Sergeant William A. Giles
| Born: | August 8, 1871, Madison County, Alabama |
| Died: | January 16, 1952, Seffield, Alabama |
| Buried: | Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville, Alabama |
Notes:
• Son of Joseph Henry Giles (1845 - 1921) and Eleanor Jane "Janie" Blackburn (1849 - 1910). - Ancestry.com
• William A. Giles & "Susie" Susan Ann Brown obtained a marriage license January 23, 1906 in Madison County, Alabama. - MCRC
• Husband of Susie B. Giles (Oct. 11, 1879 - April 15, 1952). - Find A Grave
• Giles, William; Sergeant, National Guard.
In 1900, William was twenty-eight years old. He lived in West Huntsville. William was buried in Maple Hill Cemetery, Section 16 Row 7. Tombstone information: "William A. Giles, August 8, 1871-January 16, 1952- Susan B. Giles" (no dates). - Simpson
• Elias D. Waldrop was murdered in an apparent robbery. He had lived about two miles from Bell Factory with his wife and three children. He was a peddler, selling farm produce to customers in Huntsville and returning home after a day in Huntsville with his profits.
"The authorities asked questions, and the investigation focused on a Negro man named Horace Maples who quickly became the prime suspect." The outrage over the killing grew and while some local authorities attempted to convince the mob to allow the judicial system to punish the guilty, the pressure for a lynching proceeded. The name "Giles" appears 32 times in the chapter, mostly around efforts of Sergeant W. T. Giles to help reinforce the protection of the jail and also Jailor Grant H. Giles.
The story is complicated and confusing. This is one of the passages related to Jailer Grant H. Giles: "Finally, the Sheriff, his son, and his guards, almost stifled with smoke, heat and the suffocating fumes of burning red pepper and sulfur, had to make a decision to fire on the mob or surrender the jail. The Sheriff made a decision to abandon his duties and ordered Jailer Giles to release the prisoner. The Sheriff, in a decision that he would live with the reminder of his life, gave up his keys to the jailer and then he walked out. The Militia followed him. The Sheriff had failed to clear the streets during the day and evening. He had failed to summon a posse to assist him and he had failed to give the militia an order to fire. It was impossible to escape the conclusion that he had neglected his duty. Maples, in a cell on the second floor, was then turned out of his cell by the jailer, taken to the head of the stairway and released to his destination with 'the tree'" - Simpson
• The Census shows him working in Sheffield, Alabama as a Carpenter and the Industry listed is "Dam" and most of the other people on the census page seem to be connected to a Nitrate Plant. In information about the location it says the Institution is a "Government Reservation Nitrate Plant #1". He is listed as the head of the household. Also living at his address is his wife, Susan Ann, his daughter , Louise May, and his father, Joseph Henry. - 1920 US Census
Related Links:
• 1920 US Census - The page is viewed through an Ancestry.com paid subscription. (Originally found at http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1920usfedcen&h=94910745&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt&ssrc=pt_t14756129_p28035201233_kpidz0q3d28035201233z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid.)
• 1940 US Census - In this census, he is still living in Sheffield, Colbert County, Alabama. He owns his own home and is in Private Business as a Cabinet Maker. The highest grade of education completed is 6th grade. (Originally found at http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1940usfedcen&h=65894589&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=6224.)
• Alabama deaths index - Page viewed through an Ancestry.com paid subscription.
• Ancestry.com - Page owned by twoat1ce and can be viewed only with an Ancestry.com paid subscription. (Originally found at http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/14756129/person/28035201233.)
• Find A Grave - Page created by Heather and photo of grave by Pamela Moyers.
• MCRC - Madison County Records Center
• Simpson - Chapter Six, Horace Maples, 1904 from the book The Sins of Madison County, by Fred B. Simpson with Mary N. Daniel & Gay C. Campbell, 1999, pages 205-337.