Dicey Chiles

Dicey (Dicy) Chiles was the widow of Dr. Henry Chiles, the first person to be hanged in the Great Hanging at Gainesville. (see previous post on Dr. Henry Chiles) Dicey had just recently given birth to a sweet baby girl when her husband was killed. She named her new daughter, Mary Henryetta, after her husband. Dicey also had six other children: Elizabeth, George, Sarah, Margaret, John and James. Sometime before 1870 she moved her young family to Mercer County, Illinois. Her oldest daughter, Elizabeth, was hired out as a domestic servant. Dicey later moved with her married children to Taylor County, Iowa. She is buried in Taylor County, Iowa next to her daughter.

An obituary for Dicy Chiles, with references to her husband and the Gainesville hanging, can be found in another post on this blog.


In 1891, Dicey, her children, sister-in-law and others brought suit against other Chiles family members over the execution of the will of Henry Chiles, Sr.

***IS Henry Chiles, Sr. who wrote the will, the father or uncle of Dr. Henry Chiles, Gainesville hanging victim and husband of Dicey??  (note: Henry was a popular name in the Chiles family. Every generation had several men named Henry.)

The following newspaper notice (below) was placed in the Knoxville Journal in March of 1891.
THE KNOXVILLE JOURNAL March 25, 1891
HEIRS-AT-LAW OF THE SPECIFIC LEGATEES UNDER THE WILL OF HENRY CHILIES, DEC'D.No. 4,263
Whereas a bill has been filed in chancery court at Knoxville, Tenn., by Dicey A. Chiles, widow of Henry Chiles, Jr., dec'd; George W. Chiles, James F. Chiles, Elizabeth J. Powell and Robert M. Powell, her husband, Mary H. Powell and James E. Powell, her husband, Sarah A. Langley and James F. Langley, Mary Shafer (widow), Margaret Chiles (widow), James Chiles, son of Margaret; Martha Fleener and her husband Adam Fleener, and William Chiles,
AGAINST Henry Chiles, a resident of the state of Missouri, Francis M. Chiles, of Warren county, Iowa; William Chiles, jr., of Washington county, Virginia, H.H. Hamilton, of Mendota, Virginia, and the unknown heirs or specific legatees of Henry Chiles, sr., dec’d, and their heirs, all of whom their names and residences are unknown and cannot be ascertained after diligent inquiry except as they are described in the original bill formerly pending in this honorable court of the name and style of C. W. Karns, et at exrs vs. Mary I. Chiles, afterwards Sam’l Shields, admi’r, et al., wherein their names and residences are set forth as follows:
First: Children of Fanny Barker, sister of testator, as follows: Henry Barker, Charles Barker, Sarah who married James Sprowls, and another daughter whose christian name was stated to be unknown, but who married Pesquel White, all of whom resided in Lee county, Virginia; George Barker, Wm. Barker, Elizabeth Barker who resided in Washington county, Virginia; Phoebe, wife of Isaac Miller, whose residences were unknown; Polly, wife of George Clark, residents of Missouri, and Joel Parker who resided in Sullivan county, Tenn.
Second: Children of Katherine Barker, excepting William Code and wife, as follows: Thomas Barker and Joseph Barker of Washington county, Virginia; Charles Barker, of Lee county, Virginia; Henry Barker, Sam’l Barker, Paul Barker, and Polly Dowell, wife of Thomas Dowell, all of Know county, Tennessee.
Third: Children of Nancy Meek, to-wit: Sam’l Meek and four daughters whose christian names were unknown, the first of whom married John Chiles; the second, Henry Sullivan; the third, Elisha Bowers, and fourth, Anderson Thomas, and were residents of Indiana.
Fourth: Children of Polly Russell, to-wit – John Russell and Abraham Russell both of whom resided in Missouri, and the names of other children, if any, were unknown.
Fifth: Children of William Chiles, to-wit – William Chiles, Sally who married Wm. Sprawls, Martha wife of Adam Fleener, John Chiles, Almon Chiles, residents of Virginia; Nancy, wife of George Maloney, Anna wife of Logan Willis; James Chiles, Henry Chiles, William Chiles, Francis Chiles and Ephraim Chiles, who were alleged to be residents of the state of Missouri; and
Sixth: Children of Nolen Chiles, or Rolen Chiles, to-wit – James William, Henry G., John A. and George Chiles and two daughters, one of whom married Abram Smith and the other Sam’l Meek, but whose christen names were unknown, but the residents of the state of Indiana. These and the unknown heirs of all of said specific legatees whether they are all mentioned or not, and their descendants whose names and residences are known after diligent inquiry are made defendants and said bill seeks to sell for partition a tract of land in Knox county, Tennessee, which was purchased at an execution sale on the 8th of February, 1873, by the specific legatees under the will of Henry Chiles, who died in Knox county, Tennessee, many years ago.
Now therefore, it is hereby ordered that all the parties named above as defendants and all the heirs-at-law of the specific legatees under the will of Henry Chiles, to-wit –
“The children of his sister, Fanny,”
“The children of his sister, Katherine Barker, excepting William Code and wife,”
“The children of his sister, Nancy Meek,”
“The children of his sister Polly Russell,”
“The children of his brother Rolen or Nolen Chiles,”
– whose names are not given above and whose names and residences are unknown and cannot be ascertained upon diligent enquiry, come forward and make themselves parties to this suit and make defense to said bill on or before the first Monday of May next or the same will be taken for confessed and set for hearing exparte.
This notice will be published in the Knoxville Journal for four consecutive weeks.
This 9th day of March, 1891.W. L. Trent, C.& M.By W. A. Galbraith, D.C. & M.J.W. Sneed and Cornick & Caldwell, Sols.