Around 1836, James Crawford and John Hayes saw that a town was springing up and donated ten acres of land, at a point where their farms met, to be used for educational and religious purposes.
Samuel DeWitt, a local preacher and teacher, said "Gamaliel" was a good biblical name (In the Book of Acts,[REF] the Pharisee appears speaking in favor of recently arrested Christians) and this was a good village and the town took the name that he suggested.