Individual Details

One of his father's descendants gives Oliver's birth date as 1865.

He is listed as living with his parents in the 1880 Randolph County, N.C., Census and as being 11 at that time, which yields 1869 as his birth year.

He is in the caption (provided by Deborah Penny in September 2001) to a 1909 photo taken outside his parents' home in Italy, Texas, as being the son of Daniel Eli Briles, Sr. Thus, we know that he was alive in 1909.

A possible additional child is the Perry Briles who is buried in the Italy Cemetery, Italy, Ellis County, Texas. Perry was born in February 1913 and died on July 20, 1913. Since he died so young, he may never have been included in lists of the family's children.

Leona Hays Connally Briles, the wife of the son of Oliver's brother Enoch Elwood Briles, recalled that Oliver had a red moustache and raised his family in Italy, Texas, which increases the possibility that the Perry Briles buried in the Italy Cemetery was one of his children.

See the information in the 1900 and 1910 Censuses below, which indicate that Oliver and his wife Maude had three children who died before 1900. We do not, at this point, know who these children were.

1900 U.S. Census for Italy, Ellis County, Texas (Series T623, Roll 1630, Page 239):

Oliver Briles: Head of Household, White, Male, Born February 1869, Age 31, Married 9 years, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Occupation = Farm Laborer.
Maude Briles: Wife of Oliver, White, Female, Born February 1876, Age 24, Married 9 years, Had 5 children of which 3 were still living in 1900, Born in Texas, as were both of her parents.
George Briles: Son of Oliver, White, Male, Born October 1892, Age 7, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Mary Briles: Daughter of Oliver, White, Female, Born October 1896, Age 4, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Minnie Briles: Daughter of Oliver, White, Female, Born October 1897, Age 2, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.

1910 U.S. Census for 2nd Justice Precinct of Grayson County, Texas, taken on April 23, 1910:

Oliver P. Briles: Head of Household, White, Male, Age 41, Married 1 time, Married 18 years [compare with number of years married reported in 1900 Census], born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Occupation = Car repairs on the railroad.
Maude Briles: Wife of Oliver, White, Female, Age 33 [compare with age in 1900 Census!], married 1 time, Married 18 years, Had 8 children of which 5 were still leaving [compare with 1900 Census: The 3 children who died were born and died before 1900], Born in Texas, Father born in Tennessee, Mother born in Texas. [Note that the 1900 Census cited above reports that both of her parents were born in Texas but that the 1920 Census cited belows agrees with the 1910 Census that her father was born in Tennessee.]
George Briles: Son of Oliver P. Briles, White, Male, Age 17, Single, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Mary Briles: Daughter of Oliver P. Briles, White, Female, Age 14, Single, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Minnie Briles: Daughter of Oliver P. Briles, White, Female, Age 12, Single, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Otis Briles: Son of Oliver P. Briles, White, Male, Age 9, Single, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Pearl Briles: Daughter of Oliver P. Briles, White, Female, Age 3, Single, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.

1920 U.S. Census for 4th Justice Precinct of Ellis County, Texas (Series T625, Roll 1800, Page 277) taken on February 5 and 6, 1920:

Oliver P. Briles: Head of Household, White, Male, Age 50, Married 1 time, Born in NC, Both parents born in NC, Occupation = Farmer.
Maud [should be Maude] Briles: Wife of Oliver, White, Female, Age 43 [compare with ages in 1900 and 1910 Censuses], Married, Born in Texas, Father born in Tennessee, Mother born in Texas.
Pearl Briles: Daughter of Oliver P. Briles, White, Female, Age 13, Single, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Lenora [should be Elnora] Briles: Daughter of Oliver P. Briles, White, Female, Age 8, Single, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.
Walter Briles: Son of Oliver P. Briles, White, Male, Age 6, Single, Born in Texas, Father born in NC, Mother born in Texas.

Birth	19 Feb 1869	NC
Marriage	13 Sep 1891	Ellis County, Texas - Maude Lou SNOW
Death	10 May 1927	Breckenridge, Stephens, Texas
Burial	11 May 1927	Breckenridge Cemetery, Stephens, Texas

Spouse	Maude Lou SNOW (1876 - 1956)
Child	Whit George BRILES Sr. (1893 - 1970)
Child	Minnie BRILES (1895 - 1962)
Child	Mary Frances BRILES (1895 - 1995)
Child	James Otis BRILES Sr. (1901 - 1990)
Child	Pearl BRILES (1908 - 1991)
Child	Elnora BRILES (1911 - 1985)
Child	Walter E. ("Bud" & "Buddie") BRILES (1914 - 2003)

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	Mattie (Matt) BRILES (1871 - 1929)
Sibling	Daniel Eli BRILES III (1874 - 1940)
Sibling	Wilber Talmadge BRILES (1884 - 1951)
Sibling	Cicero Harrison BRILES (1877 - 1919)