WISER FAMILY

ORLEANS COUNTY, NY
web site submission

Submitted: February 12, 2003
by Sharleen (Wiser) Peck.

My FAMILY GROUP SHEETS will be found below the following introductory notes.

I was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada but have been living in Rochester, NY since 1991. My email address at this time is shar.peck@gmail.com.

My great-grandfather Hiram WISER Jr (Harman Hiram WISER on one record) was born in Erie County, NY but moved to Medina area, Orleans County, as a young boy and grew up there. He always considered Medina his home, so much so that several of his children thought he was born there and his death certificate says he was born in Medina, but his youngest girl, Lorena, said she was sure he was born in Lockport and we did afterwards find a census record that says he was born in Erie County. Apparently he 'worked at towing' on the Erie Canal and Hudson River before his removal to Canada.

In 1872, after his mother died, he left New York and moved to northern Ontario, Canada hoping to get a land grant and start his own small lumber mill business. He married in Ontario and, although his fondest dream was to go back to Medina for a visit, he never was able to - not enough money, another child on the way, etc., etc. Those were horse and buggy days, of course, so not a short trip back then.

After Hiram's death his daughter Florence and one of her sons did eventually make the trip to Medina looking for genealogical information and did find a WISER living there, but he was not related as far as they could tell. That WISER was related to Floyd WISER with whom Hiram had corresponded in the early 1900's but who, it turned out, was not related to us after all, Floyd's line being descended from Cornelius Wiser. (Anyone wanting further information on Floyd's line, please email me - I have transcripts of his letters.)

HIRAM WISER JR.

FAMILY GROUP SHEET

Husband:  
HIRAM WISER 
b 1807, Tompkins Co., NY, 
d 1857 NY
Parents unknown
Other marriages - unknown
Living in ORLEANS County in 1855 (per census)

Wife:  
MIRANDA JOHNSON
b 1809, Monroe Co., NY
d 1872, Barre, Orleans Co., NY
Parents unknown
Other marriages:  
1. First marriage to CHAMBERS (first name unknown)
2. Second marriage (or common law marriage?) to Hiram WISER
3. Third marriage after Hiram's death to William REEVES, Barre, Orleans Co., NY

CHILDREN:
1. OREN / ORRIN b 1829, d 8 Oct 1908, Albion, Orleans Co., NY
(Orrin was blind due to an accident as a boy.  He lived with his mother until
her death in 1872.  He died in the Orleans County Home in Albion.)
2. GEORGE b abt 1838
3. HARRIET b abt 1844
4. HIRAM JR. b Mar 1848 (my great-grandfather)
5. MELVIN 
6. SARAH 
7. OSCAR 
8. JET 

FGS NOTES FOR HIRAM SR:
Hiram WISER Sr. died when Hiram Jr. was "nine years old" according to an old 
letter, so died in 1857.  He probably died somewhere in or near Medina, 
New York.  He may have been born in Pennsylvania if a son or grandson of 
Harmon WISER of Linesville, or in New York if a son of Isaac WISER or one of 
the other brothersin this family.  Hiram Jr. said he had an 'Uncle Nathanial 
living in Linesville, Pa.'  Nathanial was the son of Harmon WISER of Crawford Co.

1855 CENSUS ORLEANS COUNTY, NEW YORK:
CHAMBERS, Hiram, 48, male born TOMPKINS, Farmer 474-D2 
(This is obviously HIRAM WISER)
Miranda, 43, wife, born MONROE
Harriet, 11, child, born ERIE
Hiram, 7, child, born ERIE 
WISER, Orrin, 28, male, born GENESEE
(NOTE- Why was the name CHAMBERS used?  Was Miranda still legally 
CHAMBERS and this was a common-law marriage to Hiram?  But then why 
was Orrin listed as WISER?  Quite a good mystery here.)

There is an H.H. WISER on the 1850 census for Monroe Co., NY 
who is 36 years old (b 1814), occupation: RR (RR for Railroad: he was a carpenter 
for the railroad), value real estate 2,000, b NY in Monroe Co., NY, married to 
Mary 34, children  Mary 7 and Albert 5, with Lucy Jackson, 23 Eng., 
and Sarah Wiser 50.  
This H.H. is named Hiram Henry and died in 1857, the same year as my Hiram Jr. 
says his father died - and then he is found on the 1840 census - Hiram H. Wiser, 
living in Oneida Co. NY, along with Isaac J. (Isaac was a descendant of Harmon 
Wiser son of Henderick Kreydenwyse/Cridenwiser).  I think there is little doubt
 this is the same Hiram H. who is buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery.  
HIRAM JR SAID IN A LETTER HE HAD AN 'UNCLE NATHANIEL IN LINESVILLE, PA'
-- that Nathanial has proven to be the son of Harmon WISER, and Harmon the
son of Henderick KREYDENWYSE!)  This would seem to suggest that, at the very
least, Hiram H. and my Hiram were closely related.

