PART 1 Text taken from page 256 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed January 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project. Published January 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/ The Wise Family, p. 256 THE WISE FAMILY. This family, which settled at an early day in the southeastern part of what is now Washington county, Penn., were of German extraction. Adam Wise and his wife, the progenitors, were natives of Rhenish Hesse, a province of Hesse Darmstadt, and lived near the river Rhine, where his ancestors carried on the business of milling and distillation of wine. He and his wife, excited no doubt by the wonderful reports which were spread far and wide of the opportunities afforded the emigrant for bettering his condition of life in the New World, set sail with their first born child (Andrew, born May 7, 1748) from Rotterdam, in the ship "Hampshire," Thomas Cheeseman, captain, and touching last at Falmouth, England, landed at Baltimore, Md., in July, 1748, the vessel after some delay proceeding to Philadelphia, where it arrived September 7 following. Adam Wise and family first settled on Pipe creek, in Carroll county, Md., at or near the site of Frederick City, where he lived about twenty-two years, and was engaged in the business of milling, distilling and farming, at which he prospered and was well to do. Shortly after March 10,1763, when his son Adam, Jr., was born, his first wife died. After a suitable period of mourning had elapsed, the elder Wise consoled himself for the loss by taking another wife a German lady and a few years after, his nomadic spirit having revived, he closed out his business in Maryland, and started with his family, now numerous, in search of a new home in the wilds of western Pennsylvania (making the long and tedious journey over the mountains in wagons), and settled on North Ten Mile creek, probably about the year 1770, if not earlier. This section of country was then known as "The Wilderness of Ten Mile" and was very sparsely settled. Only four years before this the first white settlement within the present limits of Washington county had been made near the junction of Ten Mile creek with the Monongahela river, and about four miles down the stream from the point where Adam Wise selected his new home. The selection was judiciously made. Perhaps nowhere in Washington county could he have found a more inviting site for a homestead. On a commanding eminence overlooking the beautiful valley of Ten Mile he built his cabin home. He must have been a man of cultured and refined taste, as a family tradition states that he was largely influenced in selecting this location by the picturesque landscape here presented to his view, and more particularly by the groves of white pine growing in this locality a feature of natural scenery very rare in Washington county. Here he located a tract of land, then in Westmoreland county, comprising about 400 acres, by what was called a "tomahawk improvement;" that is, he blazed the trees around his boundaries. The tract lies on the north side of North Ten Mile creek, about two and one-half miles from its junction with the south branch, and about four miles from the Monongahela river. This tract he named "The Fishery," for the reason that the finny tribe was very numerous at this point in the waters of Ten Mile, and it was patented March 19, 1785, under that name, by his son Peter Wise, who inherited it, the warrant having issued June 26, 1785. The delay in taking out a patent was occasioned by the disturbed state of the country caused by the Revolutionary war, and also owing to the death of the original proprietor, which occurred before its close. After the erection of Washington county, by act of Assembly, March 28, 1781, this tract was included in Washington, and after the county was subdivided into townships it was in Bethlehem; then after its subdivision into East and West Bethlehem, it was partly in both townships, the line passing nearly through its center. The village of Zollarsville is now located on a part of this tract. A recital of the adventures and hardships experienced by this family during the first few years of its life in the wilderness would be too voluminous for this sketch until the close of the Revolutionary war the Indians were hostile and the settlers were constantly menaced by destruction at their hands. At one time the danger became so threatening that they forsook their home and took refuge in old Fort Redstone, in which one of their children was born. The nearest trading posts were Winchester, Va., and Frederick City, Md., and to one of those points journeys were frequently made for the purchase of salt, hardware and other necessaries which they could not produce on the farm. These trips required about a month to make, and several settlers generally traveled together, for mutual protection against the wild beasts and marauding savages. Each man generally had charge of three horses, all heavily laden with such produce of their farms as could be carried on pack saddles. At first they carried wheat, but this proved too weighty then they tried flax, but this proved too bulky. At last finding that whisky and peach brandy were highly prized and commanded high prices at these trading posts, small distilleries were soon erected on almost every farm, and their products soon came to be the chief articles of export and trade. The sites of three of these primitive distilleries are still plainly marked on the old Wise plantation. This whisky took the name of the region in which it was manufactured, and "Old Monongahela" soon became a popular brand a distinction which it has retained to the present day. For several years the only mills for grinding grain were run by hand or by horse power, but the practical mind and enterprising spirit of Adam Wise soon conceived the idea of erecting a flouring mill to be propelled by water power, and to him and his son Andrew must be given the credit of erecting the first mill built within the valley of Ten Mile. It is not now positively known in what year this mill was erected, but a plat of the land made in 1785 shows the location of the mill, race and dam, and it was in successful operation and a place of note in 1788, as is shown by a petition of the inhabitants of Bethlehem township to the court in that year, which prays "that a line dividing said township into two parts, should begin at Peter Drake's and thence by a straight line to Wise's Mill which has ever been accounted centreable." This mill, however, was probably in operation about 1775, or shortly thereafter, first with an undershot wheel, and upon a small scale, but as the settlement rapidly increased it was soon found to be insufficient to do the business, and it was torn down, and a large mill with three run of buhrs, and overshot wheels, was erected near the site of the old mill. For many years it did an immense business, having no competition, flour of its manufacture being shipped in keel and flat boats as far south as New Orleans. Not long after the erection of the flouring mill, a sawmill was also erected, which did a large business, being surrounded by the primeval forest, and lumber being in great demand on account of the rapid settlement of the neighborhood. In the midst of all this business, Adam Wise, by whose capital and enterprise the mills were erected, died June 9, 1781, in his sixty-third year, and was buried in a graveyard on his plantation. A plain stone, with his age and date of death rudely cut thereon, still marks the grave where sleeps this sturdy, brave-hearted, enterprising pioneer. He was a useful man in his day and generation. Probably no man ever lived in this section who did so much to promote its rapid settlement and improvement. By his enterprise in erecting a mill, other settlers were attracted to the neighborhood, on account of the convenience thereof, the primeval forests rapidly gave way to cultivated fields, and the rich hills of Bethlehem were soon covered with golden grain. This mill passed out of the ownership of the Wise family in 1840, and was torn down in 1867. It was sold outside of the family for a few years, but was repurchased and owned and operated by said family for more than half a century. Adam Wise left a large estate for the time, and also a large family, his children being thirteen in number. By his first wife, who died in Maryland, he had five sons, viz.: Andrew, born in Germany; Peter, Frederick, Henry and Adam, Jr.; by his second wife, Catharine, he had eight children, viz.: sons Jacob, Daniel, Abraham and Tobias, and daughters Mary, Mary Ann, Ulian and Judith, some of whom were born before he left Maryland, others, after he came to Washington county, Penn.; of these, Andrew patented the farm where Thomas Martindell now lives. He married Zeruah Hartman, and died March 4, 1840, aged ninety-two years, his remains lying buried in the graveyard on his father's original plantation. His descendants now reside in and near Logansport, Ind., from one of whom Mr. George C. Horn, the writer of this sketch is indebted for much of the information used in its preparation. to be continued in part 2