Robert H. Gamble was not my relative, but because he had a rather interesting career that touched on the lives of several of my kin folks at points, here are some miscellaneous particulars:
Although
I do not know the details, it appears that Robert H. Gamble's ancestors
were prominent Virginians. The following paragraph from "Recollections
of Florida and the South" by General Ellakim Parker Scammon appeared in
Catholic World, February 1892, Volume 54, issue 323:
Our round of visits ended at Wirtland. There can be no impropriety in the mention of names that are historical. William Wirt, the greatest jurist and statesman, died in 1834. Mrs. Wirt's brothers, Colonels John and Robert Gamble of Virginia, had acquired large plantations in Florida, and this, perhaps, led to her becoming a resident in the Territory.The TODAY IN FLORIDA HISTORY FOR AUGUST 29 (2001) e-mail circular of the Florida Historical Society included: "1868 - Robert H. Gamble assumed office as the Comptroller of Florida. His term of office extended until January 15, 1873."
Gamble's plantation house in Manatee County, which was instrumental in Confederate Cabinet member Judah P. Benjamin's escape in 1865, still stands and is a state park: Gamble Plantation State Historic Site - Ellenton, Florida.
Some of the major phases of Gamble's life are described in the documents linked below.
The photo of Captain Robert H. Gamble is from the Florida State Archives, Florida Photographic Collection. The linked sources below were obtained from James B. Johnson's Floridiana Magazine: The Online Journal of Florida History.
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