The Giles family's recorded historical
presence in Roane County, Tennessee
& notes toward sorting out relationships with Giles members
who migrated from Tennessee to Gentry County, Missouri
* Original file date: 2 Dec 2004
* Updated: 29 Oct 2006
PART
ONE:
My 19th century GILES
line is almost hopelessly tangled in all the William GILESes who lived in
Tennessee!
The research has to
begin by sorting out the two early William GILES families found in Roane County
records. What follows are my current research notes toward that
end:
1823:
Records for Roane County, Tennessee show a William GILES paying the poll tax for
one white person in the Hiwassee District in 1823. Since the tax is for men over
twenty-one, this would not have been the William who married Peggy HENSLEY. My
guess is that it is, however, his father who was also named William. According
to his grandson James Calvin GILES' Civil War questionnaire, that the
first William was born in Ireland.
1835:
William GILES and Peggy HENSLEY married in Roane County in 1835, so
it's likely that they may not have left the area during most of their marriage -
even if they had slipped over county lines or county lines had shifted and
slipped over them at times.
1840:
In the 1840 Roane County federal census, we find one William GILES :
10001-10001 , and in the very next entry: Issac Gallyan 012001-210001 whose
census data lines up closely with my research so far on Margaret "Peggy" Hensley
GILES's maternal uncle. This 1840 Roane Co GILES family is likely our
William and Peggy. One male under five years old fits son William H. GILES
born about 1840; one between 20 and 30 fits William himself, born about 1810.
The females "fit," too: one under five could be daughter Nancy, born about 1838,
and the one between 20 and 30 years old fits our Peggy Hensley Giles, born
about 1819.
1842:
The first William GILES I have found in the tax records for Roane County who
appears to fit with the William who married Peggy Hensley appears in the 7th
District in 1842 where he pays the poll tax for one white person (that is a male
over twenty-one years old in the household). He is located near Calvin GALYON,
also of the 7th District. Like William, Calvin GALYON also paid the tax for one
white person only. William's mother was a GALYON, and William and Peggy named
one of their sons James Calvin "Calvin" GILES who apparently went by his middle
name, Calvin, much of the time.
1843:
William GILES appears again in the 1843 tax records for Roane County where, like
the year before, he pays the poll tax for one white person. This year he is
again in the 7th District, but Calvin GALYON is not reported. Instead, Isaac
GALYON is there (paying for one white person) and so is Abraham GALYON who pays
for one white person and 323 acres valued at $1000. We know that William farmed
and did labor, so my guess is that he worked for his in-law Abraham.
1844:
In 1844, Abraham, Isaach, and again Calvin GALYON pay taxes in Roane County's
7th District. I haven't found William in the tax records for that year, however.
1850
(the section in which I do a little genealogy sidestepping dance):
The Roane County 1850 census has a William GILES as head of household (family
#236):
20th Subdivision, Roane County dwelling 226 family 236 line 11 ff William
Giles, 69 No occupa [none: "do"], b VA Polly, 66, b VA Houston, 23, b TN, No
occupa [none: "do"] Susan, 18, b TN Polly Ann, 9 mos, b TN
This William GILES, however, appears too old to be the William GILES who married
Peggy HENSLEY (who would have been about 40 years old at this point).
It is
highly unlikely that the Houston, Susan, and Polly Ann GILES in the 1850 census
entry are children of the head of household William and his wife Polly. They may
be grandchildren. [See Part Two, below, for an updated analysis of
the relationships between the members of this household.]
Though this may not be the William and Peggy Hensley GILES family, the
enumeration and household order work together to bolster my conviction that this
particular William must be one of the Williams known to have been the ancestor
of James Calvin GILES.
I base my conviction not in the least on the fact that Peggy HENSLEY GILES'
parents are enumerated only a few families away - dwelling 241/family 251:
20th Subdivision, Roane County, TN
enumerator BF Welcker
line 25ff
dwelling241/family 251
Benjamin HENSLEY53, no occupa,["none"] b TN ;Mary, 53, b NC ;Nancy, 21, b TN;
Marshall G., 18, b TN, no occupa ["none"]
dwelling 241/ family 252
[same dwelling as Benjamin and Mary but listed as separate family:]
line 29:
Robert HENSLEY98, b NC, no occupa ["none"] ; Benjamin F, 7, b TN; Samuel, 5, b
TN
The next family enumerated in this census is Chapman COOLEY, 26, and then one of
Peggy's brothers:
William HENSLEY , 20 ,m; Elizabeth A, 21 ; John A. , 2 mos
(line 37 ff family 243/254).