From the old section of Mt. Hope Cemetery, Rochester, NY, LDS microfiche # 6048646
WISER, HIRAM HENRY; died Apr 8, 1857 at 46y 21d [A].  Now I'm really confused. 
Who is this?  Two Hiram WISERS, both related to Harmon WISER, both with knowledge 
of carpentry, who BOTH died in 1857?!!  



HIRAM WISER JUNIOR - FAMILY GROUP SHEET

Husband:  
HIRAM WISER 
b March 1848, Erie County, NY
d 29 Nov 1916, Collingwood, Ontario, Canada (after series of strokes)
Occupation:  mill man (worked in a shingle mill)
Heritage:  Dutch (according to his own knowledge passed down)
Parents:  Hiram WISER & Miranda JOHNSON
Other marriages:  none

Wife:  
GRACE LORENA THOMPSON
b 8 May 1862 North Gwillimbury, Ontario, Canada
d 24 August 1939, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Heritage:  Scottish per census records (possibly also some Dutch)
Father -  James THOMPSON b Sep 1833 Ontario, Canada, d 13 Dec 1901 
Rudyard, Chippewa Co., Michigan
Mother - Lydia Mary EVES b 1834 Ontario, Canada, d 12 Jan 1911 Rudyard, Michigan
Other marriages:  After Hiram's death, Grace married George Brack ROBERTSON 
on 24 Mar 1918 

CHILDREN:

1. MELVIN b 1879 Ontario, Canada; d 23 December 1968, Half Moon Bay, Vancouver, 
British Columbia, Canada.  Never married.

2. GEORGE HENRY b 28 Jun 1881 Ontario, Canada, d 17 Oct 1963.  Married Irene 
BARBERSLOFF (BRAVESTOCK on some records) 2 Sep 1907.

3. CHARLES HERBERT b 16 Jul 1883 Coopers Falls, Ontario, Canada (my grandfather), 
d 15 Apr 1941 Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada. Married Christina GREB b 1889 Ontario, 
d 1973 Ontario.

4. NATHANIAL b 2 Feb 1885 Housey's Rapids, Ryde Twp, Ontario, Cda, 
d 27 May 1891 Housey's Rapids  - NOTE: Nathanial age 6, and Ira, age 4, 
drowned when they decided to take themselves fishing at Fraser's Falls, 
Housey's Rapids without telling anybody.

5. HARRIET (HATTIE) LUCINDA b 18 Mar 1886 Oro Twp, Ontario, Canada, d 1955 
m Fred GOODRICH 

6. IRA b 1887, d 27 May 1891 Housey's Rapids, Ryde Twp, Ontario, Canada, age 4

7. ANNIE MAY b 13 Apr 1890, Housey's Rapids, Ryde Twp, Ontario, Canada, 
d Portland, Oregon, USA, 1st Wm McCREIGHT, 2nd BRECKLIN
8. FLORENCE ETHEL b 25 May 1892, Housey's Rapids, Ryde Twp, Ontario, Canada, 
d 25 Oct 1987, Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada, m Sam HAWN

9. WILLIAM OSCAR b 10 Mar 1894, Oakley Twp, Muskoka, Ontario, Canada, d. in WWI 
31 Aug 1917 in France and is buried in Pas de Calais, France. Never married.
NOTE ON WILLIAM OSCAR:
Called Oscar by his family.  'Hiram Oscar' on some records, but William Oscar 
on the birth record.  He was wounded in France and spent time in the hospital 
in England, sent back to the front and was killed there.  See the Commonwealth
War Graves Commision http://www.cwgc.org/,  which lists him only as Oscar WISER, 
Private 453653, 58th Bn, Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regt.) who died on 
Friday, 31st August 1917, age 23. Cemetery:  AIX-NOULETTE COMMUNAL CEMETERY 
EXTENSION, Pas de Calais, France; Grave Reference /   I. O. 9.
10. MILDRED b 1895 d 1895 (infant)

11. KATIE ARAMILLA b 22 Feb 1896 Housey's Rapids, Ryde Twp, Ontario, Canada, 
d 1 Dec 1896 Oro Twp, Ontario, Canada (infant)

12. HAZEL VICTORIA b 23 Sep 1897 Mitchell's Square, Ontario, Canada, d Florida. 
Married five times (order not known) DAVIDSON, ARTILLE, HUDSON, COVEY, and 
the fifth husband's surname is unknown to me.

13. HAROLD ELICK b 2 May 1899, d 1969 Barrie, buried Vancouver, BC.  
M Kathryn DOWNING

14. CORA LORENA b 31 Jan 1903, Oro Twp, Ontario, Canada, d 11 Mar 1995, 
St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada.  Married Ernest Samuel WARREN.