The Will of John Wise the Elder , proved in 1602, mentions children Christopher, John, Eustace, Nicholas, William, Samuel and Richard; also daughters Mary Wise, Elenor (?) Austyn, and three more, the wives of his sons-in-law: Walter Smyth, Bartholomew Laskey and Christopher Brooking. The Will also bequeathed to Christopher the suit of clothes that he wore for his portrait by Nicholas Hilliard.
The Will of Christopher, proved in 1629, refers to his 'mother' Elizabeth (actually stepmother), his wife Emlyn, a recently deceased brother John, a brother Nicholas and a brother-in-law Bartholomew Laskey.
The Will of John wise the Younger (proved in 1621) mentions his wife, Dorothy, his brothers Christopher and Nicholas, his brother-in-law Bartholomew Leskye, and several children, including Sampson, then still not 21.
As we know, There was another family named Wise in Totnes.
The will of William Wise (d. 1626) mentions two brothers, Samuel and Richard, two sons, William and John, and 3 daughters, Anne, Elizabeth and Catherine. Correlating that with the information in the book about 'Col. John Wise' this William must have been the son of the John and Emmota Wise.
Samuel's Will was proved in 1634, and mentions his wife, Wilmot, sons Samuel and Christopher, daughters Fridiswid, Elizabeth, Rebecca and Sarah.
Since the Wills of Christopher and John do not mention their brother Samuel, it is likely that he died before them, which is why I think that the mayor in 1630 was the son of Emmota and brother of William
The real enigma in all this is the relationship of the two families. Where does John Wise the Elder and his descendants fit in the larger Wise family tree? It is hard to believe that they were unrelated, but I have found no plausible common ancestor.
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