Peyton Townes and Muriel Pearce Family History
Giles
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Descendents of John Giles
Click expand to open the chart. The colored names are direct descendents of John Giles and Philathea Woodward. The grey names are spouses.You can go to a person's page by clicking the name..
- John Giles (possible) (b. 1 Jul 1624, d. 1 Mar 1703)
- Philartie Woodward (possible) (d. 1703)
- William Giles (b. 1640, d. 2 Apr 1694)
- Bethenia Knowles (b. Mar 1669, d. 14 Feb 1711)
- John Giles (b. abt 1687, d. 20 Jan 1761)
- Mary Moseley (b. 1693, d. 1754)
- William Giles, Col. (b. abt 1718, d. 1794)
- Ann Branch (b. 1740, d. 1771)
- Amey Giles (b. abt 1760, d. Oct 1818)
- Lt. Benjamin Moseley (b. abt 1755, d. 1791)
- Elizabeth Giles Moseley (b. 28 Feb 1786, d. 10 Nov 1828)
- Edward Osborne Branch (b. abt 1780, d. 1838)
- Frances Moseley Branch (b. 17 Aug 1814, d. 1 May 1868)
- Captain William Branch Giles, Jr. (b. 18 Dec 1811, d. 24 Jan 1862)
- Frances Gwynn Giles (b. Sep 1842, d. 30 Jul 1930)
- Adolphus D. Townes (b. 17 Dec 1812, d. 21 Jul 1873)
- William Armistead Townes (b. 28 Jul 1870, d. 10 Nov 1942)
- Louise Rutland (b. 6 Feb 1891, d. 25 May 1970)
- Peyton Giles Townes (b. 2 May 1921, d. 8 Jun 1985)
- Louise Rutland (b. 6 Feb 1891, d. 25 May 1970)
- William Armistead Townes (b. 28 Jul 1870, d. 10 Nov 1942)
- Adolphus D. Townes (b. 17 Dec 1812, d. 21 Jul 1873)
- Frances Gwynn Giles (b. Sep 1842, d. 30 Jul 1930)
- Captain William Branch Giles, Jr. (b. 18 Dec 1811, d. 24 Jan 1862)
- Frances Moseley Branch (b. 17 Aug 1814, d. 1 May 1868)
- Edward Osborne Branch (b. abt 1780, d. 1838)
- Elizabeth Giles Moseley (b. 28 Feb 1786, d. 10 Nov 1828)
- Lt. Benjamin Moseley (b. abt 1755, d. 1791)
- Gov. William Branch Giles (b. 12 Aug 1762, d. 12 Apr 1830)
- Frances Ann Gwynn (b. 14 Dec 1793, d. 1821)
- Captain William Branch Giles, Jr. (b. 18 Dec 1811, d. 24 Jan 1862)
- Frances Moseley Branch (b. 17 Aug 1814, d. 1 May 1868)
- Frances Gwynn Giles (b. Sep 1842, d. 30 Jul 1930)
- Adolphus D. Townes (b. 17 Dec 1812, d. 21 Jul 1873)
- William Armistead Townes (b. 28 Jul 1870, d. 10 Nov 1942)
- Louise Rutland (b. 6 Feb 1891, d. 25 May 1970)
- Peyton Giles Townes (b. 2 May 1921, d. 8 Jun 1985)
- Louise Rutland (b. 6 Feb 1891, d. 25 May 1970)
- William Armistead Townes (b. 28 Jul 1870, d. 10 Nov 1942)
- Adolphus D. Townes (b. 17 Dec 1812, d. 21 Jul 1873)
- Frances Gwynn Giles (b. Sep 1842, d. 30 Jul 1930)
- Frances Moseley Branch (b. 17 Aug 1814, d. 1 May 1868)
- Frances Ann Giles (b. 9 Jun 1819, d. 19 Sep 1861)
- Captain William Branch Giles, Jr. (b. 18 Dec 1811, d. 24 Jan 1862)
- Frances Ann Gwynn (b. 14 Dec 1793, d. 1821)
- Amey Giles (b. abt 1760, d. Oct 1818)
- Ann Branch (b. 1740, d. 1771)
- William Giles, Col. (b. abt 1718, d. 1794)
- Mary Moseley (b. 1693, d. 1754)
- John Giles (b. abt 1687, d. 20 Jan 1761)
- Bethenia Knowles (b. Mar 1669, d. 14 Feb 1711)
- William Giles (b. 1640, d. 2 Apr 1694)
- Philartie Woodward (possible) (d. 1703)
The Giles family is part of the Townes family tree through several paths. Peyton's grandmother was Frances Gwynn Giles who was married to Adolphus Townes.
