EDWARD GILES

(ca. 1610-ca. 1649/1656) - possibly Meare, Somerset, England & Salem, Essex co., MA

(First Generation - Giles Family)

FATHER
MOTHER
NOT KNOWN
NOT KNOWN




BIRTH Edward was born circa 1610, probably in Meare, Somerset, England (3 miles NW of Glastonbury)[3]. The date of his birth is based on the estimated date of his marriage to Bridget [surname not known].
DEATH & NAME VARIATIONS Edward is also known as Edmond or Edmund and died in Salem, Essex co., MA after 17 December 1649; when he was 39[22]. This is the last date in which his name appears in the Salem town records. More specifically, he died sometime between 17 December 1649[22] and 10 December 1656 when "Widd. Giles" appeared in a probate inventory[23].
MIGRATION Edward is possibly the "Gyles, Edmund" referred to in the Mary & John Master Index (volume 14:28, citing Banks) as being from possibly Meare, Somerset, England[27]. Banks' states Edward's origin as "Meere, Somersetshire" citing only the curious source of "Banks Mss." [2], which needs further investigation and proof. Anderson says that he migrated in 1633[3]. However, Anderson also says the following: "In 1631 a 'Goodman Gyles' owed money to the estate of MARY RING of Plymouth, and the widow Ring had purchased of 'Edm[ond] Gyles' a ruff [MD 1:30,33,34, citing PCPR 1:4,6]. Given the movement of several Plymouth men to Salem in the early 1630s, this Edmond Gyles may be the same as the Edmond or Edward Giles who is in Salem by 1634."[2] Giles is not listed by Savage, but is included on page 129 of the Patriots' Index as being of Salem, Essex co., MA in 1634[28].
RESIDENCE, FREEMANSHIP & CHURCH MEMBERSHIP Regardless, on 14 May 1634 he was made freeman in Salem, Essex co., MA as "Edw: Gyles"[34]. Thus we also know that he joined the Salem church before that date[3]. His wife, Bridget, was admitted to the Salem church on 26 November 1648[8]. Once in Salem, he thrived. Edward was granted sixty acres in the 1636 Salem land division, in the "freeman's" section[29]. On 25 December 1637, he was also granted one acre of marsh, with a household of six[3,30]. This household of six is believed to be Edward, Bridget, their daughter Mehitable and her children Thomas, Samuel and Mary.
LEGAL MENTION On 27 January 1638/9 the town of Salem settled a dispute between "Edmond Giles" and Edward Harnett "about eight acres of Land which the said Edmond Giles sold him" [31]. On 19 August 1639 the town of Salem granted to "Edmond Giles eight pole of ground lying in the common over against his ten acre lot...to build him a house there" [32]. On 30 March 1640 "Edmond Giles" was fined 20s. "for taking in of the town's commons"[3,33]. Edward Giles was also a witness when George Keyser of Lynn was presented for insufficient tanning of his leather[24].

At the September 1649 session of court George Ingersoll deposed that he thought Hilliard Verin read that "Goodman Giles" was to make the fence between Richard Ingersoll and "Goodman Giles" at the end of the half acre and the general fence on the two acres, to which Giles replied that he was only to make and maintain his own proportion in the general fence[25,26].

MARRIAGE #1 According to Torrey, he had a first wife[1]. We currently know nothing about her. However, on 6 October 1635, "Edward Gyles was fined 40s. for knowing his wife [Bridget] carnally before marriage"[13]. Thus, it is possible that his first wife was dead by then.
MARRIAGE #2 On 6 October 1635 when Edmond was 25, he second married Bridget [surname not known], in Salem, Essex co., MA[1,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21]. Bridget was born in 1600[1] and died in 1680; she was 80[1]. She was also listed as a widow in Torrey's marriage record.

Bridget first married [not known] VERY.
They had the following children:
6 i. Samuell
7 ii. Thomas
8 iii. Mary

On 10 November 1671 Bridget Giles of Salem, widow, gave to "my son Eliezue Giles" of Salem, husbandman, "twenty acres of upland and meadow formerly belonging to my husband Edward Giles of Salem deceased"[3,7].

Bridget's will was written on 14 January 1668/9 and proved on 30 November 1680[2]. In it "Bregett Giles of Salem, widow," bequeathed to son Samuell Very 20s.; to son Thomas Very 20s.; to Mary Cutler of Reading the wife of Thomas Cutler 40s.; to "Briegett Very the daughter of my son Thomas Very" a cow at eighteen or at marriage; to "my son Eliazer Gilles" one ten acre lot "which sometime belonged to Goodman Addams of Nuberie of whom my husband bought it" and some meadow adjoining; and to "my son John Geiles" the residue[3,4].