Also in Subdivision 20 is William GALYON, an uncle of Peggy's:
William Galyon,57, farmer, b NC, cannot read or write; Jane, 58, b TN; Mary, 26,
b TN, cannot read or write; Louisa, 23, b TN, cannot read or write; John, 21, b
TN; Sarah, 17, b TN, attended school w/in yr; Eli, 15 b TN, attended school w/in
yr
Last, but maybe not least, on the same page as this Wiliam GILES is another
GALYON, likely a cousin of Peggy's, given that most of the Roane Co Galyons are
connected:
dwelling 223/ fam 233:
Abram GALYON ,23, No occupa [none: "do"], b TN; Martha GALYON 24, b TN ; Mary J
GALYON 2, b TN
1857:
A William GILES appears on the1857 Roane County tax list for the 8th Civil
District:
GILES, William; 1 poll
The following GALYONs and HENSLEY were in the same record for the district:
GALYON, James; 1 poll GALYON, Isaac; 566 acres - value $1000; 1 poll GALYON,
E.M.; 1 poll GALYON, George W.; 1 poll HENSLEY, William; 1 poll
1860:
With the 1860 census, we move into certainty about where the William GILES (2)
who married Peggy HENSLEY is for a time.
On 27 July 1860, William GILES (2) and his wife Margaret "Peggy" [HENSLEY] were
enumerated in the 1860 U.S. Census for Knox Co, TN. His family was in District
11 and listed with those of the Concord Post Office area:
District No. 11
Concord PO, Knox Co, TN
Original p No. 114
Sha [?] Callaway, Ass't Marshal [enumerator]
26 Jul 1860
family 169/168
lines 21ff
GILES, Wm. 50
-- Margaret 41
--Nancy J. 22
--Wm. H. 20
-- Mary E. 17
-- *Calvin
16, [This is James Calvin GILES]
-- Elizabeth 14
-- Saml. M. 12
--Margaret J. 8
-- Martha M. 5.
At the time, William is a laborer. The census reports that he was born in
Alabama. His personal estate is worth $75. He doesn't have real estate. Both he
and Margaret [Peggy HENSLEY] are listed as being over 20 and being unable to
read or write. Sons William H. and Calvin [James Calvin GILES] are listed as
being laborers.
[Location notes for Concord, Knox Co, TN: 1895 atlas: City or Town
Name - Concord Population - 271; County - Knox; Area of State - East; Has Post
Office? Yes; Has Railroad? Yes; Has Express Office?Yes. GPS Info: latitude 35.9
north x longitude 84.1 west.]
Unfortunately, as of
2 Dec 2004 29 Oct 2006, I haven't tracked William or Peggy
after this 1860 census. Did something happen to them during the Civil War? Did
they, like so many Roane Co area families GTT -
go
to
Texas?
My current research has shed some light on their sons James Calvin "Calvin"
GILES and Samuel GILES (aka Samuel JILES) and on their daughter Mary
Elizabeth GILES who married Gideon Morgan BOWMAN. The rest of the children are
murky and need much more research.
Though William and Peggy's son Calvin says later in his response to a Civil War
veteran's questionnaire that William was born in Virginia, William's own 1860
census report, as have said, indicates that he was born in Alabama. In Calvin's
census records, however, both Calvin's father and mother are reported to have
been born in Tennessee.
A primary research objective has to be, then, discovering where William GILES
(2) was born. With that, we might be able to trace his (Irish ?) father
and the rest of this GILES line's history in America.
The more I try to track this family in the 19th century, the more convinced I
become that they lived much as migrant farm workers do today.
To this point in my research, I find, too, however, that much of this line
didn't stray too far from Roane County's borders. William GILES (2) was
illiterate; and his son Calvin later says that he himself never had much
schooling. Maybe that's why for most of the 19th century, at least,
this GILES line was usually found not too far from relatives and allied families
- many of whom we're learning were also primarily unlettered.
Part of the difficulty in tracking this GILES line, too, has been that members
seem to have favored areas where the county boundaries change - a condition so
confusing at times that some area families are known to have been recorded in
two different counties.
