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John Rankin Wylie m. Sep 1, 1788 New Feliciana, Spanish Louisiana b. 1762? ?KY d. by 1820 ?Rapides Parish LA |
son ?George b. 1788? ?Natchez Dist. d. 1874? |
William b. by 1790? ?Natchez Dist d. after 1840 ?Rapides Parish LA |
Louisa b. after 1794 Natchez Dist. |
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dtr b. after 1805 ?Rapides Parish LA |
?Charles b. 1810? Rapides Parish LA d. Mar 2, 1858 Inez, Victoria Co. TX |
dtr b. after 1810 Rapides Parish LA |
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Louisa was a daughter of Daniel Higdon and
Mary Dean Calvit (1723?-1807). |
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On Oct 27, 1779, a "James Willy"
was entitled to 400 acres of land in the county of Kentucky, "on Account of
Settlement made in the year of 1774 and raising a
crop of corn in the year 1776" and also entitled to a pre-emption of 1,000
acres adjoining the settlement
[Copy of Warrant 33]. |
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According to Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic church records, "John Wily"
married "Elizabeth Higdon [sic, likely translated wrong from French or Spanish]"
in New Feliciana on Sep 1, 1788. Generally, the parents of each are recorded,
but the Church record
says "not given" for each [Diocese of Baton Rouge, Catholic Church Records,
vol. 2, p. 725]. |
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New Feliciana was in what became in 1810 Feliciana Parish
(see present day map
and Louisiana Parish Map
for location). It borders Mississippi south of Natchez. |
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On Feb 27, 1789 Thomas Marston Green sold
100 arpents of land to "Louisa Wiley" near Fairchild's Creek that was
on the south side of a Spanish patent to Green [McBee, p. 451]. |
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Map of
the Natchez District as it may have looked between 1779 and 1799 shows the
location of Fairchild's Creek. |
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In a letter dated Mar 2, 1790, from
Carlos de Grand-Pré, Natchez to
Governor Don Estavan Miro, the amount of tobacco produced in 1790 was reported
by growers of Natchez. A "Wiley" [no first name] plantation reported producing
1500 pounds of tobacco that year [MS Dept of Archives & History, website]. |
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On Jun 19, 1792, brother-in-law "James Willey" was one of several settlers in
Natchez signing a judgement against a slave. On May 17, 1793 "James Wiley" and
Charles King were chosen to represent each of the sides to resolve a contract
dispute between a Scandling and Vilaret [McBee, pp. 148, 265]. |
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A
Census Index of heads of households in the Natchez District in 1792 placed
each household in one of nine areas within the district. Included in the SC =
Santa Catalina area, which later was approximately within Adams and Franklin
Counties: "Jaime [James] Willey" [brother-in-law]; "Juan [John] Willey" [husband]; and "Jephta Higdon" [Louisa's brother]. |
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On Jul 19, 1793, brother-in-law "James Wiley" petitioned the "Spanish Govt. that
he wishes to establish himself and family [his relatives] in the New City
[a part of the town of Natchez]" and, in 1794, Lot 1 Square 32 was surveyed.
On May 15, 1799 "James Wiley and his wife, Eleanor, of Natchez" sold this lot,
which was on Main St. from Church to St. Catherine's [now Jefferson St.], for $400.
The transaction was signed by "Jas. Wiley, Eleanor (X) Wiley" [McBee, Book D, p.
458]. John Holland was the buyer but in Mar 1804, this lot was publicly
auctioned by the Adams Co. Sheriff. |
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On Aug 30, 1793, husband "John Rankin Wylie" was granted by the Spanish Govt.
400 acres on the south branch of Bayou Pierre 35 miles NNE of the Fort, bordered
by vacant lands. On May 9, 1798, John and wife "Lowicy" sold "100 square miles"
of this grant for $150. Both John and his wife signed. On Nov 9, 1801 they,
"John Wiley and Louvicy, his wife," sold the other 300 acres for $350. Both signed
[McBee, Book B, pp. 391, 392]. |
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On Jul 20, 1794, exactly one year after brother-in-law
James Wylie's petition to live on Lot 1, Square 32,
Prosper King, brother of Richard King,
petitioned the Spanish Govt. to build a house on Lot 3, Square 33 which was also
on St. Catherine's St. but two blocks north of Main St. This lot is where
King's Tavern now stands. |
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In 1795, Thomas Green sold to Louisa
Wylie, 100 arpents, "being 4 arpents in front on west line, running east along
south line to include 100 arpents, part of 800 arpents granted to [Green]", for
$100 paid [McBee, p. 121]. |
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On Oct 3, 1795, Lot No. 4, Square No. 26, in Natchez was granted to "Louisa Higdon,
wife of John Wylie" by
Carlos de Grand-Pré [McBee, Book D,
p. 450]. |
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Beginning in 1796, court records show that there were complaints about abusive
language between the King and Corrigan families at "Wiley's Tavern" [McBee,
pp. 227-232]. |
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On Jul 6, 1796, brother-in-law James Wylie and
a John Cocke were ordered to pay a debt to Simon McCay within three days. James
appeared and acknowledged that he had signed as surety for Cocke [McBee, p. 229]. |
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On Jun 6, 1798, husband "John Wiley" paid $30 to William Daniel for his Oct 20, 1793
Spanish grant of 200 acres 10 miles north of the Fort, between Fairchild's Creek
and lands of Thomas Green and John Bolls
[McBee, Book B, p. 401]. |
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King's Tavern was located on Lot 3 in Square 33 in Natchez. On Aug 5, 1799 according
