| Name | Yancey WILEY |
| Birth | 5 Jul 1805, Caswell Co. NC |
| Death | 14 Feb 1886, College Hill, Lafayette Co., MS |
| Occupation | Planter |
| Religion | Presbyterian; Elder, College Hill Presbyterian Church |
| Father | Alexander WILEY (ca1776-1861) |
| Mother | Frances YANCEY (ca1784-1805) |
Yancey Wiley married Eliza Ann Thompson (b. 20 Dec. 1812) of Leasburg on 20 Dec. 1831, her nineteenth birthday. She was a sister of Jacob Thompson, Secretary of the Interior under President Buchanan, and of Dr. John Thompson, William Thompson, Mrs. J.T. Chandler and Mrs. Abner Lewis, all of whom settled in Oxford in the 1830's and 1840's. The Thompsons were an established and influential family in Leasburg, and the family's lovely antebellum home was still standing there in 1966. Yancey Wiley migrated first, to Alabama in 1836 with his wife and two baby girls, Frances Lucretia (b. 22 Mar. 1834) and Caroline Virginia (b. 13 Sept. 1836)—the latter named for his home area which was just a few miles below the Virginia border—and later on to the newly opened Chickasaw Indian lands in Mississippi. Lafayette County deeds record that he bought his first land there on April 29, 1838, a half section from Robert H. Buford. He expanded his holdings and by 1846 owned over 2600 acres and eighty slaves. Two more daughters and three sons were added to his family; Sarah Ann or "Sallie" (b. 1 Apr. 1839), James Alexander (b. 19 May 1841), John Nicholas (b. 18 Sept. 1843), Elizabeth Catherine or "Kate" (b. 22 Sept. 1846) and Jacob Thompson Wiley (b. 20 Aug. 1848).
These four little girls aged sixteen, fourteen, eleven and four, and three small sons aged nine, seven, and two were left motherless when Ann Thompson tragically died at age thirtyeight, on 22 July 1850. Two years later, Yancey Wiley moved his family across the road into a new two-story home which he built and called Cedar Hill Farm. A row of majestic cedars, brought by ox cart from Tennessee, were planted to form an avenue leading to the front door, which faced the then main road from Oxford to College Hill. A columned portico graced the front. Three years later, on the first of May, 1855, at age fifty, he married another born North Carolinian, Anniss Lea (b. 6 June 1815), who for the next seven years was a true mother to his children.
The two older daughters married well. Frances married Frank P. Gillespie of Duck Hill 23 May 1854. (Her grandson, Dr. Guy Gillespie, was later president of Belhaven College). Ginnie married 7 Feb. 1856 James Gordon of Pontotoc, son of wealthy Robert Gordon, and went to live at "Lochinvar", his family's palatial home, in Pontotoc. The Thompsons were all well connected and there was much visiting between homes, as the families were active participants in the lively social life of Oxford and Pontotoc. Sallie had been sent to Washington to live with her uncle Jacob Thompson (a former Congressman who served as Secretary of the Interior under President Buchanan) and had become close friends with the President's niece, Harriet Lane. She moved in the highest social circles of the capitol city and was a frequent guest at the White House. Members of College Church, where Yancy Wiley was a ruling elder, were shocked at tales of her high living, attending parties and balls in Washington, one notable one for the Prince of Wales, and they threatened to "church" her. Her father responded that this would mean withdrawal of his own support of the church, and the furor died. Popular and spirited, twenty-two year old Sallie was chosen to present the colors to the Lamar Rifles when this local military company received their banner, made by Oxford ladies, in a stirring ceremony on March 9,1861 attended by the whole town before they marched off to war. Three weeks after this event, Sallie was married to David Hubbard, a soldier and musician, on 21 March 1861. He served in the Confederate cavalry.
The Civil War years brought acute suffering and sadness to this family. On the first of July, 1862, Anniss Lea Wiley died. Oxford was occupied by Union troops only a month after his wife's death and Yancy Wiley, crippled with arthritis and blind in one eye, did his best to hold things together. He set up slaves, spinning and weaving in his cellar to try to clothe the servants. The Yankee soldiers ravaged his corn, cotton and vegetables and the family buried their silver to save it. On 9 Dec. 1862, Sallie's baby, Wiley David Hubbard was born and scarcely a month later she died of childbirth complications, on 14 Jan. 1863, at age twentyfour. The infant grandson was taken into Yancey Wiley's home, where sixteen year old Kate was now mistress of the house. The following year at thirty, daughter Frances Gillespie died, (8 Sept. 1864) leaving three sons; George Yancey, Henry and Wiley Gillespie. Both Wiley older sons were in Confederate service and survived the war.
