Mr. Henry "Peg" Gilbert was a husband, father, community advocate, a respected landowner, and a deacon at Union Springs Baptist Church, at Jones Crossroads Georgia.
Mother was Mrs. Mattie Moss Gilbert.
Married in 1925 to Mary (Mae) Henry Gilbert.
Henry and Mae Gilbert began farming as share croppers. After 2 years they had saved enough money to buy a mule and began renting. They rented for 17 years and saved enough to buy 111 acre farm in Chipley (Pine Mountain) Georgia.
Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert had 4 daughters. The 1940 census records them as: Juanita (14); Recie (13); Ruby (11); Mattie H. (9).
- Juanita Johnson Gilbert Dent (11/06/1925 - 9/3/1990)
- Rubie Gilbert Rocquemore (10/1/1929 - 2/22/1991)
Sunday, May 4, 1947 , a young black man, Gus Davidson ran over a calf owned by a white farmer, Alva (Olin) Sands. Sands caught up with Davidson near the Union Springs Baptist Church. Stories vary, but a fight ensued and Davidson shot and killed Sands. Davidson claimed self defense.
Mrs. Mary (Mae) Gilbert, and the wives of other Deacons of the Union Springs Baptist Church were in front of the church waiting for their husbands who were inside counting the evenings' collections. Hearing the shots, they quickly left for home. Davidson escaped.
In 1940's Jim Crow south, someone had to pay for the killing of Olin Sands.
Two weeks later, E. V. Hilyer, sheriff of Troup county, with two officers from Harris county, including W.H. Buchanan, Chief of Harris County Police, arrested Mr. Henry Gilbert on a warrant charging him with aiding and abetting the escape of Mr. Gus Davidson.
Mrs. Gilbert notes that Gus Davidson had a bad reputation among both black and white communities. Mr. Gilbert previously had Gus Davidson arrested for threatening one of the Deacons in the church. Nobody from the church would have helped Gus Davidson.
May 23, Mr. Henry Gilbert was found dead in his jail cell. He was killed by a white mob. He was beaten and shot. The official story is that County Police Chief Willie H. Buchanan had gone into Henry Gilbert's cell "To get a confession." Buchanan claimed self defense - Gilbert "drew a chair" on him, and Buchanan shot him 5 times. Some time later, Buchanan recanted, and claimed a white mob had taken him from the jail.
No charges have ever been filed in the murder of Mr. Henry Gilbert.
It is generally believed that the underlying factor for targeting Mr. Gilbert for lynching, was the fact that he was a successful black man who had accumulated property and was building a nice home. Mrs. Gilbert was forced to leave the farm. The Gilbert farm was sold at auction well below market value to relatives of Olin Sands.
Mr. Gus Davidson was arrested in 1951 in New Jersey and returned to Georgia. He was tried and convicted of the murder, and sentenced to death. His death sentence was commuted to life. He was paroled in 1961 and died in Georgia in 1966.
In March 2018, Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley issued a formal apology for the department's role in Gilbert's death.
-------
Notations:
Accounts vary in some of the details of the story. As a contemporaneous account, precedence is given in this biography to the information from Ray Sprigle's landmark series "I was a Negro in the South for 30 Days".
Ray Sprigle refers to Mrs. Gilbert as Carolyn. The Census and Henry Gilbert's WWII Draft card refer to her has Mary. It is likely that Ray Sprigle was protecting Mrs. Gilbert's name and true location.
Date of Death, May 22, comes from the Georgia Death Index.
Other sources include ONE Harris County, The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University School of Law.
Family genealogy information from Geni.com and Familysearch.com.
Mother was Mrs. Mattie Moss Gilbert.
Married in 1925 to Mary (Mae) Henry Gilbert.
Henry and Mae Gilbert began farming as share croppers. After 2 years they had saved enough money to buy a mule and began renting. They rented for 17 years and saved enough to buy 111 acre farm in Chipley (Pine Mountain) Georgia.
Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert had 4 daughters. The 1940 census records them as: Juanita (14); Recie (13); Ruby (11); Mattie H. (9).
- Juanita Johnson Gilbert Dent (11/06/1925 - 9/3/1990)
- Rubie Gilbert Rocquemore (10/1/1929 - 2/22/1991)
Sunday, May 4, 1947 , a young black man, Gus Davidson ran over a calf owned by a white farmer, Alva (Olin) Sands. Sands caught up with Davidson near the Union Springs Baptist Church. Stories vary, but a fight ensued and Davidson shot and killed Sands. Davidson claimed self defense.
Mrs. Mary (Mae) Gilbert, and the wives of other Deacons of the Union Springs Baptist Church were in front of the church waiting for their husbands who were inside counting the evenings' collections. Hearing the shots, they quickly left for home. Davidson escaped.
