Finding the First Wiley

We know that Charles, Dohn, Philip and Mark are the four sons of Charles Aden and Frances Izetta Frazee Wiley. We know that Charles Aden was born to Aden Augustus and Anna Frances Vendrick (Wenrich) Wiley on February 15, 1902 in Huntington Co., IN. But for many years Aden, who has given his name to four generations of Wileys, was like Melchizedek of Biblical fame, "without father or mother, without genealogy" (Hebrews 7:3).

Then one day I came across Aden Wiley in the 1860 census of Franklin Co., IN. He was two at the time, listed in the household of Leonard Murch, a shoemaker living in Brookville. Leonard (57) and Isabella (45) are listed with eight children and at the end of the list we find Sarah Wiley (25) and Aden Wiley (2). In the 1850 census Sarah is listed as the oldest daughter of the Murches making them Aden's maternal grandparents. Leonard was born in Maine and Isabella in Kentucky. Our ancestor Sarah Murch Wiley was also born in Kentucky about 1835. Aden's father is not listed here, nor have I been able to find in the 1860 records. In later census records Aden gives Ohio as the birthplace of his father and Kentucky for his mother. There is a record of marriage in Franklin Co., IN for Sarah C. Merch and Isaac Wiley on April 27, 1856. I have been unable so far to find either Aden or his parents Isaac or Sarah in the 1870 or 1880 census records. The 1890 census was destroyed in a fire. Aden next shows up in 1900 in Huntington Co., IN with his wife Anna Frances and his daughter Martha Charlotte Wiley.

Detective work turns up family in 1930

Where were Charles and Frances Wiley and sons Charles and Dohn living in 1930? I had searched the census records under all of their names, but nothing turned up. Sometimes the problem rests with the census taker who misspells the surname, other times the transcriber misreads the last name written. Knowing that Dohn Frazee Wiley was born in 1926 in Delaware County, Indiana, I set out to do a township by township search through ancestry.com for the elusive family. First, I searches Niles Township, where Elwood and Flora Frazee (Frances's parents) lived. Next, I moved to Union Township (Eaton) and there listed as Charles Wilen I found the family record.

Wandering with the Wileys

I'm not sure when it first happened, perhaps it was that story about the first Wiley coming across the pond as a criminal that peeked my curiosity in the family history. It was a fascinating story, but one I hoped to prove wrong. Or it could have been that elusive Frazee Family Bible that Aunt Kathryn Frazee used to talk about. But since then I have been smitten with the genealogy bug. Little by little over the past 30 years I have tried to accumulate facts, separate fiction, visit sites and find pictures of the Wiley-Frazee families. This first attempt at a blog is not so much about me, as it is about all of us and the common heritage and ancestry we share. For the most part the Wileys (and Frazees) have pretty much stayed put "Back Home Again in Indiana," so the title of this blog could be misleading. However, our forefathers and mothers came from other places and some of us have settled in other places, so hopefully this blog can wander (and wonder) with us to learn more about who we are and where we are going.

This is a work in progress and I would love to have your contributions: anecdotes, remembrances, photos, history, whatever you could contribute to round out and fill in our family history and heritage. I look forward to hearing from you! Though the miles separate us our common journey will bring us closer.

The focus of this blog will be the descendants of Charles Aden Wiley and Frances Izetta Frazee, but hopefully there will be enough to interest the greater Wiley-Frazee family as we put our heads together to find out where we came from.