Home of William Branch Giles

Home of William Branch Giles is a Virginia historical marker in Powhatan County, dedicated 2016.

Rte. 60, 1.7 miles west of Powhatan

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About seven miles southwest is the Wigwam, the home of William Branch Giles (1762-1830), part of which likely dates to the late 18th century. Between 1790 and 1827, Giles served at various times in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Virginia House of Delegates, and the U.S. Senate. An ally of Thomas Jefferson and foe of Alexander Hamilton, he opposed the expansion of federal power and advocated states’ rights and agrarianism. Giles was governor of Virginia from 1827 to 1830, and Giles County was named for him. He is buried in a family cemetery near the Wigwam.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1755 · Virginie, Maryland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1781 · MARCH of the ARMY under Lieut:t General EARL CORNWALLIS in VIRGINIA, from the JUNCTION at… (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)
1794 · Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1818 · Map of Virginia, 1818 (lower right sheet) (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1862 · Seat of war in Virginia (Digital Commonwealth, Boston Public Library)

Virginie, Maryland, 1755, covering the location of Home of William Branch Giles, with a pin at the marker's coordinates — Virginie, Maryland, 1755, covering this location. David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries. The pin is ours, placed from the marker's coordinates.

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For example, one family's tree showed the Articles of Confederation marker in Pennsylvania standing under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s.

What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

From one family's 77-marker roster

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Home of William Branch Giles

Historical maps covering this location

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