PART
TWO:
Notes toward sorting
out family relationships among GILES family members who migrated from Tennessee
to Gentry County, Missouri between 1850 & 1860 and William GILES (2) who
married Margaret "Peggy" HENSLEY
I hope someone can help me discover more definitive information not only about
the William GILES (1) who married Polly HOUSTON/HUSTON/HUTSON and the William
GILES (2) who married Peggy HENSLEY but also about the birth families of the
GILES family members - including William GILES (1) - who migrated
from Roane and Bradley Counties in Tennessee to Gentry County in the decade
before the Civil War.
The GILES men who migrated were all in TN for the 1850 census and in Gentry
County for the 1860 census (Township 62 for all but Benjamin GILES, who was in
Township 61).
Here are the principals:
-
William GILES (2) (b abt
1810) m. Margaret "Peggy" HENSLEY (He did
not migrate to
Missouri in the time period being studied.)
-
John C. GILES (b abt 1815)
m. Mary (surname UNK)
-
Benjamin GILES (b abt 1819)
m. Telitha HYDEN/HYTEN/HEITEN/HITTEN
-
Calvin GILES (b abt 1825)
m. Elender "Ellen" CARTER
-
Houston GILES (b abt 1827)
m. Susan A. CARTER
-
William GILES (1) (b abt
1781) m. Polly HOUSTON/HUSTON/HUTSON
and, perhaps,
-
William GILES (his place
with this family not fully analyzed) (b abt 1802) m. Rebecca (surname
UNK) (He may or may
not have migrated to Missouri in the time period being studied.)
Most of my research has indicated to this point that all of these GILES men are
sons of William GILES (1), born about 1781, in Virginaia or Ireland, who married
Polly HOUSTON/HUSTON/HUTSON, born about 1784,in Virginia (or Ireland?). The
research almost inevitably leads me to conclude, as well, that my 2d
great-grandfather, William GILES (2), born about 1810 in Virgina or Alabama, who
married Peggy HENSLEY in Roane Co, TN in 1835, was also a son of this William
GILES (1) who married Polly HOUSTON/HUSTON/HUTSON.
These conclusions are not without major problems; and below I outline the major
ones I have encountered so far in placing these GILES men into the same family.
I will begin by reiterating the 1850 Roane County, Tennessee census
entry in which Houston GILES, 23, is found in the household of William (1) and
Polly GILES:
30 Aug 1850 20th Subdivision, Roane County, Tennessee Census entry
Enumerated by BF Welcker
fam 226/236
lines 21 ff:
GILES, William, 69, b VA, occupation "none," over 20 cannot read or write [w/ bd
est abt 1781]
--Polly, 66, b VA, over 20 cannot read or write [w/ bd est abt 1784]
--Houston, 23, b TN, occupation "none"
--Susan, 18, b TN [Susan CARTER, Houston's wife - see the 1860 census entry for
her]
--Polly Ann, 9 mos, b TN [Polly Ann GILES, daughter of Houston and Susan. In the
1860 Missouri census, she is the only of one their children reported not to have
been born in Missouri.]
The ages of those in the 1850 household with Polly and William at first
disinclined me to list Houston as a child of the couple (see the lined-through
comment for the same 1850 census entry in Part One above). Polly would have
given birth to him when she was about 43 years old, so I initially thought he
might well have been a grandson or nephew that they took in to
raise. However, in the 1860 census for Gentry County, Missouri, Houston again
appears with William; and William, 76, is listed as father of the head of
household, Houston GILES. The Susan in the 1850 household, as the 1860 census
entry in Gentry County, Missouri makes apparent, is Susan [CARTER] GILES,
Houston's wife. In the 1850 Tennessee household, too, is Polly Ann GILES, who in
the 1860 Missouri census is enumerated as the daughter of Susan [CARTER] and
Houston GILES.
Despite some uncertainty about this household and its lineage in general, I am
currently linking Houston as a son of William and Polly because Houston GILES'
1910 Gentry County, Missouri death certificate also gives his father's name as
William GILES, the same relationship indicated by the 1850 and 1860 federal
censuses.
So in my current analysis, Houston GILES is a son of William GILES (1) and Polly
HOUSTON/HUSTON/HUTSON.
But is he a brother of the William GILES (2) who married Peggy HENSLEY in Roane
County, Tennessee in 1835, as I have surmised? Are William (1) and Polly GILES,
Houston's parents, also the parents of William GILES (2)?
Complicating that supposition is an 1850 Bradley County, Tennessee census entry
for Benjamin GILES, born about 1829 in Tennessee, died about 1861 in Gentry
County, Missouri.
