The Wise Families of Summit County, Ohio

CHARLES E. WISE, who owns 160 acres of fine land in Franklin Township, which lies along the dividing line from Green Township, is one of the representative farmers of this section, and one of its substantial and reliable men. He was born on the farm of his grandfather, in Coventry Township, Summit County, Ohio, December 29, 1865, and is a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Kepler) Wise.

Daniel Wise, the grandfather of Charles E., was born in Snyder County. Pennsylvania, and was a son of Peter Wise, whose whole life was pas.sed in Pennsylvania. His children were: Peter, John, Jacob, William, Daniel, Samuel, Betsey, Catherine and Lydia, all now deceased except Betsey, who married Peter Miller.

Daniel A'Lse was the first of the family to come to Ohio, and he walked all the way to Summit Countv from Bucks County, Pennsylvania. He located in Green Township among the early pioneers and began to clear land, and when opportunity offered, worked at his trade — that of stone-mason. After a time he was joined by his brother Samuel, who made the long journey with a horse and wagon. The brothers married sisters, Samuel espousing Catherine, and Daniel, Sarah Raber, both being daughters of Henry Raber, a pioneer farmer in the locality. At one time Henry Raber owned 1,000 acres of land in Summit County, and he gave each >of his children a farm. In early times he carried his wheat by wagon, to Cleveland, where he sold it for from forty to fifty cents a bushel. He died on his original homestead farm of 160 acres, when almost ninety years of age.

After his marriage, Daniel Wise gave the larger part if his attention to farming. He died in Green Township, owning at that time three farms, aged eighty-two years, and his widow died within three days of one year later. Daniel and Sarah Wise had the following children: John D.; Henry, father of Charles E.; Louisa, who married John Neal; Daniel, residing in Illinois; Frank and Calvin, both residing in Green Township; and Sarah, now deceased, who married L. Preere.

Henry Wise was reared on his father's farm in Green Township, assisting from boyhood in the heavy work which was made necessary by the wild condition of a large part of his father's property at that time. For a short period he attended the old log school-house and sat on the rough benches which were considered perfectly suitable in those days, but he had time to acquire no more than the rudiments of knowledge. From 1861 to 1863 he was engaged in drilling oil wells at Oil City, Pennsylvania, but with that exception, his whole life was spent in Summit County. For a time he resided south of Barberton, but later moved to the north of that town, where he died November 25, 1905, aged sixty-two years. He married Elizabeth Kepler, who was born and reared in Coventry Township, Summit County, Ohio, and is a daughter of Jacob and Susan (Marsh) Kepler, both of whom survive. They had four children: Charles Elmer, Olive, Harvey A., and Ida A., all now living, except the youngest, who died aged four years. Ida A. married Martin Ling.

Charles Elmer Wise was born while his parents lived in the house now owned by Huston Keppler, which was the home of his maternal grandfather. In a short time they moved to Franklin Township and located on the farm where Harvey Wise now lives, and where the three other children were born. It was on that farm that Charles E. Wise lived until his marriage, in the meanwhile obtaining his education in the district schools. For one year following his marriage, Mr. Wise farmer for his father-in-law at Norton, removing from there to a farm in Franklin Township, where he remained until 1891, when he settled on his present place which he secured from his father. In addition to carrying on general farming, Mr. Wise operates a portable sawmill. He has added to the original farm acreage and has much improved the property. In 1893 he built his substantial barn all of his buildings are kept in good order, his farm machinery is sufficient for his needs, and his surroundings indicate thrift and good management. In addition to this Waluable property he owns the residence site at No. 76 Fay street, Akron.

In February, 1888, Mr. Wise was married to Cora A. Miller, who is a daughter of Jacob J. and Theresa Miller, and they have one son, Walter A. Mr. Wise is a good citizen, but he takes no very active interest in politics.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HARVEY A. WISE, a highly esteemed citizen and practical farmer of Franklin Township, residing on his excellent farm of 160 acres, was born June 6, 1871, in Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, and on the same farm and in the same house in which he now resides. He is a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Kepler) Wie.

Henry Wise was a native of Pennsylvania, where in his younger days he was engaged in oil drilling and farming. As a young man he came to Ohio, and after his marriage settled on the present farm of his son Harvey, in Franklin Township, from which they subsequently removed to near Kenmore. Here Henry Wise died in November, 1905, aged 62 years, his wife still surviving him. Henry Wise was married to Elizabeth Kepler, who is a daughter of Jacoly Kepler, and to this union there were born four children: Charles; Harvey Allen; Ida, who married Martin Ling; and Ollie, who died young.

