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New Renters, Old Home

 

When a friend and I decided to rent out a home, we were very excited to find an affordable little home that wasn't far from work. The house had three bedrooms and 1 and 1/2 bathrooms. You could tell that the half bath located in the master bedroom had once been a full bath. For some reason the bath tub had been removed and a closet installed instead. You could see that the hole that once held the water hookups had been taped over, but we didn't care the thought of an extra closet only added interest.

One day before we moved into the house, we met with the landlord to sign a lease and get our keys. We were so excited that we went into the home right away to look around and decide on paint colors. As soon as we entered the living room we heard a noise in the back of the house; it sounded as if something fell off of the wall. We called out but heard no answer so we searched the home opening every door, every closet and finally met back up in the living room each of us finding nothing. It was only then we noticed the closet in the living room, the only closet we hadn't checked yet. My friend grabbed the handle, she found herself struggling to open the door it would crack and then slam itself back. Finally the door gave way we quickly looked inside, only to find one line written on the wall. "In 1859 Gilbert was here.:) " So, we all know that Sharpies weren't around in 1859 so we decided a previous renter must have had an imaginary friend.

Later that day another friend of ours came over to lend us a hand in painting, we told him what had happened and that it shook us up a bit. He told us not to worry, he was sure we were hearing things. As he was painting the laundry room I jokingly told him to call out the name Gilbert. As soon as he did the water heater kicked on, which was spooky because the power was not yet turned on.

After several bad dreams, strange noises, breaking glass, and lights turning off and on we finally decided that enough was enough. We called an old friend that instructed us to use salt to cleanse the home; this method worked for about a month or so. Finally we braved up and bought a pendulum. We sat in the middle of the living room floor and started asking questions. We asked for a name and age. We found out the spirit was a little girl at the age of two. We drew out the alphabet so she could spell out her name. Annabelle. We drew out a diagram of the home and asked if she had died there. Yes. We asked her if she was able to leave the home. No. She thought that she had drown in the bath tub in the back of the house. After more questions and responses we decided to do a little researching of our own.

We found that there is a two year old little girl buried in a local cemetary named Ann Eliza Gilbert. Before we left the house when our lease was up we asked if there was something she would like. Yes. She wanted us to leave her a doll and some candy in one of the drawers in the kitchen. I asked her to come with me when I left the home, I don't believe she did.

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The following comments are submitted by users of this site and are not official positions by yourghoststories.com. Please read our guidelines and the previous posts before posting. The author, converserebecca, has the following expectation about your feedback: I will read the comments and participate in the discussion.

BroadPine (1 posts)
 
10 years ago (2014-08-27)
My GGG-Grandfather was the Martha's brother. He was Cpt. John Adrian Davis. I just wanted to make clear that we are NOT related to Jefferson Davis. He was a friend of the family, but not a relation. The Davis name comes from our ancestor, Jonathan Davis. Jefferson's own genealogy will show no relation.
joegelman (1 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-12-16)
Martha Davis-Gilbert and Dr. John Gilbert were my great great great prandparents. Their daughter, Nancy Collier Gilbert was my great great grandmother. The entire saga of this family can be found here: http://gelmanfile.blogspot.com/.
ivory (9 stories) (77 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-08-24)
miracles I positively believed that they also adapt to the changes in their environment. So its pretty possible that anabelle did wrote her name.
aussiedaz (19 stories) (1566 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-18)
Miracles beat me to the punch, but I too believe our spirit can evolve it's own level of intelligences in the next realm, to what degree who knows? But she's been around a lot longer than any of us and probably has looked over the shoulder of many people recognizing symbols and letters?
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (5000 posts) mod
+1
12 years ago (2012-08-18)
Ivory - this has been a topic of conversation between some my friends and I before also. Can and do ghosts/spirits learn after they die?

If someone died at the age of 14 and has been earthbound for, say 100 years, I would think they'd have picked up a few things in those 100 years. Especially if they died before electricity was invented and suddenly they are turning on lights, I would think they've learned how to work a light switch 😆. Which means to me they can learn things after dying, to what extent is anyone's guess.

