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April 7, 2012

Case #13: American Soldier Steven Gibbs Dog ID Tag

Gary left this as a comment on my Olive Tree Genealogy blog. Unfortunately there was no return email. Usually requests are submitted to my email and I can then ask questions and request a photo of the ID Tag so if Gary is reading this, I hope he will contact me at olivetreegenealogy AT gmail.com

Meantime here is Gary's submission, copied and pasted so it is as he wrote it.  Since he hasn't used any capital letters in the submission it may be safe to assume that Steven's middle initial is "L" and not "I"

hello ive found a american dog tag inthe forest of dean , gloucestershire england the name is steven l gibbs the number is 32265500 t42-43 A bottom right cofner is a p . i would like it reunited with the family if possible
If the middle initial is "L" the soldier may be this one found on Ancestry's US World War II Army Enlistment Records 1938-1946

Name: Steven L Gibbs
Birth Year: 1918
Race: Negro, citizen (Black)
Nativity State or Country: Pennsylvania
State of Residence: Delaware

Enlistment Date: 15 Apr 1942
Enlistment State: New Jersey
Enlistment City: Fort Dix
Branch: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Branch Code: Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Grade: Private
Grade Code: Private
Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component: Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Source: Civil Life

Education: 4 years of high school
Civil Occupation: Carpenters
Marital Status: Single, with dependents
Height: 65
Weight: 130

 Please see our other Soldier's Dog Tag Cases as several are still open and we could still use help to solve them

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

This might also be said gentleman: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=GI&GSfn=s&GSpartial=1&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=10&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=5084241&df=all&

Anonymous said...

Here's the social security death info for the same Steven Gibbs:
Steven Gibbs
SSN: 222-10-2600
Last Residence: 08103 Camden, Camden, New Jersey, United States of America
Born: 18 Jul 1918
Last Benefit: 08065 Palmyra, Burlington, New Jersey, United States of America
Died: Aug 1981
State (Year) SSN issued: Delaware (Before 1951)

Anonymous said...

I think this is his family in 1930:
Stephen L Gibbs
[Stephen E Gibbs]
Gender: Male
Birth Year: abt 1919
Birthplace: Delaware
Race: Negro (Black)
Home in 1930: District 7, Kent, Delaware
View Map
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Father's Name: Solomon E Gibbs
Father's Birthplace: Delaware
Mother's Name: Mary E Gibbs
Mother's Birthplace: Delaware
Household Members:
Name Age
Solomon E Gibbs 60
Mary E Gibbs 39
[59]
Charles E Gibbs 19
Irene I Gibbs 16
Rhoda E Gibbs 14
Bernice E Gibbs 12
Stephen L Gibbs 11 <----- our guy??
Gladys M Gibbs 7
[71]
Janneta Gibbs 5
Harry N Gibbs 4
Robert C Gibbs 2
Anna Wamsley 75

Anonymous said...

More info on possible match:

Name: Steven Gibbs
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 17 Jul 1918
Death Date: 13 Aug 1981
SSN: 222102600
Branch 1: ARMY
Enlistment Date 1: 15 Apr 1942
Release Date 1: 30 Nov 1945

Anonymous said...

Our possible guy again (same man from other info I posted):


Stephen Gibbs
Age: 0
[5/12]
Birth Year: abt 1920
[abt 1919]
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Home in 1920: Camden Ward 7, Camden, New Jersey
Race: Black
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Nephew
Marital Status: Single
Father's Birthplace: Delaware
Mother's Birthplace: Delaware

Household Members:
Name Age
Bertha Wamsley 37 <--- this is the aunt (mother's sister)
Soloman E Gibbs 36
Mary Gibbs 26
Rhoda Gibbs 3
[3 9/12]
Bernice Gibbs 2
[2 6/12]
Stephen Gibbs 0
[5/12]

Anonymous said...

Looking at the information given that was on the tag, we are assuming Army. The number would be the guy's social service number, and the T 42-43 is probably the date he received his tetanus shot. The P may stand for Protestant. The A may be his blood type.

Hopefully the gentleman who has the tag will respond and maybe offer a pic or a bit more info. I don't even know if I have the right guy =0)

Olive Tree Genealogy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Olive Tree Genealogy said...

Great sleuthing, Leaves of Heritage! I think you are on the right track. I found this:

Solomon E Gibbs md 1914 to Mary E. Wansley and they were the parents of Stephen L.. Solomon was s/o Stephen L. & Rhoda A. Gibbs

Mary E. Wansley was d/o Edward & Annie Wansley.

I don't have my sources in front of me but they can be found in census records on Ancestry and Delaware marriages for the 1914 marriage record.

Anonymous said...

The Steven L Gibbs that we have been presuming is our guy married a Blanche Wilkinson in 1943.

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/F3SL-FNR




-Angela Kraft

Anonymous said...

Looks like the indexer mis-transcribed the info. The record seems to me to read Beulah, not Blanche. Sorry I didn't catch this earlier =0/

Anonymous said...

It looks like Beulah lived with grandkids Cassandra and Charles Gibbs (I surmise grandkids based on 1943 wedding and 1968/1971 DOBS), but Charles apparently died in 2002:

Charles A. Gibbs
Last Residence: 19904 Dover, Kent, Delaware
Born: 26 Jun 1971
Last Benefit: 19904 Dover, Kent, Delaware
Died: 15 Apr 2005
State (Year) SSN issued: Delaware (1974)

Also, Beulah may have remarried, now last name Cooper.

Anonymous said...

I have an email in to Fort Dix to see what units enlisted there in 1942. Then I can research whether or not any of those units ended up near the Forest of Dean (or the UK for that matter), so we can determine if we even have the right guy.

Have a great Easter. Will keep you posted as to what I learn from Fort Dix.

Angela-

Olive Tree Genealogy said...

This is from Angela, of Leaves of Heritage Genealogy. I've edited it for privacy reasons.

Amazing investigative work from Angela, now to hope that the person with the Dog Tags contacts me via email! I have other info to pass on to him that can't be posted here publicly

From Angela:

Ok, so it looks like Beulah and Steven may not have had biological children. The obit of Charles Gibbs states she is his adopted mother, with [name edited] being an adopted sister.: Charles A. Gibbs, 33 DOVER ? Charles A. Gibbs of Dover died Friday, April 15, 2005, in his home, surrounded by his wife and children. He was 33. Mr. Gibbs was born June 26, 1971. He was the first graduate of Faith Elementary and Middle School. He attended Delaware State University for 3? years. He was employed with Bank of America in Dover for three months and had been employed by Aetna for four years. Mr. Gibbs was known to write songs, sing and arrange music. He had a great passion for music and used his God-given talent to minister through song. Everyone who knew him knew that it was who he was. "Gibbs and Linky" as they called him was loved by many. He portrayed his personal love for the Lord in his music and through his character. In addition to his music, he also loved his children, ping-pong,....