In 1940's Jim Crow south, someone had to pay for the killing of Olin Sands.
Two weeks later, E. V. Hilyer, sheriff of Troup county, with two officers from Harris county, including W.H. Buchanan, Chief of Harris County Police, arrested Mr. Henry Gilbert on a warrant charging him with aiding and abetting the escape of Mr. Gus Davidson.
Mrs. Gilbert notes that Gus Davidson had a bad reputation among both black and white communities. Mr. Gilbert previously had Gus Davidson arrested for threatening one of the Deacons in the church. Nobody from the church would have helped Gus Davidson.
May 23, Mr. Henry Gilbert was found dead in his jail cell. He was killed by a white mob. He was beaten and shot. The official story is that County Police Chief Willie H. Buchanan had gone into Henry Gilbert's cell "To get a confession." Buchanan claimed self defense - Gilbert "drew a chair" on him, and Buchanan shot him 5 times. Some time later, Buchanan recanted, and claimed a white mob had taken him from the jail.
No charges have ever been filed in the murder of Mr. Henry Gilbert.
It is generally believed that the underlying factor for targeting Mr. Gilbert for lynching, was the fact that he was a successful black man who had accumulated property and was building a nice home. Mrs. Gilbert was forced to leave the farm. The Gilbert farm was sold at auction well below market value to relatives of Olin Sands.
Mr. Gus Davidson was arrested in 1951 in New Jersey and returned to Georgia. He was tried and convicted of the murder, and sentenced to death. His death sentence was commuted to life. He was paroled in 1961 and died in Georgia in 1966.
In March 2018, Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley issued a formal apology for the department's role in Gilbert's death.
-------
Notations:
Accounts vary in some of the details of the story. As a contemporaneous account, precedence is given in this biography to the information from Ray Sprigle's landmark series "I was a Negro in the South for 30 Days".
Ray Sprigle refers to Mrs. Gilbert as Carolyn. The Census and Henry Gilbert's WWII Draft card refer to her has Mary. It is likely that Ray Sprigle was protecting Mrs. Gilbert's name and true location.
Date of Death, May 22, comes from the Georgia Death Index.
Other sources include ONE Harris County, The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University School of Law.
Family genealogy information from Geni.com and Familysearch.com.
Mr. Henry "Peg" Gilbert was a husband, father, community advocate, a respected landowner, and a deacon at Union Springs Baptist Church, at Jones Crossroads Georgia.
Mother was Mrs. Mattie Moss Gilbert.
Married in 1925 to Mary (Mae) Henry Gilbert.
Henry and Mae Gilbert began farming as share croppers. After 2 years they had saved enough money to buy a mule and began renting. They rented for 17 years and saved enough to buy 111 acre farm in Chipley (Pine Mountain) Georgia.
Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert had 4 daughters. The 1940 census records them as: Juanita (14); Recie (13); Ruby (11); Mattie H. (9).
- Juanita Johnson Gilbert Dent (11/06/1925 - 9/3/1990)
- Rubie Gilbert Rocquemore (10/1/1929 - 2/22/1991)
Sunday, May 4, 1947 , a young black man, Gus Davidson ran over a calf owned by a white farmer, Alva (Olin) Sands. Sands caught up with Davidson near the Union Springs Baptist Church. Stories vary, but a fight ensued and Davidson shot and killed Sands. Davidson claimed self defense.
Mrs. Mary (Mae) Gilbert, and the wives of other Deacons of the Union Springs Baptist Church were in front of the church waiting for their husbands who were inside counting the evenings' collections. Hearing the shots, they quickly left for home. Davidson escaped.
In 1940's Jim Crow south, someone had to pay for the killing of Olin Sands.
Two weeks later, E. V. Hilyer, sheriff of Troup county, with two officers from Harris county, including W.H. Buchanan, Chief of Harris County Police, arrested Mr. Henry Gilbert on a warrant charging him with aiding and abetting the escape of Mr. Gus Davidson.
Mrs. Gilbert notes that Gus Davidson had a bad reputation among both black and white communities. Mr. Gilbert previously had Gus Davidson arrested for threatening one of the Deacons in the church. Nobody from the church would have helped Gus Davidson.
May 23, Mr. Henry Gilbert was found dead in his jail cell. He was killed by a white mob. He was beaten and shot. The official story is that County Police Chief Willie H. Buchanan had gone into Henry Gilbert's cell "To get a confession." Buchanan claimed self defense - Gilbert "drew a chair" on him, and Buchanan shot him 5 times. Some time later, Buchanan recanted, and claimed a white mob had taken him from the jail.
