Henry Greenberry Wiles, a son of Elizabeth (née Hersperger) and James Wiles, senior, was christened on 2 December 1827 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Frederick, Maryland. He may have been born after his father died on 12 or 17 September 1827. By 1840, the Wiles family moved from Frederick County's Middletown District to its Jefferson District.

Henry G. Wiles began working as a carpenter, and later became a proprietor of a lumber company, and a building contractor. He was married three times, becoming the father of ten children and step-father to three more.

Henry G. Wiles married first Eliza A. Nelson on 25 February 1856 in Carroll County, Maryland. The couple resided in Jefferson, Frederick County. Their four children
were—
• Laura Doretta Wiles Dayhoff
• Elizabeth Ann Wiles
• Carrie Melissa Wiles Bodmer
• Jessie Venona Wiles Zittle

In 1862, Henry G. Wiles was drafted for military service, but obtained exemption by providing a substitute, as allowed by law.

After Eliza's death in 1867, Henry G. Wiles married her sister Melissa, widow of David Richards, on 15 February 1869 in Frederick County, Maryland. Their three children
were—
• Franklin Alonzo "Frank" Wiles
• Charles Edward Wiles
• Bertha Oliva Wiles Bellman
Melissa had several children with her first husband; three were enumerated with her in the 1870 U.S. Census.

After Melissa's death in 1878, he married Mary Elizabeth Cruzen on 29 September 1880 in Loudoun County, Virginia. Their three children were—
• Virginia Wiles (died in infancy)
• Marvin Willard Wiles
• Grace Fay Wiles Roach

About 1887, Henry G. Wiles with his wife and their two young children moved to Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, where he established a lumber business, and secured a contract to build several homes. (Legal and financial troubles may have contributed to the move.) He was visiting family in Hagerstown when he died on 18 January 1899 at the home of his eldest daughter Laura Dayhoff. Mary E. Wiles survived her husband, and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, with her two children.

"Henry G. Wiles died at 8 a. m. today [18 January 1899] at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J. W. Dayhoff, Fairground ave., of paralysis, aged 72 years. He had several paralytic strokes within the past few years. Mr. Wiles returned to Hagerstown two weeks ago from Florence, Ala., where he had been living for several years and had large business interests. He was formerly a member of the firm which operated the Hagerstown Sash Factory and one of the contractors who built the Hotel Hamilton. He was a native of Frederick county.
"He was married three times and is survived by this last wife and the following children: Mrs. J. W. Dayhoff, this city; Mr. Jacob Bodman [Bodmer], Poolesville, Md.; Mrs. Jacob Little [Zittle], Omaha, Neb.; Frank, Mineola, Tex.; Charles, Washington; Marion [Marvin], Florence, Ala., and Miss Grace, at home. Funeral Friday [20 January]; services at the house at 10 a. m. by Rev. E. H. Delk; interment in Rose Hill." ("Henry Wiles Dead," Daily Mail, Hagerstown, Maryland, 18 Jan 1899.)
• Daughter Bertha Bellman omitted.

Name

First name from his grandfather, Heinrich "Henry" Hersperger. His middle name, "Greenberry," is on his baptismal record. This was the surname of Colonel Nicholas Greenberry, Esq., the 4th Royal Governor of Maryland in 1693-94. This surname became a somewhat fashionable given name, especially in Maryland. Strangely, Henry Greenberry Wiles had a brother whose first name was Greenberry.

Notes

Date of birth not known.

"Maryland Births and Christenings, 1650-1995", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:HYG7-44PZ : 12 February 2020), Henry Greenberry "Wilds," 2 Dec 1827.
• The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Frederick was founded by German immigrants. Its church services switched from German to English in the 1810s.

1830 U.S. Census, District 3 (Middletown), Frederick Co., Maryland, p. 44 (written).
[8.] Elizabeth Wiles.
• Five persons in household: three males under age 15 (the one under 5 presumably Henry), a female 10 thru 14, and a female 30 thru 39.

