Joseph Riley Giles

1860 - 1924  (64 years)  Submit Photo / Document    Has more than 100 ancestors and 34 descendants in this family tree.

• Name	Joseph Riley Giles
  Birth	8 Oct 1860	Fillmore, Millard, Utah, United States
  Gender	Male
  Death	22 Oct 1924	Lehi, Utah, Utah, United States
  Burial	24 Oct 1924	Lehi City Cemetery, Utah, Utah, United States
  Initiatory (LDS)	25 Nov 1932	LOGAN
  FamilySearch ID	KKC1-GY1
  Person ID	I204	mytree
  Last Modified	25 Feb 2024

  
  

  Father	Joseph Sinkler Giles,   b. 5 Apr 1833, Nottingham, Chester, Pennsylvania, United States d. 5 Nov 1921, Fillmore, Millard, Utah, United States (Age 88 years)
  Mother	Sarah Huntsman,   b. 3 Jun 1841, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States d. 5 Apr 1881, Holden, Millard, Utah, United States (Age 39 years)
  Marriage	15 Jan 1860	Fillmore, Millard, Utah, United States
  Family ID	F84	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Polly Frances Harmon,   b. 4 Mar 1864, Toquerville, Washington, Utah, United States d. 15 Oct 1944, Pendleton, Umatilla, Oregon, United States (Age 80 years)
  Marriage	19 May 1882	Holden, Millard, Utah, United States
  Children	+ 1. Elmeda Giles,   b. 6 Aug 1883, Holden, Millard, Utah, United States d. 28 Apr 1969, Lehi, Utah, Utah, United States (Age 85 years) + 2. Dennis Giles,   b. 17 Aug 1886, Holden, Millard, Utah, United States d. 20 Apr 1969, Huntington Park, Los Angeles, California, United States (Age 82 years) + 3. Shirley Robert Giles,   b. 17 Feb 1898, Holden, Millard, Utah, United States d. 13 Jun 1991, Alaska, United States (Age 93 years)   4. Mabel Giles,   b. 13 Jan 1893, Holden, Millard, Utah, United States d. 7 Aug 1990, Yakima, Washington, United States (Age 97 years) + 5. Donald Franklin Giles,   b. 14 Mar 1905, Lehi, Utah, Utah, United States d. 20 Apr 1963, Los Angeles, California, United States (Age 58 years)   6. Helen Jeanette Giles,   b. 22 Nov 1907, Lehi, Utah, Utah, United States d. 20 Aug 1975, Multnomah, Oregon, United States (Age 67 years)
  Family ID	F221	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Nov 2024

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 8 Oct 1860 - Fillmore, Millard, Utah, United States Marriage - 19 May 1882 - Holden, Millard, Utah, United States Death - 22 Oct 1924 - Lehi, Utah, Utah, United States Burial - 24 Oct 1924 - Lehi City Cemetery, Utah, Utah, United States Initiatory (LDS) - 25 Nov 1932 - LOGAN  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Notes

  A Life Sketch of Joseph Riley Giles and Polly Frances Harmon By Ardith Giles May When I was growing up, I lived in the same block with my father’s parent s , Joseph Riley and Polly Frances Harmon Giles. I have fond memories o f th ose two beautiful people. My Grandfather Giles, as well as my father, was a blacksmith and owned t h e only blacksmith shop in Lehi, Utah. Lehi is located about 30 miles so ut h of Salt Lake City, Utah. At that time the population of Lehi was abo u t 3000 people. I can remember standing in the door of the blacksmith sh o p and watching them shoe horses and pound on the anvil and pull a lon g co rd which caused the bellows to heat the iron horseshoes in order t o do th e repair work that they did. Grandpa Riley (he was always known as Riley rather than Joseph) loved li t tle children and my brother and my sisters were always warmly greeted a n d loved and cuddled whenever we stopped in. He was so pleasant and kin d a nd seemed to know just how to talk to children and comfort them whene ve r they needed him. He was never too busy to hold us in his lap and le t u s tell him our little troubles. We dearly loved him. He was the sweet est , kindest and most pleasant man I ever knew. My grandmother, Polly Giles, was just as pleasant and kind as Grandpa. S h e was so jolly and happy – always singing as she worked. We would sit a n d listen to her sing. The songs that I remember most were: “Beautiful D re amer”, “Silver Threads Among the Gold” and “When You and I Were Young , Ma ggie”. Their home was such a relaxed place. We always felt welcome a nd