Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman (1842-1920)

In the latter part of January I discovered two notes written by my grandmother that have lead to the discovery of more information on several of the children of Peter and Christina Wise, whom I believe to be the parents of my 3rd great grandfather, Jacob Wise.

This post is the final [?] update to and consolidation of the information that has been found on Eliza as well as a status report regarding research on her children. The original post on Eliza will not be updated but a link to this post will be added.

The numbers within square brackets [x] indicate sources or notes that can be found at the bottom of the post.

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Eliza Jane Wise, daughter of Peter and Christine Wise, was born 11 May 1842 in Wayne County, Ohio [1] died 02 Nov 1920 in Wabash County, Indiana [1] and is buried at Roann Community (formerly I.O.O.F.) Cemetery in Roann, Wabash County, Indiana. [1, 2, 3] She married Anthony Hoffman on October 14, 1861 in Miami County, Indiana. [4]

Her obituary was published in the Roann Clarion on Friday, November 5, 1920 [1]

Miss Eliza Jane Hoffman, widow of Anthony Wayne Hoffman, died Tuesday morning Nov. 2 at 10:30 at the home of her daughter Mrs. Effie Wertenberger 2 ½ miles northwest of Roann after a long illness from a complication of disease. Age: 78 years.

Eliza Jane Wise, daughter of Peter and Christine Wise, was born May 11, 1842 in Wayne Co. Ohio where she lived until 12 years old when she came with her parents and located in Miami Co. near Gilead living there until her marriage to A. N. [sic] Hoffman in 1860. Began house keeping in Gilead. Lived here until 1871 when they moved on a farm 1 ½ miles North West of Roann living there for a number of years when they moved to Roann. She has made her home with her daughter for a number of years. She was one of a family of 12 children, the youngest sister, Mrs. Ella Mohler living in Kansas is the only one living.

There were 5 children, 4 girls 1 boy, of these Mrs. Minnie Fheke [sic] near Ashland Ohio, Dayton of North Manchester and Effie Wertenberger remain to mourn her loss. She was a member of the Church of God. Funeral at the home Thursday 1:30 burial I. O. O. F.

Anthony Wayne Hoffman was born in March 1839 in Stark County, Ohio [5], died July 5, 1902 in Roann, Wabash County, Indiana [5] and is buried at Roann Community (formerly I.O.O.F.) Cemetery in Roann, Wabash County, Indiana. [2, 3]

His biography was published in The History of Wabash County, Indiana edited by Thomas B. Helm (John Morris, Printer, Chicago, 1884)

Anthony W. Hoffman, clerk, Roann. The subject of this sketch was born in Stark County, Ohio, March 29, 1838. When a mere infant, his father, Jacob Hoffman, removed from there to Miami County, this State, and settled in Perry Township (in 1838) at a time when the country was full of Indians and wild game. He lived on his farm until February 22, 1849, when he deceased, a victim to that plague (erysipelas), that carried so many citizens away during that year. His wife, the mother of A. W. H., survived him some eight years. After the death of his mother, the subject of our sketch lived among strangers, attending school during the winter until he arrived at the age of seventeen, when he began teaching. His first school was taught in Pleasant Township of this county, after which he entered Fort Wayne College, but on account of limited means he was in a short time obliged to give up the idea of an education, and he at once took up the trade of carpenter, working at the same during the summer and teaching in the winter. He was married, October 14, 1861, to Miss E. J. Wise, of Gilead, Ind. He kept up the practice of teaching and carpentering for several years after his marriage. The first school of Roann was taught by him. He became a resident of this county in 1867. In the spring of 1878, he was elected Justice of the Peace, in Pleasant Township, having served in that capacity in Pleasant and Paw Paw Townships for over nine years. Mr. Hoffman's family consists of wife and five children, viz.: Minnie, Dayton, Effie, Ellie, and Jennie. For the past six years. Mr. Hoffman has been employed as a salesman in the principal dry goods houses of Roann. He is widely known through this and Miami Counties as a thorough gentleman, and an earnest worker in the ranks of the Republican party. His liberality prevents his becoming a man of wealth.

Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman had five known children.

1. Minnie Hoffman, daughter of Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman, was born on 08 Dec 1861 in Gilead, Miami County, Indiana [6] died on 18 Jun 1937 in Orange Township, Ashland County, Ohio [6] at age 75, and was buried in Ashland City Cemetery, Ashland County, Ohio. [7] She married Perry M. Fluke 12 Oct 1882 in Ashland County, Ohio. [8] Minnie and Perry had two sons, William M. Sites and Robert R. Sites, both deceased. As of 2000, Minnie had 4 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren living. Still to do: determine if descendants are alive and where they are living, then make contact.

2. Dayton Hoffman, son of Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman, was born 11 Aug 1864 in Perry Township, Miami County, Indiana. [9], died 08 Nov 1940 in Miami County, Indiana [9, 10] and is buried at Roann Community (formerly I.O.O.F.) Cemetery in Roann, Wabash County, Indiana. [2, 3, 9] He was married first to Mary Smith on 01 Feb 1890 in Miami County, Indiana. [9, 11] He married as his second wife, Alta Green. [9] Dayton and Mary had four children, all deceased: Helen, Phyllis married Gordon Deck, June, and Esther who married George H. Beam. There are four grandchildren of Dayton Hoffman that are living, and probably some great-grandchildren also. I have found addresses for two of the grandchildren (brothers) and sent letters to both of them on February 13th.

