Showing posts with label Hoffman-Wise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hoffman-Wise. Show all posts

Saturday, December 29, 2012

Wise Family - Index to Posts

An Index Post is how I keep track of all of the blog posts that have been written on a family line. It helps keep me organized and allows visitors to easily find information on that family. This post will be updated as new blog posts are written on Wise and allied families (Hale, Hoffman, Kircher, Mohler, Shidler, etc.). Please contact me at kinexxions@gmail.com if you are researching this family or have additional information on them.

This research is my attempt to identify the twelve children of Peter and Christina Wise and trace their descendants. Though it is highly probable and likely possible that those listed below are their children, only one has thus far been positively proven (Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman).

Peter and Christina Wise
William Wise
Rebecca Wise Shidler
Catherine Kircher
Rosanna Wise Hale
Jacob Wise
John Wise
Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman, confirmed daughter of Peter and Christina Wise
Elmina Ella Mohler
Hannah Wise
  • In the 1860 census with Peter and Christina there is a Hannah, age 29, born in Ohio and in 1870 Hannah is 44 years old, born in Pennsylvania. This would seem to indicate that she was born in 1826 or 1831, or possibly somewhere in between. Hannah is not included in the published cemetery records for Miami County so, as far as I know, she is not buried in Gilead Cemetery where Peter and Christina and other family members are interred.
Elizabeth Wise
  • Elizabeth is listed with Peter and Christina Wise in the 1850 census in Miami County, Indiana. She is buried in Gilead Cemetery, in the same row, though some distance away from Peter and Christina. Elizabeth was born 24 Jan 1837 in Ohio and died 24 May 1854 presumably in Miami County, Indiana.

 Originally Posted on March 5, 2008 :: Last Updated on December 31, 2009. Post date adjusted December 29, 2012 so that when a search for the surname is done on the blog this post will appear first the search list.

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 3:55 AM 0 comments
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Thursday, March 20, 2008

The Estate Settlement and Some Conjecture

Christina Wise's estate was valued at $3891.33 at the time of her death on April 25, 1884 and consisted of nine notes that were due her. Some of the notes had been made by Peter and some by Christina. When Peter Wise died on January 29, 1875 they still owned three lots in the town of Gilead and five acres bordering the west side of the town. The five acres were sold in April 1877 and the town lots were sold in September. The final report in the estate settlement was filed October 4, 1877 and paid claims amounting to $3176.40 - there had been other claims filed and paid in the intervening years.

The notes that were due the estate, and the final disposition:
  • John Wise $300 valued at $450 - the principal "is not to be paid during her lifetime, then it shall be mine by inheritance." Note was dated Feby 3, 1876 at West Salem, Ohio.
  • A. W. Hoffman $275 valued at $458 - insolvent - his notes were "declared valueless" [He was the husband of Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman.]
  • William Wise $400 valued at $709 - insolvent - "The note of William Wise is uncollectible, said Wise being a non-resident of the state and insolvent." [He may have moved to Sumner County, Kansas by 1885.]
  • John J. Mohler $430 valued at $706 - He "is a non-resident of the state and is insolvent, except to the extent of his claim and his notes are to be surrendered to him in satisfaction of his claim." [John and Elmina Wise Mohler moved to Meade County, Kansas in 1885.]
  • George Shillinger and Samuel Seitner $375 - collected
  • A. K. Madeford $25 - collected
The notes of George Shillinger, Samuel Seitner, and A. K. [Alvin] Madeford were repaid by them before the final settlement. These men appear to have been neighbors as they were all living in Perry Township, Miami County, Indiana in 1880. It is possible that they are related but since they repaid their debts to the estate, that is doubtful ;-)

Apparently there was not going to be enough money from the estate to pay the claims in full as the claimants agreed to accept 83% of their claim to avoid additional expenses in the event the estate was declared insolvent.

The claim of John J. Mohler was for a total of $735.09 for boarding 156 weeks at $3.50 per week between 1876 and 1884. Also 7 weeks in Oct & Nov 1883 during last illness. Services caring for deceased in last illness while at Wm. Kirchers, 30 days at $1.00 per day. Plus additional charges for telegraphing, a shroud, bath and sundries, and interest. He released his claim against the estate in return for the surrender of the notes he owed. [John and Elmina Wise Mohler had moved to Meade County, Kansas in 1885.]

William Kircher's final payment was $1286.62 against his claim amounting to $1400.76 which included ten line items for washing & attendance [of the deceased] at $3.50 per week. Apl 10/75 to Apl 10/78, Oct 19/78 to Jan'y 26/79, Mch 3/79 to July 13/79, Sept 1/79 to July 29/80, Oct 15/80 to Apl 1/81, Sept 1/81 to Feby 1/82, Apl 1/82 to July 20/82, Oct 14/82 to Apl 15/83, may 20/83 to Aug 15/83, and during her last illness from Sept 21/83 to Apl 25/84. He also paid for a deed Jan'y 31/84, 400 ft lumber at $1.50 pr 100, 32 fence posts, paid taxes 1878 and 1879, Clover seed, nails & Lumber, and $5.00 cash for daughter. [Is that cash for his daughter, or for Christina's daughter?]

It looks as though Christina alternated spending time between the Mohler and Kircher households. Catherine Kircher, William's wife, died on February 5, 1884 and Christina Wise died on April 25, 1884.

Rosanna Hale's claim against the estate of Christina Wise was for $80.00 for "Care of, and attendance in the decedents last sickness." Rosanna made her mark, witnessed by Luella Culbertson. She received $77.27 as payment. She made her mark on the receipt and it was witnessed by M. H. Grunden. [He was her son-in-law. Rosana and her family had moved to Dauphin County, Pennsylvania between 1860-1870.]

The claim of Luella M. Culbertson was for $62.00 for "Service as nurse 31 weeks at $2.00 per week." She received $60.03 for her claim. [Luella was the daughter of Catherine and William Kircher.]

