Welcome to the Wiles Family History Website
Key Lineage Milestones Included in these Papers:
The Immigrant Era: William Wiles’ legal work for Micajah Perry in York County, VA managing the company’s Virginia tobacco interests
The Tobacco Era: William Sr. tobacco farming as he moved his family around in various Virginia counties following fertile soil.
The Revolutionary Era: The combined military and logistical service of William Jr., William III, and Freeman Wiles.
The South Carolina Era: The establishment of the Anderson County Plantation by Freeman Wiles and leaving wealth to his wife and sons.
The Georgia Era: The establishment of the Monroe County farm by Spencer Wiles and the resilient Civil War service of Charles F. Wiles.
There are three papers ready to share.
The first is a summary narrative of our direct ancestors bearing the surname “Wiles.” This lineage begins with William Wiles The Elder born around 1607 in England, and traces our path across four centuries to my dad, Marvin Wiles Sr. His son Habakkuk Wiles was an English Mariner who fathered William Wiles The Immigrant who was the first of our family to arrive in Colonial America (Virginia). This journey highlights a remarkable transition: starting as highly respected mariners, literate "Attorneys-in-Fact" for London merchants in the Virginia Tidewater, our ancestors became "men of the court" and strategic landholders throughout the American South.
The second paper is a summary of all the artifacts I have collected during my research. Each entry includes the name, dates, and type of artifact, along with the specific repository where it resides. This includes critical evidence such as:
William Wiles Jr.’s 1781 Public Service Claim for 300 lbs of beef provided to the Continental Army.
William Wiles III’s military muster rolls from his service in the 1st Virginia State Regiment during the Revolution.
John Morgan Wiles’ 1896 loan record from Spalding County, documenting the purchase of his mule "Ada" and a one-horse wagon.
If an artifact is available online, I have provided a link; for those on microfiche or in published books, I have included the exact reference.
The third paper is similar to the second but features high-resolution images of these documents, accompanied by a short description and reference link. You will see everything from colonial court signatures to the 19th-century tax digests of Spencer Wiles in Monroe County, which notably show he established our Georgia homeplace without ever owning enslaved persons.
I’ve learned a lot about our family history. There are certainly some gaps, especially regarding the lives of our maternal ancestors.
My next update will be an attempt to put each of these characters in their cultural and religious settings—exploring their world from the maritime docks of Stepney, London, to the red clay hills of Georgia.
I will eventually expand this effort to include the Pitts, McGahees, and Duggans lineages as well.
I’m sure there will be questions; if so, just drop me a line or give me a call.