PART 1 This is the first of a two-part series sharing the history of Henry Giles, a Ray County slave who fought in the last battle of the Civil War. Honoring Black History Month, the Ray County Genealogical Association (RCGA) had an open forum at the beginning of the month regarding the family of Henry Giles. Henry was a Ray County slave who served in the First Missouri Colored Infantry and fought in the last battle of the Civil War. RCGA member and historian Jarodd Stansberry presented the Giles family information. Henry was born into slavery on June 15, 1845, in Ray County. Where Giles’ name came from is currently unknown. There was only one Giles family in Ray County, which was David A. Giles, a Welsh immigrant who arrived in Richmond around 1859. However, there is no record of him owning slaves, and when the Civil War broke out, he served the Union. “It is unknown who Henry’s parents were, but it appears that Henry did, as he always said they were born in Virginia. As Henry…