to the Minutes of the Adams Co. Court, Richard King
was "licensed to operate a public house" (tavern) [Minutes of the Court of General
Sessions of the Peace, p. 78]. |
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Possible son "George Wiley", who reportedly died in 1874, is said to have arrived
in Natchez in 1788 and after 1860 wrote that what was "at one time kept as a
tavern by a man named King" was "probably the oldest house now existing in Natchez"
[Claiborne, p. 529]. |
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King's Tavern at 613 Jefferson St. in Natchez operated as a
restaurant in 2023
was for sale in 2024
as a one bedroom, 3 bath house. Photos of
side of building facing
the Mississippi River, and
inside. |
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Husband John owned several tracts of land in Jefferson Co., the part created
from Adams Co., Mississippi Territory, in 1796
(see present day map). |
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On Jun 4, 1802, "John Wiley and Louvicy, his wife" sold two tracts from
the original Daniels grant they had purchased, totalling 183 acres, to a Timothy
O'Hara for $410. On Feb 6, 1806 Richard King
deposed that he had sold a tract to "John R. Wylie" that was now the property
of Timothy O'Hara [McBee, p. 571, Book B, p. 401], indicating that by 1806, John
no longer lived in the District. |
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On Mar 11, 1804, "John Wylie and wife Lavizay, of Adams Co." deeded Lot No. 4,
Square No. 26, which had been previously granted to wife Louisa Higdon, to
"John Stump, of Davidson Co. Tennessee" who
claimed the lot 2 weeks later [McBee, p. 450]. On Mar 30, 1795 the lot was
settled upon and John Stump
recorded the deed
on Jun 12, 1807 "without the payment of any purchase money" [American State
Papers, vol. 1, register B, p. 896]. A niece of
John Stump, was named Louisa Guice when she
was born in 1807. |
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On line 3 of page 405
of the 1810 Census for Rapides Parish Louisiana,
"John Wiley" had in his household: 2 males age 16 to 26 (William and ?George), 1 male between age 26-45 (husband John born after 1755), 2 females under age 16 (daughter Louisa?, ?), and 1 female between age 26-45 (wife Louisa Higdon born after 1755), and no slaves. There are also three "William Wiley" households with younger children. |
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In the 1820 Census for Rapides Parish LA, on the ninth line of
page 134,
there is a "Mrs Willey" household with: 1 male aged under 10, 1 female aged under 10, 2 females aged 10-16 [born after 1805], 1 female aged over 45 [widow Louisa born before 1775], and no slaves. |
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In the 1830 Census for Rapides Parish LA, there is only one Wiley household:
son "William Wiley" on line 26 of
page 91 with: 2 males aged 15-20, 2 males 10-15, 1 males 5-10, 2 males under 5, 1 male age 40-50 [son William], 1 female aged 15-20, 2 females 10-15, 1 female 5-10, 1 female under 5, 1 female aged 40-50 [William's wife], and a male and female slave both aged 10-24. There is no female aged over 50 [Louisa] in the household. |
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In the 1840 Census for Rapides Parish LA, there are several Wiley households: "William Wiley" on line 13 of page 209 with a male aged 50-60, but no female older than 20. His wife possibly died after 1835 because there is a child under 5 in the household. "Charles Wiley" (son?) on line 26 of the same page with parents aged 30-40 and 4 children. "R. Wiley" on line 22 of page 220, a 20-30 year old male with no other members. |
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In the 1850 U.S. Census dated Nov 10 of that year,
on line 2 of page 86b,
"Charles Wiley" was listed as a farmer owning land, aged 40, in Rapides Parish LA,
along with: Angeline, aged 40; and children: William, aged 17; Peter, aged 16; Margaret, aged 12; Martha, aged 12; Charles Jr., aged 12; Dennid, female, age 10; Stephen, age 8; Daniel, age 7; John, age 3; Daniel, age 7; and Cornelius, aged 1. Everyone in the household was born in La. Charles Sr. may be William's son, John's grandson. He married Angeline Reed or Reid [geni.com website]. |
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Sources: American State Papers, Documents, ... of the Congress of the Unitied States, ... 1789-1809, vol. 1, Gales and Seaton, Washington DC, 1832, register A, p. 868, register B, p. 896. Adams Co. Mississippi Genealogy & History Network, "1792 Census for Natchez District (under Spanish Government control)", 2009, 1792 Census. Claiborne, John Francis Ha, Mississippi as a Province, Territory, and State, Volume 1, BiblioBazaar, 2008, p. 529. Diocese of Baton Rouge Department of Archives, Catholic Church Records, vol. 2 (1770-1803), Baton Rouge LA, p. 725. McBee, May Wilson, comp., "Land Claims", in Natchez Court Records, 1767-1805, Book B, pp. 391, 392, Book D, pp. 450, 451, 458. McBee, May Wilson, comp., Natchez Court Records, 1767-1805, Greenwood MS, 1953, v. 2, pp. 64, 78, 227-232. MS Dept. Archives & Hist., Will Book Vol. 1, Adams Co. Courthouse, Natchez MS, microfilm, Apr 1816. MS Dept. of Archives & History (MDAH), Jackson MS, rootsweb, Early Mississippians in Spanish Natchez. North Carolina Land Grants, Davidson Co. TN, #2991, website Potter, Dorothy Williams, Passports of Southeastern Pioneers 1770-1823, Gateway Press, Baltimore MD, 1982, p. 342. U. S. Census, Rapides Parish LA, 1810, microfilm p. 405. U. S. Census, Rapides Parish LA, 1820, S-K Publ., 2003, p. 134. U.S. Census, Rapides Parish LA, 1830, S-K Publ., 2003, p. 91. U. S. Census, Rapides Parish LA, 1840, S-K Publ., 2003, p. 209. U.S. Census, Rapides Parish LA, 1850, Nov 10, 1850. Wells, Carol, Natchez Postscripts 1781-1798, Heritage Books, pp. 101, 144-5, 151, |
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