1840 U.S. Census, Jefferson District, Frederick Co., Maryland, p. 320 (printed).
[18.] Elizabeth Wiles.
• Three persons in household: female aged 40 to 50 (Elizabeth Wiles), female aged 15-20 (presumably daughter Catherine), and male aged 10-15 (presumably son Henry.

1850 U.S. Census, Martinsburg, Berkeley Co., Virginia; dwelling 291, family 294, lines 1-14, p. 331 (printed), 22 Jul 1850.
1. Philip Diffendaffer, 41, carpenter ($2,000), Virginia.
[...]
9. Henry W. Wiles, 23, carpenter, Maryland.
• Although the middle initial is incorrect, the age, trade, and place of birth are a match. Berkeley Co. (now in West Virginia) is south of Maryland's Washington Co. An 1852 letter was addressed to Henry G. Wiles in nearby Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
• Lines 10 through 13 were other young men working as carpenters.

Marriage license: Henry G. Wiles & Eliza A. Nelson, 25 Feb 1856, Carroll Co., Maryland. (Genealogy Department Volunteers, Carroll County Public Library, Carroll County, Maryland, Marriage Licenses, 1837-1899, 2nd ed. (Westminster, Md.: Carroll County Genealogical Society, Inc., 1995), p. 112.)

1860 U.S. Census, Jefferson District, Frederick Co., Maryland; dwelling 536, family 527, lines 34-38, p. 74 (written), 23 Jul 1860.
34. Henry Wiles [head], 32, carpenter, personal property worth $600, Md.
35. Eliza -----, 30, Md.
36. Laura -----, 3, Md.
37. Elizabeth -----, 1, Md.
38. Elizabeth -----, 62, Md.

Frederick Co., Maryland, in 1862 did not achieve its quota of volunteers for military service, and by lottery drafted men between the ages of 18 and 45

"Jefferson District.— […] Henry G. Wiles […]" ("The Draft in Maryland: List of Persons Drafted in Frederick County," The Sun, Baltimore, Maryland, 15 Nov 1862, p. 1.)

"The following substitutes were accepted during the day:
"Frederick County— […] Andreas Loos of Germany, for Henry G. Wiles […]"
("Local Matters," The Sun, Baltimore, Maryland, 27 Nov 1862, p. 1.

Marriage license: Henry G. Wiles, widower, age 41, carpenter, of Frederick Co., Maryland & Melissa Richards, age 40, of Frederick Co., 15 Feb 1869, Frederick Co., by J. K. Nichols, minister of Frederick Co. (Marriage recorded 8 Apr 1869)

1870 U.S. Census, District 14 (Jefferson District), Frederick Co., Maryland; dwelling 2, family 2, lines 8-17, p. 531 (printed), p. 21 (written), 1 Aug 1870.
8. Wiles, Henry G. [head], 43, carpenter ($1,600; $500), Maryland.
9. ----- Melissa, 42, Maryland.
10. ----- Fannie [Richards], 18, Maryland.
11. ----- Rignal D. [Richards], 16, Maryland.
12. ----- Laura D., 15, Maryland.
13. ----- Lizzie D., 11, Maryland.
14. ----- Elizza May [Richards], 9, Maryland.
15. ----- Carrie M., 9, Maryland.
16. ----- Jessie B., 4, Maryland.
17. ----- Frank, 10/12, Maryland.
• Laura, Lizzie, Carrie, and Jessie were Henry's children with his first wife Eliza. Fannie, "Rignal," and "Elizza May" Richards were Melissa's children with her first husband David Richards. Frank was Henry's and Melissa's son.

By the early 1870s, the WIles family had relocated to Hagerstown, Maryland, where Henry G. Wiles was a proprietor of the Hagerstown Manufacturing Company, commonly called "Sash Factory," which operated steam-powered saw mills and planing mills.

