Washington-Vinton County OhArchives Biographies.....Wiseman, William Hamilton November 6, 1885 - December 29, 1969 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/oh/ohfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Randy Sue McKeever bemagic2@sbcglobal.net July 3, 2007, 4:02 pm Author: Vinton County Democratic Enquirer December 12, 1965 "Vinton County Living Pioneers # 379 in Democrat Enquirer about folks over 80 who have contributed to our history and heritage. In the Wellston Sentinel series this is 386th about folks over the age of 80, living pioneers in the Wellson Area." "Bill Wiseman, 80, Has at Least 136 Living Descendents: Recalls Axel Ridge" Memories of Axel Ridge, a former Vinton township community no longer in existence are recalled by William Hamilton Wiseman, 80 a Clinton township resident who has at least 136 living descendents and perhaps more. Mr. Wiseman with the help of his daughter Sylvia Canode, counted up his descendents and they include seven living children, 55 grandchildren, and 70 great grandchildren and at least 4 great great grandchildren, perhaps more. Youthful looking with a fine memory, Mr. Wiseman was spading up a large garden at the Canode home, located between Puritan and Oreton on Hamden Rt 1 when we arrived. He was born November 6, 1885 on Axel Ridge in Vinton township, near Radcliff, the son of Andrew and Nancy Jane Ann Elizabeth Malone Wiseman., one of nine children. He was born in a log house. His father was a farmer and coal miner. Axel Ridge is located where the Vinton Experimental Forest is now located, was a small community of mostly log homes. All the homes are gone now. He went to the Axel Ridge School where Oma Ervin was his teacher and Luther M.Cooper was his teacher when he attended Radcliff school. His schoolmates included Walter and Lou Barnes, Effie, Vinnie and Nora Warner, john Napper and Art and Burn Stout. He lived in Vinton township all of his life except for the past 16 years where he has lived in Clinton township. He started helping his father on the farm until he was 16, when he started working as a farm laborer for Joe Cooper at 50 centes per day. "We used horespower rather than tractors for all the farm work and cradled wheat back in those days", Mr Wiseman recalls. Bill Wiseman started as a young man as coal miner and he was miner most his life, starting helping his father in Alma Cement Coalmine at Oreton, later worked a lime quarry in Lincoln Furnace. He's mined at the Outwaite and Kenwood Coall mines at Oreton, at the Miller mine near Radcliff, and at the Elk Fork Coal Co. and the Mohr Minton mine above McArthur. He has hewn cross ties for the Puritan Brick Plant worked for Ohio Steel at Springfield and in Columbus as a landscaper. He also worked as strip coal miner. "I was hurt once during my long career as a miner and that was in 1904 when my right leg was broken by a dynamite blast while I was working at the Alma Cement mine. Several times I was missed by slate falls in the mines, " Mr. Wiseman recalls. He officially "retired" 10 years ago at the age of 70, but still accomplished a lot of work especially in the large garden and doing occassiona road work on the township roads. He raises excellent watermelons and this summer told his grandson Timmy, xis that he could have all the money from the sale of the melons and Timmy sold $27 worth! In 1905 he married Bertha Allen and they became the parents of nine children, six girls and three boys. His children include Goldie Graham of Wilkesville. Delmer Wiseman of Hamden Rt 1. Sylvia Canode of Hamden Rt 1. Mary Brown of Wellston. Laura Jividen of Hamden Rt 1. Faye Jividen of Trenton, Michigan. and Osa Wiseman of Toledo. Two sons are deceased. Mrs Wiseman his wife died in 1962. Two of his sisters have already been the subjects of Pioneers Sketch articles Mrs Sarah Bacus of Radcliff and Mrs Lettie Camp of Radcliff, Another sister Mrs Marie Bolton of McArthur Rt 1 while he has three living brothers John Wiseman of Radcliff, and Elmer and Charles Wiseman of Woodville, Ohio. "I never had much formal education because I liked to play hooky from school I guess," Mr Wiseman admits. Laughingly he recalled two stories about playing hooky from school. "Once I wanted to watch my father build a rock chimney at our home, but he sent me off to school. Instead I climbed a little tree and watched the chimney being built all day. "Another time I played hooky but made the mistake of coming home too early for noon dinner. My father caught me up and took me to school in time for recess. I told the teacher I was late for school because I was helping my father cut corn." In excellent health, Mr. Wiseman is a member of the United Brethren Church. He has owned several automobiles but quit driving after the Model T shift was abandoned in favor the clutch gearshift system. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/washington/bios/wiseman20nbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/ohfiles/ File size: 5.3 Kb