Cocke County, Tennessee
Caroline (Charles) Wise
Civil War Widow's Pension

Names mentioned: Charles Wise, Capt. Robert A Ragan, Caroline Sartin Wise, William Ogdon, Eveline Wise, James Wise, Andrew Wise, Joseph Wise, William Murphy, John Rorex, Polly Jones, George B Rogers, Thomas Ellison.

Original records may be found online through various genealogy databases, or by requesting copies of military records in government archives.
Abstracted and submitted by Bruce Price

Charles Wise served as a private in Co K, 8th Tennessee Volunteers. He was a resident of Cocke County. He was mustered in on 8/08/1863 and died 3/13/1864. Another report says he died 3/20/1864 at the Regimental hospital of inflammation of the brain. Capt. Robert A Ragan swore that he died 3/20/1864 of brain fever. Charles Wise and Caroline Sartin were married on 10/05/1843 by William Ogdon, a JP. They had two children under sixteen: Eveline Wise born 9/27/1855 and James Wise born 9/01/1859.

Caroline Wise, age thirty-six, a resident of the 5th district of Cocke County, filed for a pension on 8/16/1864. She stated that her husband died at Mossy Creek, TN on or about 3/15/1864 of brain fever. She married Charles Wise on 10/05/1843 in Cocke County. As of that date she had four children under sixteen: Andrew Wise born 1/20/1850, Joseph Wise born 4/16/1853, Eveline Wise born 10/27/1855, and James Wise bortn 2/25/1860. [Note date discrepancies].  All four were alive and still living in Cocke County.

William Murphy and John Rorex swore they saw Caroline Wise make her mark and that they were acquainted with Charles Wise and knew that he and Caroline were married. This document was dated 8/16/1864.

On 3/03/1866, Caroline filled out a pension claim. She was thirty-six and a resident of the 5th Civil District of Cocke County. In this document, she only reported Eveline and James as being her only children under sixteen. This indicates that Joseph must have died before this date, as he would have been about thirteen. Andrew Wise and Polly Jones, residents of the 1st District of Knox County, swore they saw Caroline make her mark.

On 7/20/1866, Caroline Wise, age thirty-seven and a resident of Cocke County, filled out a pension claim. This document also reported only Eveline and James, further narrowing down the date that Joseph died. George B Rogers and  Thomas Ellison witnessed her signature.

A certified copy of the marriage of Charles Wise and Caroline Sartin is included in the file. The Cocke County Court Clerk provided the copy.

Caroline Wise died 6/27/1901.