co uld usually count on receiving a good piece of homemade bread and j am. Grandpa Riley was a good-looking, strong, well-built, slender man abo u t 5 foot 10 or 11 inches tall and weighed perhaps 180 pounds. He ha d a fu ll head of brown hair, slightly streaked with gray. It was slightl y wave d and parted on one side. He wore a full mustache that was alway s neatl y trimmed. His countenance was pleasant and smiling. I always rem ember hi m in his dark blue bib overalls. Grandma Polly was a very large woman –perhaps about 5 feet 7 or 8 inch e s tall. It was a characteristic of the Harmon family to be rather larg e . She had a pretty face and her hair was a beautiful gray (I seem to re me mber Grandma Polly telling me that she was prematurely gray at age 25) . S he wore it softly pulled on top of her head and there was always a so ft w ave across the front that made her look beautiful. She was always pl easan t and smiling. I remember her most in printed house dresses wit h a clea n checked apron. I can remember sitting in Grandma Polly’s kitchen as she would sit and m e nd socks. I would watch how she did it, weaving the darning cotton bac k a nd forth. I became good at darning myself because of her. I also reme mbe r her teaching me how to mend and repair clothes. This is also someth in g that helped in raising my family. I can picture her now singing an d men ding while rocking in her rocking chair, before the wood stove. Grandma and Grandpa’s youngest child was Helen, who was only one year ol d er than I. Helen and I were great pals and we were together so much. O n e of the things we did was play “hide and seek”. Grandma would even le t u s play this in the house and I wonder now how she ever put up with m y bei ng there so much. I was always warned by mother when I went to Grandma Polly’s house, nev e r to mention the Church. Even though they were good people, their bitte rn ess toward the Church, which was created by Polly’s mother, Elmeda Str ing ham Harmon was always present. After Elmeda’s husband, Appleton Milo Harmon, died, she began to rememb e r her comfortable circumstances back in Salt Lake City and harbored il l f eelings toward Brigham Young because they were sent to southern Uta h an d suffered hardship and deprivation. However, I feel sure their names were never taken from the records of t h e Church, because I can remember being in their home where Ward Teache r s and the visiting teachers would call, and they were always very poli t e to them even though they never attended church. My grandparents have been dead for many years, and I have had a desire f o r a long time to know more about their early lives, so that my childre n m ay come to understand and to know about those fine people. After corr espo nding with their daughter, Mabel Giles Cox I have learned a few thin g s I would like to relate. Joseph Riley Giles was born in Fillmore (near Holden), Millard County, U t ah on October 8, 1860. He was baptized 26 June 1869. His father, Josep h S inkler Giles was born in West Nottingham, Chester County, Pennsylvani a. J oseph Sinkler Giles joined the United States Army and was sent to Ut ah wi th Johnston’s Army to investigate the Mormons. This was in 1857 whi ch wa s 10 years after the Mormon Saints arrived in the Salt Lake Valley . Whil e he was in Utah, he joined the Mormon Church and never returned a gain t o his homeland or ever saw his parents again. Joseph Sinkler Gile s settle d in Holden, Utah and there married Sarah Huntsman. Sarah Huntsman and her parents, James Huntsman and Mary Johnston, had jo i ned the Mormon Church around 1830 and lived in Nauvoo, Illinois. They c ro ssed the plains with the Mormon Saints in 1851. They were sent to Hold en , Millard County, Utah, by Brigham Young to colonize that part of th e sta te. Polly Frances Harmon Giles was born in Toquerville, Washington County, U t ah on March 4, 1864. She was baptized 23 November 1946 – previous bapti s m date unknown. Her father, Appleton Milo Harmon, was born in Conneaut , E rie County, Pennsylvania. He and his parents, Jessie