Giles County, located in middle Tennessee, was established on 14 November 1809 when it was formed from a part of Maury County and was named in honor of Governor William B. Giles of Virginia, at the suggestion of Andrew Jackson.
In 1835, the Tennessee State Legislature ordered each county to be divided into Civil Districts to replace the old militia company system. They were to divide the county by population with a minimum of eight districts, describe these boundaries and then construct a map, without professional help, showing those divisions. In this manner, then the taxes, elections, schools and justices of the peace could all be run by districts and not county wide. The 1836 tax listing is the first under this new system and allows one to locate ancestors within a smaller geographical area than just a "county".
James L. Douthat
2004, paper, 29 pp.
ISBN: 9780788487712
101E-TN1276
