WISE, R. C., b 1846; 1905 Bio, Mesa County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/mesa/bios/wiserc.txt --------------------------------------- Donated August 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- R.C. Wise The progressive and enterprising citizen of Mesa county, Colorado, to whom this brief review is dedicated, and who lives on a good farm which he has brought to a high state of cultivation and enriched with comfortable buildings, located twelve miles east of Grand Junction, is a native of Ohio, born at Ashtabula in 1846, and the son of Cornelius and Betsy (Chatfield) Wise. The father was a native of Pennsylvania and a carpenter by trade, and lived a life of useful industry, portions of which were passed in his native state, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri. He died in the last named state in 1872, at the age of sixty-four. The mother, a native of Connecticut, died in 1868, at the age of forty-eight. Their son, R.C. Wise, passed his boyhood in Ohio and Illinois to the age of thirteen. In 1859 he accompanied his parents and the rest of the family to Missouri, where he remained until 1862, when he enlisted in Company D, Twelfth Missouri Infantry, in defense of the Union, and in that regiment he served to the close of the war. He then went to California and for a number of years was employed in driving stage in that state. Returning to Nebraska, he conducted a butchering business and meat market for seven years, then moved to Leadville when the gold excitement was at its height over that place. Some little time later he left there and took up his residence in Grand valley on the ranch which has since then been his home. During the Spanish-American war he enlisted for the Philippines campaign in Company L, First Colorado Volunteers, for a term of two years, and at the end of his term returned to his old Mesa county residence. He was married in 1884 to Miss Lizzie Wallace, of Nebraska. She died in 1888, leaving four children, Anna M., Laura B., James C. and Walter F., her age being thirty-two years at the time of her death. Fraternally Mr. Wise is connected with the Odd Fellows (Lodge No. 58, at Colorado Springs), the Red Men (Neago Tribe, No. 38, at Lake City, Colorado), and the Knights of Pythias (Lodge No. 8, at Salt Lake City, Utah). =================================================== Contributed for use by the USGenWeb Archive Project (http://www.usgenweb.org) and by the COGenWeb Archive Project USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.