The family of Jackson Wise 1817-1893

Jackson Wise may or may not be an actual blood relative but he is certainly a part of the Wise family.  The question always is-was Mary Wise, who married William Beeks, actually the daughter of Jackson and Charity, or not?  I've been told she was "adopted" unofficially, and I've been told she was their biological daughter.  I don't know how, at this point, it would be possible to prove either story.  

Jackson was the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Harshbarger Wise.  He was born December 31, 1817 so was less than two years old when his father died.  He married Charity Botkin, the daughter of George and Elizabeth "Fannie" Feathergill Botkin, in 1836 in Shelby County, Ohio.  The couple had four children together, or maybe just two, but all were treated as their children.

The first child, Sarah, was born in either 1834 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, or more likely, in 1837 in Shelby County, Ohio.  She was listed as 13 years old in the 1850 census in Lagro, Wabash County, Indiana, but there appears to be a different date on her headstone.  Headstone dates can be wrong, especially when the person dies as a spouse of a second or subsequent spouse, but so can census dates.  Sarah first married Ambrose Wright, the son of Ambrose and Eunice Hale Wright.  Their children are Riley, Mary, Emma, Annis, Charles, Hiley, and Ruella.  After Ambrose's death, Sarah married Levi Stevens.  She died in 1890 near Lincolnville, Wabash County, Indiana.

Mary, our mystery lady, was born in either 1840, 1844 or 1846.  The last two dates come from census records.  I'm not sure where the date of August 31, 1840 comes from.  Mary married William Beeks, the son of John and Mary "Polly" Carter Beeks, and they had at least 10 children.  The known children are Jackson, Charity, Sarah, John, George, Rachel, and Martin.  There are also three additional children or babies who perhaps didn't live long enough to leave any written records.

Abel Wise was born in 1851, was reported on the 1860 census, and then completely disappears.  He would not have been old enough to fight in the Civil War, but it does seem that he must have died somewhere, before the 1870 census.  If anyone has information about Abel, we'd sure love to have it.  Jackson was still in prison in 1851 so it's a little confusing.  Abel may not have been a Wise at all.

Finally there was Rachel, who was born in 1855.  She was a servant in the home of possibly Frank Lynn (name is hard to read) in 1880, and died in 1881. 

Whether or not Jackson and Charity are biological parents to Mary, they would have been treated as such, and the family members would have interacted with the children and grandchildren of Andrew Wise (see my last post) and with the Beeks family.  Additional information is always welcome!

The family of David Wise 1837-1927

 This week's post will try to follow the family of David and Matilda Martin Wise.  David was the son of Andrew and Mary Serfass Wise, and was a Civil War veteran, although he didn't enlist until near the end of the war.  (His brother, Philip, and his brother in law, Eli Martin, all from the area of Lagro, Wabash County, Indiana were also Civil War veterans. (I've written of Philip earlier and plan to write of Eli soon.)  Matilda was the daughter of Timothy and Hannah Tilbury Martin. David died in 1927 in Andrews, Indiana, at the home of his grandson.

I've located just five children for this couple, one of whom died young and another who I believe also died young.  Andrew was their first son, born in 1864 and died in 1866.  David would have missed much of his first son's life, as he spent most of 1865 in the US Army.  

Their next child, a daughter Hannah, born in 1867,married James Harris, the son of Aaron and Mary Ann Denton Harris. She was about 30 years old at the time of her marriage.  James died and in 1913 she married Frank Brian in St Joseph, Berrien County, Michigan.  They apparently had one child, Alvin.  I've not found death information for her.

Elizabeth was born in 1870.  She married John W Beeks, the son of William and Mary Wise Beeks.  They had three children, Chester, Charity and Wilbur.  Elizabeth died in 1922 in Andrews, Huntington County, Indiana, at the home of her son Wilbur.

John was born in 1872 and died in 1941 at the home of his nephew, Wilbur Beeks in Andrews, Indiana.  He had been a farm laborer all his life, and had never married.  Mentioned as flower bearers in his obituary are Anna Mae Beeks, Mary Margaret Beeks, Norma Jean Beaks, and Bonnie Lou Beeks, who were the older daughters of Wilbur and Cleo Aldridge Beeks. 

And finally, Martin was born January 22, 1876.  His mother Matilda died the same year, but I don't have a death date for her.  I can't find Martin in the 1880 census so there is a possibility that he didn't long survive his birth. And of course, Matilda may have died as a result of this birth.  

David and Matilda apparently had just four grandchildren.  They lived simply but raised their family, and they have many descendants today. 

The family of Andrew Wise 1796-1868

 We're getting close enough to the present time and we're in the county right next door, and I still don't have all the answers to this family.  Some of the dates don't seem to quite match up (birth dates vary by as much as five years in census reports) but I have reasonable hopes that this list is not too far away from accuracy.  In order words, do your own research if you are not comfortable with this, and if you can add to this in any way, please contact me.

Andrew Wise, the son of Johan Jacob and Charlotte Raub Weiss or Wise, was born about 1796, in either Northampton County, Pennsylvania or in New Jersey.  He traveled with his father to Miami County, Ohio, and married Mary Serfass (Ceirfoss, other spellings) in 1821 in Shelby County, Ohio. She is the daughter of Philip and possibly Eva Serfass.  

In the 1840 census, Andrew and Mary are in Shelby County, Ohio, with at least five children, plus a mystery male listed as 20-29 years old.  He could have been a laborer on the farm or a boarder in the house, but there is the possibility that he was a son born to one or both of them before their marriage.

Based on ages shown on this census, and on what is shown on the 1850 census, and a couple of hopefully educated guesses, this is the family as I see it at this time.  The children would have been born in Shelby County, Ohio, with the possible exception of the youngest, Philip, who may have been born in Indiana.

The first son was John, born about 1827.  I don't know what the situation was with John, but he was at home in 1860. In 1870 he was at the "poor farm" in Noble Township, Wabash County, Indiana, and by 1880 he is listed as a resident of the county infirmary, which was basically the same place.  I think possibly the term infirmary indicates that he was no longer able to work on the farm, but I don't know any more than that.  Neither have I yet located death records for him, although I haven't found him in the 1900 census.  Also, the 1880 census shows him as married, but I've not found evidence of that and I think it could be a mistake.

Samuel was the next born, about 1832.  It looks like he was married twice, first to Elizabeth Miller, who seems to be the mother of his first two children, Jeremiah and Andrew.  It appears that she died in the early 1860s, and he then married Elizabeth "Bettie" Greenwalt, the daughter of John and Marthas Brookhart Greenwalt.  She was about 20 years younger than Samuel.  Samuel and Bettie had at least the following children: Noah, Clara, Rubin, Nancy, and Neada.  I found a reference that he was the father of 9 children, so perhaps there are more that I've not yet located.  Samuel died in 1894 in Elkhart County, Indiana, where he seems to have lived most of his adult life.

Then there was Elizabeth, who is confusing because her birth dates are given as 1834 and 1843.  There is a possibility there were two Elizabeths, but I view the 1843 date with a grain of salt, as there was another child born that year.  Elizabeth married Eli Martin, who is the son of Timothy and Hannah Tilberry Martin.  Their children are John and Timothy, and they also had a nephew, David Martin, who lived with them.  She is seen in the 1900 census in Licking Township, Blackford County, Indiana.  

David Wise was born in 1837 and married Matilda Martin, who was the daughter of Timothy and Hannah Tilberry Martin, noted above.  (Lagro. Indiana was a small town and there were several marriages of local people in that time period.)  Their children are Andrew, who died at about 18 months of age, Hannah, Elizabeth, John Philip, and Martin. I will write more of this family in my next post.  

And finally, there was Philip, born in 1843.  He married Elizabeth Grimes, the daughter of Joseph and Mary Flowers Grimes.  Their children are Louis (sometimes seen as Lewis), Mary Ellen, Philip, Hettie and Elmer.  Philip died in 1902.

This leaves one female aged 15-19 in 1840 unaccounted for.  She may not be a daughter at all, of course, and she is not listed with the family in the 1850 census.  I have seen a reference that made me wonder whether this might be a daughter called Mary, but it was just a hint and not really anything to pin one's hopes on.  I would like to know who this person was, though, and whether she was related in some way to the Wise family, or for that matter, the Serfass family.

I would like to have more definite information about this family, but I'm pleased to have learned this much about them.  The men in this family were farm laborers, which means they had important jobs but made little money from their efforts.  I honor them for their hard work and for the families they supported. 

The mysterious family of Jacob Wise 1767-1829

 I know next to nothing of this family, and am left with just a few people of interest, basically.  It's hardly enough for a "wanted" poster.  If anyone can help with the children of Jacob and Charlotte, I'd be most grateful!  

Johan Jacob Wise was born in 1767, the son of Felix and Anna Maria Weiss, and died in January of 1829 in Shelby County, Ohio.  (As I mentioned in my last blog post, I am not at all sure of Anna Maria's maiden name.  She is usually shown as van Buskirk, but she married a van Buskirk after Felix's death.  That doesn't necessarily rule out a van Buskirk couple as her parents, but I haven't found any hint of them yet.)  He married Charlotte Raub, the daughter of Andreas (Andrew) and Maria Charlotta Weber Raub.  She was from New Jersey, and their first son, Peter, is said to have been born in Knowlton Township, Sussex County, New Jersey in 1791.  

That is as much as I know for sure about Peter-he was born.  Different trees give him different wives, but none make geographical sense to me at the moment, and I don't have a guess for what happened to him.  

Jacob was born in 1794 and died in 1819 in Shelby County, Ohio.  His wife is Elizabeth Harshbarger Phillips, and they had one child, Jackson.  

Andrew was born in 1796 and died in 1868 in Wabash County, Indiana.  He married Mary Serfass, the daughter of George Philip and Eva maiden name unknown Serfass.  Their children are John, Samuel, Elizabeth, David, and possibly Mary.  I will follow this family in my next post.  

Samuel Wise is reported to have been mentioned in Jacob's will, but the relationship is not clear.  Is he a son?  There is a Samuel Wise in the 1830 census in Newbury Township, Miami County, Ohio (bordering Shelby County) who would have been born sometime in the 1800-1809 decade, but I am not sure this is the same man.  I am intrigued by the marriage of Samuel Wise to Malinda Enos in Shelby County, Ohio on November 24, 1828.  If this is our man in the 1830 census, Malinda was quite young when she married, as the oldest female is 15-19.  By the 1840 census, there were 6 children in the family, all under 10.  I'd love to know more!

I have seen a tree giving two additional children for this family.  Joseph Wise married Nancy Hicks on May 14, 1822.  I am unable to trace him further.

John Wise married Polly Danner, the daughter of Leonard and Catherine Harmon Wise in Miami County on August 27, 1818.  Again, I am unable to trace him further.  Andrew did name a son John, perhaps for his brother, but this is speculation.

As you can see, this family needs much more work.  It's one of many projects on my to-do list, but if you can help, I would be so pleased. 

The family of Felix Weiss (died 1779)

 I like to start my posts with a bit of certainty-so and so was born (date) in (wherever) to (names of parents).  Unfortunately, this post starts with Felix Weiss/Wyss/Wise is said to have been born between 1720 and 1725, in either Germany or Switzerland, possibly the son of Felix and Anna Huber Weiss.  I have not found any documentation for dates, or for location, or for parents.  The first documentation I've found for Felix is his 1747 arrival in Philadelphia.  This may or may not have been his first arrival in America.  There were several Huber men on the same ship, the Bilander Vernon, and all took the oath of allegiance together.  That ship had sailed from Rotterdam so either Germany or Switzerland would work as a point of origin.  This particular record did not record women or children so that tells us little.

But at least it's something.  It is likely that Felix was married when he arrived in 1747, to Anna Maria whose maiden name I have not found.  She is frequently seen as van Buskirk, but that is because she married George van Buskirk the year after Felix died.  Felix died in 1779 in Hamilton Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania.  Felix and Anna Maria had at least six children together, although some are not documented to my satisfaction, and I am reasonably sure that this list of children and grandchildren is incomplete.  Here is what I've been able to find.

Henry is fairly well documented.  He was born in 1750 and died in 1827.  He was a Revolutionary War soldier, and married Margaret (Margaretha) Borger, the daughter of Johan Nicholas and Ottillia Schaffer Borger.  Their known children are Jacob, Ann, Elizabeth, Margaretha, Catharine, Henry, Susanna, Anna, Sara, George, Magdalena, and Maria.  Interestingly, his property border on that of William Serfass.  who may be part of the Serfass family that married into the Wise family four generations later.   

Anna was probably the next born, as her birth is estimated as before 1755 and the next child was born in 1754.  She married Johan George Hood or Huth, and died in 1842.  Their children are Anna, Margaret, and Magdalena, and possibly more.  

Margaret was born in 1754, and married Henry Brinker, the son of Jacob and Susannah Hinkle Brinker.  She died in 1845.  I've found three children for them-George, Henry, and Margaret.  There may be more.  

We have a break of 10 years before another child is mentioned.  I don't know what happened.  Were there unsuccessful pregnancies, or children who were born and died young?  Either is possible but neither is proven.

The next child is Felix, born in 1764 and died in 1854.  He married Eva Catherine Bossard, the daughter of Johannes Melchior and Margaretha Catherina Keller (may be Heller). Their children are Margaretha, Susanna, Felix, Daniel, and George.

Johan Jacob was born in 1767 and died in 1829 in Shelby County, Ohio.  He married Charlotte Raub, the daughter of Andreas and Maria Charlotta Weber Raub.  They had three or possibly four children, all known by the Wise spelling-Peter, Andrew, Jacob, and possibly Samuel.  I will write more of this family in my next blog post.

Daniel is believed to be the last child, born in 1762 and died in 1812.  He married Elizabeth, whose identity is still unknown to me.  There was probably more than one child, but the only one I know of is Felix.  The 1800 census shows two males under the age of 10.  

I would love to hear from Weiss/Wise family researchers, who may have names and dates of these children and grandchildren.  I'd especially love to know of the maiden names of Anna Maria, and of Elizabeth, who at this point are not identified.  Please contact me if you have any information, or thoughts!