B. about 1666 in Jamestown, Virginia
M. (1) before 29 Sep 1693 in (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia
Wife: Mary _______
M. (2) before 23 Oct 1698 in (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia
Wife: Eleanor (possibly) Webber
D. about 1723 in King William County, Virginia
The House of Burgesses in colonial Virginia was a legislative body that worked in tandem with the English crown, giving the men who lived in the colony a voice in their own affairs. Inspired by the English House of Commons, it would in turn one day inspire the creation of the U.S. House of Representatives. And one man who served in it during the early 18th century was John Chiles.
John had been born in about 1666 to Walter Chiles and Mary Page, the second of their two children. He was likely born at Kemp House in Jamestown, which claims to have been the first brick dwelling in America. His father and both of his grandfathers had also been members of the House of Burgesses, and his paternal grandfather was elected to it the first year it existed.
All of John’s heritage was from the gentry class of Virginia, defined as large land-owners of English descent who were not of the nobility. The colony was founded in 1607 by a rougher mix of men; the success of it didn’t take hold until the 1620s and 1630s when men with a little money came over and acquired huge amounts of land. The families of these settlers would dominate Virginia for centuries, and many of course were among the founding fathers of the United States. Unfortunately slavery was also a big part of their story, and accumulating wealth off the labor of others allowed the gentry class to participate in local government.
In addition to inheriting Kemp House after his father died, John owned over 1,200 acres in what is now King William County, Virginia. This was a narrow strip of land formed by two small rivers (the Pamunkey and Mattaponi) coming together to form a larger river (the York). Wealthier Virginians were acquiring rich-soiled farmland along the rivers and turning them into successful tobacco plantations, and this seems to be what John did.
There is only sketchy information about John’s two marriages and his children. We know that his first wife was named Mary from a document dated September 29, 1693, and that by about 1697, they had produced a son and two daughters. The girls aren’t identified by their first names, but the boy was called Walter. Then Mary died, and John married a woman named Eleanor, with whom he fathered four more children. As with most families of colonial Virginia, the lack of vital records doesn’t offer us complete lists of offspring, and there may have been many more children in John’s family.
As early as 1693, John was elected to the House of Burgesses. Twice he was mentioned as a messenger, which was a person who sometimes interacted with other English colonies. And in 1702, John performed the duties of “mace bearer.” The mace was a ceremonial staff which represented the authority who ruled above the House — in this case the crown of England. When the members gathered, the bearer marched in holding the mace in front of him, to signal that the session could officially begin. The tradition of mace bearer is still practiced today in the U.S. House of Representatives with an eagle emblem instead of a crown.
Besides his plantations, one of John’s business interests included part ownership of a ship named The Westover from 1700 to 1702. It was a sloop of forty tons, built in Virginia in 1693, and he owned it with William Byrd and William Randolph, two important members of Virginia’s gentry class. Byrd was considered the founder of Richmond, Virginia, and Randolph would become the great-grandfather of Thomas Jefferson.
John continued serving in the House of Burgesses until 1723 when he was mentioned in a report issued on May 10th that implied that he had just died. He was only about 57 at the time of his death and didn’t seem to leave a will. John’s wife Eleanor survived him, remarrying to a man named Edward Hickman, and moving to Albemarle County. She was still living in 1758.
Children by Mary _______:
1. Walter Chiles — B. 1690s, (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia; D. 1760, Amelia County, Virginia
2. _______ (female) Chiles — B. 1690s, (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia; D. before 1760; M. William Carr
3. _______ (female) Chiles — B. 1690s, (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia; D. before 1760; M. Joseph Sutherland
Children by Eleanor ________:
1. Henry Chiles — B. 23 Oct 1698, King and Queen County, Virginia; D. 10 Jun 1763, Spotsylvania County, Virginia; M. (1) Mercy Webb (1696-1750), 1735, Virginia; (2) Mary Chiles (1704-1759); (3) Susannah Dicken (1713-1784)
2. Susannah Chiles — B. 28 Apr 1700, King and Queen County, Virginia; D. 29 Jun 1754, Louisa County, Virginia; M. Joseph Martin (~1700-?), 1736, Virginia
3. John Chiles — B. about 1700, (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia; D. before 10 Oct 1774, (probably) Louisa County, Virginia
4. Jane Chiles — B. about 1704, Virginia; M. John W. Wright
Sources:
