HENRY HOWARD3 WILEY (ALEXANDER2, THOMAS1) was born 10 Oct 1799 in Jefferson Co. TN. He married MARY BURKE BUCKHANNON BOYD 22 Jul 1822.
Henry H. Wiley was born 10 Oct 1799 in Jefferson Co, TN. His father moved to Roane Co, and evidently Henry attended Rittenhouse Academy at Kingston. He received a fine education including training as a civil engineer. His father, no doubt, taught him much of his engineering. Henry married Mary Burke Buckhannon Boyd who was the daughter of Dr. Boyd of VA, and who was related to the Buckhannons of that state. After their marriage they moved to Flat Creek, Grainger County, TN, where their first child was born. They returned to Kingston, and engaged in merchandizing with James McCampbell, a brother-in-law who had married Jane Boyd.
Henry H. served as Register of Deeds in Roane Co. from 1833 to 1836, and as County Court Clerk from 1836 to 1840. In approximately 1835-6 he built a 15-room brick house on Race Street in Kingston. Approximately 1840, he moved from Kingston to Smith's Creek, a branch of Main Poplar Creek. From Smith's Creek, the Henry H. Wiley family moved to Winters Gap (now Oliver Springs) in 1846.
Henry H. opened the famous Poplar Creek seam of coal in Morgan County, improved roads from the mine to Main Poplar Creek, and barged the coal down Poplar Creek to Clinch River, etc. to Whitesburg and Huntsville, AL.
In 1838, Henry H. Wiley had formed a partnership with Kingston lawyer, William S. McEwen, for the purpose of acquiring and clearing the titles to several 5000-acre tracts of coal lands situated in Morgan and Anderson counties. This work continued until the onset of the Civil War. After the War, in 1872 the partnership was expanded to form the Coal Creek Mining and Manufacturing Company which now owns more than 35,000 acres of coal land. The heirs of Henry H. Wiley and William S. McEwen continued to expand the Land Companies operations, and in 1881 were the prime movers in the organization of the Poplar Creek Coal and Iron Company which now owns approximately 7000 acres of coal land. These Land Companies do not actually operate coal mines, but make contract lease agreements with various coal mining companies, usually on a royalty, or per-ton mined basis.
Henry H. and all of his sons served in the Civil War, except one whose death preceded the War. He and four of his sons were strong Union sympathizers, and enlisted in the Federal Army. He was 63, enlisted as a quartermaster officer in the Sixth TN Infantry, and served under Col. J. A. Cooper. He was mustered out of service in 1864 by reason of expiration of term of service.
Children of Henry Wiley and Mary Boyd are:
i. ELIZA JANE4 WILEY, b. 16 Mar 1823, Grainger Co. TN; d. 08 Jan 1913; m. (1) Col. WILLIAM PAYNE SMITH in 14 Oct 1841 , son of Merriweather Smith, m. (2) JABEZ GILEAD MITCHELL 27 July 1851. See their home on the Oliver Springs Historical Society web site.
ii. ANDREW CARRICK WILEY, b. 20 Jun 1825. Civil War casualty, 1863.
iii. MARTHA ELIZABETH WILEY, b. 30 May 1827, Kingston, TN; d. 28 Feb 1905, FL; m. WILLIAM STEPHEN GEERS. see Rose Terrace
iv. MARY ELLEN WILEY, b. 05 Sep 1829, Kingston, TN. unmarried
v. THOMAS ALEXANDER WILEY, b. 22 Dec 1831.
vi. ANGELINA MATILDA WILEY, b. 16 Feb 1834, Kingston, TN; m.1853. JOSEPH ESTABROOK, M.D., born Dec 7 1794, New Hampshire. (his second marriage).
Dr. Joseph Estabrook left the Presidency of the East Tennessee University at Knoxville (now University of TN) to enter into a contract with Moses C. Winters for the establishment of a large salt works. A street in Oliver Springs is named in his honor, and a building at U.T. He died in 1855.
The widow, Angelina Matilda, was involved in fleeing to Kingston with her mother and her sister during the Civil War. About 1868, Angelina married secondly, WILLIAM J. HORNSBY. He was associated with the Wiley family in the coal business and in the acquiring of coal lands. In later years, the Hornsbys made their home in Knoxville. They had three children.
vii. HENRY PURRIS WILEY, b. 03 May 1836. Civil War casualty. He married Sarah C. Dier.
viii. EDWIN F. WILEY, b. 13 Jan 1839; m. MARY CATHERINE MCADOO, 1871, Milledgeville, GA. Served in Civil War. Ten children, most of whom were born in Coal Creek, and the remainder in Knoxville where they had moved in 1882.
ix. WILLIAM BOYD H. WILEY, b. 25 Jan 1843, Roane Co. TN; m. JENNIE MCFARLAND, 1869. Civil War. They built a large home in "Frog Level" or "Wiley Town" section of Oliver Springs where they lived until it was sold to Colonel Harvey H. Hannah in 1916. The Wileys had a huge fish pond, spacious lawns, and stables for ponies, saddle horses, etc. (Photo on Oliver Springs Historical Society web page - photos).
They are buried in the Oliver Springs Cemetery
x. HOWARD HOUSON WILEY, b. 17 May 1846, Roane Co. TN; m. MARY FLEMING. Civil War soldier
Back to Thomas Wiley