PILE-L Archives

From: "Susan Tilleman" <>
Subject: [PILE] PILE Family of Fentress Co., TN
Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 20:56:13 -0700
References: <f9.9e15296.28281087@aol.com>

This is in reply to David ATKINSON's query today to the Fentress Co., TN,
list about the PILE family of Fentress Co. See my Jan. 21, 2001, posting
below which can be found in the archives of the PYLE list.

Sue Tilleman
Live Oak (suburban San Antonio), Texas

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From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2001 7:51 AM
Subject: Re: [TNFENTRE-L MCFARLIN/MCFARLAND Family

Hi Sue,
I appeciate your reply to Jeanne McFarland Jennings concerning the McFarland
line. The McFarland line does enter into some of my Atkinson line.

Where I would like to ask you, is Fentress County Pile line part of the
Coonrod Pyle line. As I recall, one of Coonrod Pyle's son married an
Atkinson girl. I would be interested in finding someone researching this
line.

I would appeciate an mail from you concerning your Pile ineage.
David Atkinson, Tulsa, OK

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Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 07:40:13 EST
From: <>
To:
Message-ID: <>
Subject: [PYLE] PILE/PYLES Family in Fentress Co., TN, and Pulaski Co., KY

This is in reply to recent postings to this list by Charles PYLE and Tom
JOHNSON.

Here are a few excerpts from archived postings on the subject of the PILE
family in Fentress Co., TN:

1. TNFENTRE list, 16 Jun 2000, posting by myself, titled "[TNFENTRE-L] Levi
PILE, b. 1824, TN; m. Nancy Anna "Anna" MCFARLAND":

"Seeking information about Levi PILE and his ancestry. Levi b. 1824, TN; m.
Nancy Anna "Anna" MCFARLAND from Fentress Co., TN; lived Fentress Co., TN.
I have been attempting unsuccessfully for over 20 years to connect Levi to
the 'Coonrod' PILE family of Fentress Co., TN. Information recently
received from another researcher suggests that Levi may have been an Army
deserter in August of 1862, when he left his family and reportedly was never
heard from again. (Note that son George was b. in August of 1863.) At
least three of
his children, and possibly also his wife Anna, later migrated to Pulaski
Co., KY."

2. TNFENTRE list, 16 Jun 2000, posting by Gary NORRIS, titled "Levi PILE,
b. 1824, TN; m. Nancy Anna 'Anna' MCFARLAND":

"There was a Private Levi Piles in Company E of the 7th Tennessee Infantry
(U.S.). My information came from Tennesseans in the Civil War: Part 2.

You would have to check the individual soldier's records to find out if this
is your man. It would list him as a deserter and his entire military
record, dates, and his description. Try the Tennessee State Library and
Archives. They have a section about ordering a soldier's records."

3. TNFENTRE list, 16 Jun 2000, posting by Milly PIROS, titled "Re:
[TNFENTRE-L] Levi PILE, b. 1824, TN; m. Nancy Anna 'Anna' MCFARLAND"

"I looked in the Pictorial History of Fentress County Tennessee~~the First
Hundred Years Vol 1

There are some pictures of Conrood Pile's children ..but no Levi."

4. PYLE list, 1 Sept. 2000, posted by Stephen C. PILE, titled "RE: [PYLE]
Re: Coonrod Pile":

"I saw a copy of a note written during Coonrod Pile's time, relating that a
meeting was held at "the home of Coonrod Poile"-- I am relying on memory but
that was the first time I had seen that spelling and it stuck with me. I'll
look through my stacks of information and see if I can find the note.
Coonrod/Conrad is my gggg....grandfather. Our family's tradition is that the
name was originally Poyle and he was German. Even Poyle would have been a
phonetic rendering of the German, and could also be spelled Piel, Pfeil,
Peil et al. There are records of Hessians (allied with the English!) named
Piel, and there is one Conrad listed as a prisoner of war in 1782 in NY."

