Individual Details
Cicero Harrison Briles
(22 Mar 1877 - 7 Aug 1919)
In her Genealogy of Johannes (Hans) Breul that she sent Susan Briles Kniebes in September 2001, Deborah Penny spells Ciscero's first name as "Ciscero." Much of the information that Susan had prior to and following receiving Deborah's information spelled his first name as "Cicero." The caption that Deborah provided for the photo of the "Children and Grandchildren of Dan and Nancy Emily Briles, Italy, Texas, Year 1909" spelled his first name as "Ciscro." The 1900 U.S. Census for Ellis County, Texas, definitely spells his first name as "Cicero." However, a visit by Duane and Susan (Briles) Kniebes to the Italy Cemetery in Italy, Ellis County, Texas, showed that his name was spelled as "Ciscero H. Briles" on the headstone that he shares with his wife Lela Mabel. Thus, his first names is spelled as "Ciscero" in these files except when quoting other sources that spell it differently.
Deborah also gives his birth date as March 1876, but the 1900 Census gives it as March 1878, which is the birth date used in these files for Ciscero. The 1880 Randolph Co., N.C., Census lists him as living with his parents and says that he was 2, which would also yield a birth year of 1878 rather than 1876. The 1900 Ellis County, Texas, Census shows him as living in Italy, Texas. However, his headstone gives his birth year at 1876. Nonetheless, since his entry in the 1900 Census below specifically says he was born in March 1878, that's the birth date used in these files.
1900 U.S. Census for Ellis County, Texas (Series T623, Roll 1630, page 249):
Cicero H. Briles: Age 22, Born March 1878, White, Male, Head of Household, Married 1 year, Born in NC, Father and Mother born in NC, occupation=farmer.
Lela May Briles: Cicero's wife, Age 18, Born in Jan. 1882 (hard to read the month), White, Female, Married 1 year, 0 children, Born in Texas, Parents born in Mississippi.
1910 U.S. Census for Ellis County, Texas, 8th Judicial Precinct (Series T624, Roll 1549, Page 274) taken on April 5, 1910:
Cicero H. Briles: Head of Household, White, Male, Age 33, Married 10 years, Born in NC, Parents born in NC, Occupation = Farmer.
??? M. [Lela May] Briles, Wife of Cicero, White, Female, Age 26, Married 10 years, Mother of 5 children 4 of whom were still living in April 1910, Born in Texas, Parents born in Mississippi.
Robert J. Briles: Son of Cicero, White, Male, Age 2, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Curtis [Probably Conrad] Briles: Son of Cicero, White, Male, 8 months old (= born in Sept. 1909), Born in Texas, Father Born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Marie Briles: Daughter of Cicero, White, Female, Age 8, Born in Texas, Father Born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Mattie Mazelle or Mazrlle or Masrlee [probably Mazelle] Briles: Daughter of Cicero, White, Female, Age 4, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Mallie J. Scarborough: Mother-in-law of Cicero, White, Female, Age 62, Widowed, Married 30 years, Born in Texas, as were both of her parents. [This disagrees with the birth location of the mother of Cicero's wife, which is given as Mississippi in the 1900 and 1910 Censuses. See also the listing for Mallie Scarborough in the 1920 Census below.]
Note that Lela May reports in the 1910 Census that she had had 5 children as of April 5, 1910 and that only 4 of them were still alive. The 1910 Census lists Robert, Conrad/Curtis, Marie, and Mattie. What about Mallie Mazelle, unless she died before 1910? And then there's the following headstone in the Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis County, Texas:
Herburt Briles
April 29, 1905
Nov. 25, 1905
The OneWorld Tree at ancestry.com says that Herburt was the son of Ciscero and Lela May Briles. However, if the Social Security Death Index is correct in giving August 25, 1905 as the birth date of Mallie Briles, it would not be possible for Herburt to be a son of Ciscero and Lela May.
In May 2007, Anita Prewitt, a genealogy research in Ellis County, Texas, tried to solve this puzzle. All she found was yet another Baby Briles for whom the parents are not know:
Ellis County "Register of Deaths," Book 1, page 124, #1238, Baby Briles, died on Dec. 2, 1905, white, male, died near Italy, Texas, when he was about 7 months old. Oh well!
The Briles genealogy information provided by Jack E. Briles, Sr., of New Albany, Indiana, in February 2002 spelled his first name as "Cicero" and provided the middle initial of "H."
The list of attendees at the August 4, 1974 Briles Reunion in Italy, Texas, spells his first name as "Ciscro" and gives his middle name as "Harris."
He inherited his mother's brown eyes. Leona Hays Connally Briles, the wife of Ciscero's nephew, Worthie Harwood Briles, commented on his brown eyes and his small size.
His great grandnephew David Elwood Briles (great grandson of Cicsero's brother Enoch Elwood) looks a lot like him!
Deborah also gives his birth date as March 1876, but the 1900 Census gives it as March 1878, which is the birth date used in these files for Ciscero. The 1880 Randolph Co., N.C., Census lists him as living with his parents and says that he was 2, which would also yield a birth year of 1878 rather than 1876. The 1900 Ellis County, Texas, Census shows him as living in Italy, Texas. However, his headstone gives his birth year at 1876. Nonetheless, since his entry in the 1900 Census below specifically says he was born in March 1878, that's the birth date used in these files.
1900 U.S. Census for Ellis County, Texas (Series T623, Roll 1630, page 249):
Cicero H. Briles: Age 22, Born March 1878, White, Male, Head of Household, Married 1 year, Born in NC, Father and Mother born in NC, occupation=farmer.
