James Wiley Cook, known as Wiley was born in Tennessee - maybe around Grainger County. As a young man, his large family traveled by wagon train with several other families from Tennessee to SW Missouri, settling in and around Greenfield, Dade County, Missouri.

Wiley along with his father, Pharoah, served in the Civil War. Wiley served with the Missouri 7th and 14th Cavalry units.

Wiley Cook was married several times:

Irena/Arvilla Ainesworth/Tinsworth before 1865 - they moved from Dade County, Missouri to Castoria, California, in the San Joaquin Valley in 1867. By 1870, they were living in Empire, Stanislaus County, California. They were accompanied by Irena's younger sister. Irena and Wiley had one daughter, Lucy Ann (1865-1934).

It was there that he first met the love of his life, Estella Peabody, a 17-year-old neighbor girl.

I assume at some point, there was a divorce from Irena, but Lucy continued to lived with her father.

He returned to Greenfield, Missouri, by 1874, where he married Catherine Baugh. They were married only 3 years - their divorce is in the Dade County records, dated October 6, 1877. They had one child, Margaret Lee "Maggie" (1875-1936).

Also in October, 1877, Wiley married the now 25 year-old Estella "Stella" Peabody. Stella had had a previous marriage to an unknown man; one day her husband was angry with her and called her a "damn yankee." Stella packed her trunk and left her husband a note on the table, "this morning you called me a damn Yankee, I'm going to show you a Yankee trick - my trunk is packed and, I am leaving you. And, she was gone. Period!" Stella had already given birth to their eldest son, John in August of 1877. Wiley and Stella had three more children: Charles E (1879-1881) Pharoah (named for his grandfather, 1882-1956) and Sarah Marcia (1884-1968). Stella died in 1887.

Lastly, Wiley was married to Nancy Stanley Marcum in 1894. They were divorced in 1899.

The 1900 census reports that Wiley was a carpenter, owned his home free and clear, and was able to read and write. He never married again. He died July 28, 1915, in Greenfield and is buried in the Greenfield Cemetery along side his wife Stella. His grave was unmarked for 90 years - but in 2006 a Civil War Veteran marker was obtained and placed on his grave by his great grandson.