Thomas Jennings Wise Obituary
I googled my mother's mother's father's father tonight on a lark and found his obituary in the Red Bank (NJ) Register, of 22 October 1924:Veteran Mustered Out.
Thomas Jennings Wise Answers The Last Call
Red Bank Lost Another War Hero by His Death Friday Night at Dr. Hazard's Hospital at Long Branch - His Life Well Spent
Thomas Jennings Wise of West Front street, a veteran of the civil war and one of the best known residents of Red Bank, died Friday night at Dr. Hazard's hospital at Long Branch, where he had been a patient three months. Death was due to the diseases and infirmities of old age.
Mr. Wise's 81st birthday occurred in September. He was born at Cork, Ireland, and he came to this country when a young man. He engaged in the grocery business at New York and when the first call for volunteers was made at the outbreak of the civil war he enlisted in the 53d regiment of volunteer infantrymen of New York. He rose to the rank of sergeant and when his term of enlistment ran out he enlisted in the signal corps of the regular army.
Mr. Wise was in most of the big battles of the war. On one occasion he was wounded in his left leg and was laid up in an army hospital for a few months. The last nine months of his service was spent as a prisoner of the Confederates at Andersonville. The fortunes of the Confederacy were at a low ebb at that time and on this account prisoners were scantily fed. Mr. Wise was in a state of virtual starvation when victory for the Union cause brought release for him from the prison camp at Andersonville. The privations suffered by Mr. Wise while he was in captivity produced an impediment in his speech which became more pronounced as he became older.
In talking about his prison life Mr. Wise never blamed the Confederates for the treatment he received. He always declared that the soldiers and citizens of the South were no better off than he was. Mr. Wise always suffered more or less trouble with his wounded leg and during his last sickness this was the first part of his body to become useless.
After the war Mr. Wise lived for a short time at New York, where he married Esther Farrell, who survives him. He moved to Red Bank in 1869 and lived at the corner of West Front street and Rector place. A few years later he moved to the extreme western end of Front street, near Hubbard's bridge, where he has since lived. For many years he was keeper of the toll gate which was on the north side of West Front street, near Bridge avenue. After the toll gate business was abolished he started a business on his property where he rented boats and sold bait for fishermen and pleasure seekers. For the past ten years he had led a retired life.
Mr. Wise leaves five sons, all of whom live at Red Bank. They are George F., Frank F., Edward W., James A., and Samuel M. Wise. Another son, Thomas H. Wise, died last summer. Mr. Wise was a member of Arrowsmith post of the Grand Army. In politics he was a Republican and it was his boast that he never split his ticket.
The funeral of the civil war veteran was held Monday morning at St. James church. Fifteen civil war veterans, some of them being from distant places, were present. This was the largest attendance of "The Boys of '61" that has turned out to a funeral in this section in a long time. The bearers were Mr. Wise's five sons and his grandson, James A. Wise, Jr. Burial was made at Mount Olivet cemetery, where a Grand Army service was conducted by Joseph Grover and Albert C. Harrison.
Source
Disappointing Amazon.com purchase
OK, so I'm a little annoyed by a purchase I made from Amazon. I eat a lot of quinoa, so I made a bulk quinoa purchase last week from Amazon. I ordered the six-package bulk package from Arrowhead Mills - a brand I really like. However, it seems that during bundling at Amazon.com's fulfillment center, one of the six packages of quinoa was sliced open. When I got home today, the parcel was in my vestibule but there was leaked quinoa all over the place!
I'll order quinoa this way again. I think the problem is unlikely to happen a second time, and even with a 1/6th loss, the cost is still a lot cheaper than buying it at the supermarket. An Evening at Wal-Mart
So I was shopping at the Wal-Mart in south Richmond tonight. I love Wal-Mart. I didn't really have access to one when I lived in the New York area, and I appreciate the density of Wal-Marts in the south. I was there to pick up a bottle of wine, some blue corn chips and salsa to bring to my sister's house. The couple in front of me at the checkout line had these items in their basket:- One box of Snuggles brand fabric softener sheets.
- One pack of Orbit gum.
- Two different 2500-piece jigsaw puzzles featuring scenic views of Las Vegas, Nevada.
- One box of the new K-Y brand "YOURS+MINE" product you've probably seen advertised on television.
