ARCHIBALD JAMES WILEY
(a.k.a. James A. Wiley)

Submitted by James Ross Wiley, June 1999.
(Died May 2001)

My cousin and good friend, John Kieffer, recently received a packet of copies from the National Archives on our g-grandfather's pension applications. I'm posting portions of it here for those who may find interest where other residents of Fairview and environs are mentioned. I found the language and poignant personal observations, reaching back over a century fascinating, almost like hearing these folks talking to us....Jim Wiley

Edward Gordon (no copy to post, yet)
Thomas Pegg (no copy to post, yet)
Marshall Whiteman (no copy to post, yet)
Joseph L. McCullough (no copy to post, yet)
John Wingood (no copy to post, yet)
Henry M. Yoho (no copy to post, yet)
James N. McHenry
Robert Henry
Henry Resseger
Francis V. Cox, M.D.
Archibald Wiley

First, from the application of Archibald James Wiley:

Archibald James Wiley's Deposition; August 31, 1894:

On this 31st day of August, 1894, at Ella, County of Marshall, State of West Virginia, before me, E. H Canver, a Special Examiner of the Pension Office, personally appeared Archibald J. Wiley..."I am 63 years old; Farming; Ella Marshall Co., West Virginia. I am the identical person who served under the name of Archibald J. Wiley in Co., H, 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry and claim pension on account of loss of index finger of left hand and rheumatism.

"I lived right here for 4 or 5 years before I went to the Army, and have lived right here in this place ever since. I have always followed farming. I was never sick or disabled in any way before I went to the Army. DR. MCKIMMIE, now dead, was our family doctor before the war, but never doctored me any.

"I enlisted about the 24th day of February, 1864 at Wheeling, West Virginia in Company H, 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry, CAPTAIN THOMAS REED, Fairmont, West Virginia, but he never was with the Company while I was with it. FIRST LIEUTENANT WILLIAM MURPHY, dead, also LIEUTENANT LLOYD AND HORNBROOK, but he was not with the Company while I was with it. MARSHALL WHITEMAN was Orderly Sergeant, who was somewhere in Big Fishing Creek; HENRY MASON, dead; JOSEPH MCCULLOUGH, who did live on Fishing Creek; and THOMAS PEGG, Newdale, West Virginia; AARON YOST, Bend, Tyler County, West Virginia; JAMES SHRIVERS, who is somewhere in Ohio, I do not know his address; and EDWARD GRANDIN, Moundsville, West Virginia tented with me.

"I was wounded in the battle of New Market, Virginia on May 13, 1864, my left index finger was shot away and I went to hospital at Clarysville Hospital...

"I contracted the rheumatism in April, 1865 at Cumberland, Maryland. It just came on me. I do not know the cause for it. It then affected the small of my back. I was treated for it by DR. ENGLISH, dead…

"DR. MCKIMMIE was my doctor when I came home. I went to him after I came home, but I could not say how long I had been at home. He did not give me any medicine, but he have me advise. He told me to diet myself. DR. MCKIMMIE healed me for diphtheria that is all the treatment he ever gave me. The first treatment I had for rheumatism was by DR. WALTON, dead, about 8 years ago. He treated me about 2 years. I was then treated by DR. COX of Proctor, West Virginia for 4 or 5 years, and last Winter I had DR. MARTIN, who lives somewhere down the river.

"I never could stand to work right along after I came home from the Army, some times I would feel pretty stout and then again I would not. I did not do as much work as the ordinary citizen for the first 10 years, after the war. I have done no work for the last 5 years. I then just gave out and broke down.

"Those who know my condition while in the army are THOMAS PEGG, Newdale, Wetzel County, West Virginia: EDWARD GRANDIN, Moundsville, Marshall County, West Virginia. I do not know of any one else who would know my condition in the Army.

"Those who know my condition when I returned from the Army and since are HENRY YOHO, Ella, West Virginia; ROBERT HENRY, Ella, West Virginia; ALEXANDER HENRY, and HENRY RESSEGER, Ella, West Virginia.

"All the other old citizens who lived any where near me are dead. I do not know of any one else who would know of my condition when I came out of the Army...

Deposition "H" Case of Archibald J. Wiley, No. 192.243: (JAMES N. MCHENRY)

"I am 57 years old; Farmer; Ella, Marshall County, West Virginia. I have known the claimant for about 40 years. I never knew him to be sick or disabled in any way before he went to the Army. I never knew anything to the contrary but what he was sound up to the time he went to the Army. I enlisted August 11, 1862 in Company B, 12th West Virginia Volunteer Infantry.

"I lived about 2 miles from him, I saw him every few days and worked with him some few days. I do not know anything about his health while he was in the Army. I saw him a few times. He was then in the 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry.

