WHERE WE COME FROM

As the earliest records to be found, the 1880 census shows a Mash Wyse, with a wife named Martha.  At the time, Mash was 60 and Martha was 50, making their respective birthdates 1820 and 1830, respectively.  The census also revealed a daughter, Francis (age 37), granddaughters, Anne (age 16) and Mary (age 7) and a grandson, Adam (age 2).  Mash was a shoemaker that traveled to various plantations, and is rumored to be the father of over 100 children in Lexington, Newberry, and Prosperity.  He lived across from Rev. Lee's property, near a present day Glass Master Boat Factory.

One of these children was Silas Wyse, born September, 1847, who was married to Serena (Rena) Bostic Wyse.  They had 12 children.  At the time of the 1900 census, Silas and Rena at age 52 and 42 respectively, had 10 of their 12 children living in the home (the oldest two were not living with them).  As such, this reunion unites the descendants and spouses of those 12 children: John, Rodella, Henrietta, Ernest, William, Harry, Silas, Jr., Martha, Paul, Joseph, Oscar, and Jimmy Mae.   From these 12 Children, 55 grandchildren emerge, which give rise to several hundred living descendants.  Even though descendants of the Wise Family can be found all over the globe, large pockets of our family reside in places like Atlanta,GA, New York City, Columbus, OH, Tampa, FL, and Washington,DC.

Curiously, it is said that Serena, the well spoken matriarch, was extremely instrumental in the development of the New Bethel AME Church, which charts much of our family's history through its robust cemetary. 

While this is just a brief synopsis of our history, we are proud that we can chart our family linneage beyond 1865, noting that much was lost during the horrors of slavery for all African Americans.  Thankfully, we are proud to be a family that meets regularly to celebrate our history and our humanity.  We are proud to share the vibrant story of an African American family whose history spans Enslavement, The Great Depression, The Civil Rights Movement, and the tenure of an African-American President.  We are proud to be WISE!

IT ALL STARTED...

In July of 1986, the WISE family began holding Bi-Annual Family Reunions starting in Lexington, SC.   During the first ten years of the family reunion, the various family reunion committees agreed to host the family reunion in Lexington every other reunion, meaning that every four years the family reunion would return to Lexington.  Over time, the reunions moved from bi-annual to every 3-5 years, in order to plan the ever-growing reunions more effectively.  In the off years, smaller portions of the larger family began holding family gatherings that sought to bring together either local family members or families with the same last name.

Over the last 30 years, the family has sought to have reunions across the US and Caribbean.  Reunions have been held in Tampa, Florida; Cleveland, Ohio; Washinton, DC; and Atlanta, Georgia. In 2000, the family even decided to cruise to the Bahamas.   As the 30th year since the inception of the family reunion, The Wise Family Reunion Committee plans to host, remember, and inspire our family in the port city of Charleston, SC.  While we are not in Lexington this year, we realize that we carry home with us wherever a member of the WISE family steps.