William Lee Gilbert was born in Brooklyn, New York, on November 19, 1847. Gilbert was a bookkeeper who resided in, over time, Pender, Iredell, and Sampson Counties. Following a devastating July 1916 flood in the western part of North Carolina, Gilbert served as the secretary and treasurer of the Iredell County Flood Relief Committee. He died in Clinton (Sampson County) on December 17, 1931.