Stiles, Anson Gale, 1809-1876

Anson Gale Stiles (1809-1876), Millbury, Mass., general store proprietor and entrepreneur, was born in Amsterdam, N.Y., a son of Barney Stiles (1781-1868), Sutton (now Millbury), Mass., manufacturer of scythes, and Cornelia Clisbee Stiles (1784- ), of Amsterdam, N.Y.

Anson Gale Stiles evidently formed a series of partnerships in Millbury during the 1830s and 1840s and served as Town Clerk, 1835-1838. In 1836 he married Ann Jane Waters ( - ), by whom he had three children, only one of whom survived to adulthood. By 1854, Stiles had moved his family to San Francisco, Calif., where he served initially as a bookkeeper at the boot and shoe firm of Jones & Co.; he later served, or had offices with, boot and shoe importer S.A. Wood and others. According to the 1872 directory for San Francisco, Stiles was the ex-president of Occidental Insurance Company; in the directory for 1876/77, he is listed simply as "capitalist."