Francis Newton Stiles

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Rancher
• Cause of Death: Bowel obstruction/Pnumonia
• Census: 25 Feb 1841, Pulaski County, Missouri, United States
• Census: 18 Sep 1850, Milam and Williamson District, Milam County, Texas, United States
• Census: 5 Jul 1860, Western District, Milam County, Texas, United States
• Census: 2 Jun 1900, Precinct 6, Williamson County, Texas, United States
• Census: 5 May 1910, Precinct #6, Williamson County, Texas, United States

Notes:

Every census record from 1850 though 1910 in addition to [TxDoSHS-1911a] lists an age for Francis Newton Stiles’ consistent with a birthdate in 1837 or 1838. In fact [US-1900-1f], the only US census to list the month and year of an individual’s birth, reports his birthdate as “Dec 1837”. Despite this, 15 Sep 1841 (probably derived from Francis Newton Stiles’ headstone) is widely reported to be his birthdate. But if Francis Newton Stiles is accurately enumerated with his father’s family in 1840, as suggested by [US-1840a], then he cannot have been born in 1841. Moreover, [US-1840a] is the only census record discovered for Seaborn Stiles and his family in 1840...thus far, and is only consistent with the known number of children at the time if the 1837 birthdate for Francis Newton Stiles is accurate. Consequently, this database uses a birthdate of “Dec 1837” rather than 15 Sep 1841, since the latter isn’t consistent with any of the known facts of Francis Newton Stiles’ life.

[Stiles-1998] has birth place listed as “Middle, Tennessee”, but this is contradicted by many other sources.

[US-1880-1d] has a listing for a Frank and Pomfie Stiles having two children of the correct age matching Frank Elmo Stiles and Villa Ernest Stiles. This may be Francis Newton Stiles and Marina Floyd Thomas, but numerous facts don’t match including Francis’ age in 1880, his birthplace which is listed as North Carolina, and the children’s names.

Francis married Marina Floyd Thomas on 24 Feb 1875 in Sabine, Milam County, Texas, United States. Marina (daughter of James T Thomas and Marina Clarinda Grice) was born on 29 Oct 1857 in Selma, Dallas County, Alabama, United States; died on 28 May 1898 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States; was buried after 28 May 1898 in Stiles Cemetery, near Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Francis Elmo Stiles was born on 1 Feb 1877 in _______, Williamson County, Texas, United States; died on 28 May 1947 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States.
2. Villa Ernest Stiles was born on 16 Oct 1879 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States; died on 10 Nov 1957 in Taylor, Williamson County, Texas, United States; was buried on 12 Nov 1957 in Taylor City Cemetery, Taylor, Williamson County, Texas, United States.
3. Regina Elizabeth Stiles was born on 3 Jul 1882 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States; died on 17 Aug 1930 in Cameron, Milam County, Texas, United States; was buried after 17 Aug 1930 in Stiles Cemetery, near Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States.
4. Lois Miranda Stiles was born on 4 Mar 1885 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States; died on 19 May 1975 in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States; was buried on 22 May 1975 in Restlawn Memorial Park, El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, United States.
5. James Oran Stiles was born on 12 Dec 1887 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States; died on 4 Dec 1937 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States; was buried after 4 Dec 1937 in Stiles Cemetery, near Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States.
6. Cecil Elliot Stiles was born on 18 Dec 1891 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States; died on 17 Mar 1967 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States; was buried after 17 Mar 1967 in Taylor City Cemetery, Taylor, Williamson County, Texas, United States.
7. Marina Floyd Stiles was born on 19 Aug 1895 in Thrall, Williamson County, Texas, United States; died on 7 Jan 1989 in Summit, Union County, New Jersey, United States.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Census: 25 Feb 1841, Pulaski County, Missouri, United States
• Census: 18 Sep 1850, Milam and Williamson District, Milam County, Texas, United States
• Census: 5 Jul 1860, Western District, Milam County, Texas, United States
• Residence: Jul 1867, Precinct 4, Milam County, Texas, United States
• Census: 26 Aug 1870, (unnamed district), Milam County, Texas, United States

Notes:

It is not known where exactly in Milam County Seaborn Stiles and his family lived, but secondhand sources occasionally refer to “Brushy, MIlam Co.”. No such town exists in modern Milam County, Texas, but Brushy may be a reference to Brushy Creek which runs from southwest to northeast across Williamson and Milam counties and crosses the county line approximately 2 miles south of Thorndale. Given census records from 1850 through 1870 which consistently place Seaborn Stiles and family in western Milam County, it’s likely his farm was located along Brushy Creek south or just east of Thorndale.

[LDS-AF-1999f] actually lists Seaborn Stiles’ birth place as merely “Laurens, S.c.” It is not known if he was actually born in the town of Laurens. This source also lists his death at Brushy, Milam County, Texas.

[US-1850-1a] has ages for Seaborn Stiles’ children (by Rebecca Fincher) that don’t correspond to the birth dates derived from sources [Stiles-1999] and [Dempster-2000].