The full text of her will reads as follows:

"Estate of Mrs. Bridget Giles of Salem.

The Last Will and testament of Bregett Giles of Salem, Widow I Being weake of Bodie but will in My understandinge Doe Dispose of that Estate the Lord hath Left me in Mane and forme as ffolloweth Imprimis I giue to my Son Samuell Very twentie Shillings. If. I giue to My Son Thomas Very twentie Shillings It I giue unto Mary Cutler of Redinge the Wife of Thomas Cutler fortie Shillings. It I Giue unto Briegett Very the Daughtr of My Son Thomas Very a Cowe to be Due to her when she shall be Eighteene yeares of age or at the tyme of her Mariage. It I Giue unto my Son Eliazer Gilles one ten aker Lott which somtime Belonge to Goodman Addams of Nuberie of whom My Husbond bought it & I Giue unto him all My Meadow on both sides the Brooke to begin at the stump that doth part his Uplande and Mine & from that stump to Run over the Brooke to the Bound tree of the ten aker Lott aboue Menshoned Al my Meadoe be lowe that line I Giue to him prouided & my will is that he pay unto Mary Vutler that fortie shillings I haue giuen her in this My Will and for the Remainder of My estate howsing land Meadow ground Cattle househouldestuff & what euer elce Doth any way belonge or Apertaine unto me I Doe giue & bequeathe unto My son John Geiles home I ordaine & apotny My sole executor of this my Last Will and testament and in Witnes thereof I haue here Unto set my hande and seale this fourteenth of the 11th Month of 1668.

Witness: John Browne, James Browne.>
Proved in Salem Court 30d:9m:1680 by Mr. Henry Bartholmew."[5,6]


CHILDREN 2. i. Mehitabell GILES She was born in 1637 in Salem, Essex co., MA and baptized in Salem, Essex co., MA on 2d:2m(April):1637 [2,35,36] as "Mehetabell, d. Edm[und]. On 9d:1m:1658/9 when Mehitabell was 21, she married John COLLENS in Salem, Essex co., MA[2,37].
3. ii. Remember GILES She was born in 1638/9 in Salem, Essex co., MA and baptized in Salem, Essex co., MA in 31(?)d:11m( January):1638/9[2,38,39]. On 1d:2m(April):1659 when Remember was 21, she married Henry MOSES in Salem, Essex co., MA[2,40].
4. iii. Eleazer GILES He was born in 1640 in Salem, Essex co., MA and baptized in Salem, Essex co., MA in 27d:9m(November): 1640[2,41,42] as "Giles, Eleazer, s. Edmo[nd]. On 25 January 1664/5 when Eleazer was 24, he first married Sarah MORE in Salem, Essex co., MA[2,37,43]. This marriage is also in the Lynn, Essex co., MA vital records under "Giles, Eleazer, and Sara More, 25d:11m:1664". On 25 September 1677 when Eleazer was 37, he second married Elizabeth BISHOP in Salem, Essex co., MA[2,37].
5. iv. John GILES Please see his own page.






GENERATION Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great (G8) Grandfather
FAMILY NUMBER 1904
SOURCES 1. Torrey, Charles, New England Marriages Prior to 1700., (Boston: New England Historic and Genealogical Society). [Torrey].

2. Anderson, Robert Charles, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633., (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society), [GreatMig.], II:765.

3. Ibid. II:764.

4. The Probate Records of Essex County, [EssexProb or EPR], 3:398-9.

5. Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, 1636-1686, 9 volumes, (Salem 1911-1975), [EQC], 34:84.

6. [EssexProb or EPR], III:399.

7. Essex co., MA Deeds, [EssexDeeds or ELR].

8. The Records of the First Church in Salem, Massachusetts, 1629-1736, Richard D. Pierce, (Salem 1974), [SChR], 13.

9. DeForest, Louis Effingham, Our Colonial and Continental Ancestors: The Ancestry of Mr. and Mrs. Louis William Dommerich, (New York, N.Y.: The DeForest Publ. Co., 1930), [DommerichChart], 204.

10. Snow, Nora Emma, The Snow-Estes Ancestry, 2 vols., (Hillburn, N.Y.: privately printed, 1939), [Snow-Estes], 2:184.

11. New England Historic and Genealogical Register. Vols. 1+, (Boston: New England Historic and Genealogical Register, 1845+), [NEHGR], 21:352.

