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Giles family papers

Call Number

MS 248

Date

1750-1851, inclusive

Creator

Extent

0.4 Linear feet (1 box)

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Giles Family Papers consists primarily of papers belonging to Aquila and Elizabeth Shipton Giles, their descendants, and their extended family, including correspondence, love letters between Aquila Giles and Elizabeth Shipton Giles, accounts, leases, surveys, commissions, bills, receipts, and notes. The majority of the correspondence covers the courtship of Aquila Giles and Elizabeth Shipton Giles during the American Revolution, but the collection also includes papers pertaining to Aquila Giles's military service and the business transactions of William Axtell, John Murray, and William Ogden, all of whom were related to the Giles family.

Biographical Note

Aquila Giles was born in Maryland in 1758 to Jacob and Joanna Paca Giles. His grandfather was the Maryland governor, William Paca. During the American Revolution he joined the Continental Army, eventually rising to the rank of Major under General Arthur St. Clair. He was taken prisoner and paroled in New York City, where he met and married Elizabeth Shipton in October of 1780. At the time of their meeting, Elizabeth was living at the home of her uncle, William Axtell, a Loyalist. The couple settled in Maryland and had 10 children, 8 of whom survived infancy.

In the early 1800s, Aquila Giles became involved in a legal dispute over land with the U.S. Government, which lasted for several years. Subsequent financial difficulties forced Elizabeth to return to England in 1812, with her youngest son, George Washington Giles. Aquila eventually won his lawsuit and was employed as a U.S. Army store keeper in 1817. Elizabeth Shipton and Aquila Giles both died in 1822.

George Washington Giles became a lawyer and married Elizabeth Ogden, the daughter of William Ogden and Susan Murray Ogden. John and Hannah Murray were Elizabeth Ogden Giles's uncle and aunt.

Arrangement

The Giles Family papers are organized in the following five series:

Missing Title

  1. Series 1: Correspondence, 1779-1851
  2. Series 2: Accounts, Bills, and Receipts, 1763-1821
  3. Series 3: Legal Documents, 1750-1841
  4. Series 4: Ordnance Papers of Aquila Giles, 1818-1822
  5. Series 5: Personal Documents, 1795-1816

Scope and Content Note

The Giles Family Papers consists primarily of correspondence between Aquila Giles and Elizabeth Shipton Giles during their courtship. Although these letters were written during the American Revolution, they are notable for the fact that they make virtually no mention of current events, but focus almost entirely on the couple's relationship and their feelings for one another. The collection also contains the business transactions and correspondence of their sons, Henry and George Washington Giles, William Axtell (Elizabeth Shipton Giles's uncle), and several relatives of Elizabeth Ogden Giles (wife of George Washington Giles), William Ogden and John Murray.

Also included in the collection are letters detailing Henry Giles's suspension from West Point, the Ordnance Papers of Aquila Giles, correspondence between Elizabeth Shipton Giles and Lords Clarendon and Cathcart upon her return to England in 1812, and a receipt for the purchase of a male slave by a William Smithe in 1783.

Access Restrictions

Open to qualified researchers.

Photocopying undertaken by staff only. Limited to twenty exposures of stable, unbound material per day. (Researchers may not accrue unused copy amounts from previous days.)

Use Restrictions

Permission to quote from this collection in a publication must be requested and granted in writing. Send permission requests, citing the name of the collection from which you wish to quote, to:

Manuscripts Curator
The New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as the Giles Family Papers, The New-York Historical Society.

Related Material at The New-York Historical Society

Additional material related to the Giles Family:

The John Murray Papers

The Schenk Family Papers

The Matthias B. Tallmadge Papers

Collection processed by

Processed by Susan E. Burke

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:48:33 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Edition of this Guide

This version was derived from giles.xml

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024