Little is known concerning the details of the life of Reuben Gilder, other than various accounts of his military service during the War of 1812, along with selected subsequent experiences, as gleaned from this collection, in the capacity of a retired military man and merchant in Baltimore during the 1810s and 1820s. Gilder's birthplace and birth and death dates are unknown. An examination of genealogical and Maryland court records reveals that Reuben Gilder married an Eliza Mary Hughes in Baltimore on February 17, 1819. According to Gilder's own accounts, he and his wife had at least one son, possibly named Columbus Franklin Gilder. Court records also show that Reuben Gilder and his wife were granted a divorce by the General Assembly of Maryland on February 12, 1836, but the cause of the divorce, or even which party initiated the divorce proceedings, is unknown.
Gilder served with the 14th Regiment of the U. S. Army, composed of Maryland members, during the War of 1812 in the Fort Niagara, Canada, theater of war. After a brief post-war stint in the U. S. Army, Gilder resigned in order to become a merchant of an unknown business in Baltimore, where he apparently met with little financial success. He also attempted a life in national politics, as evident from his application for the position of Doorkeeper (today Sergeant-at-Arms and Doorkeeper) of the U. S. Senate, which he failed to obtain. Gilder also suffered from various post-war ailments, which he attributed to his military service, and a letter from his wife describes his various bouts with apparent seizures and difficulties with what was generically described as "rheumatism.
From the guide to the Reuben Gilder papers, 1815-1827, 1815-1823, (State of Maryland and Historical Collections)
