Person Page

     Zenas Crane married Polly Stiles, daughter of Enoch Stiles and Molly Noble.¹
     He and Polly had a large family.¹

     Susannah Stiles married Culver Chapen.¹

     Culver Chapen married Susannah Stiles, daughter of Enoch Stiles and Molly Noble.¹
     He lived in Westfield, Medina Co., Ohio.¹

     Ephraim Stiles was born on 5 December 1699 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 He married first Mary Fowler in January 1723. Their intentions of marriage were entered in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts, on 15 December 1722.^4,2 He was married second, by Rev. Peter Reynolds of Enfield, to Jemima Meacham on 5 August 1736 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Their marriage intentions were entered 17 July 1736.^5,2 He died on 31 October 1765 (family Bible records have the date as 28 October 1765) in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, at age 65 of pleurisy.⁶
     In 1754 Ephraim Stiles and others fled from Pittsfield to Stockbridge for safety before an Indian invasion.⁷ In November 1757 he signed a petition to the General Court, asking permission to build a fort for protection from the Indians.⁸ After 1758 he lived in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.⁹ He and his son Zebediah each paid £2 10s for seats in the Pittsfield Meeting House in 1765.¹⁰

     Mary Fowler married Ephraim Stiles, son of Ephraim Stiles and Abigail Neal, in January 1723. Their intentions of marriage were entered in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts, on 15 December 1722.^2,1 She died on 1 February 1735/36 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^2,1

     Jemima Meacham was born on 12 April 1709.¹ She was married by Rev. Peter Reynolds of Enfield to Ephraim Stiles, son of Ephraim Stiles and Abigail Neal, on 5 August 1736 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts. Their marriage intentions were entered 17 July 1736.^2,1 She died on 8 January 1777 at age 67.¹
     At the time of her marriage, she was described as being "of Enfield" (in Hartford Co., Connecticut).^2,1

     Zebediah Stiles was born on 15 September 1723 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 He married Experience Wells on 23 January 1751.³ He died on 14 June 1814 (or 15 June 1814, according to his tombstone) in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, at age 90.³ In the Pittsfield Cemetery there's a monument with the inscription: "In memory of Zebediah and Experience Stiles, who immigrated from Westfield, with some of the first settlers to this town A.D. 1752 - 'Braving the savage beasts of the forest, and men far more savage than they.³'"
     He was a soldier in the Louisburg Expedition of 1745.⁴ He also served in the Revolutionary War.⁴ He and his wife Experience lived in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, after 1752, and were among the earliest settlers there.³ He and his father Ephraim each paid £2 10s for seats in the Pittsfield Meeting House in 1765.⁵

More Information / Background

• Siege of Louisbourg (1745).
  

     Mercy Stiles was born on 10 January 1724/25 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 She died on 10 February 1724/25 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2

     Mercy Stiles was born on 28 January 1727 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 She married first Abel Old on 23 July 1747.³ She married second Reuben Gunn on 6 May 1756.³

     Experience Stiles was born on 26 March 1730 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 She married Eldad Palmer on 1 September 1756.³

     Ephraim Stiles was born on 10 October 1731 (family Bible records say 10 October 1732) in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 He married Martha Winchell in 1759. Their intention of marriage (in which he is named "Ephraim Stiles, junr., of Pontoosuck") was entered 24 June 1759.³ He died on 31 March 1781 at age 49.⁴
     He served in the Revolutionary War, enlisting on 16 December 1776 in Lt. James Hubbard's company. He marched to Fort Ticonderoga, and was dismissed on 16 March 1777. On 17 August 1777 he was again in Lt. Hubbard's company, went to Bennington, and was dismissed on 24 August 1777. On 6 September 1777 he enlisted in Capt. John Strong's company, marched to Skenesborough, and was dismissed on 1 October 1777, with "a horse and a meal bag."⁵
     He and Martha had no children in 1764, but he is probably the Ephraim who had five people in his family on 16 November 1772.³

     Bethiah Stiles was born on 27 June 1733 (family Bible records say 27 June 1735) in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 She married, as his second wife, (?) Goodwin about 1758.³
     She and her husband had a daughter.³

