William T. Giles, late editor and proprietor of the Freeport Democrat, was born in new Lisbon, Columbiana Co., Ohio, on the 18th of July, 1823. He attended the schools of that quaint old town until he was about fifteen years old, when he became an apprentice in the office of the Ohio Patriot. He continued in that office until 1843, when he went to Bucyrus, holding a position on the Crawford County Democrat. Printing-offices in Bucyrus in those days were not the bonanzas they are now, and Mr. Giles could not get money enough from the proprietor to pay his board, which was $1.25 per week. In the course of time the paper collapsed, and the proprietor urged Mr. Giles to buy the material and remove it to Upper Sandusky, and commence the publication of a Democratic paper there. Mr. Giles insisted that he neither had money nor experience, and did not feel justified in embarking in the enterprise. The proprietor, however, insisted, giving Mr. Giles to understand that unless some arrangements could be made, he could not pay him for the labor he had performed, and that he would be compelled to foot it back to New Lisbon. Mr. Giles, seeing that it was a case of necessity, said "Sink or swim, survive or perish, here goes." The material was removed to Upper Sandusky, and the publication of the Democratic Pioneer was begun, under most embarrassing circumstances, and after overcoming all obstacles, was finally established on a paying basis, and Mr. Giles continues to control it until the year 1849, when, with a party of gentlemen he started for California. After a great many trials and tribulations in crossing the plains, California was finally reached, and after spending a year or two prospecting for gold, Mr. Giles became interested in the establishment of a paper at Marysville, called the California Express, the first number of which was issued on the 3d of November, 1851. He remained connected with this paper for about a year, when he closed out his interest and went to Downieville, Sierra County, and began the publication of the Mountain Echo.

In 1853 our subject severed all connection with California newspaper enterprises, returned to Ohio, and resume the publication of the Pioneer at Upper Sandusky. In the fall of 1855 he was married to Miss Mary E. Scroggs, of Upper Sandusky, and in 1856 he came to Freeport, Ill., and bought the Bulletin, which he published for many years. In 1864 he sold it and went to Montana Territory. After living at various places in Iowa and Illinois, he finally came back to Freeport, and resumed the management of the Bulletin. A short time after this he started the Lee County Democrat, at Dixon, Ill., but soon sold that paper and continued the Bulletin for a long time, finally selling it. Then he started the Illinois Monitor in Freeport, and published it over three years. He edited the Dakota Herald at Yankton, Dak., for several months, and then returned to Freeport, and established the Democrat, which he recently sold to F. Charles Donohue.

Contributed by Carol Parrish from Portrait and Biographical Album of Stephenson County, Ill. (1888), p. 684