Enterprise 24 Nov 1916

MRS. JAMES F. WISEMAN ANSWERS LAST CALL

The death of Mrs. J. F. Wiseman, which occurred at the family home in this city last Friday morning, saddened many hearts and cast a gloom of sorrow over the homes of many who had known her more or less intimately during the active years of her life in this county and city, and admired her beautiful character, womanly virtues and superior intellect.

Deceased was a pioneer of Washington county, coming from Indiana with her husband, James F. Wiseman, who died some 20 years ago, living for a number of years on a farm at the edge of the Garryowen neighborhood, later at Ft. Calhoun and subsequently coming to Blair some 40 years ago where she has since resided.

Two daughters, Miss Carrie, living with her mother, and Mrs. D.C. VanDeusen, one brother living in Kansas, and two sisters in Oklahoma are the surviving near relatives.

Funeral service was held at the late home of the deceased on Sunday at 3 o’clock p.m., Rev. C.M. Foreman, pastor of the Baptist church, of which deceased had been a consistent member during her residence in Blair, reaching the funeral discourse and the remains were laid by side of her husband in the Blair cemetery.

# # # # # The following two obituaries are taken from the collection in the Notebook of Long Obituaries. The original newspaper articles can be found in the Blair Library, Genealogy Room.

# 1 - - Published in The Tribune, November 22, 1916

BLAIR PIONEER GONE

Mrs. Martha Wiseman, one of Blair’s pioneer women died at her home in this city at 9:25 Friday evening after suffering several weeks from a paralytic stroke.

Mrs. Wiseman was born at Louisville, Kentucky, October 7, 1837 and with her family moved to Washington county, Indiana, where she was married to Mr. James F. Wiseman, April 1, 1862.

Mr. and Mrs. Wiseman came to this county in 1864 and settled on a farm just south of town where they resided until ’76 when they moved to Blair and Mr. Wiseman engaged in the hardware business with the late A. French and afterward in the lumber business with John McQuarrie from which business he retired in 1894 and the following year died of apoplexy.

Mrs. Wiseman leaves two daughters, Mrs. Don C. Van Deusen, wife of the editor of the Blair Pilot, and Miss Carrie, who lived at home with her mother. She leaves, also, one brother, Washington Stewart of Horton, Kan., and two sisters, Mrs. W. S. Kimbrel and Miss Margaret Stewart, an unmarried sister, who makes her home with Mrs. Kimbrel, in Woodward, Okl.

The funeral was held at the family residence at 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon, Rev. C. M. Foreman of the Baptist church officiating, assisted by Rev. J. M. Kokjer of the Congregational church and interment made in the Blair cemetery.

# 2 - - from The Pilot, November 29, 1916

The angel of death came for the gentle spirit of Mrs. J. F. Wiseman early last Friday morning. The nurse thought the end was near at about 5 o’clock and the family was summoned to her side, but stimulants were given and she revived somewhat. Through all her life she had been so gentle, so patient and so kind that the angel touch was gentle and patient also and dissolution did not come until about 9:25 in the evening. It was as though the heavenly messenger was loath to sever the final cord that bound her to earth with so much love and tenderness, but the spirit house was so frail from all her years and suffering that the stroke she received on Wednesday night, Nov. 1st, was more than it could stand. She had been conscious only at times since that time and didn’t seem to realize her condition, or if she did, she concealed it with the heroism of a stoic. Her mind was unusually keen, but for the last 24 hours before the end came she was so weak that it was in the shadow of Death’s wings and she knew and felt nothing of the final separation. There were no last words, there was need for none for her whole life was shot through with so much of kindness, gentleness, service for others and of patient suffering of her own ills that the memory of them will be eloquent to all who knew her for many years to come.

The funeral was held at the residence on west Grant street at 3 o’clock Sunday afternoon and the day was as beautiful as her long life had been. Rev. C. M. Foreman, of the Baptist church, of which she had been a member since her girlhood days, conducted the service, assisted by Rev. J. M. Kokjer of the Congregational church, to which the daughters belong. The hymns were sung by a mixed quartette composed of Misses Ethel Mead and Mary Cook and Messrs. John Moore and F. W. Arndt. The pallbearers were John McQuarrie, W. H. Hill, I. C. Eller, Chas. Ross, S. W. Chambers and E. B. Redfield. The flowers were as beautiful as the day and the life lived of the departed.

Martha Stewart was born in Louisville, Ky., Oct. 7th, 1837, and had, therefore, just passed her 79th birthday. She was one of seven children, three of whom survive her, Washington Stewart of Harlan, Kans.; and Mrs. W. S. Kimbrel and Miss Margaret Stewart of Woodward, Okla. When she was but a child, they moved to Washington county, Ind., near Salem, where she grew to womanhood. She was married at the home place April 1st, 1862, to James F. Wiseman and they came to this county in March, 1864. They lived on a farm south of town for two years, then moved onto a farm near Ft. Calhoun, then into Ft. Calhoun and finally returned to this city in 1876. Mr. Wiseman formed a partnership with the late A. French in the hardware business and later with John McQuarrie in the lumber business. In this he was very successful and retired from the firm in 1894, only to suffer a paralytic stroke that caused his death in July, 1895.

Since the marriage of her youngest daughter, Minnie, to the editor in 1899, she and Miss Carrie have made their home together. Although she suffered greatly from many attacks of gall stones it was a happy home. The children of the neighborhood liked to visit their “Auntie Wiseman” because she was always so good and kind to them. She was a sister to the late Jas. S. Stewart, for many years one of the prominent farmers of the county, living on the place northwest of town now occupied by the Jensens. Later with the late F. W. Kenny he was in the hardware business on the corner now occupied by the Home theatre. Mrs. Wiseman had a good mind, was wonderfully sane and had a sense of humor that lasted up until a few days before she died. When it began to look as though Wilson was going to win out for president, the writer told her one evening it looked like Wilson. Well, she said, “I have been drinking grape juice for some time.” When told that that was Bryan’s drink she said “What is good for Bryan ought to be good for Wilson.” She was a great reader and read all the city papers and one or two dailies regularly up to her last illness, even though her eyesight was almost gone. She was so much interested in life and others enjoyed her presence so much it seems too bad such a person couldn’t live on forever. While this could not be on this earth, we know that the qualities that made her so much beloved will insure her an eternity of life in another and better world than this. These lines from James Whitcomb Riley’s poem are of great comfort to those who mourn: “ And we, we who the wildest yearn – For the old time step and the glad return - Think of her faring on, as dear - In the love of there as the love of here.”