     Jemima Stiles was born on 30 May 1737 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,3 She died on 28 January 1784 at age 46.²

     Elizabeth Stiles was born on 17 June 1739 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 She married Timothy Walker on 4 June 1758 (Stiles actually says "No. 4, June, 1758").³
     She and Timothy had three children by 1764.³

     Aaron Stiles was born on 14 June 1741 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 He married first Margaret Miller.³ He married second Abigail Beard on 22 June 1786 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts. Their intention of marriage was published 4 December 1785.⁴ He died on 7 September 1807 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, at age 66.³
     He lived in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, after 1758.³ He served in the Revolutionary War, enlisting 4 August 1775 under Capt. Eli Root, Col. Easton's regiment. He marched to New York, and was dismissed 30 December 1775. He enlisted under Capt. Jno. Strong on 4 May 1777, marched to Kinderhook, New York, "after inimical persons," and was dismissed 11 May 1777. Under Lt. James Hubbard, he went to Bennington on 17 August 1777, and was dismissed 24 August 1777.⁵
     "He was employed for many years as a 'sexton,' both as a grave-digger and in charge of the meeting-house. In the latter capacity, he seems to have had a world of trouble in keeping things in decent order."³ He was dependent on public support due to some bodily infirmity.⁶

     Moses Stiles was born on 12 March 1743/44 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2
     He served in the Revolutionary War for three years. He enlisted in Capt. McKain's company, Col. Van Schaack's regiment. He also volunteered in the "Lexington alarm" on 22 April 1775 under Capt. Noble, marched to Cambridge, and served six months.³

More Information / Background

• Battles of Lexington and Concord.
  

     Eli Stiles was born on 22 May 1746 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.¹ He married Sarah (?) in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.³
     He was living in Hollis, Hillsborough Co., New Hampshire, about 1776.³ He served in the Revolutionary War, in the Continental army during 1776, and for eight months in 1777. In 1780 he enlisted "for the war." "It is claimed that he bore the commission of Colonel."³ He lived in Northfield, Washington Co., Vermont, after 1806.³

     Selah Stiles was born on 4 December 1747 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,3
     He was also known as Silas Stiles.⁴ He served in the Revolutionary War, marching under Lt. Joel Stevens to New Haven, Connecticut, on 20 July 1779. He was dismissed 25 August 1779.⁴

     Rachel Stiles was born on 3 January 1750 in Westfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.^1,2 She died about 1752.²

     Experience Wells was born on 29 October 1733 in Northhampton, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.¹ She married Zebediah Stiles, son of Ephraim Stiles and Mary Fowler, on 23 January 1751.¹ She died on 9 June 1814 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, at age 80.¹ In the Pittsfield Cemetery there's a monument with the inscription: "In memory of Zebediah and Experience Stiles, who immigrated from Westfield, with some of the first settlers to this town A.D. 1752 - 'Braving the savage beasts of the forest, and men far more savage than they.¹'"
     She and her husband Zebediah lived in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, after 1752, and were among the earliest settlers there.¹

     Mercy Stiles was born on 8 January 1751/52 in Pittsfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.¹ She was baptized on 10 August 1766 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.² She married John Walker, intentions published on 7 July 1772 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.³ She died on 27 October 1785 at age 33.¹

     Asahel Stiles was born on 12 July 1753 in Pittsfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.¹ He died about 27 July 1755.¹

     Lois Stiles was born on 18 September 1756 or 1755 in Pittsfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.² She was baptized on 10 August 1766 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.³ She married (?) Cady in Granville, Albany Co., New York.¹ She died on 3 January 1835 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, at age 78.¹
     She and her husband had one known child, Cady (b 16 June 1790, d 30 January 1883).¹

     Zebediah Stiles was born on 20 October 1757 in Pittsfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.¹ He was baptized on 10 August 1766 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.² He married Elizabeth Miller.³ He died on 1 September 1803 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, at age 45.³
     During the Revolutionary War Zebediah Stiles "marched to Cambridge and served six months under Capt. David Noble, April 22, 1775; served under Capt. William Francis, at Albany, by order of Gen. Schuyler, Jan. 14-19, 1776, and under same Captain, at Ticonderoga, from Oct. 17 to Nov. 16, 1776."⁴ He and Elizabeth had one known child, Ephraim (b 13 March 1783).³

