My branch of the Ellinwood/Ellenwood/Ellingwood family were farmers, but many
of my ancestors had siblings who made their living upon the ocean, or married men
who did. One of my collateral relatives, Sarah Ellenwood, married Eleazer Giles
of Salem, Ma. Since tomorrow is July 4th, I thought I'd share what I recently found
about him in William Richard Cutter's Historic Homes and Places and Genealogical
and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Volume 3, p.932:
"Captain Eleazer Giles, son of Eleazer Giles (4), was born in Salem, now
South Danvers, October, 1744. Married, March 9, 1768, Sarah Ellen Wood,
of Beverly. He was a seafaring man, shipmaster, of great personal courage,
energy and determination. At the age of twenty-four he commanded a schooner
owned by John Prince and Miles Ward, Jr., of Salem. In the Revolution he
commanded the armed brig "Saratoga," of Beverly, belonging to John and
Andrew Cabot, and his brother was a lad in the crew. In 1776 Captain Giles
sailed from Beverly in a brig of ten guns and soon afterward fell in with a
fleet of merchantmen laden with stores, bound from Jamaica to London, four
of which he captured: the ship ''Lucia," four hundred tons: brigs "Alfred,"
"Success" and another, name unknown, of three hundred tons each. In another
cruise he was less successful. Falling in with a British vessel of equal or
superior force and relying on the boasted bravery of a newly shipped crew,
he gave battle. Immediately upon the attack, a portion of his men proved by
their conduct that his confidence in their bravery had been misplaced; and
after a short but sharp engagement, in which he was wounded, he was
compelled to surrender, and was carried to Halifax. His brothers Thomas and
Benjamin who were in the crew were killed, and his brother-in-law, Benjamin
Ives, was wounded. Captain Giles had to have his leg amputated twice in one
day, after reaching Halifax, once below, then above the knee. The operation
was performed by Dr. Jeffries, of Halifax, later of Boston, and the surgeon of
the privateer, Dr. Elisha Whitney, of Beverly. He lived thirty years afterward,
and continued to follow the sea, having a wooden leg. He was master and
owner of a brig which he had built and later altered into a ship called the
"Harriet," the name of his daughter mentioned below, and it was employed
in the Liverpool trade. He had a large property, but died abroad and in some
way his heirs were defrauded of the greater part of it. He resided in Beverly
and was actively interested in politics."
One of the things this excerpt proves that no name is so simple that it can't be
made more complicated: notice how Sarah Ellenwood was transformed into
"Sarah Ellen Wood". If I hadn't Googled her name along with "Eleazer Giles"
I might not have found this.
The other thing is that researching the collateral lines of your ancestry is
just as fascinating as your direct lines!
5 comments:
Another cousin connection. Eleazar Giles is a descendant of Edward Gyles/Giles, my 10x great grandfather. There are many Giles in my family tree, including several Eleazars. The name seemed to run in the family.
LOL! Another one! :)
My fathers name is Edward Giles :)
Fascinating! I am currently living in the house of Capt,Eleazer Giles, 1758.
Beverly, me
Hi all Edward Giles descendants, Edward Giles was my 8th great-grandfather.
Read about Capt. Eleazar Giles in The Giles Memorial. Fascinating story, I believe he died in England.
Jim Giles
Redmond.Wa
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