No charges have ever been filed in the murder of Mr. Henry Gilbert.
It is generally believed that the underlying factor for targeting Mr. Gilbert for lynching, was the fact that he was a successful black man who had accumulated property and was building a nice home. Mrs. Gilbert was forced to leave the farm. The Gilbert farm was sold at auction well below market value to relatives of Olin Sands.
Mr. Gus Davidson was arrested in 1951 in New Jersey and returned to Georgia. He was tried and convicted of the murder, and sentenced to death. His death sentence was commuted to life. He was paroled in 1961 and died in Georgia in 1966.
In March 2018, Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley issued a formal apology for the department's role in Gilbert's death.
-------
Notations:
Accounts vary in some of the details of the story. As a contemporaneous account, precedence is given in this biography to the information from Ray Sprigle's landmark series "I was a Negro in the South for 30 Days".
Ray Sprigle refers to Mrs. Gilbert as Carolyn. The Census and Henry Gilbert's WWII Draft card refer to her has Mary. It is likely that Ray Sprigle was protecting Mrs. Gilbert's name and true location.
Date of Death, May 22, comes from the Georgia Death Index.
Other sources include ONE Harris County, The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University School of Law.
Family genealogy information from Geni.com and Familysearch.com.
Mother was Mrs. Mattie Moss Gilbert.
Married in 1925 to Mary (Mae) Henry Gilbert.
Henry and Mae Gilbert began farming as share croppers. After 2 years they had saved enough money to buy a mule and began renting. They rented for 17 years and saved enough to buy 111 acre farm in Chipley (Pine Mountain) Georgia.
Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert had 4 daughters. The 1940 census records them as: Juanita (14); Recie (13); Ruby (11); Mattie H. (9).
- Juanita Johnson Gilbert Dent (11/06/1925 - 9/3/1990)
- Rubie Gilbert Rocquemore (10/1/1929 - 2/22/1991)
Sunday, May 4, 1947 , a young black man, Gus Davidson ran over a calf owned by a white farmer, Alva (Olin) Sands. Sands caught up with Davidson near the Union Springs Baptist Church. Stories vary, but a fight ensued and Davidson shot and killed Sands. Davidson claimed self defense.
Mrs. Mary (Mae) Gilbert, and the wives of other Deacons of the Union Springs Baptist Church were in front of the church waiting for their husbands who were inside counting the evenings' collections. Hearing the shots, they quickly left for home. Davidson escaped.
In 1940's Jim Crow south, someone had to pay for the killing of Olin Sands.
Two weeks later, E. V. Hilyer, sheriff of Troup county, with two officers from Harris county, including W.H. Buchanan, Chief of Harris County Police, arrested Mr. Henry Gilbert on a warrant charging him with aiding and abetting the escape of Mr. Gus Davidson.
Mrs. Gilbert notes that Gus Davidson had a bad reputation among both black and white communities. Mr. Gilbert previously had Gus Davidson arrested for threatening one of the Deacons in the church. Nobody from the church would have helped Gus Davidson.
May 23, Mr. Henry Gilbert was found dead in his jail cell. He was killed by a white mob. He was beaten and shot. The official story is that County Police Chief Willie H. Buchanan had gone into Henry Gilbert's cell "To get a confession." Buchanan claimed self defense - Gilbert "drew a chair" on him, and Buchanan shot him 5 times. Some time later, Buchanan recanted, and claimed a white mob had taken him from the jail.
No charges have ever been filed in the murder of Mr. Henry Gilbert.
It is generally believed that the underlying factor for targeting Mr. Gilbert for lynching, was the fact that he was a successful black man who had accumulated property and was building a nice home. Mrs. Gilbert was forced to leave the farm. The Gilbert farm was sold at auction well below market value to relatives of Olin Sands.
Mr. Gus Davidson was arrested in 1951 in New Jersey and returned to Georgia. He was tried and convicted of the murder, and sentenced to death. His death sentence was commuted to life. He was paroled in 1961 and died in Georgia in 1966.
In March 2018, Harris County Sheriff Mike Jolley issued a formal apology for the department's role in Gilbert's death.
-------
Notations:
Accounts vary in some of the details of the story. As a contemporaneous account, precedence is given in this biography to the information from Ray Sprigle's landmark series "I was a Negro in the South for 30 Days".
Ray Sprigle refers to Mrs. Gilbert as Carolyn. The Census and Henry Gilbert's WWII Draft card refer to her has Mary. It is likely that Ray Sprigle was protecting Mrs. Gilbert's name and true location.
Date of Death, May 22, comes from the Georgia Death Index.
Other sources include ONE Harris County, The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project at Northeastern University School of Law.
Family genealogy information from Geni.com and Familysearch.com.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