5. PYLE list, 4 Sept. 2000, posting by Stephen C. PILE, titled "RE: [PYLE]
Re: Coonrod Pyle":

"Nothing about Conrad's parents-- the best educated opinion I have heard
(from Tom Pyle) is that Conrad (Conrad, Konradt, Conradt, Conradus) Piel
(Peihl, Pfeil, Peil, Pile, Poile, Poyle, et al) was German and fought with
the British as did other Hessians or German mercenaries. A Conrad Piel is
listed as a Hessian prisoner in NY in 1782 (MUSTER ROLLS AND PRISONER-OF-WAR
LISTS BY CLIFFORD SMITH, and thought to be a drummer because of his age (and
a notation). He is also shown in Family Treemakers â?oPassenger Lists
between 1538 and 1940.� (Tom Pyle's research). Americans did everything,
including offering land to get them to desert the English. Prevailing wisdom
for the losers was to become English (Poyle?) and blend in and go along with
the winners. Part of the reason for coming over here was to stay for a
better lot in life. Conrad could have moved down to North Carolina with his
family
(Brothers Richard and Peter?), and finally to Tennessee where things get
much clearer."

6. PYLE list, 1 Sept. 2000, posted by Shirley SCHWARTZ, titled "[PYLE] PILE
Family in Fentress Co., TN":

"... I have info indicating Coonrod Poyle (Pyle) was born in Germany in
1745. His parents came to America with him at the start of the Revolution.
They settled in NC and he married there. In 1791 he settled in Fentress Co
TN.
They always spelled their name the way they wanted -- Poyle, Pile, Piles,
and Pyle. And as I said they even used Poiles (my maiden name)."

7. PYLE list, 2 Sept. 2000, posted by Charles PYLE, titled "Coonrod":

"I have seen information that strongly suggests "Coonrod Pile" was in fact
Conrad Pfeil. Other evidence suggests that the first "Coonrod" hailed from
the same village in Hesse as Daniel Pfeil (Pile) and that the Pile families
of Fentress and Sullivan counties are kin."

8. PYLE list, 12 Sept. 2000, posting by Doris HAYNES, titled "[PYLE]
'Coonrod' Pile info from The Pyle Book":

"Conrod or Coonrod Pile, b. 3-16-1766 prob. in N.Car.
d. 10-14-1849 in Fentress Co., Tenn. bur. Wolf River Cem.m. Mary ____, b.
4-13-1769 in N.Car. d. 6-18-1834 Bur. Wolf River
Issue:
i. Jacob Pile, b. 4-16-1785 m. Evangeline C. Williams
ii. Daniel Pile, b. ca 1787 d. 1865
iii. Delila Pile, m. Roger Crockett (documented)
iv. Elizabeth Pile m. Henry Helms
v. Elijah Pile, b. 11-11-1795 prob in NC m. 3-21-1814 to Rebecca Earp
vi. John Pile, b. ca 1802 in Tenn., m. Nancy___ b. ca 1807 in KY
vii. Jehu Pile, Sr.
viii. William "Grady" Pile, b. 3-12-1810 in Fentress Co. m. (1)
Narcissus
Sabien (2) Mary Williams

The Pyle Book has an intersting article on him. It quotes some of the book
'Sergeant York and His People' by Sam K. Cowan. It tells of Fentress County
becoming a 'no man's land' during the Civil War subjected to marauding bands
from the North and from the South, a land for plunder and revenge. The
county was on the military border between the free and slaveholding states.
Coonrod had been a slaveholder, but very few of the mountianeers were slave
owners. Those with sympathies for the south went with those forces and those
with
northern syumpathies went with the northern forces. The men who remained
home were compelled by public sentiment to take sides. The raiding of
passing soldiers was the excuse for organized raids on both sides. Two of
Conrad Pile's grandsons were killed during this period, Conrod Jr. or Rod as
he was called and Jeff, both sons of Elijah. Rod sympathized with the north
and Jeff with the south. Sgt. Alvin York of WW II fame came from Elijah's
line through daughter Nancy who married William Brooks and their daughter
Mary Elizabeth who married William York.