There are no direct relationships recorded in any of these documents although John Wise stated that the principal of his note "is not to be paid during her lifetime, then it shall be mine by inheritance."

Of the ten children of Peter and Christina Wise that have tentatively been identified, three had died several years before Christina (Rebecca Shidler, Jacob Wise, and Elizabeth Wise) and six (or their spouses) are mentioned in the estate papers: John Wise, A. W. Hoffman [Eliza], William Wise, John J. Mohler [Ella Elmina], William Kircher [Catherine], and Rosanna Hale. The whereabouts of the tenth, Hannah Wise, is unknown. According to the obituary of Eliza Hoffman, she was one of twelve children. Census records substantiate that number, so that still leaves two children yet to be found.

Just as a point of interest, and realizing that naming patterns are sometimes helpful clues in determining family relationships, here is a listing of probable children and grandchildren of Peter and Christina Wise.
  • William and Mary Ann Wise - 5 children - Newton, Samuel, Wealthy, Emeline, Cecillius
  • Rebecca and Jacob Shidler - 2 children - Jane Ann, William
  • Catherine and William Kircher - 1 child - Luella
  • Rosanna and Jacob Hale - 1 child - Mary Alice
  • Hannah Wise - ? -
  • Jacob and Malissa Wise - 7 children - William Pythagrus, Mary Ellen, Sarah Jane, James Roscoe, Christina, Sylvester, Rosilla
  • John Wise - ? -
  • Elizabeth Wise - no children, died at age 17
  • Eliza Jane and Anthony Hoffman - 5 children - Minnie, Dayton, Effie Idella, Ella, Jennie Mae
  • Ella Elmina and John Mohler - 2 children - Stella Rose, William Peter
For the grandchildren, the name that is repeated most often, three times, is William. The older brother must have been well-liked. Or, perhaps, William was the name of the father of Peter or Christina? Jane is used twice, once as a first name and again as a middle name. Rosilla and Rose are variations of Rosanna. Mary is also used twice. Were they named after William's wife, or not? Ellen could be a variation of Ella. Peter is only used once, and that as a middle name. And only one grandchild is named Christina.

Does the fact that Jacob named one of his daughters Christina prove anything? Probably not, but the name Christina does not appear in Malissa's family (Stem and Sisley). No sisters, no aunts named Christina there. It would have been nice if Jacob and Malissa had named their son William Peter rather than William Pythagrus! Where on earth did they come up with that name anyway? (Probabaly a mis-spelling of Pythagoras?) No wonder he always went by William P. Wise. Come to think of it, I've never seen "Pythagrus" on any "official" document. It's what grandma has on her family group sheet. And one of his grandchildren was name Thagrus!

Ah well, I think this will about wrap up my discourse on the Wise family for a while. Then again, maybe not. If you've gotten this far, and if you're still interested, additional information and a listing of all the posts I've written about the search for the children of Peter and Christina Wise can be found at Wise Family - Index to Posts!
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 2:10 AM 0 comments
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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Death Record of Eliza Wise Hoffman

When I visited Wabash last Thursday I stopped at the Health Department to get a copy of the Death Record of Eliza Wise Hoffman. When the clerk was looking at Eliza's record she made the comment that the handwriting was atrocious. I asked to look at the record myself but my request was refused. As was my request for an actual copy of the record itself. Instead what she said she'd do is get another clerk to look at it the next day and then mail the certificate to me. So, figuring that was the best offer I'd get, I paid the $5.00 and gave them my address. The certificate arrived in the mail on Saturday.

Unless there is a specific reason that you need a certified copy, you should request a "genealogy copy" of death records in Indiana, whether requesting them from the county or the state. Also inquire as to the cost if ordering from a county, each one seems to charge a different fee. The charge for ordering from the state is $8.00 and it must be paid in advance. They call it a "record search" so you pay whether or not they find the requested record. Information on ordering death records (and birth records) can be found at the Indiana State Department of Health website.

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Genealogy Copy of Death Certificate of Eliza Jane Huffman.
=+==+==+==+==+=
Certificate of Death Registration
Wabash County Health Department
Decedent's Name: ELIZA JANE HUFFMAN
Date of Death: November 2, 1920
Place of Death: PAW PAW TOWNSHIP City: WABASH
Age: 78 YEARS Marital Status: WIDOWED Gender: FEMALE
Cause of Death: CANCER STOMACH
Certified By: G. P. KIDD MD
Cemetery: IOOF PAW PAW TOWSNHIP ROANN IN Disposition Date: 11/04/1920
Funeral Home: SCHULER-ROANN
File Date: 11/30/1920 Book: 1918-25 Page/Line: 41 #512 Issued On: 02/15/2008
Signed by (Health Officer)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Not all information is available for all years.
Birth Date: 05/11/1842 May 11, 1842 Birth City: [blank] Birth State: OHIO
Occupation: HOUSEWIFE Industry: DOMESTIC SSN: [blank] Race: WHITE
Address: City: ROANN State: INDIANA
Spouse: ARTHUR HUFFMAN
Father's Name: PATR ? WISE Father's BirthPlace: PENNSYLVANIA
Mother's Name: CHRISTINA Maiden: GARNE Mother's BirthPlace: UNKNOWN
Informant's Name: EFFIE WASTHREY ? Inform. Address: ROANN, IN Relationship: UNKNOWN
=+==+==+==+==+==+==+==+=
Eliza's Spouse was Anthony Huffman, not Arthur. Her Father's first name was Peter. The informant was probably her daughter, Effie Wertenberger.

The new piece of information from this record is the maiden name of Eliza's mother, GARNE. Although I don't know how helpful that will be! An initial search for that surname at www.ancestry.com turned up absolutely no useful information. Without having actually looked at the death record I don't know if GARNE is what was in the record or if it was perhaps, a best guess by the clerk.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 7:17 PM 2 comments
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Sunday, February 17, 2008

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

Posted by Becky Wiseman at 11:10 AM 3 comments
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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Look what I found

on an ancestry world tree late last night... the record hasn't been updated since 26 Oct 2003 and there are no dates except for the father's date of birth (his date of death, 23 OCT 1866, is recorded in the parents record). Virtually identical information on these people is in two databases here and here.