Pierce Harmon an d An na Barnes, had joined the Mormon Church in 1842 and moved to Nauvoo , Illi nois. While living in Nauvoo, he met and married Elmeda Stringham . She an d her parents, George Stringham and Polly Hendrickson, had joine d the Mor mon Church in 1839 and moved to Nauvoo. Appleton Milo Harmon was a man of great strength and ability. He came ac r oss the plains with Brigham Young in 1847 and made many trips back an d fo rth across the plains to bring his wife and his parents and wife’s p arent s to Utah. He was sent to Toquerville, Washington County, Utah by B righa m Young to colonize that part of the country. He lived there for ma ny yea rs, and finally settled in Holden, Millard County, Utah where Poll y and R iley met and married. Little is known of their courtship, but they were married on May 19, 18 8 2 in Holden, Millard County, Utah. He was 22 and she was 18. Four children were born to Polly and Riley while living in Holden: Elme d a (Meda) Giles born August 6, 1883, Dennis Giles born August 17, 1886 , Ma bel Giles born January 13, 1894 and Shirley Robert Giles born Februa ry 17 , 1898. Joseph Riley Giles was a natural born mechanic. When he was a young bo y , about 14 or 15 years old, the farmers in the community had bought a t hr eshing machine. It had come “knocked down” and no one knew how to asse mbl e it. So Riley Giles did it! Riley bought a tract of land east and south of Holden and became a farm e r as well as a blacksmith a mechanic. This was a perfect location. He h a d cows and horses and a great deal of pasture land. He built a find hou s e on this land and always had a garden to help feed his family. There w a s a spring on this land that was the source of their drinking water. T h e water was in a large well. A frame roof was built over the well in or de r to keep it clean and protected. They carried water to the house in b uck ets. Rain water was caught in a barrel to wash clothes. One day, Mabel was sent to the well for water and as she looked at the r i m of the water tank, there lay a long watch snake. She was so frighten e d that she couldn’t scream but ran to the house making much squawking n oi ses. She can still remember that scary feeling to this day! Riley did black smithing as well as farming while living Holden. He ma d e each of children a “tack hammer” – a small hammer on one end and a ta c k puller on the other end. This was made entirely of iron. He also ma d e a “flat iron” entirely of iron, which when heated on the old wood sto ve , was heavy but a good pressing iron. Riley could shoe a horse to perfection. Some of the horses were wild a n d hard to handle, but he had a way of running his hand over them and th e y would calm down with his touch. Riley was also a “Bronco Buster”. He could ride wild horses and calve s a t public events around the town. He was never thrown from a horse, bu t on ce thrown from a calf. Note” My father, Dennis and my grandfather, R ile y owned a beautiful team of roan colored horses. Their names were “Ol d Cu b”, and “Bawley”. At one time while the family was still living Holden, Riley purchased so m e produce from the farmers, and procured a large load of home cured ha m a nd bacon, wheat, dried corn and oats, and traveled in a covered wago n an d peddled his produce. He traveled to Elko, Nevada and other cities . Some times he would be gone several months selling a doing black smithi ng alon g the way. He always came home for Christmas! He had a dog name d “Tago” w ho always went with him, sitting on the seat beside him. Whe n came home , usually in the night or early evening Polly would open th e door and “Ta go” would jump into the house and dash to the bedroom int o the arms of Ma bel “Tago” was one of the family. Riley also ran a sawmill in Pioneer Canyon near Holden. Mabel can rememb e r the piles of sawdust. He was a very hand a versatile man a natural me ch anic, able to do many kinds of work. Joseph Riley and Polly Frances were also natural musicians. In those yea r s they lived in Holden, they played for dances in the community. Rile y pl