Written by Sirleine Smith

March 2000

Martha Troas May Wise will have a birthday June 1, 2000. During her 92 years she has been a biology and history teacher in the Ashley school, a historian of DeKalb County and a lover of genealogy.

Born in Ashley, Indiana, the parental granddaughter of John B. and Cornelia Sherman May and one of two daughters of John A. and Rozetta Cox May. Her mother’s parents were Isaac Newton and Anna Stamets Cox.

She and Orris Allen Wise of Corunna were married in 1931 and had a son, John, who died in 1999.

Moving back to DeKalb County after living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for many years she became involved in DeKalb County history and the DeKalb County Historical Society. Her interest in Indiana history still continues.

A published article in 1999 is quoted, "Since her return to her home county, she has published numerous books and indexes on genealogy including DeKalb births before 1840, and coordinated volume three of the History of DeKalb County, Indiana, published in 1987 as a DeKalb County Sesquicentennial project with John Martin Smith. She wrote a history of the Minerva Club, a literary club based in Waterloo, on its 105^th anniversary in 1982. She is still a member.

She founded a DeKalb County chapter of the Questers Club in 1993. Questors is a national organization whose goal is to educate by research and study of artifacts and to encourage collecting and preserving items from the past."¹

She was instrumental in researching and placing materials in the Eckhart Public Library’s genealogy collection and was a founding member of the Library’s active Friends organization.

She is known for her genealogy classes, publications, record keeping and volunteer work.

A letter from Curt B. Witcher, Manager, of the Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library states, "The dedicated, knowledgeable, and sincere work of a lifetime is in evidence in the collection of genealogy and family history materials you have. It is an impressive and powerful statement of your love for local history and the zeal with which you shared your wisdom with others. I am most honored to have been invited to assess the materials for possible inclusion in our Historical Genealogy Collections. It is an understatement to say your materials represent a valuable piece of northeastern Indiana History…."²

This letter followed her donation of numerous volumes of histories including the Stamets, Cox, May, Knight, Sherman and Wise families.

With her love of history, research ability, curiosity and desire for knowledge, she is one of the true pioneers in the field of genealogy.

After the death of Orris in 1986, she continued with her interests and has given time and energy to keep the past part of the present.

¹Article appearing in the DeKalb County Historical Newsletter written by Sally Garrett who has given permission to use the quote.

²Permission was received from Curt Witcher for the use of the above quote.

 

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The Evening Star Auburn, Indiana Saturday, December 30, 2000 Troas Wise Auburn--Troas May Wise, 92, died Friday, Dec. 29, 2000, in Betz Nursing Home, Auburn. She was a teacher at Ashley High School for five years. She formerly lived in New Jersey and Iowa. She was a 1930 graduate of Indiana University. She was a member of Daughters of the American Revolution, PEO, DAC, Minerva Club, Stitch and Chatter, Sew & So, DeKalb County Historical Society, Wise Owl Quester Club, Friends of Eckhart Public Library, and several sororities. She was former member of Omicron Nu National Home Extension Club. Mrs. Wise was born June 1, 1908, in Corunna to John and Rosetta (Cox) May. They preceded her in death. She married Orris Wise, and he died Aug. 2, 1986. Surviving her are three grandchildren, Brian Wise, John Wise and Amy Wacha. One son, John Wise, and one sister, Marjorie May, preceded her in death. Services will be held Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Feller Funeral Home, Waterloo, with calling after 1 p.m. Burial will be in the Corunna Cemetery. Memorials are to the Daughters of the American Revolution.

 

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The following article was written by Troas Wise a number of years ago.  

CHRISTMAS AT GRANDMOTHERS

Vacation - the end of school for the holidays was anticipated with such exhilaration and excitement for it meant going to grandmothers. I loved the train ride from Montpelier, Ohio to Ashley on the old Wabash - dirty mohair seats, hot air blowing in your face from the heaters under the windows and the telephone poles moving by the windows as the train rolled thru the countryside and towns. After leaving Hamilton, I began looking for the Ashley station surrounded by waiting people in buggies or sleights. I can’t remember a Christmas without snow so the anticipated sleigh ride from the station to grandmas was an annual event. Grandpa had a grey horse - a beautiful cutter with red seat and a lap robe of cowhide backed with bright green felt. What a thrill to ride thru town with the sleigh bells ringing a sound of joy with every trot of the horse. Always was the heated soapstone in the bottom of the sleight to keep the feet warm. As we arrived at the house grandma was always at the back door to greet us. The aromas from the kitchen drifted past us - what a pleasant greeting - I danced with joy. Grandmother always baked bread and goodies so the sweet yeast smell tantalized me to the point of wanting a warm bread heel, swimming in home made butter, at once which I got then finished it off with a cookie from the jar on the pantry shelf.

