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Richard Gibbons Jr. was born in 1734 at London, England, the son of Richard and Susannah Gibbons. He received his early education in England. The family first immigrated to Virginia and then Halifax, Nova Scotia. Richard Jr. married Susanna Shepard on 10 May 1783 at Halifax. On 14 May 1765 he was admitted as a solicitor of the Court of Chancery for Nova Scotia. On 31 October 1765, Gibbons was named a clerk for the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. In 1770, he was elected to the Legislature for Barrington Township for one year. Between 1777-1781, he was Solicitor General and in 1781 named Attorney General. On 25 July 1784 Gibbons was named Chief Justice for Cape Breton and he and his family moved to the island. Richard Gibbons Jr. died on 3 August 1794 in a prison at Nantes, France. His son, Richard Gibbons III was Attorney General of Cape Breton and a leading lawyer and separatist. The Gibbons family resided largely around Marion Bridge during the twentieth century.
Published
Fonds consists of the papers of Richard Gibbons Sr., which includes letters, legal documents, and a diary. Fonds also contains papers of Richard Gibbons Jr., which includes correspondence, an almanac and birth registers and papers of Richard Gibbons III, which include certificates and appointments, correspondence and a deed. Records of Napoleon and his son Philip Gibbons are included and consist of correspondence, legal records and photographs. Also included is a watercolour of Jersey Island and a map of the north side of Cow Bay.
Further accruals are not expected.
Records were donated by Mrs. D. B. Mancini, Westmount, Cape Breton, Mrs. C. MacFarlan, Burnaby, British Columbia, and Richard Gibbons, Marion Bridge, Cape Breton.
File list is available: <a href="http://beaton.cbu.ca/AtoM/MGs/12/MG12.47.pdf" target="_blank">MG 12.47</a>