1880 U.S. Census, E.D. 162, Hagerstown, Washington Co., Maryland; North Potomac St., dwelling 127, family 142, lines 39-44, p. 344B (printed), p. 14 (written), 7 Jun 1880.
39. Wiles, Henry, 52, widowed, carpenter, born in Maryland; parents in Md.
40. ----- Lizzie, 21, daughter, keeping house, Maryland.
41. ----- Carrie, 19, daughter, Maryland.
42. ----- Jessie, 13, daughter, Maryland.
43. ----- Franklin, 10, son, Maryland.
44. ----- Charlie, 8, son, Maryland.
45. Richards, Liza, 19, s[tep] daughter, born in Maryland; parents in Md.
• Daughter Bertha Olivia, age 6, omitted.

Marriage license: Henry G. Wiles & Mary E. Cruzen, 23 Sep 1880, Loudoun Co., Virginia. Henry, widowed, age 50, b. 1830, Maryland. Mary E., single, age 30, b. 1850, Loudoun Co., Virginia, d/o Jacob H. Cruzen. ("Virginia, Marriages, 1785-1940," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XR9K-9V3 : accessed 27 February 2015), Henry G. Wiles and Mary E. Cruzen, 23 Sep 1880; citing Loudoun, Virginia, reference im 149; FHL microfilm 2,048,468.)

"In Lovettsville, at the M. E. Church South, Sept. 29th, 1880, by Rev. W. R. Stringer, Mr. HENRY G. WILES, of Hagerstown, Md., and Miss MARY CRUZEN, of Loudoun, Va." ("Marriages," The Shepherdstown Register, Shepherdstown, West Virginia, 16 Oct 1880, p. 4, col. 7.)

"Fred. F. McComas appointed guardian to Frank A. Wiles, Bertha O. Wiles and Charles E. Wiles, minors." ("Orphans' Court," The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland, 8 Aug 1889, p. 2, col. 5.)

Suit of "Hagerstown Manufacturing Co., vs. H. G. Wiles, C. M. Keedy, Robert C. Thornsburg, partners trading as Wiles, Keedy and Thornsburg." ("Circuit Court," The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland, 15 May 1890, p. 3.)

Judgments in 1890 against Henry G. Wiles, a defendant in two suits, resulted in the seizure and sale of three of his town lots in Hagerstown, one lot improved by a one-story frame house. ("Sheriff's Sale," The Herald and Torch Light, Hagerstown, Maryland, 14 Aug 1890, p. 2.)

"Mr. H. G. Wiles, who has spent the past year in Maryland, has rejoined his family in Florence, and will probably remain here some time." ("Personal Notes," The Florence Gazette, Florence, Alabama, 5 Apr 1894, p. 3.)
• Mention of the effects of the Panic of 1893, a deep recession.

"Under and by virtue of a mortgage executed by Mary E. Wiles and Henry G. Wiles, her husband [...]" ("Mortgage Sale," The Florence Herald, Florence, Alabama, 10 Nov 1898, p. 4.

"Mr. Henry G. Wiles died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. J. Wesley Dayhoff, Hagerstown, today of paralysis, aged seventy-two years. He was a resident of Florence, Ala., and a native of Frederick county, Maryland." (Death notice, Sun, Baltimore, 19 Jan 1899, p. 8.)

Another obit. explained that Wiles had: "removed to Hagerstown when young and learned carpentering, afterwards becoming a contractor. He secured the contract to build several houses in Florence, Ala. and removed with his wife and daughter to that place." ("Henry G. Wiles," The News, Frederick, Maryland, 19 Jan 1899, p. 4, col. 3.)

No Jan 1899 issues of The Florence Times available online as of As of 6 Feb 2023,

The submitter's mother, the granddaughter of the former Miss Jessie V. Wiles, knew many of her mother's aunts and uncles.

Images

The image of H. G. Wiles as a young man is from a daguerreotype passed down through family, and now in possession of the submitter (who received it from his late mother).

The image of H. G. Wiles as an older man is a gift from Jeremy and his wife, collectors of antique photos, who took the trouble to identify "Grandpa Henry G. Wiles" as inscribed on the back of the photo.

Great-great-grandfather of submitter.

Reviewed 6 February 2023.