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Matthew Gilbert one of the founders of the New Haven Colony

The American branch of the family was planted by Governor Matthew Gilbert (1599-1679), who came in the good ship “Hector,” landing in Boston, Massachusetts, June 26, 1637, with Governors Eaton and Hopkins, and Revs. John Davenport and Thomas Buckingham and Deacon William Peck. He was one of the first settlers of New Haven in the fall of 1637 becoming one of the famous “Seven Pillars” to found Church and State. He was deputy governor of New Haven, 1661-63, and he was the first deacon of the Old First Church, and was buried just back of it on the Green next to Dixwell the regicide. His stone was marked “80 M.G.”

W. R. Cutter, E. H. Clement, S. Hart, M. K. Talcott, F. Bostwick and E. S. Stearns, "Gilbert," Genealogical and family history of the state of Connecticut; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, (New York: Lewis historical Pub. Co., 1911), IV, 2162.

First Church of Christ - on the green in New Haven, Connecticut

MG 80 Stone behind the First Church of Christ

This database was compiled from the “Gilbert Family” section of Families of Ancient New Haven, Donald Lines Jacobus, (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997), I-III. Originally published as New Haven Genealogical Magazine, vols. I-VIII, 1922-32. First reprinted nine volumes in three by Genealogical Pub. Co., 1974.

The account of this family has been amplified by records collected during the course of many years by Dr. G. A. Gilbert of Danbury, who intended to publish a family history. Dr. Gilbert very kindly furnished a complete copy of all his material [to Donald Lines Jacobus] down to 1800.¹

The database contains all persons mentioned. Abbreviation codes were converted to full text based on the abbreviations section on pages 513-516 at the head of vol. III. Place data where present was derived from the abbreviation codes.

Every effort was made to produce an accurate transcription; however errors in a project of this size are inevitable. Corrections are welcome.

1. [S111] Donald Lines Jacobus, "Gilbert Family," Families of Ancient New Haven, (Baltimore, Md.: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1997), I-III, 642.