Update: 02/16 11:15 p.m. - I didn't realize the ancestry world tree required a login, so sorry. Here are the databases on WorldConnect:
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:3212394&id=I5619

http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=carlaforharry&id=I628

· ID: I5619
· Name: Jane Anne SHIDLER
· Sex: F
· Birth: 12 JAN
· Change Date: 26 OCT 2003

Father: Jacob SHIDLER b: 23 NOV 1819
Mother: Rebecca WISE
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:3212394&id=I5618

Marriage 1 Hugh MURRAY

Children:
1. Guy MURRAY
2. Harold MURRAY
3. Macy MURRAY

Now, check this out... this is part of what was written on that second note from my Grandmother:
Grandchildren of John Wise, brother of Jacob Wise
Jenny Murry
Guy Murry - Mansfield - children of Jenny Murry
Robert Murry (Ashland)
Mrs. Macy Hart - sister of Guy Murry - Ashland, Ohio

Grandma had the "wrong" sibling! The Murry's (Murray's) aren't grandchildren of John Wise, but of Rebecca Wise. So, is she the sister of my Jacob Wise?

In the Wayne County, Ohio Marriages (published in 1997) there is a Rebecca Wise who married Jacob S. Shidler on 16 Mar 1843.

I've located Rebecca Shidler in census records in Ashland County, Ohio from 1850 through 1870 and in Seneca County, Ohio from 1880 through 1910. In 1850 and 1860 her daughter is listed as Jane A. and in 1870 she is Jennie. [Note Added 02/16 11:15 p.m. The Rebecca Shidler in the Seneca County census 1880-1910 is not the right one! More on that later.]

Rebecca also has a son, William Shidler. In 1870 William is 32 years old, married and living in Orange Township, Ashland County. In his household, along with his wife and two children, is a 22 year old female "servant" named Minnie Huffman. Minnie was born in Indiana and her parents were born in Ohio. If my hunch is correct, Minnie is the daughter of Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman. Minnie married Perry M. Fluke and they lived in Ashland County, Ohio. In other words, Minnie was living with her cousin and his family.

I know, I know. It's not proof, but it sure is evidence that warrants more research! I'll also have to rethink my ideas on posting names only to online databases. I always thought it was pretty much worthless, but now, maybe not quite so much! I had already found Rebecca Shidler in the census records before I came across these databases, but I don't know that I would have made the link to this family quite as soon, if ever, without these databases.

=+==+= Added 02/16 11:15 p.m. =+==+=
An additional note about online databases... Miriam left a comment about using WorldConnect at RootsWeb rather than Ancestry World Tree. Apple responded to that comment before I was able to (thanks, Apple). Ancestry has several different "tree" databases (Public Member Trees, OneWorldTree, Personal Member Trees, Ancestry World Tree) and I'm not sure what the difference is, but the Ancestry World Tree appears to contain the same data as is on WorldConnect at Rootsweb. I have never directly submitted a tree to Ancestry but have used WorldConnect but my data shows up on Ancestry. I don't have a problem with that, they are owned by the same company but I prefer the flexibility with WorldConnect as noted by Miriam in the comments.

Here is my Bray-Wiseman database on WorldConnect.
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rwiseman_bray&id=I175

And here it is on Ancestry.
http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rwiseman_bray&id=I175

There is no difference in the data. If I update my database on WorldConnect the update automatically feeds into the Ancestry World Tree with no intervention on my part. There may have been some confusion when I said I'd have to rethink posting names only. I guess what I should have said was posting names without dates. As the above post shows, sometimes that can be a good thing. Some information is better than none. Without sources it all has to be checked and verified anyway.

I currently only have the one database posted at WorldConnect, part of my Dad's lines. I'm still working on cleaning up the database for my mother's side of the family. When that is ready, it will probably be posted on WorldConnect. I thought about using WeRelate but quite frankly I don't have the time to invest on learning how a wiki works! It's easier to use WorldConnect and I think, with the link with Ancestry, it will get way more exposure than virtually anywhere else on the internet. There are pros and cons in regards to all choices...
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 3:09 AM 3 comments
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Monday, February 11, 2008

Hoffman Family in Roann Cemetery

Located in Wabash County, Indiana one mile north of Roann on the east side of County Road 700W near CR 700N, the Roann Community Cemetery was formerly known as the I. O. O. F. Cemetery and even earlier as the Paw Paw Cemetery. There are four sections separated by roads that lead to a circle in the center of the cemetery. The markers for the family of Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman are in Rows 13 and 14, in the north west section. As discovered in her obituary, Eliza was the daughter of Peter and Christina Wise, whom I believe are also the parents of Jacob Wise, my 3rd Great Grandfather.



The Hoffman marker in the foreground is that of Dayton Hoffman, to the right is the one for his daughter Helen. And to the right of hers is the one for Eliza and Anthony Hoffman. Behind and to the left of Eliza's marker is her daughter Ella Hoffman. And to the left of Helen is the marker for Effie and John Wertenberger. The large stone facing the road is the Gidley family monument. This picture was taken towards the end of my time in the cemetery and the rain was coming down in a steady stream instead of just drizzling, as it had been earlier in the day. Photographs taken on February 5, 2008 by Becky Wiseman.



The east face of the marker for Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman.
A. W. HOFFMAN / DIED JULY 5, 1902 / AGED 64 YEARS
E. J. HOFFMAN / DIED NOV. 2, 1920 / AGED 78 YEARS



ELLA HOFFMAN / 1870 - 1918
Note: Ella was the daughter of Eliza and Anthony Hoffman. This stone is north of the Gidley marker and between the Hoffman and Wertenberger markers.



