Gibson Family: from London to Stevenston, Ayrshire

In this photograph the elderly gentleman's neat three-piece suit gives no indication of his profession. Finlay Gibson was a military man: that was the first helpful clue I received about my great grandfather and it came from my Aunt Beth (nee Hamilton). At the time I was mystified as to Finlay's origins. He had certainly married in 1881 a lady named Annie Bell (by the way these Bells were no relation to Captain Bell and family) in Stevenston, Ayrshire, but Finlay (also spelled Finley) was English, by all accounts a Londoner by birth - so why had he ended up in the village of Stevenston in Scotland and what had he been doing between his birth and his marriage?

Finlay's story was to prove one of the most fascinating to emerge during my research into the Gibson line and to compound matters he had a brother, William, beside whose exploits Finlay's paled into insignificance. If there is a black sheep among the Gibsons, William, brother of Finlay, seems a likely contender.


For more on Finlay and other Gibsons enter his name into the search facility on this blog - see top left of page - and read several articles on the topic.