West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1905-11-23
SAMUEL T. WILEY.
Biographical Sketch Of the Noted
Historian.
BY W. SCOTT GARNER.


Fayette county, Pennsylvania, May
25, 1850. He was reared by his
grandparents, Samuel and Eleanor
(Brownfield) Wiley, and was of direct
Scotch-Irish (Gael-Ersic) and remote
Welch-English (Cimbrian- Saxon) lin
cage. In 1864 he entered Georges
Creek academy with the intention of
fitting for Yale college, whose full
course he desired to take before COM
mencing the study Of criminal law in
the city of Chicago.
In 1867 young Wiley's health be-
came 80 impaired as TO compel his
withdrawal from school, and three
years later, February II, 1870, he was
terribly crushed about the left shout
der and breast by the fall of a heavy
beam. The injuries thus received
caused severe hemorrhage of the
lungs, with which he was con-
tinuously afflicted for more than
ten years, which occasionally
returned in later life, and which
finally resulted in his death. These
injuries early compelled the abandon
ment Of his earnest purpose to secure
a collegiate training, and also of his
legal studies undertaken in 1869. An
unusually severe attack in February,
1878, destroyed all use of the left
lung, leaving only the right lung for
use, and at the same time seriously
affected the sight of the left eye and
the hearing of the left ear.
Thus handicapped in the race of
life, most men would have hesitated
and abandoned all serious effort. Not
80 with Samsuel T. Wiley. The
spirit of his Scotch-Irish ancestors
famed within him, and in the very
teeth of adverse circumstances, sus-
tanned only by his indomitable will
and the splendid courage that dis
tinguished the man, he secured an
academic education and entered on
the active duties of life. From 1870
to 1880 he visited various sections of
the Union in quest Of health, teaching
irregularly in a number of rural
schools, academies and colleges as
his health would permit, and also
doing considerable newspaper and
magazine work.
In 1876 he published but did not copy
right the first "brace outline of
history ever printed. In 1879 he
wrote the Legends of Fayette
County, g" the story of the "Catawba
War-Path," and the now widely ac-
cepted archaeological theory of the
Mound Builders. In 1880 he furnish
ed several township chapters. of the
History of Fayette County, Pennsyl-
vania, published by l.. H. Everts
q Co., of Philadelphia, and in the
succeeding year, in connection with
A. w. Frederick, A. M, he wrote and
published the History of Preston
County, West Virginia THE only
history of the county that has ever
been printed. In 1888 he wrote the
" History of Monongalia County, West
Virginia" and from 1884 to 1889 was
engaged principally in teaching com
mon schools and normal classes.
Mr.. Wiley first came into Preston
county in 1871, hoping to improve his
shattered health among the West
Virginia hills. For a number of
years he taught along the Mason and
Dixon line, including terms at Pleas
ant Valley, Ryan's Glade, Listens
George Maust's, Jonas Maust's,
VanSickle's and Jesse Spur
gins, beside two terms of
summer normal school at Bruceton
and one at GAINESVILLE. He was a
Democrat in politics, and in 1879, at
the request of friends he ran as an
Independent candidate against the
Republican nominee for the Office of
Superintendent of schools in Preston
county. So great was his personal
popularity that he was only defeated
by three hundred and fifty-six votes,
although the regular Republican ma
jority was then fifteen hundred in the
county.
In 1889 Mr.. Wiley became historian
for the firm of John M. Gresham &
Co., publishers of historical and
biographical cyclopedias, with offices
in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, and
Richmond, Indiana. With them he
remained for a number of years.
working at Uniontown, Greensburg,
Indiana, Kittanning and Philadelphia,
in Penn'a, and at Richmond in In
diana. While in Richmond the writer
Of this sketch, who was then manae-
ing editor Of the company's publica-
lions, worked with him for several
years and became intimately acauant-
ed with him in all his varying moods
and lenses. Only thus could one
properly appreciate the genius of this
remarkable man. Howerev, we aim
to pronounce no panegyric in this
brief sketch Of his career, but simply
TO record the work he accomplished.
While with the Gresham company he
wrote the historical part and other
wise assisted in the preparation Of the
Biographical Cyclopedias of the eoun-
ties Of Fayette, Westmoreland, In
diana, Armstrong, Blair, Delaware
and Chester in Pennsylvania, and
Chautauqua, Niagara, Saratoga. and
other counties in the state of New
York. These were all large royal
octave volumes, containing from six
hundred TO nine hundred pages each.
After the Gresham company quit
business in 1894, Mr.. Wiley was en-
ployed with various other publishing
concerns engaged in the local history
business, but we have no data regard
inc this later yU,,rk In oil 10