Lydia Eliza "Aunt Eliza" Burleson (Wiseman)

LYDIA ELIZA WISEMAN

Lydia Eliza Wiseman was the first daughter and the third child of Bedford and Mary "Polly" Wiseman. As stated earlier. Lydia Eliza was born on April 5, 1820, and her birth took place in the Three Mile area which is now a part of Avery County, North Carolina. Lydia Elisa Wiseman was more commonly known as Aunt Eliza, it is doubtful that she ever used the name Lydia.

About 1839-40, Lydia Eliza Wiseman and Thomas Burieson were married; Tom's parents were Aaron and Sallie Burieson. Tom and Eliza made their home on Cane Creek. Much of the information about Tom and Eliza Burleson came from Aunt Zona Hughes who was a daughter of John and Jemima Carolina (Wiseman) Houston. Zona's mother and Aunt Eliza were sisters. But'. the fact that Eliza was fifteen years older than jemima caused Aunt Zona to think of her as a grandmother rather than an aunt. Jemima (Wiseman) Houston died in 1885 at the age of forty-nine - Eliza lived to age ninety-six. Jemima's husband, John Houston, married Lydia Burleson after his wife died, and Lydia was Aunt Eliza's daughter. Thus, Zona's cousin Lydia became her step-mother, and Eliza became her step-grandmother. Adding to the family record, two of Eliza's granddaughters, Daisey and Lydia married two of Aunt Zona's brothers - Jim and Robert Houston; thus, her cousins became her sisters-in-law. These girls, Daisey and Lydia, were daughters of Joe Burleson.

Cane Creek, where the Burlesons lived, was only seven miles from the Houston farm on Henson Creek in times past. The old wagon road crossed over Cane Creek Mountain, but with the passing of time the old road was not used and it fell into disrepair and overgrown with brush etc. Now it is twenty-four miles to go from Henson Creek on a paved road to the Burleson farm.

At the time when Aunt Zona was giving me the information about the Burleson family, which was in the mid-1950's, the old Burleson house was still standing. It was constructed before the Civil War, and all the timbers were cut by hand with a whip-saw. One man stood on top of a platform and another man stood on the ground, and they pulled the saw back and forth through the length of a log to saw out one board at a time.

Tom Burleson had a fine apple orchard and Aunt Zona's father, John Houston, would make many trips .... to the Burleson place during the apple season because he made apple brandy which was a profitable source of income on many of the mountain farms.

Lydia Eliza Wiseman was the first daughter and the third child of Bedford and Mary "Polly" Wiseman. As stated earlier. Lydia Eliza was born on April 5, 1820, and her birth took place in the Three Mile area which is now a part of Avery County, North Carolina. Lydia Elisa Wiseman was more commonly known as Aunt Eliza, it is doubtful that she ever used the name Lydia.

About 1839-40, Lydia Eliza Wiseman and Thomas Burieson were married; Tom's parents were Aaron and Sallie Burieson. Tom and Eliza made their home on Cane Creek. Much of the information about Tom and Eliza Burleson came from Aunt Zona Hughes who was a daughter of John and Jemima Carolina (Wiseman) Houston. Zona's mother and Aunt Eliza were sisters. But'. the fact that Eliza was fifteen years older than jemima caused Aunt Zona to think of her as a grandmother rather than an aunt. Jemima (Wiseman) Houston died in 1885 at the age of forty-nine - Eliza lived to age ninety-six. Jemima's husband, John Houston, married Lydia Burleson after his wife died, and Lydia was Aunt Eliza's daughter. Thus, Zona's cousin Lydia became her step-mother, and Eliza became her step-grandmother. Adding to the family record, two of Eliza's granddaughters, Daisey and Lydia married two of Aunt Zona's brothers - Jim and Robert Houston; thus, her cousins became her sisters-in-law. These girls, Daisey and Lydia, were daughters of Joe Burleson.

Cane Creek, where the Burlesons lived, was only seven miles from the Houston farm on Henson Creek in times past. The old wagon road crossed over Cane Creek Mountain, but with the passing of time the old road was not used and it fell into disrepair and overgrown with brush etc. Now it is twenty-four miles to go from Henson Creek on a paved road to the Burleson farm.

At the time when Aunt Zona was giving me the information about the Burleson family, which was in the mid-1950's, the old Burleson house was still standing. It was constructed before the Civil War, and all the timbers were cut by hand with a whip-saw. One man stood on top of a platform and another man stood on the ground, and they pulled the saw back and forth through the length of a log to saw out one board at a time.

Tom Burleson had a fine apple orchard and Aunt Zona's father, John Houston, would make many trips .... to the Burleson place during the apple season because he made apple brandy which was a profitable source of income on many of the mountain farms.