This is a huge monument, one of the biggest I've ever seen. Placed so that it faces the roadway that leads into the cemetery, it can't be missed. Which was a plus for me since it was one of the grave markers for which I was looking. The Gidley monument stands about seven feet in height, about five feet wide, and the base is more than 2 feet deep. Jennie Gidley was the daughter of Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman. In the plots behind this stone are the markers for Eliza Wise Hoffman and her children.



The inscription on the south face of the Gidley monument:
ARAM GIDLEY / DIED / MAR. 5, 1923 / AGED / 79 Y. 8 M. 24 D.
JENNIE M. / WIFE OF / A. T. GIDLEY / DIED / AUG. 5, 1914 / AGED / 41 Y. 2 M. 7 D.



The inscription on the North face: W. W. GIDLEY / 1898 - 1974
EMMA / WIFE OF / A. T. GIDLEY / DIED / JUNE 1, 1892 / AGED 40 Y. 8 M. 18 D.
Note: Emma was Aram Gidley's first wife. Jennie Hoffman was his second wife.



at left: On the west side of the marker is the name WERTENBERGER.
On the east side: JOHN / 1853 - 1920 / EFFIE / 1866 - 1944

at right: On the west side of the marker is the name HOFFMAN.
On the east side: DAYTON / 1884 - 1940 / MARY / 1858 - 1905
Note: The year of birth for Dayton is not correct. He was born in 1864, not 1884.



HELEN O. HOFFMAN / 1892 - 1965
Note: Helen is the daughter of Dayton Hoffman.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 5:35 PM 1 comments
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Sunday, February 10, 2008

Wise-Hoffman Research Update

With the obituaries, death record transcriptions, and funeral home transcriptions obtained in Wabash, Indiana this past week, I now have names of several children of two of the grandchildren of Anthony and Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman that may be living in Wabash County.

Last week I ordered obituaries for Minnie Hoffman Fluke and her husband Perry. Those were received on Friday from the Ashland County Public Library (Ohio). They had three children, Kelsey; Florence, who married Harry D. Sites; and Helen Rose Fluke. The obituaries for Minnie and Perry stated that they had six grandsons. With that information I was able to find entries in various online obituary databases and have ordered six more obituaries from Wayne and Ashland Counties Ohio. It looks like there is a good possibility that there may be living grandchildren of Kelsey Fluke and Florence Fluke Sites. I'll know more once I get the copies of those obituaries.

Since there are so many changes and additional information, rather than update the initial post on Eliza's family, I'm going to wait until the obituaries are received from Ohio and see what else can be found.

I still need to review the information that was found earlier this week on the family of Ella Mohler, who was mentioned in Eliza's obituary as her sister.

It's been fun researching these past two weeks!
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 9:16 PM 2 comments
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Thursday, February 07, 2008

Wise-Hoffman Research Continues

The past two days have been busy. Thursday I spent several hours entering the information that I'd found at Roann on the family of Eliza Wise Hoffman into my genealogy database. Then I spent way more time on the Internet than I'd care to admit looking for Eliza's sister, Mrs. Ella Mohler in Kansas. But I found her! In all the census years from 1870 through 1930, except for 1880. Also information on her family on several Kansas GenWeb sites. And two separate WorldConnect databases that have information on her two children, Stella Mohler Gilbert and William Peter Mohler. Neither database has parents listed for Stella or William so I'm guessing that whoever submitted the databases is researching the families that they connect with. I've still got to sort through all the information found on the 'net!

Today I went to Peru, county seat of Miami County where Peter and Christina Wise lived. I was hoping to find out what happened to their land after they died. No luck there. And to see if there was a will or estate settlement papers. Nothing for Peter but good news, bad news for Christina. There is an entry of an estate settlement for her in one of the books, but we (the very helpful clerk and I) couldn't find the other court books that were noted in that entry.

Then it was off to the Peru Library and the Wabash Library, a few miles down the road. More funeral home records and a couple death records (published transcriptions) gave me dates for finding obituaries, which I did. Several of the obits were within the last 30 years, so it is possible that the "survivors" listed could actually still be survivors ;-)

After three hours total drive time and seven hours of research, I now have another 40 pages of copies to add to that "Wise-Hoffman" stack! And to review and enter into my database...
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 11:15 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Doing the Happy Dance. . .

You can't see me, but I've been doing the "happy dance" since about 3 p.m. this afternoon. I found the obituary for Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman. . . her parents are Peter and Christine Wise, and Eliza was one of 12 children, and she was born in Wayne County, Ohio. This confirms my presumptions about her parents, though it doesn't conclusively prove that they are also the parents of my 3rd great grandfather Jacob Wise, but Grandma's note gives it credence. Eliza's obituary also gives me the name of another sister, the only one living at the time of her death - Mrs. Ella Mohler in Kansas.

This morning I decided to go to the Roann Paw Paw Township Public Library in Wabash County. They don't open until 1 p.m. on Tuesday so I didn't leave until about 11:30. I stopped at the Roann Community Cemetery (formerly the I. O. O. F. Cemetery) a mile north of town to photograph the gravemarkers of Eliza Wise Hoffman and her family members buried there. Then to the library. The main reason for going was to get obituaries though they did have some other resources that I checked.

The library has the Roann Clarion newspaper on microfilm for the years 1902 through mid-1942 but the microfilm reader is just that, a reader. No printer. The lady that took me to their local history room said they get maybe 1 or 2 requests per year for copies of articles so they can't justify the cost of a microfilm printer. The light bulb on the reader needs replaced, it was difficult to read the film, but that's okay, I found four obituaries. Abstracted three of them and transcribed one.

The Wabash Library has newspapers on microfilm so it is possible that these obits and the others I want can be found there. But that will have to wait for another day. By the time I finished looking at the microfilm the fog had thickened and then it started to rain. Rather than go on to Wabash and then having to drive home in the dark and fog and rain, I went to the Gilead cemetery instead. It was only a couple miles northwest of Roann. That is where Peter Wise and his wife Christina are buried. It was only misting a bit when I got to Gilead but a few minutes later it let loose. Needless to say I got wet. But I also got my tombstone pictures!