One reason this part of Coonrod's history interested me is that my husband's
grandfather, Pleasant Howard, lived in Fentress County during this time
period and served in the CSA and was killed by one of the 'passing bands of
mauraders' only a few days after he had returned home from his service.

During my research on my husband's Howard, Wright and Price families there I
have seen Coonrod's name spelled POILES and I had dismissed it as a typo."

9. PILE list, 1 Sept. 2000, posted by Stephen C. PILE, titled "RE: [PYLE]
PILE Family in Fentress Co., TN":

"Thought you might enjoy this excerpt From SERGEANT YORK by Sam K. Cowan,
1922, Funk and Wagnalls Com.
'Old Coonrod Pile lived in the valley until his life spanned from the
days when it was a hunting-ground of the Indians to the time when he can be
remembered by some of the men and women now living in Pall Mall, who knew
him as the most influential man of his time in the section, the owner of the
river-bottom farm land, vast acres of hardwood timber, a general store and a
flour mill worked by his slavesâ?"a man grown to such enormous size and
weight that in his last days he went about his farm and to oversee his
workers in a two-wheeled cart pulled by oxen.
Those of the valley who now remember him were children when he died, for
hewas born on March 16, 1766, and his death occurred on October 14, 1849.
He saw his valley home changed from a part of the state of Franklin to a
part of the State of Kentucky, then to Tennessee, and the abstracts to the
deeds for land he owned show that Pall Mall was first in Granger county,
later in Overton and finally in Fentress county as the State of Tennessee
developed. Pall Mall is but seven miles from the Kentucky line, and for many
years Coonrod thought he had taken up his residence within the Kentucky
border.
In a newly settled territory a manâ?Ts birthplace and antecedents are
facts immaterial to the communityâ?Ts welfare and many incidents historical
in nature concerning Old Coonrod have been lost in the waste-basket of
forgetfulness and no one now at Pall Mall has 'heard tell of jesâ?T where he
come from.' Yet some readily say that he came from 'over yonder,' and they
point back across the mountains toward North Carolina.'

There is much more written in the book about the people of Pall Mall, and
especially about Coonrod. Of course the book is out of print, but can
occasionally be found in old book stores. Also of interest is the movie,
'Sergeant York,' for which Cary Cooper received an academy award. This one
is much more available, and portrays some of the Pile clan."

10. TNFENTRE list, 19 Jul 2000, posting by myself, titled "[TNFENTRE-L]
PILE, BROOKS, BEATY, HUFF, FERGUSON, YORK"

"I have a reprinted copy of the book 'Sergeant York and His People', by Sam
K. COWAN. I purchased my copy from the Fentress County Historical Society
about 15 years ago. Pages 41 through 44 of that book talk about the murders
of Conrad 'Rod' PILE, Jr., Jeff PILE, Preston 'Pres' HUFF, and William
'Willie' BROOKS. All four deaths related to Civil War-related feuds.

Conrad 'Rod' PILE, Jr., was a non-combatant Northern sympathizer who was
taken prisoner by Confederate troops under Champ FERGUSON and shot.
Conrad's
brother Jeff was a Southern sympathizer who had taken no part in the war,
but was shot by some of "Tinker" BEATY's men while riding to visit a
brother. One of the men believed to have been involved in the murder of
Jeff PILE was Preston "Pres" HUFF. Rivals Champ FERGUSON and Pres HUFF
confronted each other one day in Jamestown. BEATY received three wounds,
but escaped on horseback. A short time after that Champ FERGUSON was hanged
at Nashville by order of court martial for the charge of entering the
hospital at Emery and Henry College and shooting awounded Federal lieutenant
to death. The book portrays Pres HUFF as a 'desperado' who dishonestly
acquired land, ran the
MCGUINNISes from the county, and killed many people 'in the most cold and
brutal manner.'

