Notes for Anna Bennett Wiser Minneley

1810 census Shenango, Crawford Co., PA
Henry Bennett page 423
10010-30010
1 male 26-44 (Henry, age 31)
1 male under 10 (Samuel T, age 0-5)
1 female 26-44 (Elenor, age 28)
3 females under 10 (Polly, age 6, Unknown Daughter #1, age 0-10, & Anna, age 1)

1820 census Shenango, Crawford Co., PA page 54A
Henery Bennett 310010-31110-01
1 male 26-44 (Henry, age 41)
1 male 10-15 (Samuel T, age 10-15)
3 males under 10 (Robert, age 6 & John, age 2 & William, age 0-8)
1 female 26-44 (Elenor, age 38)
1 female 16-25 (Polly, age 16)
1 female 10-15 (Anna, age 11)
3 females under 10 (Sarah, age 8, Unknown Daughter #2, age 1-7? & Elizabeth, age baby)
1 person engaged in agriculture

June 16, 1830 - Anna Bennett married Asa G. Wiser

March 30, 1831 - daughter Fidelia Wiser born
1832 - son Herman Wiser born. He was killed in 1837 in a fire.
abt 1834 - Daughter Anna Wiser born
abt 1836 - Daughter Sarah Wiser born
abt 1838 - Daughter Catharine Wiser born

1840 census Conneaut, Crawford Co., PA
Asa G. Wyser,
1 male 30-40 (Asa, age age 31)
1 female 30-40 (Anna, age 31)
2 females 5-9 (Fidelia, age 9 & Anna, age 6)
2 females 0-4 (Sarah, age 4 & Catherine, age 2)
Next to Eli b. Wyser

abt 1841 - daughter Ellen Wiser born
abt 1845 - son Henry/Harvey Wiser born

1850 census Pine, Crawford Co., PA
#57.55
Anna Wiser, age 41, b. PA
Sarah A., age 16, b. PA
Maria A., age 14, b. PA
Catharine, age 12, b. PA
Ellen, age 9, b. PA
Harvey, age 5, b. PA

December 1, 1856 - Henry wrote his will. He named as heirs (named in will in this order):
Grandchildren:
John F. Bennett
William R. Bennett
Jane E. Bennett
Daughters:
Polly Williams
Sarah C. Reed
Ann McNally
Betsy Jane Cook
Grandson William P. Bennett
Sons:
Robert N. Bennett
John C. Bennett

1860 census Pine, Crawford Co., PA
John S. Manely, age 40, Farmer, b. Ireland
Ann, age 50, b. PA
Ellen, age 19, b. PA
Henry, age 15, b. PA
William, age 5, b. PA

1870 census Pine, Crawford Co., PA
Jno Minely, age 51, Shoemaker, b. Ireland
Almie, age 61, keeping house, b. PA
Willie, age 15, b. PA

1880 census Pine Crawford Co., PA
John C. Minneley, age 60, Farmer, Ireland/Ireland/Ireland
Anna, wife, age 71, Keeping House, PA/PA/Ireland
William P., age 25, PA/Ireland/PA
Mary A., age 23, wife, Keeping House, PA/Ireland/NJ

March 04, 1882 - Anna died
October 15, 1891 - John died
___________________________________
From: Tom & Janet Adams [mailto:tjadams@chartermi.net]
Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 12:41 PM
To: Kari Northup
Subject: Re: Henry & Elenor