I have believed Benjamin to be William (1) and Polly GILES' son, too. I have
based that relationship on historical data combined with plausible data from
other GILES researchers. I have also taken into account that Benjamin and his
family, like many of William and Polly's better documented family members,
migrated from east Tennessee to Gentry County, Missouri by the time the 1860
census was enumerated.
In 1838, Benjamin GILES appears on the militia rolls of Cherokee Removal
soldiers from Roane County, Tennessee. His wife, Telitha HYDEN/HYTEN, is said to
have been a daughter of Richard HYDEN/HYTEN who lived for a time in Roane
County. Some time between the enumeration of the 1840 census and the
1850 census, Benjamin GILES migrated from Monroe County, Tennnessee, where he
could be found on the 1840 census, to Bradley County, Tennessee
where he and Telitha are for the 1850 census. In mid-September 1850, when the
census was conducted in the part of Bradley County, Tennessee to which he'd
moved, Benjamin GILES, his wife Telitha, and several of their children were
living near a William and Rebecca GILES. Here is the 1850 census data for both
GILES households in Bradley's 24th Subdivision:
1850
Bradley County, TN, 24th Subdivision
line 15 ff
hh 244/244
Benj GILES, 31 m,Farmer, b TN
--Telitha, 30, f, b TN, cannot read and write
--James, 9, m, b TN, att school w/in yr
--Mary A., 8 f,, b TN, att school w/in yr
--William A., 6, m, b TN
--Rebecca C [or E?], 4, f, b TN
--John H, 2, m, b TN
--Francis L. 8/12, m, b TN
The next household enumerated is this family:
line 23 ff hh
245/245
William GILES [surname is carried forward with " marks from Benjamin's surname
on Line 15], 48, m, Farmer, value of real estate owned is $2500, b TN [ b abt
1802]
--Rebecca, 46, f, b NC [ b abt 1804]
--William C, 13, m, b TN, att school w/in yr [ b abt 1837]
--Rebecca D, 7, f, b TN, att school w/in yr [b abt 1833]
--Sarah A.C., 3, f, b TN [b abt 1847]
So who is this William GILES? It is possible, of course, that he and Rebecca
GILES are the parents of Benjamin and not William and Polly
(HOUSTON/HUSTON/HUTSON) GILES. If this Bradley County couple are Benjamin's
parents, they would have been about 17 and 16 years old (respectively) when he
was born, which is not an implausible scenario.
Bolstering the possibility that they are Benjamin's parents is the fact that he
is the sole GILES man in Gentry County, Missouri who migrated between 1850 and
1860 from Tennessee who does not live in Township #62. Benjamin and Telitha are
found in Township #61 in 1860.
I can't however, at this point, discount that this Bradley County William
GILES may not be a parent but an older brother of Benjamin's which
in turn would suggest that my own William GILES (2) who married Peggy HENSLEY is
not a brother of Benjamin's, as I have formerly supposed - just based that on
the unlikelihood of brothers having the same first name - especially brothers so
close in age - the William GILES in Bradley County (born about 1802) and the
William GILES (2) found earlier and later in Roane County (born about 1810).
Another possibility is that Benjamin may not be a brother of Houston GILES
and his brother Calvin GILES, born about 1825, as I have also supposed until
now. If Benajmin GILES was not their brother, then it is still entirely possible
that our William GILES (2) who married Peggy HENSLEY in Roane County
is a brother of Calvin and Houston GILES and that the William GILES
(1) married to Polly HOUSTON/HUSTON/HUTSON is - still - our William's (2)
father, as I think my research to this point has indicated.
A third possibility is that it is strictly coincidental that Benjamin and
Telitha (HYDEN/HYTEN) GILES migrated to Gentry County around the same time as
Houston, Calvin, and John GILES, and Houston's father William GILES (1).
A fourth possibility is that Benjamin may be more distantly related to those men
I just mentioned than I had supposed.
And of course, a fifth possibility is that Benjamin GILES and this new William
GILES of Bradley County, Tennessee are not closely related to one another at
all. The two of them may have absolutely no family in common and just happen to
live close and share the same surname.
Somehow, I doubt that possibility number five is going to be the one borne out
by further research. So, as usual, what is certain in all this is that my GILES
line continues to keep me hopping as my search to find and then straighten them
out continues.
For further census data on many of the individuals listed in this file, see the
"Census 1840 to 1930 Roane Co, TN - GILES" entry for 21 Jul 2006 on
my TnType genealogy blog |
here
|.
If you have information, leads, photos, documents, information to exchange, or
corrections, please contact me using me the message subject,
GILES family in
TN: