William  Wolfe


WILLIAM WOLFE, one of the pioneer farmers of Hanover Township, was born in Scott County, Ky., January 12, 1809, son of  Jacob  and  Euphemy (Cannon) Wolf, natives of Maryland and Delaware, of German-Irish origin.  The parents of Mr. Wolfe were born in 1779, and his father died in Hancock County, Ind., in 1837, and his mother in 1840.  The Wolf family came to Indiana in 1828, and located in Hancock County, and subsequently the subject of this biography removed to Shelby County.  He received a limited education at the early time schoolhouse.  By occupation, Mr. Wolfe has been a life long farmer, and now owns 200 acres of land.  His marriage occurred in 1832, to Miss Editaca Tyner, a daughter of  Soloman  and  Jemima (Henderson) Tyner, a native of Indiana, born in 1819.  Mrs. Wolfe died about 1836, and April 4, 1839, Mr. Wolfe was united in marriage to  Nancy M. Smith, who was born in Virginia, February 4, 1818, and is a daughter of  William and  Ann (Alexander) Smith, natives of Virginia.  To the above marriage were born these children:  Sarah E.,  Jerusha E.,  Warren W.,  Cornelia A.,  Pharaba  and  Edward C.  Politically, Mr. Wolfe is and always has been an unchanging friend to the Democratic party.  He is a Mason and a member of the Morristown lodge No. 193.  He and wife are members of the Christian Church.  The life of Mr. Wolfe has been successful and he is one of the prosperous farmers of Hanover Township.

Submitted by Don T. Mitchell, great great great great grandson of David Wolf (1787-1877), last of Fayette Co, Indiana, brother of Jacob Wolf (1779-1837) above, both sons of Jacob Wolf who died about 1819 in Scott Co., Ky.

Notes:  (1) Editha Tyner is the given name of William Wolfe’s first wife in their Hancock Co. marriage record.  (2) William Wolfe died Feb. 15, 1892, in Hanover Twp. and his wife, Nancy, died Aug. 23, 1904 at Greenfield.
          William Wolfe was the first one in his line, to my knowledge, to append the 'E' to his surname.  He apparently made this change in the 1870s, since his census records for Hanover Twp., Shelby Co. for 1840, -50, -60, and 1870 have his surname WOLF.  In 1880, it is WOLFE.  William's father's name was Jacob WOLF in the biography and in his Hancock Co [IN] will.  William's grandfather was Jacob WOLF in Scott Co KY probate records.  William's uncles, David WOLF and Henry WOLF of Fayette Co IN, Conrad WOLF of RushCoIN,and Jesse WOLF of Union Co IN, all spelled their surname with only 4 letters.  Wolfe is an English surname (British General Wolfe led the 1759 siege of Quebec), while Wolf is generally a German surname. - DM

From pp. 649-650 of  Brant & Fuller’s 1887 History of Shelby County, Indiana

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