The Wiles of Philadelphia and Pleasant Valley, New York
Anna Wile Wilder was the mother of James Lewellyn Wilder and the grandmother of Marian Wilder DeJonge and Agnes Wilder McMurdo. This page provides information and images about the Conrad Wile family of Philadelphia, and the family of Conrad's son Rev. Benjamin Franklin Wile
of Pleasant Valley, New York.
This links to a synopsis of the Wile family. The document is current to August 7, 2012.
A Synopsis of the Wile Family of Philadelphia and Pleasant Valley, NY
The following link provides an incomplete accounting of the life of Conrad Wile. As of June 20, 2012, This presentation has not been completely
uploaded as of June 28, 2012
A Brief Account of the Life of Conrad Wile
Information about Benjamin Franklin Wile
Portrait of Young Benjamin Franklin Wile
Image of Call Letter to Benjamin F. Wile, Courtesy of Steven Wile Ward
Transcript of "Call Letter" to Benjamin Wile to Preach at Pleasant Valley, New York, 1829
Believed to be Benjamin Franklin Wile, c. 1840's
The Obituary of Rebecca Vaughn Wile, the Wife of Benjamin F. Wile, 1841
Portrait of Benjamin F. Wile, c. 1840's - 1850's
An image of Benjamin Franklin Wile and his oldest son, Samuel F. Wile, believed to be from the early 1850's. Samuel quit college and tried a venture as a businessman before going to sea on a whaling ship--the "Kensington" in the early 1850's. He was away at sea for five years on this voyage.
The Death of Benjamin Franklin Wile, 1876
The Funeral of Benjamin F. Wile, reported in the Poughkeepsie Daily Eagle, 1876
The link below are memories of Marian Wilder DeJonge about her father and grandmother, Anna Wile Wilder and James Lewellyn Wilder. Use the magnifying
glass to zoom in on text.
Marian Wilder DeJonge remembers her grandmother Anna Wile Wilder
The Betsy Andrews Sampler. Betsy Andrews Vaughn was the mother of Rebecca Vaughn Wile, the first wife of Rev. Benjamin Franklin Wile.
The sampler dates to 1786.
The link below is a document detailing the archeology of the First German Reformed Church Cemetery in Philadelphia, where the Wile family plot was. The cemetery was covered over to make a city park in the mid 1800's. It isn't known if the Wile graves were moved or still lie under the park. The file is large and is in .pdf format. It may take a few minutes to load but is interesting.
Archaeology of the First German Reformed Cemetery, Philadelphia
Update on the search for the graves of the Conrad Wile family of Philadelphia. Conrad Wile was the father of Rev. Benjamin Franklin Wile of Pleasant Valley, New York. Conrad Wile was a shoe maker and well known politician in Philadelphia in the first quarter of the nineteenth century. He died in 1839, and was buried in a family plot on the grounds of the First German Reformed Church. This cemetery was removed (for the most part, see the above link) and the bodies dispersed to the American Mechanics Cemetery in Philadelphia. Here are two links, the first a description of the cemetery, the second a link that shows several graves of members of the known Wile family having been moved there in the mid 1800's.
Description of the American Mechanics Cemetery, Philadelphia
This link is a list of the reinterments at the American Mechanics Cemetery in Philadelphia. The Conrad Wile who died in 1839 is most likely James Lewellyn Wilder's great grandfather. Elizabeth Wile who died in May of 1850 matches the name and death date of Conrad's wife, Elizabeth Keyser Wile. Julia and Mary Ann Wile match with two of Benjamin Wile's sisters, and George Wile, according to Steven Wile Ward, would appear to be either an older brother of Benjamin Wile or perhaps his cousin.
List of Wile Family Reinterments at American Mechanics Cemetery, Philadelphia
In 1951, the American Mechanics Cemetery, where the graves of the Wile family and others exhumed from the First German Reformed Cemetery around 1850 had been moved to, were again exhumed and moved. The American Mechanics Cemetery in 1951 had fallen into a considerable state of neglect, and the city of Philadelphia decided to use the land for a subdivision. The graves, with headstones attached to the coffins, were moved to the Philadelphia Memorial Park in Philadelphia. In searching this site, I have located the marker for George Wile, who may have been a son or a nephew of Conrad Wile. He appears to be the same person on the list of graves moved to the American Mechanics Cemetery in 1851. The George Wile in our family was apparently also a War of 1812 veteran, as this marker shows. At this link, there are no other listings for Wiles, but the source, findagrave.com may be incomplete.
Philadelphia Memorial Park, Possible Location of Conrad Wile Family Graves
Wile Interments at Philadelphia Memorial Park
A link to the headstone of Frank Wile, the last male born with the Wile name from our family. Frank Wile was the son of Samuel Wile, the older brother of Anna Wile Wilder. Frank was the first cousin of Anna Wilder Scott and James Lewellyn "Lew" Wilder, close in age to Anna (Annie Wilder).