Gilbert was born in Polk County, Florida on a farm west of Homeland. He had two brothers and three sisters. At family reunions, time was always taken to read any new information that had been learned of the history of the Hamilton family. It was mentioned that their grandfather was one of the first homesteaders in Polk County, and that Lake Hamilton had been named after their uncle.

Gilbert lived a short but full life. He had 5 grandchildren but unfortunately did not live long enough to know them all. He had a great sense of humor. He was kind and gentle. When a person was ill or sad, he would go the whole nine yards to help a person in need. Last but not least, he could let it be known, with one word and one look, when he was not pleased with someone. He worked hard and he played hard.

Gilbert was not very interested in working in the fields with his dad and his brothers. Instead he decided to enroll in the Bartow Military Academy. After a year or two he took a test which made it possible for him to enroll in a small college south of Gainsville which is known as the University of Florida. When one of his instructors learned that it was necessary for him to work to stay in school he offered him room and board for doing odd jobs around his home. Soon he was even grading papers for the instructor.

After Gilbert left school he obtained a position in Brighton, Florida operating a grocery store and gas station. Brighton was located on Rte. 70 between Arcadia and Okeechobee. This was the route that two stockholders of the Nocatee-Manatee Crate Company and the Nocatee-Manatee Trading Company took to go to Okeechobee and West Palm Beach. This trip was made to display and sell crates which their company manufactured for shipping vegetables. They made the trip many times and always stopped at Brighton for gas or refreshments, but mainly to observe Gilbert. When they were convinced that he was what they were looking for, they offered him a position and stock in the trading company which was known as the "Big Store".

Gilbert was brought into the "Big Store" about 1910 as a shareholder. He married Annie Reynolds Dec 29, 1911. The Trading Company and the Crate Mill had many of the same owners and had the largest payroll of any business in Desoto County. The Trading Company was a true commissary selling any and everything a person might need.

Gilbert had some innovated ideas for making the store successful. For the customers that signed up for the program (at no extra expense to them) one of the employees would go to their home early in the morning, take orders, and return to the store to fill them and then deliver the groceries to the customer in time for them to prepare their dinner. Dinner was served at twelve noon. Orders and deliveries were first made by horse and wagon but later by pick up truck.

Gilbert also supervised the store in Manatee. He had a manager but it was still necessary for him to go over on a regular basis. On occasions he had to use a handcar on the railroad tracks to make the trip. On one particular trip, he and his associate saw a train coming towards them and found it necessary to remove the handcar from the tracks. The handcar rolled down in a ditch and the two men had a lot of problems returning it to the proper position on the tracks. They figured they were going to end up as food for the buzzards!

On one of the trips Gilbert made to Manatee, he was joined by a friend and associate, H. T. Davis. As they bounced along on their journey Davis said, " This is the roughest riding automobile I've ever ridden in. What is wrong with this car?" Gilbert told him he always kept the tires very full of air to make them last longer. Davis responded, " Gilbert, you can always buy tires at Sears Roebuck, but you sure can't buy lives there."

Gilbert also owned a grove in Platt which he supervised and worked on from time to time.

He loved fishing, hunting and camping but insisted on being comfortable when he participated in these events. This brought about the need for a home on wheels. He and Adron Walker decided to build one. Adron built the trailer and Gilbert built the top which would accommodate four people. Two twin beds extended from the ceiling and two sat on the floor underneath them. There was a small dinette and sitting room plus a kitchen with a small ice box and coleman stove. The body of the home was made of wood and was quite heavy. When they moved it from one place to another, they were only able to average twenty miles per hour. It took the better part of the day to reach their destination. They looked like a bunch of gypsies going down the highway dragging what resembled a boxcar behind them. The two families alternated time of use and it was enjoyed for many years.

In 1934 Gilbert became interested in music and he felt that everyone should be able to play an instrument, whether they had special training or not. Assisted by a man named Hofer, he started on an instrument that would make this possible. He named this instrument Hamilton Chartophone and in 1935 applied for and was granted a patent. He and Hofer also made charts with dots showing where the string should be struck to make the music. They used songs such as "Let Me Call You Sweetheart". He obtained a copyright for the charts in 1935.

It was now time to market the instrument, so Hofer went on the road to see what kind of response the instrument brought. Gilbert never heard from Hofer again. Many years later, an instrument was brought on the market that was very similar to the chartophone. A few changes had been made to make it appear different and possibly improve it. It was called the Auto-Harp. It was used extensively in the Dade County schools and possibly in other schools as well. It is reported that Hofer did show up in the area after Gilbert's death.