Hi,
In an effort to possibly find some clues as regards Rachel &/or her whereabouts I have tried to track her siblings with about 50% success as follows:
Rachel was one of 11 children of William (1818-1899) & Pheobe Gibbs (Nee' Stonbridge) (1819-1881). William & Pheobe married in 1840.
The 11 children are as follows, (all born in Millbrook, Bedfordshire except William who was born in Ampthill, Bedfordshire):
John William Gibbs (1841-?) Disappears after 1851 census in Millbrook, Beds.
William Gibbs (1842-1887) Married Mary Ann Neal in 1866. Lived in Millbrook, Beds & Campsea Ashe, Suffolk.
Rachel Gibbs (1844-?) Disappears after 1871 in Knipton, Leicestershire.
Thomas (Litchfield) Gibbs (1845-?) Disappears after 1861 census in Millbrook, Beds.
Josiah Gibbs (1848-?) Disappears after 1861 census in Millbrook, Beds.
Mary Ann Gibbs (1850-1939) Married John Gardener in 1873. Lived in Millbrook & Luton in Beds & London.
Eli Gibbs (1852-1931) Married Alice Roberts in 1880. Lived in Millbrook & Luton in Beds.
George Henry Gibbs (1854/55-?) Doesn't appear on any censuses, neither does he appear in marriage or death indexes.
Henry Gibbs (1857-1941) Married Fanny Rook in 1878. Lived in Millbrook & Ampthill Beds.
Samuel Gibbs (1861-?) Disappears after 1871 census in Millbrook, Beds. Possible sighting in London in 1881 with birthplace as Millbrook, Suffolk. Nothing after this.
Frederick Gibbs (1864-1947) Married Elizabeth Williams in 1897. Lived in Millbrook & Ampthill Beds.
Having looked at some Ancestry trees to see if if I could find any leads, they had the following info for the missing siblings:
John William Gibbs. Apparently died in 1852 in Bedford. Using GRO index, this chap was 89!
Rachel Gibbs. Apparently died in the Greenwich reg dist in 1939 aged 95. The only Rachel that I found dying in that year was a 57 year old!
Thomas Gibbs. Apparently died in 1887 in Campsea Ashe in Suffolk. I can find neither any evidence to suggest that he ever went there, nor a death index record!
Josiah Gibbs. Apparently died in 1852 in Bedford. He is alive and well at home with parents in 1861!
Samuel Gibbs. Apparently died in Fulham in 1899. Think this 1899 death is that of a Samuel Gibbs born in Fulham in 1862.
George Henry Gibbs. He was completely absent from the trees!
Those siblings that have disappeared I cannot find any marriages or deaths for, I am struggling to find them on any records come to that!
Lastly Thomas's apparent middle name of 'Litchfield', although it is his maternal grandmothers maiden surname, I cannot see any evidence of it ever being his middle name! On the birth index record & censuses he is just plain Thomas.
Can anyone help with locating the other five siblings, namely John William, Thomas, Josiah, Samuel & George Henry?
Many thanks in advance.
Kind regards
David