Welcome to the Viles Family Genealogy Site. There is a great deal of change
that will be occurring on this page, as much
information is being found on this family. Although my branch of the family
uses the surname of Viles, the majority of the other branches of the family use
Voils, Voyles, or Voiles. Read on for the rest of the story.
In about 1755 Jacob Voils and his four sons, William, Thomas, James, and John,
came to America from Wales. Many lines of this family believe they came from
Denbighshire, Wales, but all of our best evidence negates that belief.
Although we are still trying to find positive proof, the researchers I have talked
to in England and Wales say most of the Voils families are found in Pembrokeshire.
When a breakthrough occurs, I'll post it on this website. Jacob is supposed to have landed in
the port of Charleston, South Carolina, although I'm still trying to prove that
information. Apparently the family incurred some unexpected debt on the trip
and William, a boy of fourteen, was indentured to the Ship's Captain for four
years to pay off the debt. It is said that William was so upset with his father
for indenturing him that when his service to the Captain was over he did not
come back to South Carolina but settled, instead, in North Carolina. If there
was a rift in the family, they must have mended it because on the first family
land grant for my ancestor, Thomas Voils, it lists all four of the sons and the
father living on adjoining land in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. This
land
later became part of Cabarrus County, North Carolina. The land grant states
that
Thomas Voils entered the request for 150 acres on 29 May 1779. Since this was
in
the middle of the Revolutionary War, no land grants were actually issued until
after
the war ended. The land grant was issued on 2 November 1784.
So far,
the earliest government records I have found for William are DAR records and
National Archive records listing him as being a soldier in the North Carolina
Militia during the Revolutionary War. Just a couple of weeks ago I also received
a copy of a pay voucher for my ancestor, Thomas. He is listed as receiving pay
from the State of North Carolina for services during the Revolutionary War.
The voucher states, “State of North Carolina, Salisbury District No. 1514 agreeable to an act of the general assembly paper in Wake County the 14th of July 1781. Thomas Voyles was allowed three pounds three shillings specci for militia service by the board of auditors Aug 28 1782 by order David Wilson, Will Carthey, Kinsey Trotter, CB”
Sometime around 1788 the brothers started moving away. By the time of the
first Federal Census in 1790, William and Thomas were in Mecklenburg County, but
their two other brothers, James and John were not. James moved his family to
Rowan County, North Carolina and John moved his family to South Carolina.
Although this is far from completely accurate, the information known about
Jacob and his sons is:
Jacob Voils - born about 1718 in Wales. Death date unknown.
William Voils - born about 1741 in Wales. Death date was between
January of 1798 and April of 1798. William's will was first listed in records
in January of 1798 and he is listed as deceased in records by April of 1798.
James Voils - born about 1750 in Wales. Died about 1790 in Rowan
County, North Carolina. I have very little information on James so far and
hope to continue to collect more after I finish researching Thomas.
John Voils - born about 1750 in Wales. Died between 1820 and
1830 in South Carolina. James and John are believed to be twins.
Recently there has been some controversy over who the children of Thomas Voils
are and although that controversy has not been settled, for now I believe the
children of Thomas and Sarah Voils are:
George born about 1771
From here on the name in my branch of the family became Viles and family
records are well documented, thanks in great part to Judy McKinney of Halfway,
Missouri, who has written a book on William Viles and his descendants.
If you would like to purchase a copy of this book please contact Judy at:
Judy McKinney
William, who was born in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, was living in
Washington County, Kentucky until 1819. He is listed on the tax records in
that county. After that we find William on a marriage record in Vevay,
Switzerland, Indiana, on 16 March 1820. William married Martha Banta. By the
time of the Federal Census in 1820 he is in Ripley County, Indiana, but by 1830
and 1840 he is back in Switzerland County, Indiana.
The children of William and Martha are:
Nancy A. Viles - born about 1823
Henry Viles born 1 February 1828 in Switzerland County, Indiana (twin)
John Wesley Viles with his wife, Susan, and his children, Ed, John Foster
and Lexie Blanche
Moses Viles and his wife, Martha
Wedding Portrait of James E.and Martha Viles Mayfield
My ancestor, G. Perry Viles married Margaret Brown on 12 March 1844. They were
the parents of:
Richard Brown Viles - born 1845 in Polk County, Missouri
Margaret apparently died from complications of childbirth because her death
date is 1 March 1861. This must have been a time of great pain in the family.
