Civil War Ancestor - Jacob Wise

Jacob Wise and Malissa Stem were married on June 27, 1850 in Wayne County, Ohio. According to my grandmother's notes, they were living in Miami County, Indiana in 1852 when their first child, William (my 2nd Great Grandfather), was born on January 1st. A year or so later they had moved to Thorncreek township, Whitley County, near Malissa's parents Conrad and Indiana Sisley Stem. Their first daughter, Mary Ellen, was born on March 11, 1854 and five more children would follow: Sarah Jane was born August 17, 1855 and died October 1, 1863; James Roscoe was born on September 5, 1858; Christina was born December 15, 1860 and died January 4, 1870; Sylvester was born December 6, 1862 and died September 1, 1864; Rosilla was born on October 19th 1864.

Jacob was drafted into the Army on October 5, 1864 just a little over a month after his son Sylvester had died and just two weeks before the birth of his daughter Rosilla.

I can't even begin to imagine how his wife, Malissa, felt. Expecting a child, just having lost a son, and her husband being sent off to war... Jacob never returned, he never saw his last child. Family tradition has it that worry and homesickness was the cause of his death and I'm sure that it may have been a contributing factor, however, his Widow's Civil War Pension Records (Application 101.119 and Certificate 75625) show that he died of chronic diarrhea on May 17, 1865 while a patient at the 1st Division Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Jacob is buried at the National Cemetery in Nashville.

The Widow's Pension Application shows that Jacob was a Private in Captain J.D. Likens' Company "C" of the 30th Regiment of Indiana Volunteers; he was born in Wayne County, Ohio; was aged 37 years; he was 5 feet 9 inches high with Dark complexion, Dark eyes, Dark hair, and by occupation a Farmer, who joined for service and was Drafted on the 5th day of Oct 1864, at Kendallville, Indiana by Capt Iddings, for the period of one year; and "having served Honestly and Faithfully with his Company to the present date, is now entitled to a Discharge by reason of Death in Hospital at Nashville, Tennessee on May 17, 1865 of chronic diarrhea."

Jacob had Pay due from Enlistment but had received clothing amounting to $49.48 with $12 still due to the United States. He was indebted to Nellis Rorden, sutler, for 7 dollars. The final inventory of his personal effects showed "None".

Jacob appeared on the Company Muster Roll on February 10, 1865 in Huntsville, Alabama and was listed as present in March and April 1865, but no place was listed.

The record of service of the 30th Regiment, Indiana Infantry shows that the regiment was consolidated to a battalion of 7 companies on October 3, 1864. Nashville Campaign November-December. Columbia, Duck River, November 24-27. Battle of Franklin November 30. Battle of Nashville December 15-16. Pursuit of Hood to the Tennessee River December 17-28. Moved to Huntsville, Alabama, and duty there till March, 1865. Operations in East Tennessee March 15-April 22. Duty at Nashville till June. The Regiment lost a total of 4 Officers and 133 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 1 Officer and 274 Enlisted men by disease.

A public sale, which raised $602.52, was held on Friday, September 1st, 1865, offering "personal property not taken by the widow, namely: a lot of young cattle, a lot of hogs, wheat in the bushel, corn in the ground, hay, farming utensils, 1 two-horse wagon, and many other articles too numerous to mention." Among the items that were taken by the widow were a pair of harness valued at $10.00, 50 hogs valued at $40.00, 4 sheep $5.00, 1 house $50.00, 20 bushels of wheat $18.00, a stove and furniture $8.00, a sink $3.00, a table $2.00, a bureau $5.00, a clock $3.00, a bed and bedstead and bedding $12.00, a spinning wheel $10.00, a cupboard $2.00, a trundle bed $3.00 and other items. The total value of the things she "took" was $216.37

One of the claims filed against Jacob's estate was by Adam Humbarger who went "to Nashville at request of Widow to see the decedent who was sick and who died before he arrived there 6 days at $2.00 per day $12.00"

Of their seven children, 4 lived to adulthood: William married Sophia Dunfee, remained in Whitley County and had four children: Harry, Maud (my great grandmother), Maurice and Hazlette. William lived to the age of 83. Mary Ellen married David Anspaugh and they had eight children: Clarence, Emma, Simon, Bertha, William, Mary, Charles and Clyde. Mary Ellen and David lived in Whitley County until about 1910 when they moved to Clear Lake in Steuben County, Indiana. She was 82 years old when she passed away. James Wise married Miriam Minerva Blain and had two children, Earl and Ethel. James died in 1890 at the age of 32 of small pox in Chihuahua, Mexico while on a business trip. Rosilla, also known as Rose, married John Zinsmeister and moved to Lorain, Lorain County, Ohio about 1896. She was 90 years old when she died in 1954. Rose and John had four children: Hamer James, Lena Ann, Grace and Ralph Zinsmeister.

Malissa remained unmarried for nearly 11 years. On March 30, 1876 she married Jacob Scott. She was his third wife and he was nearly 20 years older than she. Malissa passed away at the home of her son William on August 6, 1901 at the age of 68. Her obituary, in part, stated: "The most of her life was passed in the vicinity where she died, where all learned to esteem her for her kind and careful life and many virtues. Her last days were fraught with suffering being a helpless invalid for several years, but she endured her suffering with hopeful patience making no complaint, but with faith looking forward to the relief of the coming dawn of Eternal day."

This Saturday, April 28th, Jacob Wise, my 3rd great grandfather, will be inducted into the "charter class" of the Society of Civil War Families of Indiana, a project sponsored by the Indiana Genealogical Society.

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