The Roann Clarion, Wabash County, Indiana
Friday, November 5, 1920 page 1 column 2

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.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 8:34 PM 6 comments
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Monday, February 04, 2008

Eliza Wise and Anthony Hoffman Update

A trip to the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne yesterday (Sunday 02/03) provided some additional information on Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman and her family. I checked the ACPL online catalog earlier this week to see what books they had on Miami and Wabash counties in Indiana and Ashland and Wayne counties in Ohio. There were enough books that I thought a trip to the library was justified. The five hours spent there were productive and they went by very quickly. I ran out of time and didn't get completely through my list of books that I wanted to check.

Books of compiled transcriptions for cemetery records, death records, and marriage records for Miami County provided some (not all) of the needed dates. I'm debating whether the new information should be added to the existing post or not. Perhaps in a different color of text?

There was an interesting, short biography of Anthony W. Hoffman, Eliza's husband, on pages 435-436 of 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.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 2:20 AM 0 comments
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Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Handwritten Notes and the Wise Family - Part 4

Part 1 of this series discusses the possible family of Peter and Christina Wise of Wayne County, Ohio and Miami County, Indiana.

Part 2 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.

Part 3 revealed the information that was found on the children and grandchildren of Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman.

This will be the final post in this series, at least for now and until additional information is discovered. It will discuss what has been found on the family of John Wise, which isn't much!

A look back at the transcription and scanned images of the notes in Part 2 will show that only one surname group remains, as the others (Huffman/Hoffman, Wertenberger, Fluke, and Gidley) were covered in the posts on Eliza's family.

So, for now, we'll assume that the Murry's are the grandchildren of John Wise, as my grandmother's note states.
Jenny Murry
Guy Murry - Mansfield - children of Jenny Murry
Robert Murry (Ashland)
Mrs. Macy Hart - sister of Guy Murry - Ashland, Ohio
John Wise was listed as a 19 year old born in Ohio in the 1850 census of Wayne County, Ohio (Chester Township page 348) with Peter and Christina Wise. There is a record in Miami County, Indiana for the marriage of a John S. Wise to Setha Cummar on May 14, 1854 (Book C-2 p227) that was found online but I don't know if it is for the same John Wise. John may not have come to Indiana with Peter and Christina.

It is possible that John remained in Wayne County, Ohio or he may have moved to nearby Ashland County, or elsewhere. According to grandma's note, the Murry's lived in Ashland, Ohio. Also, Eliza's oldest daughter, Minnie Hoffman Fluke, was residing in Orange Township, Ashland County, Ohio by 1900. It appears that her husband, Perry M. Fluke, had been born there. The question that arises is why did Minnie move to Ohio? Did she perhaps meet her future husband, Perry Fluke, there while visiting her cousins?

Back to John. Based on his age in the 1850 census, John Wise would have been born about 1830-31, making him about 29-30 years old in 1860. In the census index online at ancestry.com for 1860, there are three John Wise's listed in Wayne County. None are close to the right age. The closest to his age in Ashland County is a 26 year old.

A search for Guy Murry/Murray brings up a family in Ashland County, Ohio (Orange Township page 24d) in 1880: Hugh Murray is a farmer and the 45 year old head of household, he was born in Ohio and his parents were born in Pennsylvania. His wife is Jane A., age 34, born in Ohio and her parents were born in Pennsylvania. Listed with them is a son Guy, age 11 or 17; a son Fay whose age can't be deciphered; Mary, Hugh's 79 year old mother. There is a female aged 26 whose last name is Wagner. Her first name could be Annie or maybe Jennie and her occupation is not legible. A 19 year old male, Frederick Householde [?] is also included; he is a farm laborer.

Could Jane A. Murray be the "Jenny" Murry in grandma's note? I haven't found Hugh, Jane, Guy, or Fay in any other census records using the ancestry search capabilities.

The only other item that I found is an Ohio Death Record on ancestry for Macy M. Hart who was born about 1884 and died July 3, 1965 in Ashland, Ohio. Her marital status was widowed. Names of parents are not in the record on ancestry. FamilySearch Labs only has Ohio Death Records online from 1908-1953 so this one wouldn't be included. Without more information, I can't determine if this is the same Macy Hart in grandma's note. My gut feeling is that it isn't, as I think this Macy was born too late. I may write to see if I can get the obituary, which will hopefully include the names of her parents and/or siblings.

Basically, I've come up cold on John Wise and his possible "Murry" grandchildren. There really isn't enough information to pursue them at this time. His name is too common for conjecture without having a better idea of where he lived. Did John come to Indiana or did he remain in Ohio? Who were his children, how many did he have, who did they marry and where did they live? The best I can hope for now is that someone researching John Wise in Wayne County, Ohio or the Murry/Murray family in Ohio will see this and contact me.

Thus far, other than my grandmother's note and the census records, there is really nothing that makes the connection between Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman and her possible parents Peter and Christina Wise. I have no concrete evidence that my 3rd great grandfather, Jacob Wise, is a brother of Eliza - nothing, that is, except those notes from my grandmother. I have no "proof" that Jacob is a son of Peter and Christina. The only thing that I have that links them is the fact that they were both in Wayne County, Ohio and another statement by my grandmother that Jacob's first child was born in Miami County, Indiana (where Peter and Christina were living at the time).

The first step toward gathering more evidence would be to obtain the death record and/or obituary notice for Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman. Based on census records, previously discussed, she probably died between 1920 and 1930 and most likely in Wabash County. If I get lucky, perhaps someone still knew the names of her parents when she passed away and that information is recorded in her death record or obituary.

