Joseph Lewis Wismer
ID # 9286, (1860-1940)
| Father | Philemon Wismer (1836-1883) |
| Mother | Mary Ann Miller (1836-1911) |
| Baptism | Joseph Lewis Wismer was baptized on 30 December 1860 at Markham Township, York Co., Canada West. |
| Marriage | He married Elizabeth Munzett Baker on 9 July 1885 at Gore Bay, Gordon Twp., Manitoulin District. Joseph Lewis Wismer provided the date and location of marriage - 9 July, 1885, Gore Bay - for himself and his wife Elizabeth. He did this when he submitted a delayed registration of birth for his son Harold in 1924. Marriage records for the Manitoulin and Algoma Districts have been searched without success for their marriage registration. There is some discussion as to Elizabeth's maiden name. See notes for Elizabeth. |
| Death | He died on 6 May 1940 at Mindemoya, Manitoulin Island, Algoma East, at age 79. |
| Burial | He was buried on 7 May 1940 at Gordon Cemetery, Gordon Twp., Manitoulin Island. |
| Note | See Fretz, page 302, for notes for Joseph Lewis Wismer. Death reg.023491-40 Mindemoya, Manitoulin Island, District of Algoma East Joseph Lewis Wismer died May 6, 1940, at the Red Cross Hospital in Mindemoya. His residence is shown as Gore Bay where he is said to have resided some 70 years. Born Markham, Ontario. Date of birth given as December 31, 1863. Age 77 yrs., 4 mos., 5 dys. Photographer. Last worked as such in 1937 and was in the occupation for 45 years. Married. His wife's name was Elizabeth Munce Wismer. Parents Philemon Wismer, born Markham, and Mary Ann Miller, born Ontario. Physician F. A. Strain of Gore Bay. Informant H. Wismer, 223 Queen's Ave., London, Ont., son. Burial May 7, 1940 at Gordon (cemetery). The form shows Joseph's racial origin as Pennsylvania Dutch. It's possible to get into an argument about interpretations of this, but it's essentially correct. This tree, for the time being, shows Joseph's year of birth as 1860. The 1901 census provides columns for dates and years of birth and the page that lists the Joseph Wismer family is faded. As in the above death registration it may give his year of birth as 1863. The 1861 census at Markham Township shows the family of Philemon Wismer with a son Lewis H. Wismer, age 1. This may have been a son that didn't survive and the name Lewis was used again. The difficulty with this is that the 1871 census in Osprey Township of Grey County shows the Philemon Wismer family and here it lists Joseph L. Wismer, age 11, which would compute to a birth year of 1860. Given the different ways the age question was asked for the 1861 and 1871 censuses, this is open to interpretation, but a birth year of 1863 is questionable. Willis John (Jack) McQuarrie of Manitoulin Island wrote Murders and Mysteries of the Manitoulin District. See page 103, chapter six, which discusses the motor accident that caused the deaths of Joseph and Elizabeth. (No, this was not a murder and the only mystery is what caused the Wismer's vehicle, a 1928 Willys-Knight sedan, to lurch forward and careen down the hill instead of braking and then to crash into a maple tree.) The accident occurred on a hill in Gore Bay. The Wismers were on their way to church when they stopped to pick up a couple who were friends. The friends rode in the backseat and sustained only minor injuries in the accident, while the Wismers in the front seat sustained terrible injuries. With great difficulty they were extricated from the wreck, but then died in the Red Cross Hospital in Mindemoya. Also available: I am indebted to Sarah Britton who posted to Ancestry something of the story of the Wismer automobile tragedy as it appeared in the Manitoulin Recorder in May of 1940. This excerpt appeared in the July 1986 issue of Manitoulin District History and Genealogy's 'Through the Years' on page 7. Your researcher, through a Wismer family member, has access to this publication and, first, is appreciative of Ms. Britton's referral to the source. The story itself is actually an amalgam of two stories, one relating to the accident and one to the funeral. Dr. Strain's signature, as it appears on both Joseph and Elizabeth's death registrations, isn't entirely legible, but the story tells of his involvement and quotes his name clearly enough. It was Dr. Strain who despatched the couple to the Red Cross Hospital at Mindemoya and he rode with Mrs. Wismer. The story does also clearly tell that the couple were buried in township cemetery of Gordon. A transcription of any stones for them has yet to be found. |
Children of Joseph Lewis Wismer and Elizabeth Munzett Baker |
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| Last Edited | 9 Feb 2025 |