In the parlor, which was usually closed for the winter, was during this season open with a big Christmas tree filling a corner, Grandma’s Christmas tree was different - not the customary pine but a fairy land all white tree glistening with artificial snow and draped with ruby read cranberry garland and studded with real red candles set in special clamp holders. Since I’m older, I can appreciate the effort put into creating this fairy land - the tree was a tree branch set in a bucket of sand then each branch wrapped in cotton after which sparkling artificial snow was made to drift over it - some stuck to the branches and the rest came to rest on the cotton blanket surrounding its base.

After the first greeting the kitchen took priority in preparation of the meal. It seemed so easy for grandmother to cook - can’t remember any hustle or commotion. Everything was so calm at grandmother’s. Somehow the food always seemed to taste better than at home. Some of the special food I remember was fried potatoes, slow cooled ham slices, sour cream cabbage. Maybe the hanging oil lamp, which was lighted and pulled low over the table, made the difference. When I was real small I sat in a red hi-chair, which had belonged to my uncle Harry - so I was told. That made it something special. We usually had jello or peaches in the very best, beautifully decorated berry set sauce dishes which was kept on display between company meals on the side board. Grandpa always sat at the head of the table in a Captains chair and said grace before each meal. It was a long time before I realized the grace said was always the same- before this I thought he made up a new one each meal. My father always said grace at our table but his was a heart made prayer each time - never the same as I remember.

After the meal and the dished washed we all gathered in the living room - a room between the dining room and the parlor. Here the grown up carried on adult conversation while curled up in a red upholstered platform rocker behind the blowing hard coal stove. I listened until the eyes became to heavy and there I slept dreaming of Santa who was due in a few days.

The days between arrival and Christmas eve was full of activity for the adults but fun days for me. I always was fascinated by the bard an its contents which stood back of the house and served as a storage place for cow, horse and chicken feed. Stables each for the horse and cow and area for the sleigh, wagon and the ford car. I usually spent time cracking nuts with an old hammer made from apiece of iron. I always helped grandma feed the chickens and gather the eggs and watcher her milk the cow. How much a child learns from observation and conversation with patient adults.

We always went to town on Saturday night. Grandmother took a basket of eggs to the grocery- then filled the basket with necessary needed supplies. The grocery store had all needs for the housewife not just groceries. I was made to feel like a little princess by grandmother’s friends she met and the owner of the grocery. I never failed to get a sack of candy from the grocer after grandmother finished her shopping.

On Sunday we all went to Sunday School and Church. Grandfather always saw to it my sister and I took part in the Christmas program, this was his way of bragging about his grandchildren. Since I’m now a grandparent, I realize the pleasures we receive from our grandchildren are always the same. I remember one Christmas humiliating my sister (not intentional of course). She was to give a reading - as she paused where shows suppose to, I thought she had forgotten her line so jumped up and finished it for her! I usually sang a song - one I remember most was "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas."

Now Christmas eve is here!! After the church program we returned home and hung our stockings for Santa to fill. We backed a dining chair to the hard - coal heater. My stocking hung from one post of the chair and my sisters from the other post. Then off to bed in the cold upstairs, but once in bed it was warm because grandmother had heated a flat iron, wrapped it in a piece of flannel and placed it under the covers. Once, I sank into the feather bed pad and placed my feet on the irons sleep son overtook my even pushing out the excitement of Santa’s arrival.

This bedroom, which was always mine, remains clearly in every detail in my memories. One corner of the room was curtained off for a closet by red floral material. Later these same curtains were to hang at the windows of my first home after I was married. On one wall was a chest of drawers, which had long been in the family and became mine after grandmother left us forever. A washstand stood just inside the door with a porcelain washbowl and pitcher sat used in days before modern baths.

Sleep didn’t last long on Christmas Eve - I usually was up by four a.m. to see what was in my stocking and under the tree. There was not lights but the glow of the hot coast in the heater lighted enough to show the bulges in the hanging white stocking! I knew at once by the shape that Santa missed leaving the prize orange always found in the toe other years.

Christmas Day was spent enjoying the fits Santa left and playing with my only cousin, Harold, who was among the visiting relatives who gathered for the Christmas meal and visiting. I can’t remember a Christmas when all grandmas and grandpas children didn’t come home.

For many years this little girl has gone to bed on Christmas night filled with the warmth of loved and happy memories of Christmas at Grandmas.

 This page was updated May 14, 2003