John Henry Anthony Wiseman was born in Maryland on January 4, 1861. Both of his parents, John F Wiseman (1840 – 1896) and Elizabeth Muller (1841 – 1914), were born in Maryland. According to the 1910 Census, when he was 49 years old, he lived on Hazelwood Avenue in Maryland. He was married to Katie (Kate) Betz (whose mother was born in Germany), and he was a farmer and owned his home. He was able to read and write and had been married for 27 years. Philipine Betz, 79 years old, was his widowed mother-in-law. She was born in Germany and immigrated to the US in 1853.
John and Katie had 9 children:
- Manni (Mary), 24
- William, 23, student at Railroad Company
- Robert, 20, tailor at a factory
- George, 18, clerk at a laundry office
- Annie, 17
- Louis, 15, farm laborer on the family farm
- Albert Peter, 13
- Frank, 11
- Elmer, 8
The 1880 census lists the family living on North Wolf street in Baltimore City. His father, John, is 40 and his mother, Elizabeth, is 38.
John is 19 years old. His brother, William, is 17 and works as a polisher.
His brother, Joseph, is 17 and works as a baker.
His sister, Mannie (Mary) is 15 and works as a vest maker.
Edward is 11, Elizabeth is 9, George is 7, Sophia is 6, Frank is 3, and Emma is 1.