ayed the violin by ear, and Polly played the organ by ear. Their hom e wa s always full of music and happiness. They had music in their souls ! Rile y had traded a wagon for the violin he owned, and it was a very go od one . Mabel was the one who inherited this violin and has given it t o her son , Edward Riley Cox. In talking to the sister of grandpa Joseph Riley, I found that he beca m e dissatisfie with the Church because he was chided by the brethren bec au se he began to do some of his farm work on Sunday. This led him to sta y a way more often and gradually he didn’t go to church at all. As his ch ildr en came along, he neglected to have any of them baptized. In about the year 1900, the Joseph Riley Giles family decided to move no r th, nearer to Salt Lake City. Polly’s father, Appleton Milo Harmon, ha d d ied in Holden when he was only 57 years old. Polly’s mother, Elmeda S trin gham Harmon, was then living in American Fork, Utah, to be near on e of he r sons, Jesse Harmon, who lived in Provo, Utah. Riley and his fam ily move d to American Fork to be near her. They lived there for awhile , then purc hased a blacksmith shop and a house in Lehi, which is onl y 3 miles nort h of American Fork. This was an old adobe house with the b lacksmith sho p right next door, located on Main Street very near the bus iness sectio n of Lehi. Eventually a house was built for Polly’s mother , Elmeda String ham Harmon, on the same lot on Main Street. Two more children were born to Riley and Polly in Lehi: Donald Frankli n G iles born March 14, 1905 and Helen Jeannette Giles born November 22 , 1907 . Joseph Riley worked at black smithing for many years in Lehi. After my f a ther, Dennis, grew up and married, he did black smithing also with hi s fa ther (I have mentioned earlier that we lived just through the bloc k fro m my grandparents). When the era of the automobiles came into bein g, Den nis opened a garage to sell and repair automobiles. My father an d grandfa ther traded houses and business locations. This would make the m each liv e next door to their business. The address now the Riley Gile s home woul d be the red brick house at 39 South Center Street, Lehi, Uta h; and the a ddress for the Dennis Giles home would be the white frame ho use at 30 Eas t Min Street, Lehi, Utah (The house that was originally bui lt for Elmed a Stringham Harmon.) Besides doing black smithing, Riley tried his hand at inventing. He an d h is brother, Jesse, invented a “Brush Grubber”. He made the iron prong s th at pulled the sage brush up by the roots. It was pulled by horses. I t wor ked very well, so they applied for a patent. But the cost proved t o be to o much, so the project was soon forgotten. Another venture that Riley made was to work for the Land Clearing and Im p rovement Company. He applied for a tract of land west of the city of Le h i near Cedar Fort. He worked the ground after clearing it, planted whea t , had a good crop and sold the wheat around the area. But the deal to o bt ain the land fell through, so he went back to Lehi and to blacksmithin g a gain. Grandma Polly Giles was homebody. Taking care of her family was her lif e . They came first always. Her sweet, loving pleasant personality was wh a t made us love her. She made everyone so welcome in her home. One of the highlights that I remember was going Holden to family reunion s . How they all loved to get together and visit and sing! There was alwa y s music. At the end of Joseph Riley’s life, he was employed by a construction com p any in a place called Toplift, in Cedar Valley, Utah. I don’t know th e na me of the company, but he was tangled into a chain saw that threw hi m o a fly wheel crushing him. He was taken to the Lehi Hospital where h e di ed a few hours later on October 22, 1924 at the age of 64. After all her children were married Grandma Polly went to live with he r d aughter, Mabel, who at the time lived in Ogden, Utah and later in Pen dlet on, Umatilla County, Oregon. She died in Pendleton on October 15, 19 44 an d was buried in the Lehi Cemetery beside her husband.