Adolphus actually married two women named Frances Giles. His first wife was Frances Ann Giles who was the daughter of Gov. William Branch Giles. After her death in 1861 (no children) he married her niece Frances Gwynn Giles. She was the daughter of Capt. William Branch Giles Jr. who was Frances Ann's brother. (Adolphus had become the guardian of Capt. Giles's children after his death.)
The Giles/Townes connection gets more complicated. Adolphus's mother was named Elizabeth M. Giles.Elizabeth's father was a William Giles (not Gov. or Capt. William B. Giles). ….Also Elizabeth and Adolphus share William Townes and Rebecca Clarke as great grandparents. William and Rebecca had a daughter Judith, who married Edmund Walker. She married Gideon Macon. Their daughter Rebecca Walker Macon and William Giles were the parents of Elizabeth Giles Townes.(See Townes Family Letter.)
But there's more. Frances Gwynn Giles's parents, Capt. William Branch Giles Jr. and Frances Moseley Branch, were also first cousins. She was the granddaughter of Amey Giles, the sister of Gov. William Giles.
The name Giles comes from the Latin name Aegidius, which is derived from Greek aigidion meaning "young goat". The term aigidion also refers to "a wearer of the goatskin," or a holy man or another who did good works. Saint Giles was an 8th-century miracle worker who came to southern France from Greece. He is regarded as the patron saint of the crippled. In Old French, the name Aegidius became Gidie and then Gilles. The name was introduced into England and Scotland by the Normans.
Numerous members of the Giles family emigrated to America from England and settled up and down the eastern seaboard. The Giles family of Virginia who were Peyton Townes’ ancestors can be traced to William Giles (b. 1649) and Bethania Knowles. They were his 7th great grandparents. His ancestry is not known for certain. William's father may have been John Giles, according to some sources. There is also some indication that John's father was Gabriel Giles. However, genealogists say there is no definite evidence of that, so their relationship is inconclusive. (The tree here includes John but with a question mark.)
William Branch Giles
Gov. William Branch Giles (Peyton's 2nd great grandfather) was the most famous (or infamous) member of the Giles family in Virginia. He was very influential in the formation of the United States as a U.S. Senator, a member of the U. S. House of Representatives, and as Governor of Virginia. He was respected and admired by many, but staunchly opposed and criticized by others. He was a political genius, but was also a fighter with a sharp tongue. He was a close ally of Thomas Jefferson, a critic of George Washington, and an opponent of Alexander Hamilton and the Federalists.
Born in Amelia County, Virginia, William Branch Giles was educated at Hampden-Sydney College and Princeton University and studied law at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg. He practiced law in Petersburg, Virginia for five years, after which he was elected as an Anti-Federalist to fill a vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives. He went on to serve from 1790 to 1798 and again from 1801 to 1803, at which point he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. He went on to be reelected to the Senate, serving from 1804 to 1815. He retired to private life but returned to politics, first as an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the U.S. Senate and then as a successful candidate for the Virginia legislature. From that position, he assumed the office of governor after John Tyler Jr. resigned. He was then elected by the state legislature to two one-year terms as governor in his own right. Giles died nine months after leaving office.
Governor William Branch Giles Biography
These are opening pages from "William Branch Giles: A Biography" which is an extensive account of his life in politics. It is available online for free at Internet Archive at this link. https://archive.org/details/williambranchgil02ande
Southside Notes
A brief Biography of Gov. Giles.