3. Effie Idella Hoffman, daughter of Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman, was born in 01 Jan 1866 in Miami County, Indiana, [12] died 08 May 1944 at Roann, Wabash County, Indiana [12] and is buried at Roann Community (formerly I.O.O.F.) Cemetery in Roann, Wabash County, Indiana. [12, 2, 3] Effie married John Wertenberger on 11 Mar 1888 in Wabash County, Indiana. [13] Effie and John did not have any children, though they did take in and help raise some of her nieces and nephews.

4. Ella Hoffman, daughter of Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman, was born in 1870 in Indiana, [2, 3] died in 1918, [2, 3] and is buried at Roann Community (formerly I.O.O.F.) Cemetery in Roann, Wabash County, Indiana. [2, 3] Ella apparently did not marry and probably had no children. I have not found a death record or an obituary for her yet. Still looking for more information.

5. Jennie Mae Hoffman, daughter of Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman, was born in 29 May 1873 in Indiana [2, 3, 14], died 05 Aug 1914 in Miami County, Indiana, [2, 3, 14] and is buried at Roann Community (formerly I.O.O.F.) Cemetery in Roann, Wabash County, Indiana. [2, 3] She married Aram Tombaugh Gidley on 22 Aug 1896 in Wabash County, Indiana. [15] Jennie and Aram had one son, William Wayne (or Wayne William) Gidley but he did not have any children.

Sources and Notes:
[1] Obituary of Eliza Jane Hoffman. The Roann Clarion, Wabash County, Indiana dated Friday, November 5, 1920 p1c2
[2] Cemetery Records for Paw Paw and Pleasant Township Wabash County, Indiana. Revised Edition by Lester H. Binnie. North Manchester, Indiana, 1983.
[3] Cemetery Photographs taken February 5, 2008 by Becky Wiseman.
[4] Online data, http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~berta/micmg/w.html ~ downloaded January 24, 2008. Miami County, Indiana Marriages 1850-1920: Eliza J. Wise to Anthony Huffman on Oct 14 1861 Bk C-1 p201.
[5] Wabash County Indiana Death Records October 1899 to January 1905 Extracted and Compiled by Linda Thompson, Scheuer Publications, Warsaw, Indiana, 1998. There is some conflict as to his date of birth. This publication gives it as March 19, 1838 while his obituary states that he was born March 29, 1838 but gives his age at death as 64 years 2 months 6 days, which calculates to April 29, 1838. His biography also states that he was born March 29, 1838.
[6] Death Record of Minnie Hoffman Fluke. FamilySearch Labs Online Database (http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/), Ohio Death Records 1908-1953 downloaded January 24, 2008.
[7] Online data, Ashland City Cemetery Records Online downloaded January 24, 2008. http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/oh/ashland/cemeteries/ashlandcem.txt?cj=1&o_xid=0002530104&o_lid=0002530104.
[8] Ashland County Ohio Marriage Records : Probate Court Volume 4 1870-1878 and Volume 5 1878-1886 by Don and Lucille Boyd. Ashland County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society, 2002.
[9] Obituary of Dayton W. Hoffman. Wabash Plain Dealer, Wabash County, Indiana dated Saturday, November 9, 1940 p1c4
[10] Index to Official Death Records Miami County, Indiana 1921-1974. Charles A. Wagner, Editor. Published by Peru Public Library, 1978 (Dayton W. Hoffman, age 76, died November 8, 1940)
[11] WPA Index to Miami County, Indiana Marriages 1850-1920. Hoffman-Smith on Feb 1, 1890 cites book 5A p50
[12] Obituary of Effie Idell Wertenberger. The Peru Daily Tribune, Miami County, Indiana dated Tuesday, May 9, 1944 p2c7
[13] Marriage Records of Wabash County, Indiana 1882-1899 Books 10-13, Wabash Carnegie Library, Wabash, Indiana, 1983
[14] Obituary of Mrs. A. T. Gidley. The Peru Republican, Miami County, Indiana dated Friday, August 14, 1914 p10c5. The obit was published in the Wabash Plain Dealer, probably on August 6th. Jennie's gravemarker shows her date of death as August 5th, which is a Wednesday.
[15] Marriage Records Wabash County, Indiana 1882-1899 Books 10-13. Wabash Carnegie Library, Wabash, Indiana, 1983 citing Book 13 page 114. Jennie M. Hoffman to A. T. Gidley 30 Jul 1896.

Previous posts on Eliza and her family:

• Handwritten Notes and the Wise Family - Part 2 (01/27/2008) includes scanned images of two handwritten notes made by my grandmother that shed some light on two of the probable children of Peter and Christina, those being John Wise and Eliza Wise Hoffman. That post dealt primarily with the search for Eliza.
• Handwritten Notes and the Wise Family - Part 3 (01/28/2008) covered what was subsequently found on the family of Eliza Wise Hoffman.
• Eliza Wise and Anthony Hoffman Update (02/04/2008) discusses what was found at the Allen County library on Eliza and her family.
• Doing the Happy Dance. . . (02/05/2008) Eliza's obituary was found in the Roann Clarion. It gave the name of her parents as Peter and Christine Wise. It also stated she was one of 12 children and her only living sibling was her youngest sister, Mrs. Ella Mohler who was living in Kansas.
• Wise-Hoffman Research Continues (02/07/2008) Tells about finding Mrs. Ella Mohler in Kansas as well as the research in Peru and Wabash.
• Wise-Hoffman Research Update (02/10/2008) Obituaries ordered for grandchildren of Eliza Wise Hoffman that were living in Ashland County, Ohio.
• Hoffman Family in Roann Cemetery (02/11/2008) Photographs of the gravestones of the family of Eliza Wise Hoffman.

Wise Family - Index to Posts