Section 2 of the 1895 Delaware County Biographical Review reports that John Dunlap Gibson was born 20 August 1815 at Cambridge, Washington County, NY. His father was from Scotland and one of the first settlers of Washington County. (Other Gibsons - and there were many in Delaware County, NY—were of Irish descent.) J D Gibson graduated from the Theological Seminary in Newburgh, and it was in Newburgh on 12 September 1838 that he married Catherine D. Wood. At some time he and Catherine had their formal portraits taken by Whiddit & Coffin, Newburgh photographers; Catherine’s photograph follows. Rev. Gibson was the pastor of the Associate Reformed Church near Geneva, NY, for five years before becoming pastor of the South Kortright church in 1845.

(It is interesting that when Rev. Gibson assumed the pulpit of the South Kortright church, he was 30. If he and Catherine Gibson were photographed while they were still in Newburgh, they would have been in their late twenties, yet they seem to be older.)

Rev. Gibson was pastor from 1845 to 1886. Of this church the Centennial History of Delaware County, New York: 1797-1897 says,“The Associate Reformed Presbyterian church was organized by Rev. William McAuley in the year 1790, at South Kortright. In 1833 the society built a second church, which has been remodeled in recent years. During the first ninety years of the existence of this congregation there were but three pastors: Rev. Wm. McAuley, Rev. Robert Forrest [who was Hannah Rich’s grandfather], and Rev. John D. Gibson. The membership of this church extended over a very large territory in the early days. In 1858 the name was changed to United Presbyterian, the Associate and Associate Reformed organizations in the United States having been merged into one body.”

Evidently Rev. Gibson was respected by his contemporaries. The second section of the Biographical Review—the Review was sold by subscription and had, therefore, every reason to praise its subjects—describes him as “a very successful man in his calling, standing at the head in his profession.”

There is also objective evidence that J D Gibson was highly regarded. A history of the Delaware County Bible Society states that “in the year 1849 the Rev. J. D. Gibson, D D, of Stamford, was chosen president of the [Bible] society, and to this office he has been annually re-elected for thirty years and is the present incumbent.” And Murray’s Centennial History of Delaware county includes an excerpt of a letter from Rev. John L Scott, D D, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: “Gibson and Lee were the first preachers I ever heard,” Rev. Scott recalls, “and in the maturer judgment of all these years, I regard them still as men of exceptional power.”

Rev. Gibson retired several years before he died, but was active to the last. He is listed as the moderator of a regular meeting of the Presbytery on 18 April 1892. He died in South Kortright on 5 January 1893 at the age of 77.

Related pictures are of the United Presbyterian Church at South Kortright Parsonage and the church and school.

The photographers who took Rev. Gibson’s picture—Whiddit & Coffin, at 82 Water Street, Newburgh, NY—are not listed in Craig’s Daguerreian Registry but another picture by Whiddit and Coffin can be found online. The pictures of Rev. Gibson and of Peter Hazen both feature the same urn and balustrade. This urn re-appears in another photograph by Whiddit & Coffin, the carte-de-visite of Captain Leander Clark of the 124th New York.

Patricia and Carolyn have attempted to identify all persons in the album and learn more about them through research of various records. If you can help us identify or add further information to this photo, please contact: