Find a Grave with 2 excellent photos.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8836415/james-hamilton-pile
1850 Census
Name James H Piles
Gender Male
Race White
Age 27
Birth Year abt 1823
Birthplace Iowa
Home in 1850 Camp Point, Adams, Illinois, USA
Occupation Farmer
Industry Agriculture
Real Estate 400
Line Number 41
Dwelling Number 13
Family Number 13
Inferred Spouse Euphena Piles
Household members
Name Age
James H Piles 27
Euphena Piles 23
1860 Has him in Kansas
Name J H Piles
Age 36
Birth Year abt 1824
Gender Male
Race White
Birth Place Indiana
Home in 1860 McCamish, Johnson, Kansas Territory
Post Office Hibbard
Dwelling Number 466
Family Number 476
Occupation Farmer
Real Estate Value 200
Personal Estate Value 700
Inferred Spouse H E Piles
Inferred Child E A Piles; E Piles; L S Piles; M Piles; R G Piles
Household members
Name Age
J H Piles 36
H E Piles 33
E A Piles 11
E Piles 9
L S Piles 8
M Piles 5
R G Piles 1
1870 Census
Name James Pile
Age in 1870 41
Birth Date 1823
Birthplace Indiana
Dwelling Number 638
Home in 1870 McCamish, Johnson, Kansas
Race White
Gender Female
Post Office Ocheltree
Occupation Farmer
Male Citizen Over 21 Yes
Household members
Name Age
James Pile 41
Henriette Pile 43
Levie Pile 17
Milton Pile 15
Ramana Pile 11
Louise Pile 8
Mary Pile 5
Owen Pile 4/12
1880 Census
Name James Pile
Age 56
Birth Date Abt 1824
Birthplace Indiana
Home in 1880 Spring Hill, Johnson, Kansas, USA
Dwelling Number 74
Race White
Gender Male
Relation to Head of House Self (Head)
Marital Status Married
Spouse's Name Henrietta Pile
Father's Birthplace Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace Tennessee
Occupation Farmer
Neighbors View others on page
Household members
Name Age
James Pile 56
Henrietta Pile 53
Louisa Pile 18
May Pile 14
Elmer Pile 10
1900 Census
Name James H Pyle
Age 76
Birth Date Aug 1823
Birthplace Indiana, USA
Home in 1900 Spring Hill, Johnson, Kansas
House Number 1
Sheet Number 8
Number of Dwelling in Order of Visitation 156
Family Number 166
Race White
Gender Male
Relation to Head of House Head
Marital Status Widowed
Father's Birthplace Pennsylvania, USA
Mother's Birthplace Pennsylvania, USA
Can Read Y
Can Write Y
Can Speak English Y
Farm or House H
Neighbors View others on page
Household members
Name Age
James H Pyle 76
Marriage Record:
Name James H. Pile
Spouse Hennrietta E. Keller
Marriage Date 19 Dec 1847
Marriage County Brown
Kansas State Census 1865
Name James H Pile
Census Date 25 Jul 1865
Residence County Johnson
Residence State Kansas
Locality McCamish
Birth Place Indiana
Family Number 1045
Marital Status Married
Gender Male
Age 42
Birth Year abt 1823
Household members
Name Age
James H Pile 42
H E Pile 38
E A Pile 16
I E Pile 14
L S Pile 12
A W Pile 10
B J Pile 7
I Pile 4
GAR Roster 1884
Name J H Pile
Report Year 1884
Post Name General Curtis Post
Post Number 104
Post Location Spring Hill
Iowas Service Record (When he was appointed Chaplin to the USCT Regiment)
Name James H Pile
Enlistment Age 40
Birth Date abt 1823
Enlistment Date 8 Dec 1863
Enlistment Rank Chaplain
Muster Date 8 Dec 1863
Muster Place Kansas
Muster Company S
Muster Regiment 60th Infantry
Muster Regiment Type Infantry
Muster Information Commission
Muster Out Date 22 Apr 1865
Muster Out Information Resigned
Side of War Union
Survived War? Yes
Was Officer? Yes
Residence Place Kansas
Title Roster & Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of Rebellion; Official Army Register of the Volunteer Force 1861-1865
Per the Kansas Farmer
15 Jul 1871, Sat ·Page 12, He join the Kansas Bee Keeper Association
Per Olathe News
28 Sep 1876, Thu ·Page 1, He was in charge of Class F -Honey and Bees at the 2nd annual Grange Fair to be held Oct 12, 1876
Obit 1
Olathe News. (September 12, 1901). James Pile obit. Newspapers.com. Retrieved January 27, 2024, from https://www.newspapers.com/article/olathe-news-james-pile-obit/28852546/
The body of James Pile who died at Spring Hill Monday was brought to dathe Tue3day for interment in the Olathe cemetery. Mr. Pile was one of the first settlers of Johnson county and for many years was a resident of this city.
