Vital Information
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Ira Mollett Giles | Death certificate |
| Born | 28 Dec 1902 | Death certificate |
| Birthplace | St_Louis_Missouri, USA | Death certificate |
| Died | 15 Jun 1970 (age 67) | Death certificate |
| Death Place | San Benito, Cameron County, TX | Death certificate |
| Burial | Mont Meta Cemetery, San Benito, TX (18 Jun 1970) | Death certificate |
| Father | John Giles (19 Dec 1867 - 7 Nov 1930) | Death certificate; FaG #45003680 |
| Mother | Maude Estrella Dickenson (14 Apr 1878 - 25 Jul 1946) | Death certificate; FaG #45003691; Ancestry timeline |
| Maternal grandfather | Walter Hogan Dickinson (d. 16 Mar 1888) | Ancestry compiled tree |
| Maternal grandmother | Anna LaFleur (b. 26 Apr 1841) | Ancestry compiled tree |
| Mat. great-grandfather | Joseph LaFleur | Ancestry compiled tree |
| Mat. great-grandmother | Eugenia Virginia Tesson (b. 1805) | Ancestry compiled tree |
| Mat. 2x great-grandfather | Michael Honore Tesson (1774-1835) | Ancestry compiled tree |
| Mat. 2x great-grandmother | Genevieve Menard | Ancestry compiled tree |
| Paternal grandfather | John Giles Sr. (1816-1876) | FaG #285946988 |
| Paternal grandmother | Sarah Spooner Giles (14 Apr 1831, England - 10 Apr 1907, St. Louis, MO) | FaG #66783383 |
| Pat. grandmother's 1st husband | Henry Snelling (1830, England - 1864, St. Louis) | FaG #66783383; 4 Snelling half-siblings of John Giles Jr. |
| Pat. great-grandfather | Abraham Spooner (England, no dates known) | Per FaG bio of Sarah Spooner Giles |
| Spouse (1) | Ruth Greene Giles (1907-1967), m. 1927 | FaG #159877974 |
| Spouse (2) | Adeline G. Warnke (1906-1987), m. 1930 | FaG #159877974 |
| Children | Jacqueline Britt (if confirmed; see Open_Questions #3) | Family tree data |
| Siblings | Ivy Giles Stock Poulos (18 Jul 1898 - 23 Oct 1971, FaG #280480731); Iva M Giles (b. 1903, male, per Ancestry); Frances J. Giles Hitchcock (13 Jun 1908 - 22 Sep 1993, FaG #72196470) | |
| Occupation | Sales Representative, Missouri Pacific Railroad (retired) | Death certificate |
| Residence | 208 Poinciana, San Benito, TX (9 years) | Death certificate |
| SSN | 703-16-9361 | Death certificate |
Biography
Ira Mollett Giles was born on December 28, 1902, in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was John Giles II (1867-1930) and his mother was Maude Estrella Dickenson (1878-1946), daughter of Walter Hogan Dickinson (d. 16 Mar 1888) and Anna LaFleur (b. 1841). John and Maude married in 1897 in St. Louis. Maude lost her sister Anna in 1887 and her father Walter when she was just nine years old. Anna LaFleur's parents were Joseph LaFleur and Eugenia Virginia Tesson (b. 1805), daughter of Michael Honore Tesson (1774-1835) and Genevieve Menard. The Tesson dit Honoré family was among the earliest French colonial settlers in Missouri. Anna had seven siblings: John (1825), Lelandia (1828), Jean (1829), Marie/Mary (1832), Emelia (1836), Thomas Vital (1838), and William (1840). In addition to Maude, Anna and Walter had two other children: Ivy Dickinson and Anna Dickinson (d. 16 Jan 1887). John Giles's parents were John Giles Sr. (1816-1876) and Sarah Spooner (1831-1907, born in England), daughter of Abraham Spooner of England. Sarah first married Henry Snelling (1830-1864) in England before marrying John Giles Sr.; Ira's father was from the second marriage. The unusual middle name "Mollett" may derive from a family surname; the Mollett family of Scott County, Virginia is geographically adjacent to Giles County, Virginia, suggesting a possible ancestral connection.
Ira worked as a sales representative for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. He lived in San Benito, Cameron County, Texas for approximately nine years before his death.
He had an older sister Ivy Giles (b. 18 Jul 1898, m. Bernard "Ben" Stock on 1 Jun 1917 in Clayton, MO; later Poulos), a brother Iva M Giles (b. 1903), and a younger sister Frances J. Giles (b. 13 Jun 1908, m. Jerrold F. Hitchcock in 1954). Ira first married Ruth Greene in 1927 (d. 1967), then married Adeline G. Warnke in 1930. Both Ira and Ivy ended up in San Benito, Cameron County, Texas.
He died on June 15, 1970, at age 67, from acute myocardial infarction (suspected), with contributing conditions of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease and diabetes mellitus. He was buried on June 18, 1970, at Mont Meta Cemetery in San Benito, Texas. The funeral was handled by Thomae Funeral Directors of Harlingen, Texas. The informant on his death certificate was Mrs. Ivy Poules (his sister Ivy Giles Stock Poulos).
Frances Giles's 1908 Missouri birth register was used to confirm her parents (per FaG #72196470), meaning Maude Dickenson's full maiden name and possibly her parents' names are accessible in that register. This is a promising lead for resolving Open Question #8.
Document Sources
| Document | Type | Vault Note |
|---|---|---|
| Texas death certificate #39734 | Vital record (primary source) | Eggers/death-certificate.jpg |
| Web genealogy records | Secondary/tertiary | Searched in iterations 1, 2, 7 |
Data Discrepancies
| Field | Source A | Source B | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mother's name spelling | Maude Dickinson (death cert) | Maude Estrella Dickenson (web) | Death certificate (primary) preferred |
| Relationship to Jacqueline | Listed as father (family tree data) | Jacqueline's surname is "Britt," not "Giles" | May be stepfather; see Open_Questions #3 |