Perry was left with 9 children to raise and a newborn baby. It was necessary
for Perry to find a wife as quickly as possible to care for the baby and the
rest of the younger children, and yet this necessity was not understood by
Perry's oldest son, Richard. On 18 July 1861 Perry married a neighbor woman
who was a widow and the mother of two children. Margaret Warren raised the
children of Perry and Margaret Brown and also had two other children with Perry.
Richard apparently never forgave his father for marrying so quickly after the
death of his mother, causing a rift in the family which wasn't
healed before the death of Perry in 1903. The two children born to Perry and
Margaret Warren are:
Commodore Perry Viles - born January 1869 in Polk County, Missouri
Although many Missourians had strong southern sympathies, it was one of the border
states that did not secede from the Union. Instead, it remained in the Union
and in many areas action was taken against those who were known southern
sympathizers. In Polk County there was a Rebel List which you were forced to
sign if you were believed to be a sympathizer. If anything happened to the
homes, farms, businesses, etc., of those who were part of the Union then those
on the Rebel list would be forced to pay for the damages. They were also taxed
at a higher rate. Within the Viles family there were both southern and northern
sympathizers. Let me have Judy McKinney, who is writing a book about the Viles
family tell it in her own words:
My gg grandfather, Mack Cord Viles, was a very stern looking man but from what
my grandfather told me he loved his family very much. From what little I have
been able to find out about him, that must have been the case because he had
to fight it out in the courts to have the right to raise his children.
Although information is very sketchy on this, apparently Mack Cord
filed for divorce against his wife, Mary Elizabeth Arnhart, stating the cause
was adultery. In copies of the divorce papers Mack even lists the men he
claims committed adultery with his wife.
At the time the papers were filed Mack had one daughter, and another son would
be born in nine months. For some reason, perhaps because Mack found out he was
going to be a father again, he withdrew his request for a divorce. Judy McKinney
just recently found that information buried in the County Courthouse. I also just
found a photo of Mack, with Mary Elizabeth and his son and daughter, Claude and
Lacey. This picture is not dated but must have been taken about 1898. That is
the last record I have of the family together as by 1900 Mary is no longer living
with the family. Although efforts are still being made to find divorce records,
at this time no verification of a divorce between Mack and Mary Elizabeth has
been found.
Mack Cord Viles married Mary Elizabeth Arnhart 18 September 1884.
Lacey Viles born 19 May 1886 in Polk County Missouri
Mack later married Lucy Janes Graves about 1901 and the children born of
this marriage were:
Mabel Mellisa Viles born 28 Feb 1902 in Taney County, Missouri
There is another child listed with this family but as of this time we aren't
certain if he is the son of Lucy Jane Graves from a previous marriage or if
we have an incorrect date for the marriage of Mack and Lucy. This child
is:
Eddie Ray Viles born 21 July 1900 in Ozark County, Missouri.
There is also no proof at this time that Mack and Lucy were
legally married. It is possible that it was a common law marriage. Hopefully
as more information becomes available from the various courthouses in the
state of Missouri we will be able to solve this mystery.
Mack and Lucy were also involved in the raising of my grandfather,
Leonard Oswald
Viles, as his mother died when he was just a little boy.
Apparently the woman his father married after his mother's death did not
get along well with the children from the previous marriage.
Mack took him in for a while until things could be worked out.
My mother told me one interesting story about Mack's life that she heard from
her father. She said that there was a period of time when Mack worked for the
railroad. He ran a train that travelled through Tombstone, Arizona and because of
this he knew Doc Holliday. I found this especially interesting because my great-
grandfather Chatham was a newspaper editor who once worked on the Tombstone
Epitaph. He knew most of the individuals involved in the shoot-out at the
O K Corral.
Mack died September 7, 1939 in Thornfield, Ozark County, Missouri and is buried
at the Thornfield Cemetery. Judy McKinney was kind enough to send me a copy
of his obituary. It is as follows:
Mr. Viles was a merchant at Thornfield for a number of years. Mack Cord Viles was
born February 16, 1861 in Bolivar, Polk County, Missouri, being the youngest son
of a family of nine children of Mr. and Mrs. Perry Viles. Father, mother, seven brothers
and one sister all preceded him in death. He was married to Mary Elizabeth Arnhart in
September, 1884. To this union two children were born. Lacie Lewallen of Branson,
Missouri and Claude Viles of Redwood City, California. The mother of these two
children also preceded him in death.