Obit 2
Olathe News, February 11, 1886, Page 4. via Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/olathe-news-olathe-ksrev-james-h-pile/5242407/ : accessed January 27, 2024), clip page for Olathe Ks
Rev. James H. Pile b. 1823
James H. Pile. And family are among the recent valuable acquisitions to the city of Olathe.
Mr. Pile was born in Lawrence county, Indiana, on the 6th day of August, 1823. At an early age he moved to Illinois where he received his education in the common schools of that state. In 1847 he was married to Miss H. E.Keller, his present wife, in Brown county, Illinois. The union has been blessed with nine children seven of whom are living, viz: Mrs. Nellie A. Fisher, of Edgerton, Edgar A. who is in the livery business at GardenCity, Kan., Augustus M., of Edwards county, Mrs.M. J. Newton, of Spring Hill, and Louisa J., Mary R. and O.E. who reside with their parents in this city.
Mr.Pile served two terms as constable while a resident of Illinois and while in the discharge of such duties had many thrilling experiences with thieves, out laws and Mormons who were then quite numerous in that part of the state. He first arrived in Olathe on the 29th day of April. 1857. All there was of this prosperous town at that time was two little houses.
He then met Dr. Barton and Ed Nash, two of the original town company. Abot the first of the following month he took a claim near the present town of Edgerton, and built a small house. The first year he was in Kansas he hauled corn forty miles to feed his stock and paid one dollar per bushel for it. The price paid for corn meal the same year was two dollars per bushel.
In 1863 Mr. Pile was appointed chaplain of the 60th regimeut U. S. colored troops and was present at the battle cf Centralia, Missouri, on the 27th day of September, 1864, and an eye witness to the terrible and inhuman butchery of the captured soldiers on that day by the notorions fiend Bill Anderson. Perhaps the reason Mr. Pile did not meet the same fate that his comrades did is because he had a pocket book containing $450 of his own money anfl $200 belonging 'to a Mrs. Kretzinger, which they relieved him of without a prolonged controversy or complex negotiations. A few years afterward he and another man who was a stranger to him, were the guests of a farmer residing between Kansas City and Independence. After supper, when confortably seated around a cheerful fire the conversation naturally turned to the stirring days of the war and the fiendish deeds of the James boys whose exploits in that locality were too fresh in the minds of all honest people.
Mr. Pile related some of the most revolting particulars of the Centralia massacre and attributed the cruelty to which the men were subjected to Jesse James and his band of blood thirsty cut-throats. The stranger seemed very much interested in the conversation unil it took a political turn, then the hot blood rushed to his cheek and bitter words of denunciation to his lips. After that unexpected demonstration of hate toward the loyal people of the country, further conversation was abandoned. Mr.Pile subsequently learned that the stranger was no less a personage than the distinguished Jesse James himself. In early years Mr. Pile joined the Methodist Fpiscopal church and has been identified with its diversified interests ever since. In 1859 he was licensed to preach and some time after was ordained a local deacon by Bishop Janes. He is one of the oldest settlers in this county and numbers his admiring friends by the thousands.
Much of his time has been spent on his well improved farm in the southern part of this county.
Per
El Dorado Daily Republican
03 Aug 1897, Tue ·Page 4, He was a Populist Party member at the Populist convention in El Dorado of the same year.
Per
The Citizen
28 Sep 1893, Thu ·Page 8, He bought the old MacDonald place and moved to town.
Per
Fort Scott Daily Tribune and Fort Scott Daily Monitor
28 May 1891, Thu ·Page 5, He was a member of Mystic Lodge #17 of the Knights of Pythias
Per
The Girard Press
28 Jan 1888, Sat ·Page 3, He was appointed a county talesmen. (Juror board)
Obit 3 not very clear
https://www.newspapers.com/article/spring-hill-new-era-obit-3-james-pile/139701017/
So to answer your question Kirby it appears he returned home to farm and raise bees, Had a bunch of kids, was generally well thought of in the community and dabbled a bit in local politics withe the Populist party. In his later years left the farm to reside in the city with wife who dies about 2 1/2 years before he did.