In addition to Eliza's death rcord, other research that needs to be done to make the possible connection to Peter and Christina Wise includes obtaining the following records:
  • Land transactions for Peter Wise in Miami County, Indiana. These may tell us where he came from. If the land was sold after he passed away, it could provide the names of some of his children.
  • A will or estate settlement for Peter and/or Christina Wise, also in Miami County. He died in January 1875 and she in April 1884.
Other research, depending upon what was found in Eliza's death record and obituary notice:
  • Death records, obituaries, cemetery records for descendants of Eliza Hoffman in Wabash County, Indiana and Ashland County, Ohio.
  • Marriage records, where appropriate.
  • Additional searching in online databases. I've barely scratched the surface with searches at ancestry.com, the GenWeb sites for Ashland County, Ohio and Miami and Wabash counties, Indiana, findagrave.com, and WorldConnect.
However, I think, before putting more time and energy into searching for more information on Eliza and her descendants, I somehow need to determine if she is the daughter of Peter and Christina Wise. And that is going to mean on-site researching. What I need won'tl be found on the internet! Fortunately, I live only an hour or so away from Miami and Wabash counties.

I also would like to delve into more research on Peter Wise in Ohio, but again, I wonder if the information I have is sufficient to say that he is my ancestor, the father of Jacob Wise, who is my 3rd great grandfather.

Searching for Wise, and variations thereof, in Ohio in the early 1800s is going to be challenging, like looking for Smith or Jones. More research needs to be done - in land and court records on-site in Wayne County, Ohio.

In 1840, there were 12 Wise families in Wayne County, Ohio. Peter Wise was in Perry Township, as was a Frederick Wise. He had 1 male 5-9, 2 males 10-14, 1 male 20-29, 1 male 60-69, 2 females 5-9, 1 female 10-14, 1 female 15-19, and 1 female 50-59. Given the age of the eldest male, he could be the father of Peter Wise. Purely speculation.

In 1830, of the 11 Wise families, only Frederick was in Perry Township. There was Abraham, 2 Daniel's, 2 Frederick's, a Jacob, 2 John's, and 3 Peter's. None of the "duplicates" were in the same township, which is good, I guess, but still, how are ya gonna tell them all apart?

When you get back to 1820, there are only 2 Wise families in Wayne County, Henry and John, and both are in Chippewa township.

I think I need to stick with finding my link to Peter and Christina before venturing elsewhere!

After all this, I'm not real sure what my point was with this exercise, except maybe that you shouldn't discount scraps of paper with notes scribbled on them. I've come to realize I have a love-hate relationship with online census indices. And it takes a lot of time to really review and analyze information. And I love the search far more than the analysis. But then, I already knew that.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 2:25 PM 1 comments
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Monday, January 28, 2008

Handwritten Notes and the Wise Family - Part 3

Part 1 of this series discusses the possible family of Peter and Christina Wise of Wayne County, Ohio and Miami County, Indiana.

Part 2 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.

This post will discuss the family of Eliza Wise Hoffman. The numbers within square brackets [x] indicate sources or notes that can be found at the bottom of the post.

[Note added February 17, 2008: Please see the post Eliza Jane Wise Hoffman (1842-1920) for the complete, updated information on Eliza and her family.]

The first issue to resolve should probably be the name of Eliza's husband, which is probably Anthony. Referring to the census records in Part 2 we see that he was listed as A. W. Hoffman in the 1870 census. In 1880 he was Andrew W. and in 1900 he was listed as Anthony W. In the Miami County marriage records online [1] he is Anthony Hoffman. In the Ohio Death Record of his daughter Minnie Fluke [2], her father's name is listed as Anthony Wayne Hoffman (and her mother is Eliza Jane Wise).

Eliza Jane Wise was probably born in May 1842 [3] in Wayne County, Ohio [4] and probably died between 1920 and 1930. [5] She married Anthony Hoffman on October 14, 1861 in Miami County, Indiana. [1]

Anthony Wayne Hoffman was born in March 1839 [6] in Ohio. He probably died between 1900 and 1910. [6]

Eliza Jane Wise and Anthony Hoffman had five known children:

1. Minnie Hoffman was born on 08 Dec 1861 in Gilead, Miami County, Indiana [2] died on 18 Jun 1937 in Orange Township, Ashland County, Ohio [2] at age 75, and was buried in Ashland City Cemetery, Ashland County, Ohio. [7] She married Perry M. Fluke about 1882-83. [8]

Perry M. Fluke was born on 08 May 1856 in Orange Township, Ashland County, Ohio [9] died on 05 Mar 1925 in Orange Township, Ashland County, Ohio [9] at age 68, and was buried in Ashland City Cemetery, Ashland County, Ohio. [7]

Minnie Hoffman and Perry M. Fluke had three known children:

i. Kelsey Fluke, son, was born in Oct 1885 in Ohio. [10] No additional information. He is not in the 1910 census with his parents and he doesn't show up in other census searches.

ii. Florence Fluke, daughter, was born in 1887 in Ohio. [10] She was listed in the 1910 census with her parents. My grandmother's note had Florence Sites with an arrow pointing from her name to "Mansfield." A Florence and Harry D. Sites was found in the 1920 (page 2b) and 1930 (page 3b) census records. They are living on South Mulberry Street in Mansfield, Madison Township, Richland County, Ohio. There isn't enough information to determine that the Florence Sites in those census records is the daughter of Minnie and Perry Fluke, but Florence's mother is listed as born in Indiana, Florence is of the right age, and they are living in Mansfield. Florence Sites is not listed in the SSDI but Harry D. Sites is listed at ancestry.com in both the SSDI and Ohio Death Records, which shows his date of death as 21 Mar 1967 in Mansfield, Ohio. The census records show that Florence and Harry Sites had two children, William born about 1918 and Robert born about 1919.

iii. Helen Rose Fluke, daughter, was born on 25 Apr 1894 in Orange Township, Ashland County, Ohio [11] and died on 30 Oct 1918 in Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio [11] at age 24. Her married name was Lersch. The informant was Leo L. Lersch of Ashland, Ohio. Cause of death was pneumonia with contributing cause being influenza.

The family of Minnie and Perry Fluke was found in the following census records:
1900 Ashland County, Ohio (Orange Township page 2b). Household of Perry M. Fluke.
1910 Ashland County, Ohio (Orange Township page 246). Household of Perry M. Fluke.
1920 Ashland County, Ohio (Orange Township sheet 10a). Household of Perry M. Fluke.
1930 Ashland County, Ohio (Orange Township sheet 8b). Household of Minnie Fluke.

