Johnathan Gilbert

**Notice:** This **article** uses content directly taken from the Johnathan Gilbert **article** at the Vampire Diaries Wiki, and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.

## Biographical information

### Occupation

* Penman
* Inventor/Businessman
* Member of the Town Council

### Species

* Human
* Ghost (Formerly; by having equipped the Gilbert Ring)

## Family information

### Family Members

* Irene † (Distant Ancestor)
* Inadu's Mother † (Distant Ancestor)
* The Hollow † (Distant Ancestor)
* Samantha Gilbert † (Granddaughter)
* Christopher Gilbert † (Descendant)
* Grayson Gilbert † (Descendant)
* John Gilbert † (Descendant)
* Elena Gilbert (Descendant)
* Adrianna Gilbert (Descendant)
* Jeremy Gilbert (Descendant)
* Hope Mikaelson (Descendant)
* Alexia Salvatore (Descendant)

## Physical appearance

### Eye color

* Brown

**Johnathan Gilbert** lived in Mystic Falls in the year 1864 and was part of the Town Council. He is said to be a mad scientist, as he invented the Gilbert Device, the Gilbert Rings, and the Gilbert Compass. In reality, Emily Bennett spelled all of his inventions with magic.

**Johnathan Gilbert** was a member of the **Gilbert Family** and the **Labonair Family**.

## Early History

Johnathan was a member of one of the Founding Families that hunted vampires along with Giuseppe Salvatore. He fancied a woman named Pearl, and she seemed to share the mutual attraction to Johnathan as well. However, he shoots her after discovering she was a vampire. He was in possession of a mysterious compass that can find vampires. Sometime later on Pearl comes into possession of the compass. He died more than a century ago of a drunken binge according to John Gilbert. However, in his own journal he mentions that he was killed by a vampire, who he recognized as Stefan Salvatore. However, it is most certain that Johnathan was wearing his Gilbert Ring when he was killed as he survived and went on to do extensive research on the vampire race including their origins.

He was the only Founding Family member to know that Emily Bennett was a witch, according to Damon. Damon concludes it was Katherine who betrayed Emily to the Founders because he read in the journals that Johnathan protected Emily. It is possible that Emily offered to enchant the inventions that he had failed to create so that the Founders would be able to stop the vampires in Mystic Falls, allowing Johnathan to take credit while ensuring her and her family's protection. It is also possible that she enchanted the objects without his knowledge, and that he really believed his inventions worked.

Johnathan wrote stories in his journals about his life, including the existence of vampires. His descendant, Jeremy Gilbert, read his journals and eventually began suspecting that vampires were real.

He has at least one son, as the pocket watch/vampire compass is passed down in the Gilbert Family from eldest son to eldest son.

He died at some point before 1912.

## Personality

He had been described as "mad" due to him inventing devices that can counter the supernatural. He did show that he was a gentleman, but when he found out that Pearl was a vampire, he developed a hatred towards her and wished to have staked her when he had the chance.

He didn't seem to hold contempt for witches, as he protected Emily from the Founders.

## Physical Appearance

He had short, dark brown hair and brown eyes, with a mustache and beard. He wore a dark brown jacket and a lighter brown suit underneath. He had a tall stature and slim build.

## Inventions

Johnathan Gilbert was a great inventor. He designed and built a series of devices which Emily secretly enchanted with magic so that they would act as anti-vampire gadgets. His devices did not actually work without the enchantments.

The watch was in fact a compass which indicated vampires. It was composed of a watch case and a compass head. It was used back in 1864 to detect vampires, and in 2010 by Logan Fell. The device was a system of wheels encased in a wooden box. It emits a high-pitch sound that only vampires and werewolves can hear. It was used in 2010 by John Gilbert in order to catch and kill the tomb vampires. To be activated, it required a certain cog which Pearl stole from Johnathan Gilbert back in 1864.

## Name

* **Johnathan** is a common male given name meaning "God has given". It is a variant spelling of Jonathan, Jonathon, Jonothon, and many others.
* **Gilbert** comes from English (Norman origin), French, and North German: from Giselbert, which comprises of gisil "pledge", "hostage", "noble youth" + berht "bright", "famous".

## Trivia

* He was said to be the craziest member of the council, at that time. Probably because he invented the Gilbert Device, the Gilbert Compass, the Gilbert Ring, and others.
* He shared a great friendship with vampire Pearl, before learning that she was a vampire. It is possible that both loved each other.
* He hated vampires so much that his love/ friendship towards Pearl turned immediately to hate.
	+ It is revealed by John Gilbert that he regretted that he didn't stake her when he discovered she was a vampire.
	+ His hatred for the supernatural was not universal, as it seems that he worked with Emily, a witch, to produce his devices. Yet he did not care for vampires.
* Alexander and Johnathan were both vampire hunters, both had special weapons to destroy vampires and both despised vampires so much to the point they betrayed their own lovers. For Johnathan it was Pearl, and for Alexander it was Rebekah.