WILEY BIOGRAPHIES, Henry County, Missouri ==================================================================== WILEY, Abraham - b: 1820, Knoxville, TN source: 1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co - page: 581 residence: Deer Creek Twp Abraham Wiley - The late Abraham Wiley, born March 20, 1820, was one of the true pioneers of this section. He was one of the men who laid the foundations of the social, religious, political and industrial life of Henry County. He was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, a son of William and Margaret (Whitson) Wiley. They were the parents of six boys and three girls, all born in Tennessee ere the family left their home in the crude ox-wagon for their slow and perilous journey to Lafayette County, Missouri. This was in 1830, and they remained in that county until 1833, when they came to Henry County to homestead 160 acres in Tebo township. The first night of their arrival upon Tebo Creek, an unusual display of shooting star illuminated the sky and it was a source of delight and a means of remembering their first night near their future home. In 1854, Abraham Wiley homesteaded 240 acres in Deer Creek township and for the following thirty-four years he made it his home, changing it from a wild timber land, where the deer and buffalo were in their native haunts, to the cultivated fields of waving grain. Mr. Wiley was a carpenter, a trade learned in his youth, and helped in the building of the Baptist Church in Clinton, Missouri, besides various other edifices. He was a leader in the organization of East District school and the South Methodist Church, not alone lending his financial aid but his strong arm as well, in its reconstruction. His moral and religious life was an asset to the community in which he lived and labored. January 25, 1857, Abraham Wiley married Angeline Woolfolk, who was born April 25, 1833, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, the daughter of Charles Thomas and Polly Ann (Payne) Woolfolk, natives of Kentucky. They emigrated to Boone County, Missouri, in 1840, and in 1856 they came to Henry County, where they homesteaded in Deer Creek township, where Mrs. Wiley has made her home since her husband's demise. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Abraham Wiley, as follows: Mrs. Nannie McElwrath, deceased wife of Alonzo McElwrath; Maggie, who was postmistress of the Lewis Station from 1902 to 1907, is now living with her mother; Robert G. lives two miles northeast of Clinton; Charles L., a sketch of whom is in this volume. Mrs. Nannie McElwrath left four children: Mrs. Mora Lillian Nesbitt, Deer Creek township; Charles L., merchant at Lewis Station; Helen N. and Hallie. Mrs. Wiley's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Woolfolk, were slave holders in Kentucky and brought their slaves with them to Missouri. They were in the family until their release after the Civil War. Abraham Wiley, in his capacity of carpenter, helped in the building of the first homes in Clinton, Missouri, and was influential in many of its affairs. He passed away in 1901 in Lewis Station, Missouri, where he had made his home since 1899. ==================================================================== WILEY, Abram - b: 1824 Cocke Co, TN source: 1883 History of Henry Missouri , National Historical Co. - page: 807 residence: Deer Creek Twp Abram Wiley, farmer and stock raiser, section 10, came originally from Cocke County, East Tennessee, where he was born in 1824. His father, A. Wiley, was a native of Shenandoah County, Virginia, and his mother, formerly Margaret Whitson, of Tennessee. The former was a soldier of the war of 1812. He removed from Tennessee to Missouri in the fall of 1830 and located in Lafayette County, where he lived about three years, then coming to Henry County. He settled in the northern part of the county, where he lived until his death, December 19, 1861. Abram grew to manhood here upon the farm, and after reaching his majority he learned and worked at the carpenter's trade for about fourteen years. He was married January 21, 1858, to Miss Angeline Woolfalk, a Kentuckian by birth and a daughter of Charles T. Woolfalk. They have four children: Nannie (wife of Alonzo McElwrath), Maggie A., Robert G. and Charles Lewis. Mrs. McElwrath has one child, Mora. After his marriage Mr. Wiley located on land he had previously purchased and which he now occupies. He owns 170 acres. A large portion of the place is underlaid with coal. There is a coal shaft, where about 12,000 bushels of coal per month are being taken out. Mrs. Wiley is a member of the Missionary Baptist Church, and the two daughters of the M. E. Church, South. ==================================================================== WILEY, Charles L. - b: 1871, Deer Creek Twp, Henry Co, MO source: 1919 History of Henry Co MO, Uel W. Lamkin, Historical Publishing Co - page: 582 residence: Deer Creek Twp Charles L. Wiley, a progressive farmer and stockman of Deer Creek township, is a descendant of the earliest pioneers of Henry County. Charles Wiley was born August 25, 1871, in Deer Creek township on the old, homestead of his parents, Abraham and Angeline (Woolfolk) Wiley. A history of this family appears in this volume. Charles Wiley received his education in the district schools and very early in life began for himself, by hard work as a farmer. He married Sallie Elizabeth Showalter October 3, 1895. She is the daughter of Jacob and Sarah Belle (Beaty) Showalter, the former born in Ohio January 8, 1840, and the latter was born in Henry County, Missouri, in 1838. Jacob Showalter served as a soldier in the 128th Indiana Infantry Regiment of Volunteers, fought in many battles and was wounded at Chattanooga. He came to Henry County not long after the Civil War closed. He died January 8, 1908, and his wife departed this life August 2, 1910. They reared their family in Deer Creek township upon the farm of 382 acres, where their daughter, Mrs. Wiley, now lives. Mrs. Wiley was born on this farm February 6, 1873, and received her education in the rural schools. She has one sister, Mrs. Lillie Diehl. Three children have come to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Wiley. They are: Cecil, now a private in Rahe's Army School, Kansas City, Missouri; Mary and Walter. Mr. and Mrs. Wiley are the owners of 981 acres of land in Deer Creek and Tebo townships. They are farming 500 acres, and renting the rest to tenants. Mr. Wiley is president of the Bank of Calhoun and school director of district No.41. He realizes the opportunities of feeding large herds of cattle in his vast acreage, and he does this from year to year, often shipping five and six carloads of beef cattle per year. Mr. Wiley is a Democrat and a public spirited citizen. In the Red Cross and Liberty Loan drives, he spent many days of his valuable time looking after Uncle Sam's business, as well as his own. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by the Henry County MOGenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~mohenry/henryco.html Contact the Henry County Coordinator for comments or corrections. ====================================================================