August 22, 1957

                                     

Transcribed by Timothy R. Meador, Jr.

 

* CAL’S COLUMN *

 

The Biles Family

 

        We confess that our information on this family is very limited.  Some years ago we had access to some old church records of the year 1820 in which the name, “Boyles,” of the Red Boiling Springs section, was used exclusively.  We then thought that perhaps the name, “Biles” was originally “Boyles.”  But later investigation seems to disprove this.  For the following information has come to us from the North Carolina Census for 1790:  Heads of families, Salisbury District, Rowan County, North Carolina, page 176, Charles Biles, one free White Male, two Free White Females, three Free White Males under 16 years of age; and three slaves.

 

        Page 175—Daniel Biles, one Free White Male; eight Free White Females; and seven Free White Male under 16 years; and two slaves.

 

        Page 175—Thomas Biles, one Free White Male, two Free White Females; and four Free White Males under 16 years of age.

 

        Page 175—Johnathan Biles, one Free White Male, and five Free White Females.  Page 170—John Biles, one Free White Male, and one Free White Female.

 

        Page 175—One Free White Male, no other member of the family listed.  On page 4, Rowan County, North Carolina, records of early settlers, Thomas Biles in 1778; Joseph Biles, in 1793; Charles Biles, in 1784; and Daniel Biles 1802.

 

        We have the census records of Smith County, which included the two thirds east part of Macon County in 1820 and in 1830, and there is not listed a single family by the name of Biles and neither is a member of the Boyles family listed.  We confess we do not understand this, but the old church records above mentioned in 1820 certainly do list numerous members of the Boyles family.  And neither does the 1840 census list a single member of either the Biles or Boyles families.

 

        In the census of Smith County for 1850 we find listed there: Milesh Biles, aged 42 years and born in Tennessee; Parthena Biles, 51 years of age and born in South Carolina, presumed to have been the wife of Milesh; Sarah Biles, 29 years of age and born in Tennessee; Pleasant Biles, 22 years of age and born in Tenn.; Nancy Biles, 20 years of age and born in Tenn.; John Biles, 18 years of age and born in Tenn.; and William Biles, six years of age and also born in Tenn.  This family of Biles, we believe, lived in the south side of the present Smith County, Tennessee, judging from the 1850 census records which has the column with the Biles family listed as in the South Division.  Neighbors of this Biles family were: William Chandler, John W. Morris, John Fiveash, William Grissim and Thomas Claraday.

 

        In Ramsey’s Annals of Tennessee, page 743, we read the following:  “Grainger County—Beginning on the main road leading from Bull’s Gap to Haine’s iron works, on Mossy Creek at the home of Felps Earps; running a direct course to the Kentucky road, on the north side of Holston River; thence north, 50 degrees west, to the Virginia line; thence, west, with said line to a point northwest of the end of Clinch Mountain; thence a direct course to the end of Clinch Mountain; thence, with the ridge that divides the waters of Ridhland and Flat Creek, to Holston River; at the upper end of the first bluff above BOYLE’S old place; thence, up the meanders of the river to the mouth of Panther Creek.”

 

        The above is the only reference I find to either Biles or Boyles in Ramsey’s Annals of Tennessee.

 

        In the marriage bonds of Wilson County, Tenn., there appears the name of Jonathan Biles, to Polly Barnett, on August 6, 1808, with John B. Barnett as surety on the bond. We do not know that this Johnathan Biles was the man referred to in the above part of this article, but presume it was not as he was then in 1790 old enough to be the head of a family of seven persons.

 

        In the records of the same county, Wilson, I find that Warrenton O’Neal was granted license to wed Isabellar Biles on Aug. 18, 1827, with William S. Swan as surety on the bond.

 

        Peter Boyle died Sept. 3, 1877, at the age of 80 years and is buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery which, we believe is in Nashville, Tenn.

 

        Richard Boyle was born Oct. 13, 1668, and died Sept. 16, 1643, first early of Cork, an English stateman and founder of the house of Cork and Orrery, Ireland.  Robert Boyle, born Jan. 25, 1627, and died Dec. 30, 1691; an English chemist and physicist, born in Ireland; founded the Boyle Lectures.  A county in Kentucky 1,160 square miles, county seat, Danville.  A town and parrish in Roscommon County, Ireland.

 

        This seems to be about all we have on hand at this time with reference to the Biles or Boyle families.  If any of our readers can furnish us with additional information, we shall be glad to publish it.

 

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This Article Appeared In The Times

But Was Not Actually Titled Cal’s Column

 

Halliburton Reunion

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        The members of the Halliburton family are to meet in annual reunion on the first Sunday in September, 1957, at Oak Grove Baptist church, about four miles southeast of Red Boiling Springs.  All members of the Halliburton family and their relatives are invited to come and spend the day.  The meeting last year was held in Red Boiling Springs and was much enjoyed.

 

        The first Halliburton we find in this county was John Halliburton, whose name was spelled Hallerburton in the census of 1840.  He was then between 30 and 40 years of age.  His wife was between 20 and 30 years of age.  There were three daughters, all under 10 years of age.  This Halliburton lived, it seems to us, judging from those who were near neighbors, on Peyton’s Creek, his near neighbors having been David Abit or Evetts, William Andrews, Thomas Davis, Peter Wilkerson, Neal Goad, who married a daughter of our great-great-grandfather, Bry Gregory; and Christian Austin. This is the only family of Halliburtons listed in the Smith County Census of 1840.  Readers should remember that in 1840 Smith County embraced the east two-thirds of the present Macon County.

 

        By the year 1850 Macon County had been formed and we do not have the census of this county later than 1840.  We are sorry that this is true, but we do not feel able to pay $300 to obtain the census for Macon County for 1850, 1860 and 1870.

 

        In Smith County in 1850 there was the family of John Halliburton, we presume to have been the same listed ten years earlier as John Hallerburton.  In 1850 John was 50 years of age; his wife, Elizabeth Halliburton, was 39 years old and born in Tennessee; with others listed in the family as Sarah S., 18; Mary, 16; Effa, 13; Martha E., 8; and William H. Halliburton, 6, all born in Tennessee.  We would judge that in 1850 John lived in the vicinity of Pleasant Shade, his near neighbors having been David Evetts, William Chaffin, Abel Gregory, a relative of the editor; Johnson Dillehay and William I. Smith.

 

        We hope to find a lot more history of the Halliburton family as we continue our search.  If any of our readers have information on the family, we would be glad to have it.

 

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