PUBLISHING
Meet the Wileys
Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
Welcome to the Wiley family.
Our story began in the Mississippi Delta, where Tealy and Clemonteen Wiley built a life rooted in faith, hard work, and love. Together, they raised nineteen children—not with riches or luxury, but with values that would carry generations forward. We grew up learning that family meant showing up for one another, working together, sharing what we had, and trusting God through every season.
There was always laughter in the house.
Always somebody cooking.
Always somebody singing.
Always somebody with a story to tell.
And somehow, in the middle of all that beautiful chaos, Mama and Daddy taught us that love multiplies when it is shared.
Though time and distance have scattered us from Mississippi to Illinois, Georgia, Florida, and beyond, the roots planted in Drew, Mississippi continue to bind us together.
Today, our family includes children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and generations still to come. Through books like The Wiley Chronicles and Country Kitchen, we hope to preserve the memories, lessons, humor, recipes, and faith that shaped our lives.
Because while these stories belong to the Wiley family, they also belong to anyone who remembers grandparents who sacrificed, Sunday dinners that brought everyone together, or stories that began with "Remember when..."
The Wiley Children
Nineteen brothers and sisters.
Nineteen personalities.
Nineteen stories.
One family.
Together, we are:
Johnny • Doretha • Tealy ("Little Buddy") • Earl • Patsy (Rosa) • Sammy D • Catherine • Clem • Jimmy • Doris • Louise • James • Esther • Ray • Marvin • Sylvia • Marion ("Gin") • Thelma • Sharyn
Each of us carries memories and stories that make up the larger tapestry of the Wiley family.
Once You've Been Introduced to the Wileys...You're Family.
Thank you for visiting our corner of the world.
We hope you'll laugh with us, learn from us, and perhaps discover pieces of your own family's story along the way.
Because every family has a story worth preserving.
Authors of The Wiley Chronicles
Clem Wiley-Rogers
#8 of the 19 Wiley Siblings
Clem Wiley-Rogers is the family historian, and curator of memory. With a deep commitment to cultural preservation, Clem has dedicated years to collecting stories, organizing timelines, and ensuring the Wiley family’s legacy is documented with care and intention.
As a writer and project steward, Clem weaves personal memory with historical context. Honoring the realities of sharecropping, segregation, and Southern Black life while
celebrating the humor, ingenuity, and love that defined the Wiley household.
Clem views The Wiley Chronicles as a living archive. One that connects past, present, and future through storytelling. Her work ensures that the voices of her parents, siblings, and ancestors are not lost, but carried forward with dignity, accuracy, and heart.
Sylvia Wills
#16 of the 19 Wiley Siblings
The creative visionary behind The Wiley Chronicles and a gifted storyteller whose voice carries the rhythm, humor, and heart of the Mississippi Delta. Sylvia grew up immersed in stories told around kitchen tables, whispered on porches, and lived out loud in cotton fields and country kitchens.
Her memories form much of the emotional backbone of The Wiley Chronicles. With vivid detail and natural warmth, Sylvia brings readers into moments of childhood mischief, hard-earned lessons, deep faith, and the everyday miracles that sustained her family through segregation-era Mississippi.
Known among her siblings as a natural narrator, Sylvia writes the way she remembers, honest, expressive, and grounded in love. Through her work, she preserves not only family history but the spirit of a generation whose stories deserve to be remembered and honored.
Dr. Thelma Wiley-Lucas
#18 of the 19 Wiley Siblings
Dr. Thelma Wiley Lucas is an educator, leader, and lifelong advocate for learning, community, and legacy. As the youngest of nineteen siblings, she grew up surrounded by stories that shaped her understanding of perseverance, responsibility, and the power of family.
With a career rooted in education and leadership, Dr. Lucas brings a reflective, analytical, and deeply personal lens to The Wiley Chronicles. Her writing bridges memory and meaning. Connecting childhood experiences to broader themes of growth, identity, and resilience.
Dr. Lucas is passionate about preserving history not just as remembrance, but as instruction for future generations. Through her contributions, The Wiley Chronicles becomes more than a memoir, it becomes a teaching tool, a cultural record, and a testament to the strength of Black families rooted in faith and determination.