     Asahel Stiles was born on 29 November 1759 in Pittsfield, Hampshire Co., Massachusetts.¹ He was baptized on 10 August 1766 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.² He married Bissell Gleason on 17 June 1784.³ He died on 13 April 1854 in Benson, Rutland Co., Vermont, at age 94.³
     He served in the Revolutionary War, "... in Capt. John Strong's company, May 1776, in a tour to Kinderhook, N.Y; under the same; also, from June 30 to July 26, 1777, at Fort Ann; and from July 8, 1778, to Jan. 8, 1779, when he was dismissed, at Springfield, Mass. ... While living in Pittsfield, Mass., he served three months, from Dec., 1775, with Capt. Rathborne, in Col. Simonds Mass. Regiment at Ticonderoga, after which he volunteered at Pittsfield for three months from June, 1777, with Capt. Strong, joining Col. Ashley's Regiment at Fort Edward, and from there retreated, upon the advance of Burgoyne's forces, and the evacuation of Ticonderoga, to Kingsbury, and there joined the brigade of Gen. Nixon, which retired to Sandy Hill, N.Y. About July 1, 1778, he went as a volunteer with Capt. Parker, who went to Springfield, Mass., to guard military stores, for six months, during which time he was detailed to escort the transportation of ammunition to Providence, R.I. He was out on a short expedition or alarm, to Granville and Skeens, Conn., (now Whitehall), and several other places, scouting, etc., in all three months."⁴
     After the war he was a farmer, shoemaker, and hotel keeper in Benson, Rutland Co., Vermont.³ He and Bissell had the following known children: Josiah (b 11 September 1785 d 23 April 1854), Clarissa b 18 May 1787), Elijah (b 16 October 1788, d 27 November 1844), Lorren (b 9 August 1790), William (b 17 May 1792, 17 July 1870), Cassilda D. (b 27 January 1794), Asahel (b 12 August 1797, d 7 February 1883), Enoch (b 4 September 1801), Clarica.⁵

     Silas Stiles was born in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts, on 1 November 1761 according to Pittsfield records, or 1 November 1763, based on his 10 April 1834 deposition in his Revolutionary War pension application.^2,3 He was baptized on 10 August 1766 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.⁴
     He served two terms in the Revolutionary War, first enlisting with his father's consent in July 1779 as a private in Capt. Ambrose Hill's company, Lt. Col. Miles Powell's Berkshire Co. regiment. They marched from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to New Haven, Connecticut (about 110 miles), where he helped guard against British incursions. He was discharged in August after serving just over five weeks, without pay according to his 26 September 1832 deposition in his pension application. He returned home to Pittsfield, getting sick along the way.^5,3
     In his 26 September 1832 deposition he said he enlisted again in May or June 1781, as a teamster for nine months service in the French Army. He said that during part of his service he "performed duty as a common soldier in standing sentry with other teamsters to guard the teams and baggage ... though his chief duty was that of a teamster." He was paid $8/month, received from "Wadsworth and Carter," agents for the French. He traveled from Pittsfield to Hartford, Connecticut, where the French army was camped, then to White Plains, New York, staying six or eight weeks. In August 1781 he moved with the French Army under Gen. Washington to Yorktown, Virginia, crossing the Hudson River at Kings Ferry. He was at the Battle of Yorktown in October 1781, where he moved cannon and ammunition to the French fortifications. After the battle his unit moved twenty miles to the rear where they spent the winter, and he was discharged in January 1782. His discharge papers were signed by Wadsworth and Carter, but lost when his house burned down in Benson, Rutland Co., Vermont, about 30 years earlier.
     The court delivered their opinion that he did serve in the Revolution, as he stated. However, his pension request was denied in May 1833, on the grounds that six months military service as an enlistee in the Continental service was required, and service as a teamster didn't qualify.³
     About 18 months later, in a deposition dated 10 April 1834, he said he enlisted about 1 July 1782 (he later corrected the year to 1781) in the Continental service "as he understood it" for six months under Capt. Seth Gillis of Pittsfield, led by Col. Wadsworth. At one point he was ordered to drive a team part of the way, which he hadn't expected to do since he had enlisted as a soldier. The other information in this deposition is essentially the same as in the earlier one, other than some additional detail about where his unit went after the Battle of Yorktown. They marched to James Island, stayed four to five weeks, then marched to Williamsburg, Virginia, where they spent the winter, and where he was discharged the following January.
     His pension file doesn't include notice of any response to this later deposition, other than a letter dated 26 December 1834 from district attorney N. S. Benton of Little Falls, New York, that seems to indicate that the statements in his application were being investigated. Another exchange of letters in the 1920s with a descendant of Silas Stiles indicates that he never received a pension.³
     His September 1832 deposition says he remained in Pittsfield for about four years after the Revolution, then lived in Benson, Rutland Co., Vermont, for about 14 years, then in Jay, Essex Co., New York, for 14-15 years, and since then in Keene, Essex Co., New York.³ He's listed in Benson in the 1790 and 1800 censuses^6,7, in Jay in the 1810 and 1820 censuses^8,9, and in Keene in the 1830 census.¹⁰
     The genealogy by Henry Reed Stiles says he had two known children, Eleazer and Maria.¹¹ However, the 1800 and 1810 censuses indicate he had many more than two. In addition to the oldest male and female in his household, presumed to be Silas and his wife, in 1800 there were two males and five females under 16, and in 1810 there were five males and four females under 25.

