Who Lived Here? The Wishards of Oak Avenue

In 1918, Dr. Ernest Elmer and Mary Bickell Wishard moved into 5828 Oak Avenue. The couple had been married for eighteen years and they had three children.  They had previously dwelled at 5514 University Avenue. Dr. Wishard was not only a physician but also a chemist and he worked for Eli Lilly & Company. Mrs. Wishard was an Irvington club woman and she frequently hosted the Irvington Home Study Club in her Oak Avenue bungalow.  At least one child, Lois, graduated from Butler University in 1924. She was an English major. In 1926, fifty-year-old Ernest Wishard posed for this photo which appeared in a promotional book called Fellow Citizens of Indianapolis.  By 1930 the family had moved away from Irvington for new opportunities in Minnesota.  Dr. Wishard died in 1935 at the age of 60, while Mrs. Wishard passed away at the age of 96 in 1972.

Lois Wishard graduated from Butler University in 1924. Her photo can be seen in the middle of the top row.

5828 Oak Avenue in 2015