In 1899 he was married to Lucy Graves. To this union four children were born. Ray Viles
of Jacksonville, Florida; Mabel Mellier of St. Louis, Missouri; Floyd B. Viles of Ava, and
Arthur Viles of Thornfield. He leaves his wife, six children, 18 grandchildren,
seventeen great grandchildren and a host of relatives and friends.
He was converted about 30 years ago and joined the Missionary Church at Meramec,
Oklahoma, later transferring his membership by letter to the Missionary Baptist
Church at Thornfield, where he remained a member until his death.
Mack Cord Viles and his family
My great-grandfather, Claude Lee Viles, was born in Moundville , Vernon, Missouri, and
married his first wife, Estella Rae Bates, 5 May 1908. So far I have not been able to track
the actual marriage record for Claude and "Stella." My grandfather gave me the date from
his personal information. To this marriage were born
Claude and Stella Viles with two of their three children
Claude later married Minta Brown but that marriage ended very quickly in
divorce. Then on 26 October 1917 Claude married Ollie Allan. She was a widow
with one son of her own. It was the marriage to Ollie Allan which caused
problems for my grandfather. From the information he told my mother she would
always blame my grandfather whenever someone did something in the home that she
didn't approve of. For a while my grandfather would try to stand up for himself
and then he realized that it was only making things worse. Rather than deal
with that he accepted blame for anything that went on in the home, even when
Ollie's son was responsible. Because of the strained relationship with his
step-mother, my grandfather went to live with his grandfather for awhile.
Claude Lee Viles died 1 July 1952 in Sacramento, California and is buried in
the Cherokee Cemetery in Lodi, San Joaquin, California. My mother remembers
visiting with her grandfather, Claude regularly until World War II broke out.
Then, because of gas rationing, it was impossible to continue travelling from
her home in Arizona and to her grandfather's home in California.
While my grandfather, Leonard O. Viles was still in the Cavalry in Texas he met
a woman who was several years older than he and who had several children from a
previous marriage. Georgia McMillan Busby and grandpa dated for a few months and then
married in El Paso, Texas on March 5, 1928. Unfortunately that marriage would
end in sadness. In August of 1929, after grandpa had joined the Border Patrol,
the home Grandpa and Georgia lived in was destroyed by fire. Grandpa was able to
get two of the children out of the home but was unsuccessful in getting Georgia out, or her oldest daughter, Ida. Ida was rescued by others but died as they brought her out of the hotel where they lived. Georgia's body was recovered later after the fire was out. Grandpa made arrangements for the children to be returned to their father, Robert Busby, in Texas, and then tried to get on with his life.
One interesting note to this is that it was the day of the funeral when my grandmother
and grandfather first met. Grandpa went into a cafe in Tucson, Arizona. There was a
waitress working in the cafe, who was my grandmother. Apparently she thought
to herself that he was the best looking man she had ever seen and even remembered
what he ordered. My grandmother apparently also wondered at the time why he
looked so downcast, as if he did not have a friend in the world.
The grieving period passed for grandpa and he got to know my grandmother and
several of her sisters. Eventually he started dating my grandmother exclusively
and on November 8, 1930 he married Agnes Rebecca Lofgreen in Tucson, Arizona.
My grandparents were the parents of two children:
Eileen Viles Turek (with glasses) and Yvonne Viles Chatham
My grandmother died Dec 18 1959 when I was 5 years old so I don't have many
memories of her. Fortunately for me I do remember my grandfather well. Grandpa
died February 24, 1986 in Tucson Arizona.
One final note on the life of my grandfather. On January 6, 1961 he married Agnes
Emma Humphrey, whom he met while working for the U. S. Customs Department.
I hope you've enjoyed the story of the Viles/Voils family in America. Fortunately
for those of us who are related through the Viles/Voils family, the story is
never-ending. We're still writing this story with our own families.
The three oldest grandchildren
of Leonard and Agnes Viles, Thanks for your visit and I hope you enjoyed the story.
visitor
since 2 June 1997.
