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Early History:
The land around present day Gilsum was first granted to ___Boyle in 1752, as
part of the Newton-Alstead land grant. On 1 May, 1761, he sold 59
rights to Samuel Gilbert, Esq., Samuel Gilbert, Jr. and Josiah Kilbern Tanner
Thomas Sumner, gentlemen from Hebron in the County of Hartford, Conn.
There was a dispute over whether to call the town Gilbert or Sumner.
Josiah Sumner's son, the Rev. Clement Sumner, of Keene, married Samuel Gilbert's
daughter, Elizabeth, thus a compromise was reached and the town was
called "GILSUM."
The Gilberts and the Sumners were probably not bona fide settlers but were
land speculators. Gilbert apparently hired 15 men at a small sum to use
their names for getting a charter, then transfer their rights to him.
Captain Gilbert may have never visited Gilsum, yet he took the management of
the town's affairs into his own hands. The people of Gilsum were
unhappy, feeling he had taken too much for himself and his son-in-law.
The town settled with him 4 Dec. 1764.
The Gilsum Post Office is the site of the first building, a log cabin built
in 1791.
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Thank you for visiting this site. I
would love to have you share any information related to Gilsum. I live
in California, so cannot provide any local research, but I hope to get some
links to those who do.
Happy hunting!
Ginny Gilbert Day
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