2. Dayton Hoffman was born in 1863-64 in Indiana. [12] In the Indiana Marriage Collection at www.ancestry.com there is a record of a Dayton Hoffman marrying Mary Smith on 01 Feb 1890 in Miami County (Book C5A page 50). Dayton has not been found in the census records beyond those where he was listed with his parents, in 1870 and 1880. However, a Helen Hoffman born in 1892 and an Ester Huffman born about 1900 show up in later census records with other family members.

  • 1900 Wabash County, Indiana (Arnold Street, Roann, Paw Paw Township page 240a) household of Anthony W. and Eliza J. Hoffman: Helen O., granddaughter, Mar 1892, 8, born Indiana.
  • 1910 Wabash County, Indiana (Paw Paw Township page 254) household of Aaron T. and Jennie Gidley: Ester Huffman, niece, female, white, 10, born Indiana.
  • 1910 Wabash County, Indiana (Pleasant Township page 284) household of John and Effie Wertenberger: Helen Hoffman, niece, 18, born Indiana and another niece, First name illegible Hoffman, age 10 or 12, born Indiana
  • 1920 Wabash County, Indiana (Roann, Paw Paw Township page 6b) household of John and Effie Wertenberger: Helen Hoffman, niece, 27, single, teacher in public school.
3. Effie Hoffman was born in Jan 1867 in Indiana. [13] She graduated from Roann High School in 1884, with the first graduating class. [14] She married John Wertenberger about 1887. [13]

John Wertenberger was born in Mar 1873 in Indiana. [15] They did not have any children but the census records show that various family members lived with them at different times. John died between 1920 and 1930 (Effie is listed as a widow in the 1930 census).

Effie and John Wertenberger were found in the following census records:

1900 Wabash County, Indiana (Pleasant Township, page 266a) household of John Wertenberger.
1910 Wabash County, Indiana (Pleasant Township, page 284) household of John Wertenberger.
1920 Wabash County, Indiana (Roann, Paw Paw Township, page 6b). household of John Wertenberger.
1930 Wabash County, Indiana (Ward 3 Roann, Paw Paw Township,
page 223) household of Effie I. Wertenberger

4. Ella Hoffman was born in 1868 in Indiana. [16] The only record I've found for Ella, other than the census records where she was listed with her parents, is that she graduated with the class of 1888 from Roann High School. [14]

5. Jennie Mae Hoffman was probably born in May 1872 in Indiana [17] and probably died between 1910 and 1920. [18] She married Aaron Gidley on 22 Aug 1896 in Wabash County, Indiana. [19]

Aaron Gidley was born on 11 Jun 1844 in Miami County, Indiana [19] and died on 05 Mar 1923 in Roann, Wabash County, Indiana [19] at age 78. Jennie was his second wife and he had three children by his first wife, Emma Shively. [19]

Jennie Hoffman and Aaron Gidley were the parents of one son:

i. Wayne William Gidley was born on 03 Nov 1898 in Indiana [19]. Wayne was a 1916 graduate of Roann High School. [14] He was enumerated in the household of Effie I. Wertenberger in Wabash County, Indiana (Roann, Paw Paw Township, page 223) in the 1930 census: Wayne W. Gidley, nephew, 29, single, Salesman in a "Day" Store.

The family of Jennie and Aaron Gidley were found in the following census records:

1900 Wabash County, Indiana (Church Street, Roann, Paw Paw Township, page 241a) household of Aram Gidley.
1910 Wabash County, Indiana (Paw Paw Township, page 254) household of Aaron T. Gidley
1920 Wabash County, Indiana (Chippewa Street, Roann, Paw Paw Township, page 241) household of Aaron Gidley.

Sources and Notes:
[1] 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.
[2] 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.
[3] Eliza was 28 in the 1870 census, 35 in 1880, 58 and born May 1842 in 1900, 65 in 1910.
[4] 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. Father given as Anthany Wayne Hoffman and mother was Eliza Jane Wise.
[5] Eliza is listed in the 1920 census but was not found in 1930.
[6] Anthony's month and year of birth was given as March 1839 in the 1900 census. Eliza is listed as widowed in the 1910 census.
[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] They had been married 18 years in the 1900 census (Ashland County, Ohio page 2b) and 27 years in 1910 (Ashland County, Ohio page 246).
[9] Death Record of Perry M. Fluke. FamilySearch Labs Online Database (http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/), Ohio Death Records 1908-1953 downloaded January 24, 2008.
[10] 1900 Federal Census, Ashland County, Ohio (Orange Township page 2b). Household of Perry M. Fluke. Kelsey H., son, b. Oct 1885; Florence, daughter, born Jan 1886; Hellen, daughter, forn April 1894.
[11] Death Record of Helen Rose Fluke Lersch. FamilySearch Labs Online Database (http://search.labs.familysearch.org/recordsearch/), Ohio Death Records 1908-1953 downloaded January 24, 2008. Father given as Perry M. Fluke born Orange Twp., O. and mother was Libby Hoffman born Gilead, Ind.
[12] Dayton Hoffman was age 7 in the 1870 census and 16 years old in the 1880 census.
[13] 1900 Federal Census, Wabash County, Indiana (Pleasant Township, page 266a). Enumerated in the household of John Wertenberger: Effie, wife, Jan 1867, 33, married 13 years, no children, born Indiana
[14] Roann High School Graduates 1884-1962. http://www.rootsweb.com/~inwabash/grads/roann-hs.html downloaded January 24, 2008.
[15] 1900 Federal Census, Wabash County, Indiana (Pleasant Township, page 266a). John Wertenberger, head of household, Mar 1873, 47, married 13 years, born Indiana.
[16] Ella was 2 years old in the 1870 census and 12 in 1880.
[17] Jennie was 8 years old in the 1880 census, 28 in 1900 (born May 1872), and 35 years old in 1910.
[18] Aaron's marital status is listed as widowed in the 1920 census.
[19] Ancestry World Tree. Family Record of Aram [sic] T. Gidley downloaded January 23, 2008. online at http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/person.aspx?pid=-1562371906&tid=4585402

