GILES SLOCUM

• Birth Notes
  • b. ABT. SEP 1623 England
    

• Death Notes
  • d. 12 MAR 1682/83 Portsmouth, Newport, RI.
    

• General Notes
  • SLOCUM, Giles
    He and his wife were members of the First Baptist Church of Newport until October 1673, when they were excommunicated, having joined the Quakers. On 23 August 1673
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    21 Nov 1642 Giles was named at 20 years old, executor in the will of his mother Charity Slocombe of Old Cleeve.
        27 Feb 1642/3. Giles signed the Somerset Protestion Roll (Library, House of Lords).
        Prior to 1648 he removed to Taunton, Plymouth Colony, where Anthony Slocum lived.
        4 Sept 1648 he was granted land in Portsmouth, RI, and resided next to Thomas Cook.
    
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    GILES SLOCUM, born ca. 1616 Somersetshire, England, died probably before Mar. 12, 1682, his will dated Oct. 8, 1681, Portsmouth, RI, married Joan Slocumbe in 1634, probably in or near Taunton, MA.  She was born in 1618, died Aug. 31, 1679 Portsmouth.  When he came to America with his parents he made his home with them and shortly after marriage, about 1638 he moved to Pocasset, which on Jul. 1, 1639 became the town of Portsmouth, Newport Co., RI.  He is listed many times in the land records of the area of Portsmouth and also in Shrewsbury Twp., NJ, the area where his son John resided.  Giles also joined the Society of Friends but escaped the penalty his father met because Rhode Island had more religious freedom.
         An interesting note:  The ear mark of his livestock as recorded by Plymouth Town Clerk, Richard Bulger, was: "The eare marke of Gyles Slocum for his shepp, swine & cattlle is a Crope in the Right Eare and a hapeny under the same one the lime eare with a slitt in the left eare and a hapeny under", recorded Apr. 25, 1668.
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    "Mr. Savage, in his Genealogical Dictionary, (James Savage, L.L.D., Boston 1862), presumes that the "sons" referred to in Anthony Slocombe's letter, (a letter written to "his brother-in-law", Wm. Harvey in Taunton), were Eliezer Slocum, Giles Slocum, and Peleg Slocum, who were among the proprietors of Dartmouth in the year 1694.  This presumption is undoubtedly erroneous; they were the sons of Giles #2 Slocombe of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, as the records of Rhode Island and Dartmouth clearly show. They may have been grand-sons to Anthony, however, as grand-sons were called "sons" at that time, and nephews were called 'cousins'. "
    
    He further states, (Page 35),...."If Anthony had own sons living in Dartmouth they probably died young—perhaps were, with him, killed in Phillip's War in 1675. No further mention has been found of them, and no one has been identified as descendents of theirs." ("The records of Dartmouth Township previous to the year 1725 were destroyed by fire, and thus much relating to it's history was lost.")
    
    (Page 35...footnote)....."While the question of the degree of relationship that existed between Anthony, Giles, and Edward Slocombe, must remain in doubt until further information is obtained, the writer, (Dr. Slocum), has thought best to let this record show as above after considering all the evidence found." (*At that time, that he considered.) ......*He then refers to Page #26, to a statement he made in the NEHGR, October, 1880;  "I classed Anthony as the father of Giles from the fact of his having referred to his sons in a letter, and no descendents being found other than the children of Giles; and also that the children of Giles succeeded to the possession of the land where Anthony was last known to reside." (Assumption)
    
    *Giles made many purchases of land at that time, and as proven since, was in that area previous to 1637, as children were born there previous to that time....and to quote Dr. Slocum; "he made purchases and sales of land in addition to those here mentioned, (on Page #38), but enough has been cited to show that he was possessed of the characteristic English desire for a large landed estate."
    
    From the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 70, July 1916, by G. Andrews Moriarty, Jr., Newport, R. I.,  pages 283-4.
    
    "Parentage of Giles Slocum of Portsmouth, R. I. -- In the Slocums of America, compiled by Dr. Charles Elihu Slocum, there is an extended notice of the English Slocums; and Giles Slocum of Portsmouth, R. I., is given as a son of Anthony Slocum of Taunton, Mass., in spite of the fact that in the will of Anthony Slocum of Albemarle County in the Province of Carolina, dated 26 Nov. 1688 and proved 7 Jan. 1689/90, neither Giles nor his children are mentioned. There is no doubt of the identity of the Anthony Slocum of Albemarle County in Carolina with the Anthony Slocum who was formerly of Taunton, Mass., and the omission in the will of any reference to Giles Slocum or his children shows conclusively that Giles was not Anthony's son."
    "….there can be little doubt that Giles Slocombe, son of Charity of Old Cleeve, and Giles of Portsmouth, R. I., are identical. Giles was probably a near relative of Anthony of Taunton, Mass., and the latter probably came to New England in the company of Mistress Elizabeth Poole, who founded Taunton and who, being a native of the West Country, brought the earliest settlers of Taunton from the counties of Devon, Somerset, and Dorset."
    From The American Genealogist, Volume XX, No. 2, October. 1943, page 115.
    "SLOCUM.  Giles was undoubtedly the Giles Slocum bapt. at Old Cleeve, co. Somerset, 28 Sept. 1623, son of Philip and Charity (Bickham) Slocombe, who were married there on 20 Nov. 1621. Giles was first mentioned at Portmouth 4 Sepy. 1648. He had lands in Taunton which he sold to Nicholas White, and he undoubtedly was a near relative of Anthony Slocum of Taunton, who removed about 1670 to Albemarle County, N.C., where he was a member of the Palantine Court in 1679 and died in 1689 testate. Anthony was the ancestor of the Southern Slocum's. Joan, wife of Giles, was excommunicated by the Baptist Church at Newport 16: 8: 1673, and Giles on 23: 8: 1673.  They joined the Quakers.  In 1667 he was granted land at Navesink, N.J., by Robert Carr, and on 3 April 1670 he bought two shares of land at Shrewsbury, N.J."
    
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    Note: The records of Newport, R.I., previous to 6 December, 1779, were carried away during the Revolutionary War, and remained in a vessel submerged in the East River, New York, three years. The books were recovered, but were in such bad condition that much of their contents were lost past recovery.
    To clarify early generation numbers, it would follow; Giles, #1 in America, start of the line, in Portsmouth, Newport Co., Rhode Island.......
    
    Giles Slocum #1, married Joan (? most likely Cooke);