Elsenham along the way…
So if anyone has any links or connections or knows someone that can point me in the right direction I would be very grateful.
Thank you guy’s.
James
April 20, 2009 at 12:27 pm
James,
I am not clear which branch of the Gilby/Gilbey family you are referring to in your message “if there is a link between us”. I have assumed you are probably referring to the Bishops Stortford/Elsenham branch which unfortunately I do not have too much expertise. Links between the main branches of the Gilbey/Gilby tree get a bit clouded prior to the 1700’s when we are talking about the generation that lived through or were just after the Civil War.
It’s clear from both migration patterns and the uniqueness of the surname that all branches are commonly related but I am unaware at present of any documentary evidence that shows where those links are.
In terms of links to the Gilbey’s Wines and Spirit business which was started I believe by Sir Walter Gilbey, I suspect that most members of the broader Gilby/Gilbey family were told by our forefathers in family stories/myths/lore that we were somehow linked to this business. I certainly was. For most of us however, genealogical research has exposed these family stories to be just myth. My family for instance stem from a grand line of agricultural labourers.
I have however added a web link below to the RootsWeb World Project. This page gives numbers of links to family trees with the ancestry of Sir Walter Gilbey. It may be possible for you to find a connection between your family tree and Sir Walters if one exists. Even if you can find no link, a search box at the bottom of this page will help you refine searches to other trees that may have information on your known family.
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=Search&includedb=&lang=en&ti=&surname=gilbey&stype=Exact&given=walter&bplace=&byear=1831&brange=5&dplace=&dyear=&drange=0&mplace=&myear=&mrange=0&father=&mother=&spouse=&skipdb=&period=All&submit.x=Search
May 13, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Hi Kate, came across your site looking for a Thomas James Gilby born 1888 possibly in Australia. His father was a Richard Gilby. Thomas married Ellen May Eva Olds in Swan Reach, Australia 23/11/1933
Have found another reference for these Gilby as Gilbey, kinda gets confusing.
If you can assist would be great otherwise thanks for your time and love your website
Graham
June 7, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Sorry, I don’t have any of those people, but you never know, someone might drop by who does.
It does get confusing lol Mine seem to have settled on Gilby by about 1800, but even then I find cousins who use Gilbey.
May 16, 2009 at 9:37 am
Hi – another Gilbey – by marriage reporting in. My husband’s family come from the Stortford/Birchanger area. And I see I have another name sake here.
We have not yet started tracing the family tree, although I know my husband is keen to. Anybody know where to start??
I used to live in Harlow and would walk under the underpass by the Gilbey factory everyday on my way to school – lovely smell!
Tricia Gilbey
June 7, 2009 at 9:05 pm
This post has a list of useful places to start
May 16, 2009 at 11:28 pm
Hi Tricia,
I used to live in Harlow, moved now to Canada. My Family line came from Newport Essex.
Your starting in the right direction, by coming to sites like this and swapping info with people……
Good to see you on here.
October 5, 2009 at 7:06 pm
I am trying to trace my grandparents who were Annie Gowers and Charles gilbey who resided in essex. Robert
October 5, 2009 at 8:19 pm
Robert
Your Charles Gilbey is Charles John Gilbey c1877 Stock, Essex. He married Annie Gowers 1892 Billericay registration district. The family line runs Charles J Gilbey > Joseph Gilby c1842 Billericay, Essex, > Joseph Gilby c1813-1845 Mountnessing, Essex > Joseph Gilby c1783-1831 Terling, Essex. The latter’s father was also named Joseph, (four in a row), c1750 birth location unknown. This would be Charles Gilbey’s gggrandfather. I am unaware where this line originated prior to 1783 but the information above should be more than enough to get you started.