Harvey A. Wise received his education in the schools of his native district, and he has always been engaged in agricultural pursuits in Franklin Township, with the exception of three years when he carried on a livery business.s at Barberton, and two years spent on his father's farm near Kenmore. He inherited his present property from his father — a fertile tract of 1(30 acres on which stands a large brick residence, one of the first in the locality. In December, 1901, Mr. Wise was married to Mattie Snyder, who is a daughter of Isaac Snyder. Four children have been born to this union: Jesse, Lloyd, Grace and Howard. Mr. Wise, with his family, belongs to the Reformed Church. Plis portrait may be seen on an adjacent page.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

GEORGE H. WISE (deceased); born Nov. 10, 1800, in Longstown, Union Co., Penn., a son of Henry and Elizabeth (Seibald) Wise, whose children were John, Jacob, Henry, William, George, Christopher, Daniel, Mary and Abram. Henry Wise came West about the year 1812; John, his son, served in the war of 1812; Henry Wise settled in Lake Township when the country was new, remaining upon the place of his settlement until his death, which took place in 1839. George H. was raised a farmer; about the year 1820, was married to Catharine Wise, who was born May 11, about the year 1803, daughter of David and Catharine (Denious) Wise; he was a son of Frederick and Catharine, who came from Germany and were sold to pay their passage. The parents of 3L-S. Wise came West when she was but 9 years of age, settling in Stark Co., where they remained until their death. To them were born Betsy, Polly Catharine, Barbara, John, Sarah, Nancy and David; of those living are David, John and Mrs. Wise. For a time after the marriage of Mr. Wise, he located in Greentown, where he kept tavern and carried on the butchering business; was a carpenter by trade at which he worked in the early part of his life. In 1860. came to the township and purchased 349 acres of land, upon which he lived until his death which occurred Aug. 22, 1880; was father of thirteen children who were Jacob, Elizabeth, Sarah, Harriet. Lydia, Eliza, Washington, Jefferson, Wesley, Emma J., Melissa J., Washington and Nettie D. Wesley was born Nov. 1, 1838, died Dec. 25, 1862; married Clarissa Pryor, born in October, 1843. in Northampton, daughter of Samuel S., and Anra Everet. The Pryors were from Vermont, and the Everets from Germany. Mr. Wise has three children — Mary, Addie and Freddie; there are 312 acres in the estate.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

The family to which he belongs came from Pennsylvania to Ohio at an early day, David Wise, the grandfather of Byron P., settling in Green Town.ship, Summit County. Mr. Wise's ancestors in general have been agriculturists, and his father is a retired farmer living at Greentown.

Mr. Wise was educated primarily in the Uniontown public schools, and later took a business course in the Hammel's Commercial College at Akron. He then associated him.elf with business bouses where he could closely study electricity, in which he was deeply interested. For a time he was in the employ of the Erie Railroad, then was connected with the Camps for six years, and since the organization of the Camp Conduit Company, has been the secretary' of this concern.

In 1900 Mr. Wise was married to Lela Smith, of Summit County, who is a daughter of D. J. Smith. He has two.sons: Royale C. and John Clarke. Mr. Wise and family belong to Grace Reformed Clnuvh.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

NORMAN WISE, millwright for the Cleveland-Akron Bay Company at Boston Mill, in Boston Township, was born at East Liberty, Green Township, Summit County, Ohio, April 26, 1865, and is a son of William J. and Mary A. (Bower) Wise.

William J. Wise was born January 6, 1840, and for many years carried on agricultural pursuits in Tallmadge Township, where he still owns a large farm, although he is now retired from active pursuits and is living a quiet life at Akron. He was married to Mary A. Bower, who was the daughter of John Bower, of Newheim, and they had two sons and four daughters, Norman being the eldest child. Mr. and Mrs. Wise were members of the Presbyterian Church.

Norman Wise was educated in the common schools of Green Township, and when he was sixteen years old left the home farm and went to Cuyahoga Falls, where he began to learn the trade of machinist, in the plant of Turner* Vaughn and Taylor. Later he went to Cleveland, where he followed his trade in different shops, and subsequently went from place to place, both in the East and West, gaining varied and valuable experience. In 1887, when he entered the employ of the Cleveland Paper Bag Company, Mr. Wise's ability was recognized, and he held a prominent position with that firm for three years, when he went to the Taylor and Boggis Foundry Company, and was in charge of their machinery for ten and one-half years. In the spring of 1900, Mr. Wise came to his present position, to install the machinery of the paper mill, the erection of the building having been started in the fall of 1899. To gain some idea of the machinery which comes under Mr. Wise's care, one need only glance at the following equipment of the plant: one 84-inch paper machine, one 124-inch paper machine, four rotary boilers, two rope cutters, two dusters, a devil-picker, one 60-horse-power engine and coating machine, seven boilers, two feed water pumps, one fire pump with a capacity of 750 gallons per minute, one supply pump with a capacity of 1,000 gallons per minute, one rotary pump with a capacity of 550 to 600 gallons per minute, two water wheels manufactured by the Dayton Globe Iron Works with a capacity of 400 horse-power, a 1,000- horse-power cross compound Hamilton Corliss engine, one Snyder Hughes condensed, 1,398 feet of pipe line, composed of 6, 8, 10 and 12 inch pipe to a dam in the woods near the mill, which has a twelve-foot head of water and delivers water at a pressure of twenty-eight pounds, and a 4,600-gallon fire tank at an elevation of 120 feet, the plant being supplied with automatic sprinklers throughout. The plant has a machine ship equipped with drills, lathes and all other machinery necessary to make repairs on equipment, and Mr. Wise has the services of competent assistants.