"I was discharged June 1, 1865, and came home. He came home I think a few days after I did. He then complained of the chronic diarrhea. I do not recollect of anything else. He suffered with the diarrhea more or less every year for about 15 years, principally in the Summer time. I have no knowledge of it after that, but some thing else set in about that time, the trouble he has now. He is now helpless. It commenced to work in him a kind of nervousness, and it got worse and worse until he lost the use of himself about 2 or 3 years ago.

"He did some work when he came home. Some days he would do a few days work and then at times he could not do so much. I do not think he did 1/2 as much as the average citizen at any time. He complained of his back, and through his hip, right after he came home. I knew of it when a month after he came home. He complained of it aching and being weak. He has complained of his back nearly all the time since he came home from the Army. He complained of it more or less every year since the war, and at times he would be hard up a day or two. I have no knowledge of any other complaints. He allowed that his trouble in his back was Kidney trouble. I know of the back and Kidney trouble only from his say so. I know that he did not work at times and was complaining of that trouble.

"Since the war, I have not lived over 3 miles from him. The most of the time I have lived about 3 miles from him. I now live about two hundred yards. I have seen him every few days since the war. I have not worked much with him since before the war. I farmed a part of his place before the war. I have always been very intimate with him. I have no knowledge of the diarrhea after the nervous trouble set in. I have heard him complain of the rheumatism about 2 years back. That is the first that I know of that. It crippled him up in his legs.

"I do not know of him having any heart or head trouble.

"I am no relation to him and have no interest in his case. I have understood the questions, and my answers are correctly recorded."

Signed, James N. McHenry

"I am 53 years old; Grocer and Post Master, Ella, Marshall County, West Virginia.

"I have known the claimant for 26 years, I came here 26 years ago last spring, and got acquainted with him right after I came here. He was able to go around and do a little work. He was doing some jobs around his house. He did not then do regular farmwork. As far as I understand, it was a general disability, and he complained right smart of a chronic diarrhea. I did not hear him complain of any other disability.

"He has been going down gradually ever since I knew him. I have no knowledge of any other disabilities except the diarrhea and a general disability.

"I do not know of any particular part of his body that he has complained of. It seemed to me that his nervous system just gave away. For the last 10 years or longer, he has practically done no work. I have heard his wife say that she has dressed and undressed him for the last 3 or 4 years. He has appeared to have no use of hands for about 8 years. He could hardly manage to hold a pen to sign his name that long ago. He would tremble and seemed to have no strength in his limbs. He never has been an excessive drinker, I never saw him under the influence of drink, but once about 20 years ago. To the best of my knowledge he has never drank any to hurt him. He has been a man of good habits.

"I have no knowledge of him having the rheumatism. My opinion is that his trouble has been more of a nervous affliction [Parksonism, apparently. jrw.] than rheumatism. I cannot say that he was so nervous when I first came here. He was then weak, and when he would commence to work, he would have the diarrhea. I could not say that I ever knew him to have any heart trouble. I have no recollection of his limbs or joints swelling. I do not recollect of him having any treatment before Dr. Cox treated him. I have brought a considerable lot of medicine from Wheeling for him. Dr. Greene's Nervura. He claims that helps him. He has been using that for about 2 years. I do not know what else he used, except Dr. Williams Pink Pills for pale people. He used them before he used the nervura. I have no idea as to what his present condition is due to, more than he claimed that he contracted the chronic diarrhea in the Army.

"I have lived within 1/4 of a mile of him for 26 years. I have seen him every few days, but saw him oftener when he was able to go about. We have always been neighbors and friends during this period.

"He has never been a fleshy man since I knew him. I am no relation to him and have no interest in his case in any way.

When did you first see claimant after he returned from the Army, and how do you fix the date? "We were born and raised near each other, and when he was discharged from the army, he came direct to his old home."

Of what disability did he complain, and how was he affected? "He had his left finger cut off by a rebel ball; and he complained of rheumatism & continues to suffer with rheumatism to this date."

How frequently have you seen him since your first acquaintance? "On an average of three times a month since his discharge in 1865."

If he has continued to suffer with such disability, please describe the symptoms which were apparent to you, and state to what extent he has been disabled therefrom for manual labor during each year. "He continued to suffer with rheumatism and a few years ago he had paralysis which rendered him helpless and has had to be cared for as a child."

My means of knowing the fact of the case are these: "I lived near neighbors to him before the war, and for some years afterward; and we have continued to visit back & forth and know of his frail condition from personal knowledge."

