Gibson, Hortense B. C.

Librarian, genealogist, missionary; of Wichita, Kan.

Details: Hortense Balderson was born Sept. 9, 1889, in Wichita, Kan., to Jacob Mitchell Balderson and Jennie May Boyle Balderson. She was married twice, first to Robert James Campbell and following his death to John Walter Gibson. Hortense was a graduate of the State College of Washington (Pullman) (now Washington State University) in 1923 and Columbia University School of Library Service (New York, N.Y.) in 1930. Gibson worked at the Wichita City Library from 1908 to 1937 and while there helped to establish the genealogy department. Her interest in genealogy stemmed from the study of her own family's history. The purpose of her research was to find the necessary documentation to gain membership in the Colonial Dames of America and other lineage societies. Her research not only included her own genealogy but also that of others wanting to join the Colonial Dames. Besides her interest in genealogy, she was active in the Congregational Church. As a member of the National Foreign Mission Board, she traveled to such places as Hawaii, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong (now part of the People's Republic of China), South Vietnam (now Vietnam), Mozambique, the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and Portugal. She wrote extensively about her experiences, and her essays are available at the Kansas Historical Society (Topeka) in ms. collection no. 773. She also traveled in pursuit of genealogical data, usually to Britain.