RESEARCH FINDINGS

I have received a number of requests to reprint the family of Benjamin Wiser Senior.

Family of Benjamin Wiser

    1. Benjamin Wiser Senior was born about 1743 in Natick, Middlesex, MA. He died after 1810 in New Woodstock, Madison, NY.

RESEARCH NOTES:

BIOGRAPHY: Little is known of the ancestry of Benjamin Wiser Senior.  He was probably born about 1740-50.  The first record that we have of him is his service during the Revolutionary War in 1778.  By 1784, he was a resident of Haverhill, NH where he was ordered out of town in 1784.  This order was not effective as in 1790 he was still a resident of Haverhill.  By 1800, he and some of his family had moved to Cazenovia Township, Madison, NY to what is now known as New Woodstock.  The 1812 tax assessment of Cazenovia Township is the last known record that we have of Benjamin Wiser Senior. In 1820, four of his sons were head of households in Truxton, Cortland, NY which is next to Cazenovia Township.  Kezia's maiden name is not known. 

FURTHER RESEARCH NEEDED: have not yet proven that our Benjamin and Benjamin of Sturbridge are one and the same, but it would appear so.  It would also appear that some of the children are those of Benjamin and Abigail Thomas, that she passed away, and Benjamin then married Kezia.

MILITARY RECORDS: Revolutionary War Rolls of NH; Vol.15, p.590; a pay roll of Captain Luther Richardsons Company.  Benjamin Wiser, commencement of pay, 6 Apr 1778.  Timothy Bedel Esquire was Colonel.

TOWN RECORDS: Town Records of Haverhill, NH, p.85; 8 Feb 1784, Benjamin Wiser and Kezia his wife and the children of the said Wiser viz...Allice, Alithea, Benjamin, Josiah, Samuel, Kezia & Abigail-depart out of said Haverhill and go to the places of their last abode... This was a common practice with those who were poor and did not own land.

CENSUS RECORDS: 1790 Census of Haverhill, 1800 Census of Cazenovia, Chenango, NY.  In 1790, 2 males over 16 and 6 females.  In 1800, 3 males, age 10-16, 1, 16-26, and 1, 45 and over, 2 females under 10, and 1, 45 and over. 1810 Census of Cazenovia, Madison, NY.

TAX RECORDS: Assessment Roll of Cazenovia, NY, 1804, owned 9 acres and was taxed .27.  1805-Benjamin Wiser, 1812-Benjamin Wiser; taxes abated for year year 1786, in Haverhill.

NEWSPAPER RECORDS: Abstracts from Madison County Newspapers, in the Cazenovia NY Public Library, p.276; letters Cazenovia, 1 Jul 1809; Benjamin Wiser, Cazenovia; also 1 Oct 1810 and 1 Jan 1810.

TOWN RECORDS: Cazenovia; in the Lorenzo (John Lincklaen's home, now a state historic site), Wisers appear in the Samuel Forman (SF) store accounts. These refer to purchases from the first store (1793-1823) accounts. Also, Ledyard Lincklaen's (LL) accounts, LL was an heir to the Land Office and his records date to his death in 1864.  The JL (Jonathan Ledyard also an heir died about 1875) Daybook.  Mr. Wiser (SF); B. Wiser (SF); Benjamin Wiser, 11 items (SF); Benjamin Wiser, (LL), owned Lot #66 Road Town (This is now in New Woodstock); Benjamin Wiser (JL) B, Fol.343; J. Wiser (SF); James (son of Benjamin) (SF); Josiah Wiser (LL), Josiah Wiser, 6 items (SF); Josiah Wiser (JL) D, Josiah Wiser, 20 items (SF); Marsilva Wiser (SF).

PROBATE RECORDS: From the probate records of Grafton County, NH, Vol. 2 p. 138, estate of Robert Haseltine, late of Haverhill, 27 May 1793, accounts owed, Benjamin Wiser, 2-5-6 pounds, claims against estate, Luther Morse, 0-3-0 pounds and Benjamin Wiser, 0-12-0.  I do not know if there is any type of family relationship between Robert Haseltine and the Wisers.

