Tombstone Tuesday - November 3, 2009

Isaac Wiseman (1738-1818)

and

Elizabeth Wiseman (1738-1807)

Isaac and Elizabeth Wiseman are buried at the northwest corner of the Old Rehobeth Church in Keenan, Monroe County, West Virginia. It is the oldest church west of the Alleghany Divide. They helped to found and to build the tiny log church.

Isaac was the eldest son of Isaac Wiseman, Sr. [1700-1779] and Mary Marshall [1721-1790]. Isaac Sr. had the distinction of being born onboard ship during the immigration from England to America in 1700.

The family first settled in Pennsylvania. At some point, Isaac Sr. moved to Jersey Settlement, Rowan County, North Carolina, where he and Mary are buried.

Isaac Jr. moved first to Rockingham County, Virginia around 1784, and about 10 years later moved into Monroe County, Virginia [now West Virginia]. He had married Elizabeth Davis in 1758 in Pennsylvania. The couple had 11 children: Joseph, John, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Rachel, Samuel, Abner, Elizabeth, Margaret, and William.

His children were, by the time of his move into Monroe County, all grown and had families of their own. Some settled in Monroe County, while still others moved on to Kentucky and to Ohio.

The family was quite adamant in their faith. Son, John, was one of the first ministers of the Old Rehobeth Church. [I'll have to post a blog about the Old Rehobeth sometime to share with you the beauty of that simple log church!] John later moved on to Ohio. Although a minister of the gospel, when the country was in the throes of its birth, John did not hesitate to shuck his robes, and is documented as having served with General Washington on the battlefield at Valley Forge.

Isaac Jr., [John's father] also served in the Revolutionary War. He served with the Pennsylvania Militia, while his brother, James [Isaac Jr.'s brother], served in the North Carolina Militia.

When you walk the grounds of the Old Rehobeth Church and Cemetery, you will note that most graves are located on the eastern and southern edges of the yard. However, the "elite" of the church are buried on the northern most plot of land, which is a narrow spit. It is here that the Keenan's [who donated the land for the church] and the Wiseman's are buried. This small area was designated especially for these who worked so hard to establish the church [which is of the Methodist persuasion] and gave of themselves unselfishly to see the church grow and reach fruition.

Each time I visit this hallowed spot, I stand in awe of all of those who rest here, and of what they accomplished in the raw wilderness that once was.

It is with a great deal of pride that I say that I am the great-great-great-great granddaughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Wiseman. I am descended through their son, Joseph [who also served in the Pennsylvania Militia during the Revolution], and who married Elizabeth Bateman. From there, to their daughter, Rachel, who married William Bean [and from there I have posted my ancestry many times on this site].