James Gibson, a citizen of Maysville, and sheriff of De Kalb County, was born in Sherman Township of that county on May 27, 1845. He is the third of eight children born to Greenup and Sarah (Morgan) Gibson. The former was born in Kentucky in 1820, and when a boy immigrated with his parents to Clay County, Mo. From Clay County he removed to Andrew County and thence to De Kalb County in 1844, and settled in Sherman Township. He was a farmer by vocation, and died November 9, 1883. He was a member of the Baptist Church. The mother was born in Middle Tennessee in 1818, and is the daughter of Nathan and Jane Morgan, both of whom were natives of North Carolina. They removed from Tennessee to Clay County, Mo., and thence to De Kalb County, and settled in Sherman Township, where they both died. The mother of our subject now resides on the homestead in that township. James was reared on a farm and received a liberal education in the public schools. He remained on the farm until the breaking out of the late war, when, at the age of sixteen years, he enlisted in the Federal army, joining Company F, of the Twenty-fifth Regiment of Missouri Infantry. He enlisted in 1862 (June) but had served nine months previous to this in the State militia. He was mustered out of service at Louisville, Ky., in the latter part of July, 1865. After the war he returned to his home in De Kalb County, and followed agricultural pursuits until 1880, when he engaged in merchandising at Maysville for about seven months. In 1881 he was elected marshal and collector of Maysville, which position he held for two years. In 1884 he made an unsuccessful canvas for sheriff of De Kalb County, but was elected two years later. On February 14, 1867, he was united in marriage with Matilda C. Asher, who was born in Clay County in December, 1844. She is the daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Asher. They have seven children. Mrs. Gibson is a member of the Christian Church.
Source: History of Andrew and DeKalb Counties, Missouri (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1888), pp. 559-560.