benjamin giles and telitha hyden - census data for 1860

though i have not uncovered anything beyond undocumented family histories, at least two of benjamin and telitha’s descendants say that benjamin giles was a son of william giles and polly huston/houston. telitha hyden (aka hyten/heiten/hitten/etc) was a daughter of richard hyden and sarah lane. several members of both the giles and hyden families lived for a time in roane county, tennessee, before migrating to bradley county, tennessee, and then on to gentry county, missouri. many giles descendants stayed in the roane co, tn area.

township 61, gentryville post office, gentry county, missouri, usa
20 jun 1860benjamin and telitha giles are in township 61; giles family members calvin, houston, john, and william b. giles are in township 62 of gentry county for the same census:

nathaniel meatherasead[?], enumerator

orig p 8

lines 14 ff

hh 50/50

• benjamin giles, 41, b tn, farmer, $700 real estate
• talitha, 40, b tn, cannot read or write
• james, 19, b tn (b abt 1841) att school w/in yr
• mary, 17, b tn (b abt 1843) att school w/in yr
• william, 15, b tn (b abt 1845) att school w/in yr
• john, 12, b tn (b abt 1847) att school w/in yr
• rebecca, 14, b tn (abt 1846) (she is listed out of birth order)att school w/in yr
• francis, 10, b tn (b abt 1850) att school w/in yr
• robert, 8, b mo (b abt 1852) att school w/in yr
• samantha, 5, b mo (b abt 1845)
• albert, 3, b mo (b abt 1847)
• caroline, 5 months, b mo (b abt jan 1860)

source: micropublication m653_620_p654 (household of benjamin giles) - viewed and downloaded from heritage quest online. research of dawnelle giles loiselle

great news for genealogists with family ties to missouri: the missouri state archives now has images of death certificates issued in the state between 1910 and 1924 online. go | here | to search.

i downloaded the 1910 death certificate for huston GILES of gentry co, mo and have uploaded it to my rootsweb site | here |.

i learned a bit about huston from it, but i’m still as puzzled about his parentage as ever, however. the certificate says that his father was william GILES and that his mother’s maiden name is unknown. so: was he actually a son of william (2) and polly (HUSTON) GILES of roane co, tn? or was he a son of william (1) and peggy (HENSLEY) GILES of roane - or of some hitherto unknown william ? he is found with william (1) in at least two census entries - with or near his brother calvin GILES.

huston and calvin GILES are likely to be the white males ten to fifteen in william (1) and polly’s 1840 monroe co census entry when they are reported both to be between fifty and 60. william (1) and polly simply seem to be too old to be their parents.

at the time huston is in their roane co household - 1850 - he is 23, and they are 69 and 66, respectively. william (2) was born about 1810 and so would have been only about 15 when huston was born, and that seems a bit unlikely to me, too. nevertheless, i remain convinced that he is connected to our giles line. however, any documented proof still eludes me. i assiduously continue to collect information about him anywhere i can find it, though, hoping to crack open the mystery of his and his brothers’ relationship to our GILES line |see notes on the GILES historical presence in roane co, tn here |. you can view a gentry county, 1859 missouri land warrant issued to huston/houston GILES | here | (also stored on my rootsweb site).

note: this page was edited and updated with some links - and a new tag or category - migration - on 07.15.2006.