Meantime William BROOKS, from Michigan, came to the county with General
BURNSIDE's Federal forces. He married Nancy PILE, daughter of Elijah PILE
and granddaughter of Conrad PILE, Sr. (father of Conrad, Jr., and Jeff).
Tensions remained between Pres HUFF and the PILE family over the earlier
death of Jeff PILE. One day Pres HUFF and William "Willie" BROOKS, now a
farmer, engaged in a heated argument. Reportedly HUFF told BROOKS that the
next time they met he would kill him. The two met the next day, with HUFF
ending up dead. BROOKS left the valley in an attempt to escape revenge from
HUFF's friends. Later Nancy PILE BROOKS managed to evade HUFF's friends and
cross over into Kentucky with her baby to join her husband. Months later
Nancy wrote home saying that she and her husband were at a logging camp in
the northern woods of Michigan. Unfortunately, Pres HUFF's friends
intercepted the letter. BROOKS was extradited and brought back to
Jamestown. Before a trial could take place, a group of men took BROOKS from
the log-ribbed jail where he was being kept. According to page 44 of the
book, 'Taking Brooks from the jail they carried him three miles down the
road toward Pall Mall. Here they bound a rope around his feet, unbridled a
horse and tied the other end of the rope to the horse's tail. They taunted
Brooks. But they could not make him break his silence, until he asked to be
allowed to see his wife and baby. Rough men laughed, and there was the
report of a
gun. The horse, frightened, galloped down the road, and bullets were fired
into the squirming body as it was dragged over the rocks.'

William and Nancy's daughter Mary later married William YORK. William and
Mary's third son Alvin later gained fame for his heroic actions in the
Forest of Argonne during World War I and became the subject of the
movie'Sergeant York'."

11. PILE list, 16 Jun 2000, posting by myself, titled "[PILE] George PYLES
Family of Somerset, Pulaski Co., KY, ca. 1903"

"Need help identifying the four unidentified individuals in the following
photograph, taken ca. 1903, which I have posted to my home page. The six
identified individuals are George PYLES of Somerset, Pulaski Co., KY, his
wife Easter NORRIS PYLES, and their four children."

Sue Tilleman
List Administrator for the BOLDWYN, CARLOCK, and CEARLOCK Rootsweb Mailing
Lists
http://www.familytreemaker.com/users/t/i/l/Susan-E-Tilleman/index.html

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Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2001 21:57:09 -0800
From: "Charles Pyle" <>
To:
Message-ID: <001101c082a5$d47ab480$>
Subject: Re: [PYLE] Tennessee brick wall

I believe the Fentress County Pyles are descended from Conrad Pfeil, who
appears variously as "Coonrod Pile." There are descendents who contribute to
this forum from time to time who could tell you more. Sgt. York, and the
preacher named Pile portrayed by Walter Brennan in the movie were both
descendants.

...

From: <>
To: <>
Sent: Monday, January 01, 2001 11:40 PM
Subject: [PYLE] Tennessee brick wall

I'm looking for information on Pi(y)le(s) [note I have all 4 spellings to
add to the confusion], Howard, Hamilton, & Daugherty in Fetress, Overton and
surrounding TN or KY counties.Thomas A. Howard (4/28/1859 TN-11/19/1893 AR)
married to Ada Floribelle(sic) Pyle (my GGrandparents)[ from Celina &/or
Hilham] (10/25/1861 TN- 11/15/1956 AR) her mother: Nancy J. Hamilton
(12/25/1835-5/31/1899), her father's name not known Pyle, died in the Civil
War. Ada was sure that Alvin York was a cousin, but gave no details. Nancy
J. Hamilton's sister,: Pheraba(sic), married a J. N. Daugherty, daughter
Laura John Daugherty) Baucus(sic), dates & places not known.
Anything would help,
Tom Johnson, Arivaca, AZ

This thread:

• [PILE] PILE Family of Fentress Co., TN by "Susan Tilleman" <>