GIBBS, Pierre Livingstone 1835-1901

GIBBS, ALLYN, ELDER

Posted By: Annette Lucas (email)
Date: 5/23/2021 at 17:43:30

The Clinton Semi-Weekly Age, Apr 16, 1901 Page 3
GIBBS
ANOTHER OLD CITIZEN OF CLINTON PASSES AWAY.
P. L. Gibbs the Reverend Engineer and Student Dies at his Ringwood Home.
Pierre Livingstone Gibbs died in Clinton at 12:30 midnight of April 13th. His death resulted from a cold contracted some time ago which developed rapidly towards the end.
There remains to mourn his loss, his wife, one sister, Mrs. Clarence G. Allyn, of Dubuque, and an adopted sister, Mrs. A. Elder of Chicago.
Pierre Livingston Gibbs was born at Cleveland, Ohio, November 24, 1835. Choosing his advocation Mr. Gibbs studied at a civil engineer college in Cleveland.
Almost his first actual experience in his profession was as a civil engineer in the copper mines of Lake Superior region, and this gave the trend to his inclinations, which continually led him back to that which finally became his life work.
About 1856 he came to Dubuque where his brother Adrian had preceded him and where a few years later his mother and sister followed to make a home, which for several years remained happy and unbroken. Mr. Gibbs was at times engaged upon government work, and was also employed by the Iowa and North Western land companies. Later he went to Colorado, being drawn there by it's mining interests, and had much to do with platting and laying out its towns. He returned to Dubuque and became chief engineer of the Central Ry. of Iowa until its completion.
In 1869 he married to Miss Amanda C. Williams, at Ringwood, and although business has kept himself and wife for years at a time in Chicago, New York and Deadwood, Ringwood has been the resting place.
Mr. Gibbs gradually turned his attention more and more to mining, having at various times holding and positions in connections with mines in Nevada and at Salt Lake, but his commencement with the Black Hills mining dates from over twenty years ago, and gradually grew until he achieved deserved success.
The men are few and far between in connection with whom it is harder to use the past tense and to say "he was" but in that manner we must speak of him.
There never was a time where Mr. Gibbs was not a student, even as a young man his active brain was always seeking out fundamental laws upon which to build, and in whatever he engaged, he aimed at the best that could be done. He never was satisfied with knowledge which appeared only upon the surface, and if he ever were impatient with anything, it was with pretension in whatever field or station. He never lost the simplicity of the child mind and would read a boy's story or watch a game of marbles with keen and unaffected enjoyment. He never had a selfish thought, and his home life was ideal. In the closed union with his loved and loving companion he spent the thirty-two years of his married life, caring for no interests in which she was not associated.
He was always a student, and from his boyhood, midnight and one and two o'clock found him bending over his books and studying problems. In his youth he always sought the society of older men in science and while he was intent upon learning, often, unconsciously became the teacher. While he loved to be with scholars, he still used to say he never saw anyone that he could not learn something from. The love of actually acquiring knowledge was with him his one over mastering passion. His knowledge of everything connected with mining was unquestioned and his opinion upon such subjects was valued as equal to that of any other authority in the north-west.
Most of the inventions which he had patented were in connection with railroads and mining interests.
He was a delight to the old and young, for the savant, the bright young student and the little child, alike found in his many sided virtues an element that answered their requirements. Wherever he lived, he gradually drew around him a circle of friends who loved him for himself alone, and for whom his quiet and thoughtful conversation was an inspiration that will not pass away with the breath that gave it birth.
His funeral will be held at the Ringwood home at 2 o'clock Tuesday afternoon conducted by Rev. Dr. Reilly and will be in charge of Delphic Chapter Rose Croix. The interment will take place at Oakland cemetery, where the burial service of the Rite will be conducted by the Hon. Geo. M. Curtis.