Can they learn enough at age of death of 14 to earn a college diploma? Who knows? I guess that's one of those things we'll only know when we're on the other side, or if we can communicate well enough with them to get these answers.
ivory (9 stories) (77 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-08-18)
hmmmm... Just a thought, Annabelle died when she was 2years old but how many years had passed after her death? Converserebecca didn't learn when she died but if we presumed that she is dead for 5 or more years will her intelligence as a spirit stays as that of a two year old child? Can't she learn anything as a spirit.

Converserebecca hi... Its really touching that you offered a lone unseen to come with you. And you are very special by indulging her request for a doll and candies
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
 
12 years ago (2012-08-17)
UH OH! MATH CHECK! 😆...Rudolph would have been around 14/15...
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
 
12 years ago (2012-08-17)
converserebecca: I think the most interesting thing about that document is the son Rudolph... His date of death is the closest to the one mentioned in the message... In 1859, he would have been around 9 or 10... He was killed in the Civil War, and it is a habit of those in the military to refer to each other or their subordinates by their last name...But, the family wasn't living there, at least Daddy wasn't, after 1840... So my reasoning is that he moved himself to Albany County, and provided for his family for a few years before moving them there...I'm wondering if after Ann's death, the rest of them left to live with him?...Very curious, although not unheard of at that time...
MizMiMi02 (guest)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-17)
I loved this story as well, and I sent it to my favorites. I have no idea if it will help in finding info, but the mother Martha was first cousin to President Jefferson Davis.
converserebecca (2 stories) (3 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-17)
zzsgranny: I wanted to try to find a cause of death for Ann Eliza Gilbert just to confirm, but I'm having the hardest time. I guess records werent really kept in that time, or at least they aren't published where I can easily find them.
converserebecca (2 stories) (3 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-17)
zzsgranny: We moved from the house back in 2011, and yes Leesburg, Ga is where we were renting the home. I found this document a couple of weeks ago, sometimes I just wake up thinking about her.
converserebecca (2 stories) (3 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-17)
buzz_man123: The lady that rented the home before us had four children. We were thinking that her kids had a connection with Anna.
Javelina (4 stories) (3749 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
granny,
I suppose you have the matching scepter made of flip tops and chewing gum wrappers as well?

Jav 😆 😆
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
+1
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
Jave: I still like the one made from beer cans and soldering wire LOL 😆 😆
Javelina (4 stories) (3749 posts)
+2
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
[at] zzgranny,
Yep, you still are, and will always remain the undefeated "Queen of Google"!
Now, how do we design a crown for that? 😁

Jav
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
+3
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
I found this on Geneology.com:

JOHN B. GILBERT:
In 1937 moved to Palmyra, Lee County, Georgia, where they lived for three years, removing to Albany in 1840, where he practiced his profession until his death.

More About JOHN B. GILBERT:
Burial Location: Palmyra, Lee Co., Georgia
Degree: Graduate Medical College of GA

More About JOHN GILBERT and MARTHA DAVIS:
Marriage: December 1836, Hancock County, Georgia/By Rev. Malcomb Johnston, Baptist Church

Children of MARTHA DAVIS and JOHN GILBERT are:
i. MARY D.5 GILBERT, b. June 14, 1836, Palmyra, Lee County, Georgia; d. August 28, 1843, Palmyra, Lee County, Georgia.
ii. ELIZABETH EMMA GILBERT, b. August 30, 1838, Palmyra, Lee County, Georgia; d. September 3, 1841, Lee County, Georgia.
iii. JOHN MILTON GILBERT, b. August 24, 1840, Palmyra, Lee County, Georgia; d. October 2, 1843, Lee County, Georgia.
iv. WILLIAM HENRY GILBERT, b. November 24, 1842, Palmyra, Lee County, Georgia; d. November 14, 1912, Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia.
v. RUDOLPH GILBERT, b. June 8, 1845, Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia; d. March 25, 1865, Fort Steadman, Virginia Civil War.
More About RUDOLPH GILBERT:
Cause of Death: of wound received during the Civil War...


vi. JONATHAN DAVIS GILBERT, b. July 27, 1847, Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia; d. September 2, 1893.
vii. ANN ELIZA GILBERT, b. February 6, 1850, Palmyra, Lee County, Georgia; d. August 15, 1852, Lee County, Georgia.
viii. FANNIE MIMS GILBERT, b. March 4, 1852, Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia.
ix. JULIUS BUTLER GILBERT, b. August 26, 1854, Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia.
x. NANCY COLLIER GILBERT, b. August 7, 1856, Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia.
xi. JULIA PACE GILBERT, b. January 21, 1862, Albany, Dougherty County, Georgia; d. 1930.

