Beaver Island ArchiveA primary-source archive & encyclopedia45°40′N 85°33′W · Lake Michigan
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Person

Robert Gibson

Draft — sources verified, prose evolving

TypePerson
Born1883
Died1963
WithinBeaver Island archipelago
ErasIrish eraLumbering era
On this page
Person
Born
1883
Died
1963
Work
Fisherman · Millwright · Furniture sander
Parents
William Gibson · Rose Ann Gibson
Siblings
William Gibson · Elizabeth Gibson Redner · Sarah Gibson Gallagher
Family
Gibson family of the 1885 loss
Eras
Irish eraLumbering era
Concepts
heritagecommunitymaritimemigration
Within
Beaver Island archipelago

Summary

Robert Gibson, born in 1883, was reported as a son of William Gibson and Rose Ann Gibson. A held Charlevoix Courier obituary identifies him as a Beaver Island native who moved to Grand Rapids in 1924, married Mary O’Donnell, and died there at age 79. The later local-history article refers to his 1963 obituary; the held obituary’s missing issue date prevents finer precision.

Evidence and limits

The held obituary identifies his wife as Mary O’Donnell and his sons as James R. and Edwin J., and places his death at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, not Nebraska. It lacks a usable issue date and the day of death; 1963 is retained only because the later local-history account explicitly calls it his 1963 obituary. No month or day is inferred.

Open questions

  • Which dated issue or civil death record establishes his exact death date?
  • Can a marriage or census record explicitly establish his parentage and date of marriage to Mary O’Donnell?
  • Which Beaver Island record identifies the tug he owned in 1920?

See also

Sources

See the sources block above.

Kin

Rose Ann Gibsonb. c. 1857William Gibson1856 – 1885ElizabethGibson RednerSarah GibsonGallagher1885 – 1967William Gibson1881 – 1964This articleRobert Gibson1883 – 1963
Of the Gibson family of the 1885 loss. Only relations stated in the sources are drawn; absence means unrecorded, not childless or unmarried.

Sources

  1. Connie Wojan, "The Stories Behind the Names of Islanders Lost on the Great Lakes," Northern Islander, February 2026.
    Described in this archive: Northern Islander, 1850–1856.
    Identifies Robert as a son born in 1883, a Beaver Island fisherman, a 1909 husband and father of two sons, and a later millwright and furniture sander; the article refers to his 1963 obituary. Its claim that he died in Nebraska conflicts with the held local obituary describing his death at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, so Nebraska is not retained as a death place. No public copy of this file is known; the archive holds one and can provide it on request.
    charlevoix · northern_islander_2026.02
  2. Reports that Robert Gibson, 79, a Beaver Island native and former local resident, died on a Wednesday at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids after a three-month illness; funeral services were held at St. Alphonsus with Mount Calvary burial. It identifies his wife as the former Mary O'Donnell; sons James R. and Edwin J.; Grand Rapids move in 1924; and prior Great Lakes-sailor, commercial-fisherman, industrial, and church-custodian work. The archive's bound issue lacks reliable date metadata, so the article's 1963 death-year reference is retained but no exact death date is inferred.
    charlevoix · issues · charlevoixcourie0308unse · charlevoixcourie0308unse_djvu

Added 1 August 2026 · revised 2 August 2026. Recent changes

Cite this article

Beaver Island Archive, “Robert Gibson”, https://beaverislandarchive.org/people/robert-gibson-1883/, accessed [date], citing Connie Wojan, "The Stories Behind the Names of Islanders Lost on the Great Lakes," Northern Islander, February 2026. (and 1 further source listed on the page).

Last revised 2026-08-02. Fill in [date] with the date you read it — this page is static and cannot know that.

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