Descendants of Anna "Polly" Bennett
Generation No. 1
1. Anna "Polly"2 Bennett (Henry1) was born 1808 in Pennsylvania, and died 4 March 1882 in Linesville, Crawford Co., Pa.. She married (1) Asa Gallup Wiser 16 June 1830 in Crawford Co., Pa., son of Harmon Wiser and Mary Gallup. He was born 12 March 1809 in Otsego Co., N.Y., and died About 1846 in Linesville, Crawford Co., Pa.. She married (2) John S. Minneley About 1852, son of ______ Minneley. He was born About 1819 in Ireland, and died 15 October 1891 in Pine Twp., Crawford Co., Pa..
Notes for Anna "Polly" Bennett:
Anna's parents are believed to be Henry Bennett and Elenor Thompson-Cline for the following reasons:
1. The Crawford Messenger reported the marriage of "Mr. Asa G. Wiser of Conneaut, to Miss Anna Bennet of Shenango by the Rev. Mr. M'Lean," on 1 July 1830. The 1830 census of Shenango lists only 4 families named Bennett/Bennet. They were William Bennett and his 3 adult sons: Anthony, Henry, and Robert. Henry was the only one whose wife was from Ireland (no, William's wife was also from Ireland!), and according to the 1880 census Anna's father was born in Pennsylvania and her mother in Ireland.
2. Henry's family is listed in the 1810 through 1830 census of Shenango. The names of all of Henry's children are not known, but the 1810 census indicates Henry had 3 daughters under the age of 10 (Anna was born in 1808).
3. In 1859 Henry Bennett listed 6 children in his will including one "Ann McNally." Anna's first husband, Asa Wiser, died in 1845 and she married John Minneley in the early 1850's. It seems entirely likely that the "Ann McNally" mentioned in Henry's will is actually "Anna Minneley."
4. Finally, Anna named her youngest son, William Perry Minneley, apparently after her brother, William Perry Bennett (assuming Anna is indeed the daughter of Henry and Elinor).
Notes for Asa Gallup Wiser:
One source indicates Asa died on 14 June 1845 but land records in Crawford County indicate he had purchased some land on 17 July 1845 (perhaps he died on 14 June 1846?). Asa is not listed in the 1850 census but Anna and the children are (their youngest child, Harvey, was 5 years old at the time). After Asa died Anna remarried in the early 1850's. Asa had purchased one-half acre of land in North Shenango in July 1845 and "Anna Wiser Minelly lately Anna Wiser administrix of the late Asa G. Wiser of Pine Twp. deceased..." sold this land in 1853 (note that
Shenango Twp. was split into North and South Shenango in 1830, and that North Shenango was split into Pine Twp. and North Shenango in 1845). Anna and John Minnely are in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 census of Pine Twp., Crawford Co. The Crawford Journal on 17 Mar 1882 reported Anna's death: "Minneley - in Linesville, March 4, of apoplexy, Mrs. Anna, wife of John S. Minneley, in her 73rd year." The Crawford Journal on 22 Oct 1891 reported: "Minneley - in Pine Twp., Oct 15, John Minneley, age 72 years." As an aside, Asa bought the above land from Smith Line, son of Amos Line, for whom Linesville was named. Smith Line opened the first general store in the village of Linesville in 1839. Col. Frank C. Wiser, M.D., greatgrandson of Amos, wrote about Smith Line in 1954: "Smith, I remember personally. He was quite along in years and I was just a small boy, but he still had the store. I recall that we boys of the town used to swing our seats up on the counter of the store so we could reach over and dip into tha big jar of crackers. One of Smith's clerks made a small hole in the counter at the center of this sitting spot. Beneath the hole, he rigged a long sharp needle on a spring device that could be tripped by pulling on a string from some distance up the counter. The first boy who sat over the hole was made quickly and sharply aware that his position was unwelcome. I remember putting a shingle in the seat of my pants and grabbing crackers with great glee while the clerk pulled the string again and again without stirring me from my spot."
Notes for John S. Minneley:
A newspaper death announcement refers to him as John S. while the 1880 census refers to him as John C. It is not known who John's parents were, but note that on a delayed birth certificate for John's grandson, Charles Henry Minneley, there was a E. Winifred Minneley who was listed as a "cousin" of Charles. Winifred was born in June 1882 and died at Meadville in Sept 1977 - could she have been a granddaughter of one of John's brothers?
Children of Anna Bennett and Asa Wiser are:
+ 2 i. Fidelia3 Wiser, born 30 March 1831 in Linesville, Crawford Co., Pa.; died 28 March 1910 in Erie, Pa..
3 ii. Herman Wiser, born 1832 in Pennsylvania; died March 1837 in North Shenango Twp., Crawford Co., Pa..
Notes for Herman Wiser:
Herman (Harmon?) died in a barn fire. The Meadville Courier on 7 Mar 1837 reported, "We regret to learn that the barn of Mr. Thompson Bennett, of North Shenango, in this county, was destroyed by fire on Thursday or Friday of the week before last, and painful to relate, his own child and one of Mr. Asa Wiser's, a neighbor, one four and the other five years of age, perished in the flames! It is thought that fire was taken into the barn by the children, unnoticed by the family, which communicated the combustible materials and enveloped them in flames before they could be rescued." Zelma McCullough, had a copy of a poem "written by Asa G. Wiser on the death of his son Herman who was burned to death."
+ 4 iii. Sarah Ann Wiser, born 22 May 1834 in Pennsylvania; died 20 December 1915 in Linesville, Crawford Co., Pa..
+ 5 iv. Antoinette Marie Wiser, born 1836 in Crawford Co., Pa.; died Aft. 1880.
+ 6 v. Catherine Wiser, born 7 September 1838 in Pine Twp., Crawford Co., Pa.; died 3 October 1901 in Thetford Twp., Genesee Co., Mich..
7 vi. Ellen Wiser, born 1841 in Pennsylvania.
8 vii. Henry Wiser, born 1845 in Pennsylvania.
Notes for Henry Wiser:
He may have married Kitty Henry on 6 Oct 1880.
Child of Anna Bennett and John Minneley is:
+ 9 i. William Perry3 Minneley, born May 1854 in Linesville, Crawford Co., Pennsylvania; died 18 May 1932 in Warren, Pennsylvania.