After the war, a happy event occurred at Cedar Hill Farm when daughter Kate and son John both married on 24 May 1866. A double wedding feast was held. Kate, twenty, married George Miller of Pontotoc, and John, twenty-three, married Harriet Alice Buford of College Hill. Later that year, however, Jacob Thompson Wiley, then eighteen, suffered a bad leg injury when his horse threw him and fell on him while fox hunting. The leg was amputated, but the young man died on 30 Oct. 1866, of gangrene infection. Two years later, in 1870, little Wiley Hubbard died at the age of eight.
On 21 Nov. 1867, Yancey Wiley, then sixty-two, married his third wife, Mary M. Tankersley (b. 30 Apr. 1827) of Oxford. The marriage lasted nearly twenty years, until his death on Valentine's day in 1886. He was eighty years old. Kate sent her fourteen year old son, the junior George Miller, to live with his stepgrandmother and help on the farm. He lived the rest of his life there in the old home which is still a landmark in the community. Mary T. Wiley fell on the cellar steps breaking her hip, leaving her a cripple, using crutches and a wheelchair for many years. She lived to be seventyfour, dying in the home, on 26 Jan. 1901.
James Alexander Wiley married Sallie Tomlinson of College Hill and had three children, Tom, Albert Wiley and a baby girl who died of diptheria.
John and Alice Buford Wiley had eight children: Alma, Annie, Yancey, Jim, Sallie, Nick, Leslie and Harriet.
Ginnie Wiley and James Gordon had two children, Annie and Robert.
Kate Wiley and George Miller reared ten childen: Katie, Lucy, Hugh Reid, George, Yancey Wiley, Russell, Virginia, Robert Walton, Donald Cameron, and Herbert Ashby. (See George Miller Family).
Cedar Hill Farm is today the beautifully restored home of Nan and Jimmy Faulkner. Wiley family graves are in College Church cemetery, College Hill.
by Mrs. Charles Thompson
His will, dated 4 Aug 1880, named his wife Mary M., the children of his deceased daughter Frances L. Gillespie (George Y. Gillespie and Henry Gillespie), and Mrs. C. V. Gordon. The executor was his son, James A. Wiley. 7 His property was to divided into five equal shares, one share for each of his children then living. The four children living were Caroline Virginia Gordon, James A. Wiley, John Nicholas Wiley and Elizabeth Catherine Miller; one share was probably divided among the children of Frances L. Gillespie.
Small notebook of Elizabeth Katherine Wiley has following entry:
"Commenced taking music lessons in 1856 under Mrs. Lewis.
Sister Fannie lives 7 miles from our hous. Sister Virginia lives down in the bottom in Cohoma County.
Yancy Wiley was born in July the 5th 1805.
Eliza Ann wiley was born in December 20th 1812.
Frances Lucretia Wiley was born in March the 22, 1834.
Caroline Virginia Wiley was born in Sept 13 1836.
Sarah Ann Wiley was born in April the 1th 1840.
James Alexander Wiley was born in May 19th 1841.
John Nicolas Wiley was born in Sept 18th 1843.
Elizabeth Catharine Wiley was born in Ssept 22th 1846.
Jacob Thompson Wiley was born in August 20 1846.[should be 1848]
Eliza Ann Wiley departed this life on 22th Sept 1850.
| 1 | Eliza Ann (Anna) THOMPSON |
| Birth | 20 Dec 1812, Caswell Co. NC |
| Death | 22 Sep 1850, College Hill, Lafayette Co., MS |
| Father | Nicholas THOMPSON (1781-1857) |
| Mother | Lucretia VAN HOOK (1788-1858) |
| Marriage | 20 Dec 1831, Leasburg, NC |
| Children | Frances (Fanny) Lucretia (1834-1864) |
| Carolina Virginia (1836-1903) | |
| Sarah Ann (Sallie) (1839-1862) | |
| James Alexander (1841-1908) | |
| John Nicholas (1843-1895) | |
| Elizabeth Catherine (Kate) (1846-1919) | |
| Jacob Thompson (1848-1866) |
| 2 | Anniss (Annas) LEA |
| Birth | 6 Jun 1815 |
| Death | 1 Jul 1862, College Hill, MS |
| Father | William LEA |
| Marriage | 1 May 1855, Leasburg, NC |
| 3 | Mary Malvina TANKERSLEY |
| Birth | 30 Apr 1827 |
| Death | 26 Jan 1901, College Hill, MS |
| Marriage | 21 Nov 1867, College Hill, Lafayette Co., MS |