Individual Details

There is a Richard Giles found in Monroe Co KY in 1820 - Elizabeth's father? Just he and a female both over 45 - they are on the same page as the Joneses.

Richard Giles signed marriage bond as father of the bride:
John Snoddy, Bondsman. Richard Giles, Father of bride. Bond dated 25 Mar 1800; returned on 27 Mar 1800.

It is possible that Richard was the son of an earlier Richard Giles who lived in Rowan Co, NC. There seems to have been a court case in Johnson Co, North Carolina in 1821 when a Phebe Goss, wife of Jacob Goss stated her parents as Richard Giles and Elizabeth Stillwell, both deceased. (if they were in Madison Co KY in 1820 - it's unlikely both died in time for Phebe's testimony in 1821) Thomas Stillwell, an uncle, had died leaving a very large estate - he had a widow, Ellender [Eleanor], but they had no children. A brother of Thomas Stillwell - David Stillwell; and the husband of Jemima Jackson who had been Jemima Stillwell, sister of David & Thomas, as well as Phebe Goss who stated she was the only heir of Elizabeth Stilwell Giles a sister to Thomas, David & Jemima, were all attempting to claim part of the estate. The problem was that Richard Giles & Elizabeth Stilwell may very well have had other children who were not living in North Carolina. There were several things about this court case that seem questionable. The mother of the Stilwell siblings was said to have been a Margaret Brown whose brother James was still living and was also part of the attempt to get an inheritance [the father & husband of Margaret Brown said to have been also named Thomas Stilwell]. Eleanor Stilwell, the widow, stated that she doubted any of these people were kin to Thomas Stilwell, as she claimed him to be illegitimate and that the Brown family were colored persons. Then the David Stilwell of this suit, sold his interest in the estate of Thomas Stilwell to a man named Seth Wade of Randolph Co in 1823, apparently without telling Wade of the problems involved, or that their were other heirs. Wade died before anything was done.

A will of William Brown, 19 Feb 1772, Rowan Co NC is said to be the at the North Carolina Archives. It was probated 5 Aug 1772. It states his wife was Margaret - he did have nine children and among them was a James Brown, and a daughter Margaret, believed to have married Thomas Stilwell, the elder.

Other information as found in databases is that Richard Giles & Elizabeth Stilwell had several children to include daughters Phebe who married Jacob Goss and Elizabeth who married Allen Parks. Sons thought to be Absalom, Richard and John. The sons and daughter Elizabeth, all thought to have gone to Madison Co KY, possibly around 1805 or so. Some state that the elder Richard went to Kentucky with them, but I doubt that he did. If the son Richard is the same as the father of Elizabeth Giles who married Clayborn Jones, then he was in Madison Co BEFORE 1800 when he signed permission for that marriage. There is no doubt the Parks family and Absalom Giles were in Madison Co for a number of years. Researchers believe that the son John is the same as the John Giles who applied for and received a Revolutionary War pension from Monroe Co KY

1840 Monroe Co KY, p.259 - John Giles. 1m 10-15; 1m 80-90; 2f 15-20; 1f 70-80. Age 84, Revolutionary War Veteran.

John Giles application file, including his wife's applications following his death, includes a number of facts which seem not possible. He did serve in the Revolution from North Carolina and was awarded his pension. He stated he was 72 or 73 in 1833 (born about 1760 and barely old enough to have served - said he entered in 1778). He was born in Monmouth, New Jersey but served in the Rev War from Rowan Co, NC. After the War he moved to Oglethorpe Co, GA, then to Lawrence Co, IN, then to Madison Co, KY about 1806. He had also lived in Barren, Warren, Monroe & Allen Counties in Kentucky. (His residences don't seem to agree with court case of the Stillwell/Giles above.) A Richard Giles made testimony - there is some question about his age and whether or not there could have been two Richard Giles that testified. In 1831, Richard claimed to be age 99 and then he claimed to be 97 or 98 in 1834 (either way places his birth say about 1735 and makes it pretty unlikely he was the father of a bride in 1800). No relationship was stated. There is no question that the age of Richard Giles has been altered on one page - perhaps to make him older so he would have been present and known first hand about the service of John Giles. Fleming Jones, brother of Clayborn Jones, testified that John Giles was reputed to have been a Revolutionary soldier. When John Giles' widow Martha testified for bounty land, she suddenly became quite a few years older than the censuses indicated - her stated age made her too old to have been the mother of her child was then living with. She claimed to be 102 in 1855. John Giles had died 12 Sep 1852 (He would have been 92 based on his previous testimony yet she claimed he was 103 or 104.) The 1850 Census for Allen Co KY shows John Giles to be 103, a millwright, but Martha is 83. Her son Levi is with them, age 24 - said to be an Idiot and appears as such with family members after - he is with his sister Lovey Giles Anderson in 1870 and she was then 53, Levi 43. Martha claimed he was her son and living with her - yet her age indicates she could not have been his mother.. There are other inconsistencies - it would seem she was attempting to prove she was married to John as his only wife but I suspect she was not, even though she gave a marriage date of 16 Aug 1767 in Rowan Co but supplied no documentation (marriage would have been when John would have been about age 7 - also there is no NC marriage bond for John Giles to a Martha Roberts which she claimed as her maiden name). Perhaps she thought she had to have been married prior to the War to receive his pension which was true under some of the other acts of Congress concerning pensions, but not at this time. There is a copy of family records presented to the court - and it was stated it was a copy of a record John Giles had made concerning a few of his children - however, it was apparent that John Giles himself did not read or write [his own testimony was signed with his mark] and had likely not made such a record. These children were quite old if their birth records were to be believed and the widow Giles seemed to know very little about them, not even if they were still living. It's interesting that the eldest child was born in 1769 - yet Levi, the youngest was apparently born in 1826 - seems unlikely that one woman could have birthed both these children. Her report of their residences during their marriage also did not agree with what John Giles had originally stated. However, she did receive the bounty land.

In 1836 an act was passed which allowed widows to collect the veteran’s pension if he qualified under the 1832 act and IF they had married while he was still in service. In 1838 the act was amended to include women who married the veteran BEFORE 1 January 1794. In 1848 the pension was extended to widows who married BY 2 January 1800. I'm not sure exactly how John Giles' widow fit into this picture. Just my own opinion that Martha wasn't the first wife, wasn't very good with numbers, but wanted that pension and that bounty land.

Child

ELIZABETH GILES (1780 - 1860)