The first child was 7, the second was 3, the third was 3, and Ann Eliza (child #7) was 2 at the time of their deaths...But, with a family this large, it wasn't uncommon at the time to lose more than one child... I have no idea if this is where you're from, but I thought it was interesting 😆
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
 
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
Buzz: We still have to wait for converserebecca to confirm it, but that's the way I understood it 😆...

Converserebecca: How long ago did you move?...Sometimes our ghosties that follow us take a while to make themselves known... I think, like us, it takes some time to adjust to new surroundings... Then again, she may not have...
Buzz_man123 (1 stories) (22 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
Oh I see, thanks for clearing that up zzs. I didn't realise they meat it was literally written on the wall with a sharpie! A little weird that someone's would write that, maybe the previous tenant had contact and left the little clue to tell you what they found out?

Liam
zzsgranny (18 stories) (3329 posts) mod
+1
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
Buzz: I think maybe you missed the point the O/P was making:
"So, we all know that Sharpies weren't around in 1859 so we decided a previous renter must have had an imaginary friend."
We also know that Mr. "😊" wasn't around either... This is/was a rental property, so I think the message was left by a previous tennent, and I think the O/P thinks so, too...
Buzz_man123 (1 stories) (22 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
All I'm saying is i'm not sure if a child would be taught at home with repetition etc at this time, especially a girl I'm looking at the historical sense has anybody else thought about the smily face?
Javelina (4 stories) (3749 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
I enjoyed this one as well. However there is also a distinction that should be made in knowing how to spell and memorization. My eldest memorized the spelling of her name and the alphabet around the age of two as well. But the mechanics of actually spelling out words she hadn't memorized was not yet a part of the cognitive process. She knew her colors and shapes and could spell the ones I had taught her to spell by memory. However, asking her to sit down and write out a sentence, even a short one, was still not a function most children are capable of at such a young age.

Jav
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (5000 posts) mod
+2
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
Buzz-man - it has nothing to do with literacy programs 😊 I worked with my daughter, repeating the spelling of her name over and over like a song. Just like counting steps each time we would walk up and down them so she would learn to count at an early age. Also like saying "right arm/left arm" and "right leg/left leg" from birth whenever I touched her arms, hands, legs and feet, etc. I did all of this with both my children.

Children learn at an early age from repetition. At least mine did.
Buzz_man123 (1 stories) (22 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
Miracles you have a bright young girl:)

Though I'm not sure the literacy programmes for young people were quite as good back then.

Liam
Buzz_man123 (1 stories) (22 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
I am not saying you are lying but I thought that the smily face you say was written in the cupboard wasn't invented until the 1900's so I am confused as to why a 2 year old would put that if she died around 1859. Plus the fact she is 2 though I'm not sure how entitys like this work though.

Liam
Miracles51031 (39 stories) (5000 posts) mod
 
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
BrokenTree - my daughter could spell her name at two weeks before she turned two. She knew her alphabet and her left from right. There are other things she knew at two that I think are pretty impressive, but I thought I'd just let you know it is possible for two-year-olds to know how to spell their name.
moravian (1 stories) (171 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
This is a great story but... Broken Tree had a point: how does a two year old spell?
BrokenTree (76 posts)
+1
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
Interesting story but I am curious-how does a two year old know how to spell?
shamby (15 stories) (100 posts)
 
12 years ago (2012-08-16)
I really enjoyed this story! Thank you so much for sharing. It's wonderful to read stories that have good endings. I really liked the bit about leaving the doll and candy for little Ann!

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