Lela May Briles: Cicero's wife, Age 18, Born in Jan. 1882 (hard to read the month), White, Female, Married 1 year, 0 children, Born in Texas, Parents born in Mississippi.
1910 U.S. Census for Ellis County, Texas, 8th Judicial Precinct (Series T624, Roll 1549, Page 274) taken on April 5, 1910:
Cicero H. Briles: Head of Household, White, Male, Age 33, Married 10 years, Born in NC, Parents born in NC, Occupation = Farmer.
??? M. [Lela May] Briles, Wife of Cicero, White, Female, Age 26, Married 10 years, Mother of 5 children 4 of whom were still living in April 1910, Born in Texas, Parents born in Mississippi.
Robert J. Briles: Son of Cicero, White, Male, Age 2, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Curtis [Probably Conrad] Briles: Son of Cicero, White, Male, 8 months old (= born in Sept. 1909), Born in Texas, Father Born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Marie Briles: Daughter of Cicero, White, Female, Age 8, Born in Texas, Father Born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Mattie Mazelle or Mazrlle or Masrlee [probably Mazelle] Briles: Daughter of Cicero, White, Female, Age 4, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Mallie J. Scarborough: Mother-in-law of Cicero, White, Female, Age 62, Widowed, Married 30 years, Born in Texas, as were both of her parents. [This disagrees with the birth location of the mother of Cicero's wife, which is given as Mississippi in the 1900 and 1910 Censuses. See also the listing for Mallie Scarborough in the 1920 Census below.]
Note that Lela May reports in the 1910 Census that she had had 5 children as of April 5, 1910 and that only 4 of them were still alive. The 1910 Census lists Robert, Conrad/Curtis, Marie, and Mattie. What about Mallie Mazelle, unless she died before 1910? And then there's the following headstone in the Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis County, Texas:
Herburt Briles
April 29, 1905
Nov. 25, 1905
The OneWorld Tree at ancestry.com says that Herburt was the son of Ciscero and Lela May Briles. However, if the Social Security Death Index is correct in giving August 25, 1905 as the birth date of Mallie Briles, it would not be possible for Herburt to be a son of Ciscero and Lela May.
In May 2007, Anita Prewitt, a genealogy research in Ellis County, Texas, tried to solve this puzzle. All she found was yet another Baby Briles for whom the parents are not know:
Ellis County "Register of Deaths," Book 1, page 124, #1238, Baby Briles, died on Dec. 2, 1905, white, male, died near Italy, Texas, when he was about 7 months old. Oh well!
The Briles genealogy information provided by Jack E. Briles, Sr., of New Albany, Indiana, in February 2002 spelled his first name as "Cicero" and provided the middle initial of "H."
The list of attendees at the August 4, 1974 Briles Reunion in Italy, Texas, spells his first name as "Ciscro" and gives his middle name as "Harris."
He inherited his mother's brown eyes. Leona Hays Connally Briles, the wife of Ciscero's nephew, Worthie Harwood Briles, commented on his brown eyes and his small size.
His great grandnephew David Elwood Briles (great grandson of Cicsero's brother Enoch Elwood) looks a lot like him!
Events
| Birth | 22 Mar 1877 | Randolph County, North Carolina |  | ||
| Marriage | 17 Dec 1899 | Probably Ellis County, Texas - Lela Mabel Scarborough | |||
| Death | 7 Aug 1919 | Italy, Ellis County, Texas | | ||
| Burial | 7 Aug 1919 | Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis County, Texas | |
Families
| Spouse | Lela Mabel Scarborough (1883 - 1952) |
| Child | Jesse Marie Briles (1901 - 1993) |
| Child | Mallie Mozell Briles (1905 - 1999) |
| Child | Mattie Mazelle Briles (1906 - 1913) |
| Child | Robert Lee Briles (1907 - 1966) |
| Child | Conrad Briles (1911 - 1917) |
| Child | Perry Briles (1913 - 1913) |
| Child | Patrick Henry Briles (1913 - 1992) |
| Child | Mattie Emily Briles (1914 - 1953) |
| Child | Mary Louise "Lou" Briles (1915 - 1993) |
| Child | Elwood Briles Jr. (1918 - 1918) |
| Child | Cleo Mable Briles (1919 - 2012) |
| Father | Daniel Eli Briles II (1833 - 1893) |
| Mother | Nancy Emily Sawyer (1838 - 1918) |
| Sibling | Betty Briles ( - ) |
| Sibling | Jasper Briles (1858 - 1933) |
| Sibling | Enoch Elwood Briles (1861 - 1940) |
| Sibling | Susan (Sue) Briles (1863 - ) |
| Sibling | Sarah S. Briles (1864 - ) |
| Sibling | Nancy C. (Nannie) Briles (1867 - 1908) |
| Sibling | Oliver ("Ol" & "Ollie") Perry Briles (1869 - 1927) |
| Sibling | Mattie (Matt) Briles (1871 - 1929) |
| Sibling | Daniel Eli Briles III (1874 - 1940) |
| Sibling | Wilber Talmadge Briles (1884 - 1951) |
Endnotes
1. 1900 Ellis County, Texas, Census.
2. Death Certificate-Vital records State of Texas.
3. Deborah Penny (Briles descendant), Deborah Penny's Genealogy of Johannes (Hans) Breuel as of September 2001 (Printout of Descendants report from DP's Family Tree Maker files).