Chesley Williams married Elizabeth Jordan, daughter of Thomas Jordan and Sophia Reevy Hyde Jordan of Triune, on December 10, 1830. They moved to Eagleville shortly thereafter where he had built a log cabin. About 1832 he built the large house that still stands on the south side of Eagleville. The original tract upon which the house was built was large and included much of the surrounding area.

Robert E. & Bulah Williams

As a successful businessman Chesley built a large estate. The 1860 census shows that he owned real estate valued at $51,300 and personal assets valued at $50,600. The value of his estate at the time of his death in 1892 was considerably more, even after surviving the economic setbacks of the Civil War and reconstruction.

Chesley owned much land. His handwritten notes listing his assets, perhaps in preparation of the writing of his will, totaled 1,675 acres. His will does not give the size of all the parcels that he gave his heirs, but 663 acres are identified. The accuracy of his holdings in his personal notes is supported because the value of his stocks as listed in the notes is the same values written in his will.

The Williams homestead, according to Chesley, was as 688 acres. (A section of land is 640 acres, or a tract one mile wide by one mile long.) It encompassed his home, the store and much of Eagleville. He had two other tracts of 343 and 84 acres. There were three tracts of “cedar lands” of 194, 80 and 29 acres, respectively, and a tollgate house. In addition, he jointly owned 260 acres with a Mr. Turner.

Chesley’s will instructed that his wife Elizabeth was to receive a horse and buggy, household furniture, living expenses and the home for her to use during her life time. He gave each of his surviving children one horse, bridle and saddle, cow and calf, two beds and bedsteads, tableware, a silver pitcher, two silver goblets, and $8,600.

At the time of his death Chesley had six surviving children: Martha J. wife of Whit Ransom, Fannie wife of Rev. George M. Savage, Sophia Parilee wife of Leonard K. Lowe (she died three months after her father), James Chesley (JC) husband of Mary T. McLean, Robert Edward (RE) husband of Bulah Haley, and Emma D. wife of Rev. Jesse Sullivan. Two children, Thomas and Ann, died in childhood, Sarah Macon wife of Dr. William H. McCord died in 1888, and Mary Virginia wife of Joseph Ransom died in 1890.

With the exception of his daughter Fannie, who had moved with her husband to Jackson, Tennessee, much of his land was divided equally among the other children. Other assets, including some land, were sold so as to give Fannie an equal-dollar share of his estate in lieu of an equal share of land.

Measuring from a rock on the southwest corner of the Williams Store Chesley gave his two sons J.C. and R.E. land and buildings in the southwest quadrant of Eagleville. These included the storehouse, stock scales, hotel, and the houses occupied and used by S.H. Price, the small office, the family grocery used by P.H. Elmore, and the office used by Christopher T. Edmonds for storing coffins. In addition, the two sons were each given 25 acres of land lying east of the land given to the children of Mary Virginia Ransom.

Sarah Macon may have been Chesley’s favorite daughter. In the 1860s in consideration of the natural love and affection for his daughter, Chesley deeded a tract of land to her. The size and location were not documented in his notes. But Sarah later deeded two parcels of land to her husband Dr. William H. McCord and his heirs, which may have been all or part of her father’s gift. One tract was where the Rowena Flouring and Saw Mill was built, and the other parcel was in the southeast quadrant of Eagleville.

James Chesley & Mary T. Williams

Chesley willed the four McCord grandchildren of his deceased daughter Sarah a 35-acre tract of land that ran to Jackson Ridge Road. It was located south of the two acres that he had deeded to Sarah.

To Sophia P. Lowe, Chesley willed the land and houses where she lived. The property was bounded on the south by M.R. Hughes’ property, on the north by the J.A. Johnson road, on the east by the Eagleville, Unionville & Shelbyville Pike (E,U&S), on the west by J.A. Johnson, and also the shop used by Christopher and Edmunds.

Emma Sullivan was bequeathed 125 acres. That property began at R.E. Williams’ southwest corner. It ran south with the E,U&S Pike to J.H. Hay’s line, then with J.H. Hay’s line to said Hay’s northwest corner, then with said Hay’s line as far as practical east, then south to the Eagleville and Salem Pike, then with said pike to J.W. Mitchell’s southeast corner, then with Mitchell’s, Bell’s and R.E. Williams’ line to the beginning. In addition, Emma was allowed a deduction of $2,500 from the valuation of the land and shops for the loss she sustained in an investment in the Shelbyville Savings Bank stock.

To the children of Mary Virginia, deceased wife of Joseph Ransom, Chesley gave 50 acres of land. It adjoined the land given to Emma Sullivan, which began at said Sullivan’s northeast corner and ran south with said Sullivan line to Chesley’s south boundary, then east, and then north to the Eagleville & Salem Pike.

Chesley gave Martha J., widow of Whit Ransom, the remainder of the land south of the Eagleville & Salem Pike. All of his cedar lands, totaling more than 300 acres, were divided into five equal parts and given to J.C. and R.E. Williams, Sophia P. Lowe, Emma Sullivan and the children of Sarah Macon McCord

Other lands were disposed of by the executors of his estate. Chesley had purchased 143 acres from William McDowall and 110 acres from Johnson Jordan. Land bought from W.T. Johnson was to be kept rented to a good tenant and not sold till Chesley drew his part of Mrs. M.T. Dodson’s dower. The tract between Joshua Johnson and the E,U&S Pike adjoining the churches was to be sold as lots.

A small lot between the mill lot and the road to the Eagleville Church, the house and about two acres where Mr. Thompson resided, the house where P.H. Allen lived, the house where J.H. Buttsy lived, the tobacco factory and all my lands north of the Eagleville and Salem Pike bounded on the north to Jackson, south by said pike, east of R.G. Owen, and west by J.S. Edmunds were to be sold at such time as may be thought best. Terms of the sales were one fourth cash and liens on the deferred payments. Chesley also owned the entire 150-acre homestead and dower of Mrs. Sallie Hatcher.

Chesley also had considerable common stock. The value of his shares of the First National Bank of Murfreesboro was $2,500, and he owned $4,775 of the Nashville and Decatur Railroad Company. His shares of the Eagleville, Unionville & Shelbyville Pike totaled $6,011, he owned $4,475 of the Eagleville and Salem Pike, and $375 of the Eagleville and Chapel Hill Pike.

Chesley Williams died August 9, 1892 after reaching 83 years of age. He was buried in the Williams-Jordan Cemetery two miles north of Eagleville. His last desire was “that a nice marble head stone be placed on the grave of myself and wife.”