Both [Stiles-1986] and the Williamson County Historical Commission have inaccurate locations for Lawrence Chapel Cemetery. The cemetery is actually located on County Road 473, 2.8 miles south of the junction of 473 and Texas Farm Road 112.

The given name for the individual referenced as the head-of-household in [US-1840a] is very difficult to read. It is likely to be a poor transcription of “Seaborn”, indicating that this is indeed the record for Seaborn Stiles and his family. Additional facts that lend themselves to this conclusion include the enumeration of a “William Styles”, likely to be William Stiles and his wife Piety Ellis, on the line above and the fact that the number and ages of the listed children are consistent with Seaborn Stiles’ family in the 1840s.

Despite being widely used and reported by a number of second-hand sources including [Stiles-1998] and [Stiles-1986], there are no references to the given name, “Francis”, in any first-hand sources or vital records. Consequently, Lindell-Herndon Genealogy uses “Seaborn Stiles” as this individual’s name.

A “Sibourne Stiles” is enumerated with his family in Franklin County, Tennessee in 1830. [US-1830a] lists one woman between the ages of 20 and 30 (Rebecca Fincher?) and one woman under the age of 5 (Amanda Stiles?). If this record actually refers to Seaborn Stiles, then the marriage date for Seaborn Stiles and Rebecca Fincher, derived from [Stiles-1998], is almost certainly inaccurate.

Seaborn Stiles had been a resident of Texas for 18 years and of Milam County for 17 years at the time his name was entered in the Milam County voter rolls. Consequently, he probably moved from Missouri to Texas with his family in 1849.

Census:
Millertown Post Office

Seaborn married Rebecca Fincher in 1834. Rebecca was born in 1810 in _______, _______, Tennessee, United States; died about 1843 in _______, _______, Tennessee, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Numerous sources, including [Stiles-1998] and [LDS-AF-1999f] list the name of Seaborn Stiles’ first wife as “Rebecca Fincher Newton”, but there are no first hand sources that support this assertion. Rather, [Lewis-1893a] claims that Seaborn Stiles’ first wife was Rebecca Fincher, presumably the daughter of Francis and Sarah (Flewellyn) Fincher, a family that also lived in Franklin County, Tennessee at about the time Rebecca married Seaborn.

[LDS-AF-1999f] lists Rebecca Fincher’s birthplace as South Carolina. However, in [US-1910-1d] both James Ellen Stiles and Francis Newton Stiles lists their mother’s birthplace as Tennessee. So, considering the notorious inaccuracy of the LDS Ancestral File database, this database uses the Tennessee location.

[LDS-AF-1999f] lists Rebecca Fincher Newton’s death year as 1874, but this is almost certainly not correct since Seaborn Stiles had married his second wife, Matilda Helena Moore around 1844. More likely Rebecca died in childbirth or of an illness around 1843.

Notes:

The first 9 children of John Stiles and Margaret Lynch (Aaron, John R, John (?), Francis Seaborn, James, William Jesse, Margaret, and Jane) were all born in Laurens (Laurens County, South Carolina). Sometime between the birth of Jane in 1816 and the birth of Samuel in 1821 the family moved to Lincoln County, Tennessee.

[LDS-AF-1999f] actually lists John Stiles birth place as “Laurens, Laurens, S.c.” But, at the time, the area that eventually became Laurens County was part of the old “Ninety-Six District.” Laurens District was not organized until 1795 and Laurens County almost 70 years later.

It is not know which cemetery in Franklin County is “Cemetery No. 1”.

John married Margaret Lynch in 1800 in _______, Warren County, North Carolina, United States. Margaret (daughter of Aaron Lynch and Polly Lynch) was born before 1790 in Huntland, Franklin County, Tennessee Territory; died in 1838 in _______, Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States; was buried in 1839 in Cemetery No. 1, Huntland, Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

It is not know which cemetery in Franklin County is “Cemetery No. 1”.

Notes:

Birth date is highly questionable as the original LDS record (as well as the Ahnentafel report from D.W. Griffin) has “1720/1740”.

LDS Ancestral File database has birth at Mecklenburg County, Virginia.

Ahnentafel report of D. W. Griffin states that the death date was between 1777 and 1785. Since John Stiles was born around 1780, Richard Sr.’s death was probably after 1779

Richard married Frances Coussens before 1755. Frances (daughter of Charles Coussens, Jr.) was born about 1733 in Dale Parish, Henrico County, Colony of Virginia; died about 1782 in (unknown). [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Birth and death dates are both highly questionable as the original LDS record (as well as the Ahnentafel report from D.W. Griffin) have “1730/1735” and “1777/1785” respectively.

LDS Ancestral File database, as well as the records of Donna Meszaros, have the wife of Richard Stiles Sr. as “Frances Hawkins”

Notes:

The listed birth place of Aaron Lynch, Huntland, Franklin County, Tennessee, is highly suspect considering that all of his younger siblings (the children of Elijah Lynch and Rose Crawford) were *ALL* born in Culpeper, Culpeper County VA. Further research is required.

Aaron + Polly Lynch. Polly was born about 1752 in Huntland, Franklin County, Tennessee Territory; died in ?. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

“Lynch” was probably Polly’s married name.