John Wise

Rev. John Wise, minister at Chebacco, uncle of Mary (Lamb) Low and brother of Katherine (Wise) Mather. He was "baptized 15 August, 1652," Sibley writes, and "was the son of a servant of John Alcock, Joseph Wise, of Roxbury, Massachusetts, who married, 3 December, 1641, Mary Thompson" (Sibley, Harvard Graduates 2:428). He graduated from Harvard in 1673.

King Philip's War. He was preaching at Branford, Connecticut, when the Governor and Council of that colony appointed him "to goe forth minister ... wth the sea side forces to New London, there to meet wth Major Treate" (Records of the Colony of Connecticut 2:399). On 26 Jan 1675/6, with Gershom Bulkley and others, he marched from New London with Treat's army against the Narragansett, "returning in a few days" (Sibley 2:429). A letter from New London that day reported "Majr Treat's departure this day, with all his forces, who is accompanied with Mr Fitch, Mr Buckley & Mr. Wise," and the news that had hastened them: two Indians "taken by a party of Capt Prentis' troope, which killed nyne more" (Soldiers in King Philip's War, p. 202; "Rev. John Wise, of Branford" among the officers of the new Connecticut companies, p. 184). Prentice's troop had Richard Mather, later his sister Katherine's husband, among its men. So he went out in the last weeks of the Narragansett campaign, after the Swamp Fight of 19 Dec 1675. His brother Jeremiah had served under Capt. Henchman in November 1675 (see Joseph Wise).

He declined a settlement at Branford, took his second degree at Harvard in 1676, and preached at Hatfield in 1677-8. On or before 5 Dec 1678 he married Abigail, daughter of Thomas Gardner of Muddy River. He was minister at Chebacco from 1680 and was ordained there when the church was gathered, on 12 Aug 1683 (Sibley 2:429, 439). In 1687 he resisted Andros's taxes, and the official who answered his protest told him, "Mr. Wise, you have no more privileges Left you then not to be Sold for Slaves" (Wikipedia, citing Alan Taylor). In 1692 "Jno Wise" signed the Ipswich petition for John and Elizabeth Proctor.

He died at Chebacco on 8 Apr 1725, and "on the 12th was decently Buried" by his flock (Sibley 2:438).