The next, and final, post in this series will discuss what information was found on the John Wise family as well as what additional research remains to be done.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 3:45 PM 0 comments
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Sunday, January 27, 2008

Handwritten Notes and the Wise Family - Part 2

In the post Handwritten Notes and the Wise Family - Part 1 I reviewed the information that I had previously found on the family of Peter and Christina Wise, whom I thought were the parents of Jacob Wise, my 3rd great-grandfather. Assuming that they are, I came up with a list of Jacob's possible siblings, that I have names for. There are at least five other possible siblings for which we have no names.
William born 1821-22.
John born about 1831.
Hannah born 1826-1831.
Elizabeth born 1837 and died May 24, 1854 ae 17y 4m.
Eliza J. born 1840-41.
Elmira or Emaline, born 1845-46.
In that post I also mentioned some notes my grandmother had written on several pieces of paper that may have shed some light on two of Jacob's siblings, John and Eliza. Those two notes are shown below. They were written in pencil on paper that has now turned yellow. The images have been converted to gray scale and enhanced somewhat to make the writing a bit more legible. Transcriptions follow the images.





=+= beginning of transcription
The first note:
Aunt Lyd Hoffman - Sister of Jacob Wise
her children [rwNote: does the number indicate number of children?]
Effie Wertenburger - Roanoke (2)
Minnie Fluke - Nanken, Ohio (1)
Jennie Mae Gidley - Roanoke (3)
Hoffman (boy)

The second note:
Grandchildren of John Wise, brother of Jacob Wise
Florence Sites, daughter of Minnie, arrow pointing from Florence to "Mansfield"
Jenny Murry
Guy Murry - Mansfield - children of Jenny Murry
Robert Murry (Ashland)
Mrs. Macy Hart - sister of Guy Murry - Ashland, Ohio
Dayton Huffman
Effie Wertenburger (Huffman)
Minnie Fluke (Huffman)
Jenny Mae Gidley (Huffman)
daughters of Aunt Lide Huffman who was a sister of John & Jacob Wise
Wayne Gidley - Roann - son of Jenny Mae Gidley
Children - Helen Huffman daughter of Dayton
See Roan, Ind.
Miami Co.
=+= end of transcription

At first glance, these lists didn't look like they would be of much use. First off Jacob didn't have a sister named Lyd or Lide and Hoffman is a fairly common name. But the married names of her daughters were all somewhat unusual: Wertenburger, Fluke, and Gidley. On the other hand, the Murry (or Murray?) surname could be a problem. Secondly, the second note is somewhat confusing to read. As far as the locations were concerned, Roanoke is in Huntington County and Roan (Roann) is in Wabash County, both in Indiana. References to Ashland probably indicate Ashland County, Ohio and Mansfield is in Richland County, Ohio.

Since I thought the name Dayton Huffman was a bit unusual, that was my first search on Ancestry. There I found an 1870 census record in Pleasant Township, Wabash County, Indiana, page 48. Dayton was listed as a 7 year old in the household of A. W. and Jane Hoffman. A. W. was a 32 year old sawyer with a personal estate valued at $600 and was born in Ohio. Jane was 28 years old and born in Ohio. The rest of the household members were born in Indiana. In addition to Dayton there was 9 year old Minnie, 5 year old Effa and 2 year old Ella. Was this the right family? The wife's name was Jane, not Lyd, Lide or Eliza. But we knew Eliza's middle initial was J., could she be Eliza Jane? And the names of the children were close. Minnie, Dayton, and Effa.

The 1880 census for Roann, Wabash County, page 39, has the family listed: Andrew W. Hoffman is 40 years old and a clerk in a store. His wife, Eliza J., is 35 years old. Daughter Minnie is 17, son Dayton is 16, daughter Effie is 14, daughter Ella is 12, and daughter Jennie is 8 years old. Both Andrew and Eliza J. were born in Ohio and their parents were born in Pennsylvania. The children were all born in Indiana.

The other entries that showed up in the searches for 1900 and beyond are not this Dayton Hoffman. I have not found any additional information on him yet.

A search for Eliza Hoffman showed her and "Anthony" in Roann, Paw Paw Township, Wabash County, page 240a in 1900. Anthony W. Hoffman was born March 1839 in Ohio, was 61 years old and married 39 years. Eliza J., his wife, was born in May 1842, was 58 years old, had been married 39 years, and was the mother of 5 children with all 5 still living. Listed with them was Helen O. Hoffman, an 8 year old granddaughter, born in Indiana in March 1892.

In 1910, Eliza Hoffman is found in Pleasant Township, Wabash County, page 284. She is listed in the household of John Wertenberger as his mother in law. John was a 51 year old farmer, he had been married twice. His wife, Effie, was 42 years old. She had been married once and had no children. Eliza Hoffman, his Mother in Law, was a 65 year old widow. She had 5 children with all 5 living. Also listed in the household was an 18 year old niece, Helen Hoffman, and another niece either 10 or 12 years old. This part of the census record is nearly illegible and the name of this niece was not deciphered.

Eliza didn't show up in the census index for 1920, but a search for John Wertenberger showed that she was living with him. John Wertenberger is a 66 year old farm operator born in Indiana. His wife, Effie, was 52 years old, also born in Indiana. Eliza Hoffman, Mother-in-law, was a 77 year old widow, born in Ohio with parents born in Pennsylvania. Also living with John was his 27 year old niece Helen Hoffman.

Census searches continued with the Wertenberger, Gidley and Fluke surnames, with great success. I won't go into detail with those searches or other website searches but will instead give a summary of Eliza's children. . . in the next post, since this is getting kind of long.
Posted by Becky Wiseman at 9:35 PM 0 comments
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