PARENTAGE: From O'Brien, Jean Marie, "Community Dynamics in the Indian-English Town of Natick, MA 1650-1790", Vol. 1, "Another proprietary family can be traced to Worcester County as well.  The heirs of Samuel Bowman petitioned the General Court for the sale of his Natick lands in 1749, two years after his estate entered probate in Worcester County.  The heirs included his widow Martha, and six others, three who were apparently children of Samuel and Martha (two daughters with spouses, and an unmarried son), and a six year old grandson.  Benjamin Wiser, aged six and a grandson of Samuel Bowman (relationship to the aforementioned Benjamin Wiser unknown) was living with Zacariah and Betty Equi "in Sturbridge..., Dwellers on Land belonging to others."  They proposed that Benjamin's share be invested as well, and that the Equi's share be used in ways the General Court thought best "haveing no View of the money Spent Needlessly."  Other heirs included Martha and Joseph Peegun living in Dudley, Samuel Bowman, the eldest son, unmarried, and Martha Bowman, the widow living in Worcester.  This is explained in much more detail in "Dispossession by Degrees, pages 164-166."

PROBATE RECORDS:  In the probate records of Col. Timothy Bedel, Benjamin owed 18 shillings to the estate.

MARRIAGE RECORD: Congregational Church Records of Sturbridge, MA, 1736-1818, p. 74, June ye 25, 1767, marryed Benja. Wiser and Thomas. (also original earlier in record).

Benjamin married (1) Abigail Thomas on 25 Jun 1767 in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA. Abigail was born about 1745. She may have died about 1772 possibly in Sturbridge, Worcester, MA.

They had the following children:

            2 F       i.  Alithea (Alathea) Wiser was born on 27 Sep 1768/1769 probably in Westborough, Worcester, MA. She died on 6 Dec 1848 in Truxton, Cortland, NY.

TOWN RECORDS: Town Records of Haverhill, NH p.422; Banns of matrimony between Luther Morse of New Concord, Vermont & Alathea Wiser of Haverhill, NY, 2 Sep 1788.

p.251, 29 Mar 1798; to allow Dr. Amasa Scott three dollars for attendance and meds for Luther Morse's wife one of the poor of said town.

CHURCH RECORDS: New Woodstock Baptist Church Records, Eletheah Morse, joined Baptist Church in New Woodstock in 1804 and dismissed 1819. Truxton Baptist Church, Aug 1830 Members, Mrs. Morse, 11 Nov 1838, received Alathear Morse by letter, 1841, A. Morse, Aug 1846, Mrs. Morse, Dec 1848, died Mrs. Morse.

NEWSPAPER RECORDS: Cazenovia Pilot, 31 Oct 1810, letters left at post office,

for Alathea Morse; also 1 Oct 1810.

DEATH RECORD: Truxton (now Cuyler), Cortland, NY, Alathea Morse, died 6 Dec 1848,

age 79.

Alithea married Luther Morse son of Joseph Morse and Jemima Wheat on 2 Sep 1788 in Haverhill, Grafton, NH. Luther was born on 5 May 1767 in Westborough, Worcester, MA. He died about 1823 probably in Truxton, Cortland, NY.

SOURCE

PARENTAGE: Luther, son of Joseph and Jemima (Wheat) Morse.

CENSUS RECORDS: 1800 and 1810 Census of Cazenovia, Madison, NY.

TOWN RECORDS: Concord, VT; 1796, Luther Morse, 1 poll, 1 cow, widow, Jemima Morse, 1 cow; 1804, Luther Morse.

DEATH RECORD: from Morse Society records (sent in by an unknown descendant).

            3 F      ii.  Allice Wiser was born about 1770 in of Sturbridge, Worcester, MA.

FAMILY RECORDS: no further information now known.

(To be continued next month.  I will be going on a research trip to Massachusetts and Upstate New York, from August 24^th to September 2^nd,).

OBITUARIES

Syracuse Post-Standard, 26 Jul 2002; Dana E. Rainbow (Robert S. Rainbow, Lela Marie Albro Rainbow, William Henry Albro, Joseph G.L. Albro, Sabra s. Morse Albro, Alithea Wiser Morse, Benjamin Wiser), 48, of 1948 Lorrings Crossing Road, Cortland, died Wednesday. He was born in Cortland and was proprietor of Darion Packaging in Cortland for 13 years. He was an Army veteran. Survivors: A daughter, Karrie A. Kabanuk of Cortland; two sons, Dana S. and Steve, both of Cortland; his mother, Myrtle Rainbow of Cortland; three sisters, Sharon Marshall and Marlene Loomis, both of Cortland, and Lorene Putnam of Scott; two brothers, Kenneth of Solon and Alan of Cortland; two grandchildren. Services: 11 a.m. Saturday at Wright-Beard Funeral Home. Burial, Hillcrest Cemetery. Calling hours, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the funeral home, 9 Lincoln Ave., Cortland.

POSTSCRIPT

Once again, thanks for any suggestions in regards to our family newsletter.  You may contact me at or at 6 Baton Rouge, Roswell, NM  88201, or at (505) 623-2534.