Very respectfully, William H. Warren

Upon his death, AJ Wiley's property and estate were evaluated:

West Virginia, Marshall County Assessment:

"I, E. M. Lewis, Clerk of the County Court of said county hereby certify that I have examined the Land Books and Personal Property Books of said county for the year 1896, and find A. J. Wiley assessed with real estate of the value of $1880, and personal property of the value of $210, and I further certify that I find on record no encumbrance against the said A. J. Wiley."--Given under by hand and official seal at Moundsville this 12th day of September, 1896.---E. M. Lewis, Clerk

Following that, his widow, Rebecca Jane Warren Wiley filed application for a widow's pension:

Widow's Claim For Pension, Marshall County, West Virginia:

On this 16th day of July, 1896, personally appeared before me, a Rebecca J. Wiley, a resident of Ella, in the County of Marshall and State of West Virginia, aged 62 years...she is the widow of Archibald J. Wiley, who was a Private in Company F commanded by William S. McFaley in the 2nd Regiment of the West Virginia Volunteer Infantry in the War of 1861; that her maiden name was Rebecca J. Warren and that she was married to said Archibald J. Wiley on or about the 25th day of November, 1852 at Jacobsburg in the County of Belmont and State of Ohio by Rev. David Cross. ["Coss"]

She further declares that said Archibald J. Wiley, her husband, died at Ella, Marshall County, in the State of West Virginia, on or about the 26th day of June, 1896 of Catarrh of bladder, stomach, and bowel trouble, and for paralysis and pneumonia.

She also declares that she has remained a widow ever since the death of said Archibald J. Wiley. She hereby appoints Henry Kinney, Jr. of Armstrong Mills, Belmont County, Ohio as her lawful Attorney, with power of substitution, and authorizes him to present and prosecute this claim.

My Post Office address is Ella, Marshall County, West Virginia. ----Signed Rebecca J. Wiley Witnessed by Blanche Burch and Elmer Resseger

In the matter of application for pension of Rebecca J. Wiley, widow of Archibald J. Wiley. . . On this 29th day of March, 1897 personally appeared before me a Notary Public in and for the aforesaid County, Henry Resseger, aged 56 years, a resident of Franklin District, County of Marshall and State of West Virginia, who Post Office address is Ella, West Virginia.

"I, Henry Resseger, have been well and personally acquainted with Rebecca J. Wiley and family for 28 years, and I am acquainted with the lands of Archibald J. Wiley, deceased, having been over said lands some. A. J. Wiley's deed calls for 172 acres more or less. And about 125 acres of said land has been cultivated. The remainder is timber land, said land is mountainous or hill as the land is generally in this section of West Virginia. This land is mostly thin and unproductive. A. J. Wiley died intestate and in West Virginia in such cases, they widow is entitled to a dowry right or life interest in the one third in value. If said lands were offered at cash sale it would sell for little over $15 per acre, and if rented from money rent, it would not rent for more than $1.50 per acres for the cleared land. And out of that would have to come the taxes and keeping buildings and fence in repair whatever this might be."

"They may petition to court at any time for a partition of said lands and have the claimant share run off to her in that case she will be compelled to rent her dowry and after paying taxes of the same and repairs it does not appear reasonable that would realize more than thirty dollars per year taking one year with the others."

"The claimant is receiving nothing from the lands except her board and clothes since her husband died. The mansion house on said land burned since the death of A. J. Wiley and the claimant and heirs are endeavoring to rebuild the house. This statement is the best of my judgment in case and was written by myself and without any aid or prompting from any source whatever. I further declare that I have no interest in said case and am not concerned in its prosecution."

Signed Henry Resseger - March 23, 1897 H. R. Williams - Notary Public Filed by Henry Kinney, Jr. - Armstrong Mills, Ohio

In the matter of the claim of Rebecca J. Wiley. . . Personally came before me . . . Harry R. Williams, aged 29 years, citizen of the town of Ella, County of Marshall, State of West Virginia, who declares:

"I have lived near Rebecca J. Wiley and Archibald J. Wiley her deceased husband for the past 14 years, visited him very often and was by his bedside at the time of his death which occurred June 26, 1896 at 8:00 a.m."

"As I am no physician, I can not tell the cause of said Archibald J. Wiley's death."

"This statement was written by myself. I did not need the aid of any one as I was personally acquainted with Rebecca and Archibald J. Wiley and this is my personal knowledge of the fact.

Signed H. R. Williams
Witnessed by James N. McHenry and William A. Henry
Henry Resseger, Notary Public

In the matter of the claim of Rebecca J. Wiley. . . James N. McHenry, aged 62 years, citizen of the town of Ella, County of Marshall, State of West Virginia, who declares:

"I have lived near neighbor to said Archibald J. Wiley for the past 30 years, visited him very often and was by his bedside during his last sickness, and was by him at the time of his death which occurred June 26, 1896."

"What caused his death I am not able to say as I am no Physician."

"This statement was written in my presence and is from my oral statement this day made to H. R. Williams of Ella, West Virginia and in making the same I was not aided or prompted by any written or printed Statement or recital prepared or dictated by any other person and is from my personal knowledge."

Signed James McHenry
Witnessed by L. M. McHenry and Aldin McHenry