You cannot talk about the Gibson’s of Clay County without referencing the Gibson families in Letcher County, Kentucky that were a generation before. These Gibsons have deep roots dating back to the mid-19th century, with significant presences recorded in 1850–1940 censuses around areas like Tillie and Haymond. Prominent early figures included John Gibson (b. 1796) and his son, John Sherman Gibson (b. 1826), primarily working as farmers and marrying into local families like the Collin’s, Sexton’s, Hensley’s and others.

Key Historical Figures and Families

• John Gibson (1796–aft. 1860): Appears in the 1850 and 1860 Letcher County census as a farmer born in Virginia. He and his wife, Charity, were early settlers. John and Charity are the couple who adopted David Gibson (McKensie), a sister Lucinda, and possibly a brother William Jesse . No documentation has been discovered to support the family oral tradition, but the adoption story has been passed down through the generations. And DNA now proves that David was not John’s son.
• John Sherman Gibson (1826–1896): Born in Virginia, he married Sarah A. Collins in Letcher County in 1848. He was active in the region before moving to Arkansas and later dying in Owsley County, Kentucky.  John Sherman is the son of John Gibson, and therefore David is his adopted brother.
• Noah Gibson (1893–1949): Son of John Sherman Gibson and Margaret Collins, born in Tillie, Letcher County. He lived in Haymond and died in Fleming, Kentucky.
• Phillip Gibson (1894–1949): Son of Elbert Dillard Gibson, he was born in neighboring Knott County but lived in Letcher County in the 1930s-1940s. As far as I can determine this Gibson line is not related to my Gibson line, unless very far back