The Good Rev. Dr. George B. Gilbert

What do the Rev. Dr. George B. Gilbert of Middletown and Ann Sheridan, the pin-up girl of the 1930s have in common? They were both in the July 24, 1939 edition of LIFE magazine. Of course, she was on the cover with her voluptuous lips and he was in a four-page spread with his congregation.

Gilbert was like the EverReady bunny ... he was involved in many activities in Middletown and the county, and he was known by one and all! My mother recalled that her mother, Frances Molander, adored George B. Gilbert (and she didn't "adore" many people). And everyone called him "George B. Gilbert," never dropping the "B."

He appeared in LIFE after being chosen from a pool of thousands by the Christian Herald to tell his story as the life of a country preacher. His book, Forty Years a Country Preacher, tells about his adventures tending to his flock.

Gilbert was born in Randolph, Vt., in 1872, and graduated from Berkley Divinity School as an Episcopal minister. He was employed by Christ Church, South Farms, a mission chapel of the Church of the Holy Trinity.  This church, which was built in 1869, was most recently the home of Shiloh Christian Church and was torn down in 2008 (shown here).

Rev. Dr. Gilbert served at the Epiphany Church in Durham and opened a satellite parish in Maromas. In 1909 he moved to the Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Killingworth as their full-time priest.

People loved Gilbert, however, for his country ways and personable approach to ministering to the people. He walked to work everyday from his home at 411 Millbrook Rd., shown on the right. An expert barber, Gilbert gave haircuts to his parishioners. His home was open to all, and swimming in his "swimming pool" that he carved in his backyard from Sumner Brook was a favorite spot for many.

Stay tuned: More about the life of the Rev. Dr. George B. Gilbert at 5 pm