52 Ancestors Week 14: The Maiden Aunt

#52 Ancestors



This has been a challenge to find one person to write about. Today I am going to talk about 2 Martha Gilberts. The first Martha Gilbert is my first cousins three times removed, the second Martha Gilbert is my great-grand aunt.

Many Gilbert researchers have the first Martha Gilbert, the daughter of Francis M Gilbert, married to William Lill. I have to disagree with this. She is clearly shown living in the home of her father in the 1880 Census for Shoal Creek, Lumpkin, Georgia, United States.(1)   She is listed as the age of 26 and single, which in that time frame would make her an old maid. The Martha E Gilbert who married William Lill had children by 1875 and 1877, which would seem to indicate she is not the daughter of Francis Gilbert.

The second Martha Gilbert , daughter of Simeon Gilbert, is shown living in his home in the 1860 and 1870 Census records. She is not in the 1880 Census with her family. I think she may have been the Martha Gilbert who married William Lill and had 2 children by him.

Martha Gilbert Lill is shown in the 1900 and 1910 Census in the home of her son Andrew Lill. Martha E Gilbert is named in the 1939 death record her son Andrew Lill. Also in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 of her daughter Callie Lill Haynes. You can view William Lill’s Profile on Ancestry.com


So my quandary is which Martha Gilbert married William Lill ? At this time I have him married to Martha the daughter of Francis but I truly think his spouse was the daughter of Simeon. I do have one DNA match on Ancestry that is from the line of William Lill I need to explore. This may be the way to answer the question of who married William and which Martha is the maiden aunt.








(1)"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M8G6-Q4K : 11 August 2017), Martha Gilbert in household of Francis M Gilbert, Shoal Creek, Lumpkin, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district ED 147, sheet 372C, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 0156; FHL microfilm 1,254,156.