Benjamin born about 1772
James born about 1775
Nicholas born about 1777
Elizabeth born about 1788
Female child born 1784 to 1790
Joseph born about 1790
Thomas born about 1794
Levi born about 1796
4308 S. 188th Rd.
Halfway,Missouri,65663
or
e-mail: Judy Mckinney
or
Learn more about the book at:
Judy's book site.
Benjamin Viles - born 1 February 1828 in Switzerland County, Indiana (twin)
John Wesley Viles - born 28 March 1832
Martha J. Viles - born about 1841
William Henderson Viles - born 30 November 1845 in Polk County, Missouri
Joseph Warren Viles - born 17 December 1850 in Polk County, Missouri
Benjamin Warren Viles - born about 1851 in Polk County, Missouri
Martha Mallisa Viles - born 4 May 1852 in Missouri
Jackson Oliver Viles - born January 1853 in Polk County, Missouri
Spillman Harvey Viles - born 28 March 1855 in Polk County, Missouri
Greenberry Viles - born December 1856 in Polk County, Missouri
Margaret Alice Viles - born in 1872 in Polk County, Missouri
Everything I've ever heard about the Viles family impressed upon me the belief
that the Viles were a very strong-willed group of people. Some might say they
were even stubborn. These strong feelings must have
created some problems in the family during the Civil War because it was
definitely brother against brother in this family. It was also father against
son.
"About the time Billy (William Viles)and Patsy had gotten
their family pretty well raised, the Civil War was starting.
Missouri was along the line which divided North and South and
many families were divided because of this. History books say
it was often neighbor against neighbor, and brother against
brother. Billy's twin sons, Henry and Benjamin, were on different
sides in this war. Henry fought in the Missouri Militia for
the North, and his brother, Benjamin, was listed on a Polk County
Rebel list. He probably also fought with the Rebels,but information
on the less organized South is more difficult to find. Benjamin
was also dragged from his home in front of his wife and 6
year old son and hanged from a tree in his front yard by
carpetbaggers. They rode off,and his wife managed to get
him cut down and revived. At any rate, those whose sympathies
were with the south were required to sign a "Rebel List"
identifying themselves as Southern supporters. Billy and his
sons, Benjamin, John W., and Washington A., as well as his two
sons-in-law, Elijah W. Roberts and James E. Mayfield, were all
on the Rebel list, while his sons, Perry, Henry and John, and
two of Perry's sons, fought for the North. To complicate things
further, John, who was signed onto the list identifying him
as a Rebel, and with the others on this list was taxed heavily
by the county to help pay for damages, such as homes, lives and
property lost in the war, also fought for the North. He joined
under the spelling of Voiles. His record states he was a Corporal
of Co. L, 7th Regiment Enrolled Mo. Militia, & subsequently 15th
Regiment, Mo. Calvary, and that he enrolled on Nov. 1, 1863 at
Bolivar, MO. Mustered out with the Co. on July 1, 1865 at Springfield,
MO. He applied for and received a pension in 1907. These southern
sympathizers who fought for the North were known as "galvanized Yankees"
because they were Rebels with a thin coating of Yankee.
I haven't been able to locate information as to what the other son,
Moses, did about the war, but his children were listed on the census
as born in Kansas up to his youngest who was born in Montana Territory
in 1865, so apparently he took his young family out of the troubled area.
This must have been a very difficult time for the Viles family, as it
was for most families in America."
please visit:
The children born of this marriage were:
Floyd Benjamin Viles born 7 December 1903 in Taney County, Missouri
Arthur Landon Viles born 3 June 1905 in Taney County, Missouri
M. C. Viles of Thornfield dies: Funeral services for 78 year old
merchant held Friday at Church There. M. C. Viles died at his home in Thornfield,
Thursday, September 7, at the age of 78. Funeral services were conducted Friday
at Missionary Baptist Church in Thornfield with the Reverend C. F. Wimberly of
Rayburn, officiating. Burial was in the Thornfield Cemetery under the direction of
the Clinkenbeard Funeral Home.
Inez Marie Viles - born 16 January 1911
Clarence Eugene Viles - born 7 October 1912.
Leonard O. Viles and Inez Marie Viles
Claudia "Eileen" Viles 
Leonard and Agnes Viles with their first grandchild.
My grandfather, Leonard Viles, holding me as a baby.
the Chatham children.
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