Mr. Wise was married to Rose Wolfe, who is the daughter of Adam Wolfe, of Cleveland, and they have three children: Daisy G., Norman and Marion. In political matters Mr. Wise is a Republican. In 1901 he was elected justice of the peace of Boston Township, and he is now serving his second term, which continues until 1910. He has been a member of the Board of Education since 1905. Fraternally Mr. Wise is connected with Pavonia Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Cuyahoga Falls.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

J. H. WISE, deceased, was a native of Green Township, Summit Co., Ohio. Ho was born March 24, 1821. His father, George H. Wise, was a merchant of Greentown. Our subject was raised in his native township Dec. 14, 1853. He married Miss Catharine Middlekauff, a native of Hagerstown, Washington Co., Md. At the time of the marriage, and for five years thereafter, he was engaged in the mercantile business in Greentown, with his brother-in-law. In 1858, he sold out his interest in the business and came to Akron, superintending the farm he had bought just north of the city. In 18G1, he engaged as agent for the United States Express Company at Akron, and continued in that employ for four years, and next clerked in the Buckeye Works; he was interested in and became Secretary and Treasurer of the Akron Straw Board Company, but sold his interest after one year, after which he served as assignee for a number of concerns. By the marriage, there were three children, all since deceased. Their son, W. W., was Quartermaster of Co. L, 2d 0. V. I., and died in the service of his country at Ft. Scott, Kan. Mr. Wise died March 30, 1877. Mrs. Wise has continued her residence in the old homestead in Akron.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

GEORGE W. WISE (deceased). A native of Summit County, and a prominent and influential citizen of Wadsworth, Medina County for many years; born in Green Township November 17, 1828, and died December 28, 1879. He moved to Medina County when a young man, and purchased a farm near Wadsworth; was also engaged in business at that place. He erected a number of buildings in the village, among which were the schoolhouse and Odd Fellows' Block. He served as Township Trustee, was chosen to other minor offices, and elected Commissioner of Medina County; was connected with various societies, among which were the Masons, Odd Fellows, Good Templars and Knights of Honor. In April, 1871, he moved to Michigan with his family, and located in Isabella Co., being one of the pioneer settlers of Wise Township, which was named in his honor. He served there as Justice of the Peace and Tax Collector; was engaged in the lumber business and kept a store. For about twenty years, he was a partner with E. G. Loomis, both at Wadsworth and in Michigan. Mr.

As printed in the source². Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

W. G. WISE, secretary and manager of the Wise Furnace Company, which operates large works at Akron, was born at Greentown, Stark County, Ohio. He was educated in the district schools and at Mt. Union and subsequently taught school for two years. Coming to Akron in search of a satisfactory business field, Mr. Wise entered the office of J. F. Seiberldng, where he remained for six years. He then went to Catskill. New York, where he was engaged in a brick industry for two years, after which he returned to Akron. Here he was associated for a time with the Werner Company, and later mib the Twentieth Century Heating Company, remaining with the latter house for four years.

In January, 1904, Mr. Wi.se organized the Wise Furnace Company, which Avas incorporated Avith a capital stock of $50,000. Avith J. W. Myers, president; George Carmichael, vice-president, and AV. G. Wise, secretary and manager. This company manufactures furnaces of the WLse pattern, and the National Gas Hot Water Heaters, and their large factory gives employment to seventy-five men. The business has been a prosperous one from the beginning, and the progress of the company has been the most rapid known in the furnace business.

In 1893 Mr. AVise was married to Emma Filbey, of Shreve, AVayne County, Ohio, and they have one child, Atlee. Mr. atid Mrs. AVise belong to the AAoodland Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the U. C. T.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

LOUIS J. WISE, M. D., Perhaps no city in Ohio has a more notable body of medical men than has Akron, they being, as a whole, educated and enthusiastic men of science. Among these. Dr. Louis J. Wise occupies a leading place and, although one of the younger members of the profes.sion, has been exceedingly successful as a practitioner.

Dr. Wise was born in 1878, in Suffield, Ohio. After completing the public school course there he entered Notre Dame Univer-. sity at South Bend, Indiana, and subsequently Starling Medical College, from which he was graduated in 1901, with his medical degree. He practiced for a short time at St. Joseph, Portage County, Ohio, and then came to Akron. He belongs to the leading medical organizations of the state, including the Summit County Sixth Councilor District, and the Ohio State, and is also a member of the American Medical Association. Dr. Wise belongs also to the Summit County Physician's club. Dr. Wise is a member of St. Bernard's Catholic Church. He belongs also to the Knights of Columbus and to the Catholic Mutual Benefit Association.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.