DeWolf family facts for kids
Quick facts for kids DeWolf familyD’Wolf, De Wolf, DeWolfe, DeWoolf
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Coat of arms
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| Current region | Rhode Island, Connecticut and Nova Scotia |
| Place of origin | Europe |
| Founded | 17th century |
| Founder | Balthazar DeWolf |
| Motto | Vincit Qui Patitur |
| Estate(s) | Linden Place |
The DeWolf family is a well-known family with roots in both Canada and the United States. Their story begins with a person named Balthazar DeWolf. This family has played an important role in the history of Rhode Island and Nova Scotia.
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The Start of the DeWolf Family
Balthazar DeWolf is the earliest known member of this family. Records first mention him in Hartford, Connecticut, around 1656. He married a woman named Alice by 1646. They had at least five children together. After 1668, they settled in Lyme, Connecticut.
People have different ideas about where Balthazar DeWolf came from. Some think he was from a part of Europe called Livonia. Others believe he might have been a Huguenot (a French Protestant), Polish, Russian, Jewish, Dutch, or German. It's also possible he was English or had an English education. This is because he and his children mostly married other English settlers, which was common back then.
The DeWolf families in both Nova Scotia and Rhode Island are descendants of Balthazar DeWolf.
The DeWolfs of Rhode Island
The DeWolf family branch in Bristol, Rhode Island, started with Charles DeWolf of Guadeloupe. He was born in Lyme, Connecticut, in 1695. Charles later moved to Guadeloupe, which is in the French West Indies. During the 1700s and 1800s, the DeWolfs of Rhode Island were very involved in the slave trade. This trade was a major part of their wealth.
Important Rhode Island DeWolfs
- Mark Anthony DeWolf (1726–1793) was the only one of Charles DeWolf's children to return to America. He became the leader of the Bristol family branch. He was a merchant and also involved in the slave trade.
- James DeWolf (1764–1837) was Mark Anthony DeWolf's son. He became one of the richest people of his time. Most of his money came from the slave trade.
- General George W. DeWolf (1778–1844) was a grandson of Mark Anthony DeWolf. He was also a slave trader. He was the first owner of a famous mansion called Linden Place.
- Capt. John DeWolf (1779–1872) was known as "Norwest John." He explored the coast of Alaska and the Northwest on his ship, the Juno. He then traveled across the Pacific Ocean and through Siberia to St. Petersburg, Russia. This made him the first American to cross Asia. He wrote a book about his journey in 1861.
- Mark Antony De Wolfe Howe (1808–1895) was a great-grandson of Mark Anthony DeWolf. He was an Episcopal priest. Later, he became the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania.
- Theodora Goujaud DeWolf Colt (1820–1901) was George DeWolf's daughter. She was a published poet. She helped restore Linden Place, making it one of New England's most famous mansions.
- Charles DeWolf Brownell (1822–1909) was a grandson of Mark Anthony DeWolf. He was an American painter. He was best known for his landscape paintings.
- Mark Antony De Wolfe Howe Jr. (1864–1960) was a son of Mark Antony De Wolfe Howe. He was an American editor and author. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1925.
- Charles Dana Gibson (1867–1944) was a famous American illustrator.
Rhode Island Family Legacy
DeWolf Avenue in Bristol, Rhode Island, is named after the DeWolf family.
It is believed that the Bristol DeWolfs transported over 11,000 enslaved people to the United States. This happened before the African slave trade was made illegal in 1808.
The DeWolfs of Nova Scotia
In 1761, three of Balthazar DeWolf's descendants moved to Horton Township, Nova Scotia. Their names were Simeon, Nathan, and Jehiel DeWolf. They settled in the Grand Pre area with 19 family members. For a long time, people thought these three men were cousins. However, later research in 1991 showed they were actually three sons of Benjamin DeWolf Sr. Benjamin was a grandson of Balthazar.
Important Nova Scotia DeWolfs
- Nathan DeWolf (1720–1789) was born in Saybrook, Connecticut. He graduated from Yale College in 1743. He moved to Horton in 1761. For many years, he was a senior Justice of the peace for King's County, Nova Scotia.
- Benjamin DeWolf (1744–1819) was a businessman and political leader in Nova Scotia.
- Loran DeWolf (1754 – after 1818) was a political leader in Nova Scotia.
- Elisha DeWolf (1756–1837) was a son of Nathan DeWolf. He served as a judge and political figure in Nova Scotia.
- James Ratchford DeWolf (1787–1855) was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He was the fifth child of Elisha DeWolf.
- Thomas Andrew Strange DeWolf (1795–1878) was a merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented King's County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1837 to 1848.
- Elisha DeWolf Jr. (1801–1850) was a political figure in Nova Scotia. He was the eleventh child of Elisha DeWolf.
- Dr. James Ratchford DeWolf (1818–1901) was a doctor and superintendent of an asylum. He graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh in 1841.
- Alice Starr (Chipman) Tilley (1844–1921) was the wife of Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley. He was a Minister of Finance and a Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. She was the mother of Leonard Percy de Wolfe Tilley, who became the 21st Premier of New Brunswick.
- Rev. Arthur Wentworth Hamilton Eaton (1849–1937) was a Protestant Episcopal clergyman, educator, and scholar.
- Vice Admiral Harry DeWolf (1903–2000) was a Canadian naval officer. He was famous as the first commander of HMCS Haida during the Second World War.
- James DeWolfe (born 1949) is a former political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Pictou East in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1998 to 2006.
Nova Scotia Family Legacy
Wolfville, Nova Scotia, was renamed after the DeWolf family. Elisha DeWolf, Jr. was the postmaster when the town's name became official in 1830. The change was suggested to honor his father, Elisha DeWolf.
Other Notable DeWolfs
- Delos DeWolf (1811–1882) was an important citizen of Oswego, New York. He was a politician and a banker.
- Calvin DeWolf (1815–1899) was a well-known lawyer. He was the first secretary of the Illinois chapter of the American Anti-Slavery Society.
- Joseph N. Dolph (1835–1897) was an American politician and lawyer in Oregon.
- Cyrus Abda (C. A.) Dolph (1840–1914) was a businessman in Portland, Oregon.
- Wallace Leroy DeWolf (1854–1930) was a son of Calvin DeWolf. He was an American lawyer, businessman, and artist.
Family Coat of Arms
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Images for kids
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The DeWolf family coat of arms.
