Around 1871, Bernard and Mary move their family to Gibson Village in Ford County.
History: The site of Gibson City was purchased and platted by Jonathan B. Lott in 1869. In 1870, Lott built a home and a post office there, and several stores and an a grain elevator were constructed. Both the Gilman, Clinton, and Springfield Railroad and the Chicago and Paducah Railroad reached the town in 1871, allowing its population to grow. Gibson City was incorporated as a village in 1872. A third railroad, the Lafayette and Bloomington Railroad, was built through Gibson City in 1874. In the same year, one of the railroads signed a contract that paid Augustana College, located in Paxton at the time, a commission of $1 per acre on all railroad land sold to Swedish settlers.
In 1883, a fire in the town caused $50,000 ($1,000,000 in 2007 dollars) in property damage.