 In March 1870, Sibley married the former Metta E. Babcock, also hailing from the town of Friendship.The couple would remain married for over 40 years, raising two daughters together, with Metta dying on July 26, 1911.Sibley determined to enter the oil-refining business and by 1873 he had managed to develop a new specialized product, a signal oil for railway use with superior illuminating property to the lighting oils then being used in the industry.