12. Pope, Charles Henry, The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623 to 1660, (Boston: C.H. Pope, 1908), [PopesPioneersofMEandNH], 187.

13. Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, 1628-1686; 5 volumes in 6, Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, ed. (Boston: 1853-1854), [MCBR], 1:163.

14. The American Genealogist, [TAG], 22:207.

15. Perley, Sidney, The History of Salem, Massachusetts, 3 vols., (Salem: Sidney Perley, 1924), [Salem], 1:281, 3:1.

16. The Essex Antiquarian, (13 vols.)(n.p., 1897-1909), [EssexAnt], 5:122.

17. Cutler, Nahum Sawin, A Cutler Memorial and Genealogical History: Containing the Names of a Large Proportion of the Cutlers in the U.S. and Canada, and a Record of Many Individual Members of the Family, with an Account also of Other Families Allied to the Cutlers by Marriage, (Greenfield, Mass.: E.A. Hall & Co., 1889), [Cutler], 320.

18. Vinton, John Adams, The Giles Memorial: Genealogical Memoirs of the Families Bearing the Names of Giles, Gould, Holmes, Jennison, Leanord, Lindall, Curwen, Marshall, Robinson, Sampson and Webb; Also, Genealogical Sketches of the Poll, Very, Carr, (Boston: H. W. Dutton & Son, 1864), [Giles], 5.

19. Cooke, Harriet Ruth, The Driver Family: a Genealogical Memoir of the Descendants of Robert and Phebe Driver, of Lynn, Mass., With an Appendix, Containing Twenty-Three Allied Families, (New York: J. Wilson & Son, 1889), [Driver], 433-4.

20. Paul, Edward Joy, The Ancestry of Katharine Choate Paul, Now Mrs. William J. Young Jr., (Milwaukee: Burdich & Allen, 1914), [Paul Anc.], 220.

21. Essex Institute Historical Collections, vol. 1+, (Salem, Mass., 1859+), [EIHC], 1:115; 2:34; 50:262.

22. Town Records of Salem, Massachusetts, 1634-1691, 3 volumes, (Salem 1868, 1913, 1934), [STR], 1:162.

23. [EssexProb or EPR], 2:49.

24. [EQC], 1:136.

25. Ibid. 1:22.

26. [GreatMig.], II:766.

27. Mary & John, vols. 1+, (Toledo, OH: Mary & John Clearinghouse), [MaryJohn], ??:173.

28. Ibid. ???:28.

29. [STR], 1:20,26,37.

30. Ibid. 1:104.

31. Ibid. 1:79.

32. Ibid. 1:90.

33. Ibid. 1:101.

34. [MCBR], 1:368.

35. [SChR], 16.

36. Salem, Essex co., MA Vital Records. [SalemVR], I:354 [C.R. 1]

37. Ibid. III:415.

38. [SChR], 17.

39. [SalemVR], I:354 [C. R. 1]

40. Ibid. III:416.

41. [SChR], 18.

42. [SalemVR], I:353 [Ct. R.]

43. Lynn, Essex co., MA Vital Records, [LynnVR], II:151 [Ct. R.].

44. [EQC], 1:93.

45. [SChR], 20.

46. [SalemVR], III:455.

47. Beverly, Essex co., MA Vital Records, [BevVR], II:145.

48. [Salem], 1:281-2.

49. Essex Institute Historical Collections, vol. 1+, (Salem, Mass., 1859+), [EIHC], 57:177.

50. [Giles], 18.

51. Ferris, Mary Walton, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, a Memorial Volume, 2 vols., (Milwaukee: privately printed, 1931-43), [Dawes-Gates], 1:598.

52. [Salem], 1:281; 3:8,244.

53. [Giles], 11,12.

54. [DommerichChart], 205.

55. Beverly, Essex co., MA Vital Records, [BevVR], I:160.

56. Ibid. II:450 [P.R. 1].

57. Grover, Joel P. (compiled), Ancestry & Genealogy of Our Thomas Grover Family, 2 volumes, limited edition, (Inglewood, CA: 1966-7), [Grover], #477 or #20.

58. [BevVR], II:133.

59. Ibid. II:459.

60. Ibid. I:149.

61. Ibid. I:150.

62. [LynnVR], II:175.

63. Lynnfield, Essex co., MA Vital Records, [LynnfieldVR], page 80.

64. Wakefield, Middlesex co., MA Vital Records, [WakefieldVR], 66 [C.R.].

65. [BevVR], II:134.

66. Ibid. I:149 [C.R. 1 = First Parish Unitarian Church in Beverly].

67. [LynnVR], II:151.




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