     Josiah Stiles was born on 9 July 1764 or 3 July 1764 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.² He was baptized on 10 August 1766 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.³ He married first Huldah Goodrich.⁴ He married third Nastaussel Roberge about 1812.⁵ He died on 25 December 1849 in Schenectady, Schenectady Co., New York, at age 85.⁴
     He was married three times, but the name of his second wife, who died about a year after their marriage, is unknown.⁵
     Early in life, he was a whale fisherman.⁵ He was described as "erect and youthful looking for his years," nicely dressed, and a natural humanitarian.⁵ He mastered the French language in New York, New York.⁵
     At the time of his marriage to Nastaussel Roberge, he was living in Quebec, Canada, where he became a wealthy man as a contractor in wood for the Canadian government. To avoid imprisonment for defaulting on a government contract, he fled to Troy, New York. Soon afterwards he went to Schenectady, New York, where he "engaged in mercantile pursuits and was doing well, when he was burnt out in the 'great fire'." He then moved to the country, teaching school (French, geometry, surveying, and trigonometry) in various towns in Montgomery and Saratoga counties. In 1832 he returned to Schenectady, where he also taught school.⁵
     He and his first wife Huldah had the following known children: Mercy, Huldah, and a daughter whose name is unknown.⁵
     He and his second wife had a daughter.⁵
     He and his third wife Nastaussel had the following known children: Nancy (b 12 July 1814, d 21 May 1885), Experience (b 30 November 1816), Eliza Adelaide (b 11 August 1821, d 1 July 1851), Josiah (b 4 March 1825, d 19 January 1847), Benjamin Roberge (b 18 September 1828, d 21 October 1885), Nathan Burdick (b 17 July 1831 or 2 August 1829, d 2 August 1856).⁵

     Experience Stiles was born on 24 February 1767 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.¹ She married first (?) Rathburn.² She married second Silas Chapin on 11 September 1817.² She married third Nathan Burdick.² She died on 21 October 1860 in Schenectady, Schenectady Co., New York, at age 93.¹
     She and her first husband had one known child, Millona (b 1 February 1794, d 1 May 1821).²

     Mary Stiles was born on 26 June 1769 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.¹ She died on 30 November 1769.¹
     She is listed among the children of Zebediah and Mercy Stiles, but we don't have a Zebediah Stiles with a wife named Mercy.²

     Justus Stiles was born on 27 September 1771 in Pittsfield, Berkshire Co., Massachusetts.² He died on 1 January 1853 at age 81.²
     He lived in Vermont.¹