Wytheville Wiseley's part 2 -Lynching and The Daniel Line

                                                         
 In a previous blog I promised to tell you the story of the Wisely who was nearly lynched for murder.
I came across this oddity when I was researching Wisely's in Wytheville in 2003. I read another account of this story that placed the scene at a card game and involved a stabbing. But here is the Library transcripted note for that 1886 event.
     Who was Mike or more probably Micheal Wisely? I don't know, yet. A quick scan of my family trees does not list him. But this story has all the makings of a good book.  "Murder on Cripple Creek" or maybe "The Mystery of Cripple Creek"  There is enough information in this little news account to let me find out more when I return to Wytheville.  I am sorry that there are so many odd people in your line.
      Now on to more about Daniel Wisely, or rather the Daniel Wisely's that keep popping up in family trees.
To review, the oldest Wisely I have located to date in this line is Peter Wisely (died 1782).  One of his boys was named Frederick. (b. 1773 d. 1855). And one of Fredericks boys was named Daniel. Daniel then named one of his boys Daniel Jr. (b Oct 1796  d. July 1868 in Howard County, MO)  Then another son of Frederick,  Daniels older brother, Michael, had a boy and named him Daniel. If you live in Texas or Oklahoma this Daniel may be of interest to you because he died in Lamar Co. TX.
     Daniel, son of Frederick, must have been quite a guy.  Not only did Daniels brother Michael name one of his kids Daniel, but two of Daniels own children named a boy Daniel. So now there is Daniel, his son Daniel Jr, a nephew and two grandchildren all named Daniel.  Genealogists are confronted with this problem often. Several people with the same name and they have to try to sort out who is who. Too often the desire to locate a person overcomes the need for accuracy and common sense.  Usually the error is so obvious you wonder how the researcher missed it. For instance in my line, credit is given to a John Wiseley for 4 children in my line who were all born about 1750 and on. The wedding date for John is 30 years before any kids were born?    Some one searching for the father of these children found a record of a Wiseley marriage and decided that John must be the dad.  That error has been copied so many times it now is accepted as true, but it is not.

    OK lets look at Daniel and see what we can learn.  IN the 1810 Census we find Daniel Wisely listed.  Then in a Virginia index to the 1820 census we find Both Senior and junior Daniels,  Note the difference in the spelling of the last names.  The Wyt stand for Wytheville. I do not know the purpose of the numbers.

And here we learn that even during frontier kind of living there were laws and courts and matters of everyday living much like today. Notice near the bottom a reference to "Wiseley's shop".  What kind of a shop?  Where? There are numerous mentions of Daniel Wisely. And the spelling generally is Wisely, but Wiseley and Wisley are also common.  His shop was most likely a blacksmith shop and he was only a little west on the Stage Road from the center of Wytheville, or Evansham as he would call it. 

      In doing this research I have had a new appreciation for the life of these very early pioneers. Land was the big draw here. That was why families would leave the comfort of established homes in far away cities and choose to live in rough hewn cabins with few possessions. 

      But the myth of the wilderness was that these people had to do without for years. Actually the frontier was often where "boom" times thrived and every manner of goods was available. That is the case with Evensham.  In our 3rd Wytheville blog we we study more about Daniel and his family.  There are some very interesting facts recorded. What actually caused the death of Edward Murphy who was covered with bruises. Was it Sarah Smith who ran a local tavern and was charged with his death, but acquitted.
      Daniel didn't stand for no hanky panky. He and a friend John turned in Alexander and Tabitha for cohabitating and fornicating.  Other Wisely's stepped up and claimed illigitimate children and paid their mother support.  And we can't overlook Daniel's Slave who was convicted of arson.  That and more in our next Wytheville #3 blog.  Thank you for reading. send questions or comments to davidwiseley@gmail.com