Mystery Solved? (the 2-Truths-and-a-Lie version)

After years of searching & speculating, I think we've (two cousins and I) have finally cracked what might be considered a brick wall. Whether you want to call it a brick wall could certainly be debatable, as the information that we lacked never kept us from researching generations further back, but certainly kept us in the dark about the eternal "why?". 

Why the load of philosophical rambling? Well, as it has been for as long as I can remember, the easy part was defining the problem. In this case: why did my great-grandfather, who was born David West Wolfe in Lewes, DE, change his name to Charles Everett Clinton?

As with any 'why' question there are quite a number of facts that have to be examined, which I have done extensively here, here, and . . . here

A summary of those examinations you ask? Certainly . . . while using his birth name, David W. Wolfe married Rebecca Belle Crenshaw (Belle) in 1898 in Bonita, Montague Co, TX. Belle was 20 years his junior. Between 1898 and David's death in 1942 in Los Angeles, they moved no fewer than 13 times (and those are the ones we know about), living in states as far apart as California, Arkansas, and Kansas, and many in between. The moves were not easy, 1) because they were often cross-country--think multiple moves to & from CA; 2) because between 1899 and 1920, they had 13 children, 9 of whom lived to adulthood. Sometime in or slightly before 1904, David most likely changed the name as Charles Everett Clinton, Jr. was born and you can't very well have a 'Jr.' without a 'Sr.' as an eponym. Great-grandpa David/Charles was a butcher.

Thus the 'why?'

The possible explanations that I grew up hearing started with (from earliest to latest): Explanation 1) Great-grandpa changed his name because there was a criminal with his same name and he didn't want the authorities bothering him again. Explanation 2) Great-grandpa was trying to evade an ex-wife - courtesy of his son, Uncle Howard. And Explanation 3) Great-grandpa was in fact a criminal himself--my supposition, but in my mind, being creative as I am, I saw him as 'the butcher' rather than simply 'a butcher', gallivanting across country to cover up a string of serial killings and never actually getting caught (I was about 18 when I came up with the murder part), but the thought that he might have been another type of criminal was always the more likely scenario as a part of the third explanation.

However, life seldom presents anything as grand as we imagine, and ironically enough, it turns out that 2 of the 3 explanations were, at least in part, true. Almost as if Great-grandpa were playing a version of 2 truths and a lie or more appropriately, we were creating one for him.

1) False

2) True. Great-grandpa, as David W. Wolfe, married a woman named Fannie Johnson (of Delaware). With her he had 2 children, William & Margaret, both of whom married and had children, so there may be cousins through David/Charles who still have the Wolfe name. (Ironically, William and his family, followed by Fannie had relocated to Montana by 1920 and William's wife and 2 of their children were in San Diego, California by 1930, perhaps in search of our elusive progenitor).

3) True . . . ish. Great-grandpa was a criminal, more appropriately a debtor (which in England would have landed him in debtors prison, so true after a fashion), and I'm waiting on more details on this from my cousins with whom I'm working. But one of them has found newspaper articles showing that the courts in Delaware repossessed his property in payment of his debt.

So . . . there you have it. Not an answer for why he chose Clinton, which we probably will never know. Not nearly as glamorous as 20+ years of searching (yes, I actually remember talking about this as a 5 year old when we visited Uncle Howard) would have led you to believe it might be. But an answer nonetheless and one that I'm elated to have found.

The funny thing is, now that I've found out 'why' . . . what do I do next?

As long as this is, please know that I can go into much more detail if you want, or if you want to see some of the details of the documents.

Now, about those Delaware Wolfes . . . all those Reeces (and I don't mean the candy).

Happy Hunting!

AFN

DCC

19 May 2010

Athens, Georgia

Robert Harold Clinton, Sr. Ancestry, Matthew, Ch. 1, Pt. I

A continuation/start to the post that I started back in January. I'll post links and such later when not at work and I have more time to do anything other than cut & paste what I typed last night. You should get the idea.

A lineal ascent to my grandfather, Robert Harold Clinton, Sr.

I think ascent works there. I’ll first follow the male then the female lines of each as I have knowledge of them, with a couple lines about each with full ‘details’ to follow later. I’ll provide dates so you know where this runs.

Robert H. Clinton (May 12, 1920 Los Angeles, CA-March 25, 1990 Athens, GA; Bob, Baja, Clint, Pa, Doc), later adding Sr. to his name, was the son of Charles Everett Clinton, Sr. (nee. David West/Roland Wolfe) and Rebecca Belle Crenshaw (preferred Belle). Robert was an architect and cabinet maker by trade. As mentioned in Wayfarers and something I’ll repost eventually Charles/David changed his name sometime around 1904, as evidenced by the naming of their first three children with the last name of Wolfe and that the son who was born that year they named Charles E. Clinton, Jr.

Charles/David (1860 Lewes, DE-1942 Los Angeles, CA) was the son of Reece Becket Wolfe, II/Jr. (there’s some debate in the family as to whether he ever used the II or Jr. at all, but it’s easier to delineate using that) and Mary Hazzard West. Reece and Charles/David were both butchers by trade. At this point, this line, very much like the rest of my ancestors with the state of Georgia, stays very fixed geographically around and in Lewes, DE almost to the founding of the colony, including as an ancestor Rev. William Becket, from whom Reece gets his middle name. As you will see, there are also many Reece/Rice/Riss names (but not Reese) in this line as well.

Reece B. (Nov. 30,1828 Lewes, DE-June 18,1901 Philadelphia, PA) was the son of Reece Becket Wolfe I/Sr. and Nancy Waples. We have no further information regarding the Waples family.

Reece B., I/Sr. (1791 Lewes, DE-1854 Lewes, DE) was the son of William Wolfe and Mary Becket Futcher. Through Mary B. Futcher, we are descended from Rev. William Becket, who was one of the earliest Anglican missionaries in the Delaware area as a member of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, arriving in Lewes Sept. 1, 1721. The Beckett family is originally from Over Peover, Cheshire , England .

William Wolfe (July 15, 1766 Lewes, DE-July 7, 1818 Lewes, DE) was the son of Reece Wolfe/Woolf, Jr. (both spellings are in the records) and Mary White. We have no further information on the ancestry of Mary White. William was a lawyer by profession.

Reece/Rice Wolfe/Woolf (July 15 1733 Lewes , DE -bef May 10, 1797 Lewes DE , date indicated is the date of will probate) was the son of Francis Wolfe and Sarah Brooksby. We have no further information on the ancestry of Sarah Brooksby. Reece/Rice was a yeoman farmer.

Francis Wolfe/Woolf (bef. 1715 Lewes, DE-c1755 Lewes , DE ) was the son of Rice/Riss Woolf and Mary Cornwell. Francis was a carpenter by trade. Francis acquired 1500 acres on what would become known as Wolfe’s Creek, a branch of Lewes Creek.

Rice/Riss Woolf (bet 1670-75 Lewes, DE-1715/16 Lewes, DE, will was made Feb. 18, 1715/16) was the son of William Woolf, who is the first known ancestor to live in the American colonies though we do not know the country of origin. Rice/Riss was a yeoman farmer by trade.Tradition states that the Wolfe/Woolf line comes from Germany , but it is possible that the line originated in England or Sweden or the Netherlands , given that those were the original colonial powers in the Delaware area.

William Woolf/Wolfe is the first known ancestor in this line to live in the American colonies. There are land deed records referencing transactions between William Woolf and other parties beginning as early as Sept. 1693 and going as late as March 1694.

AFN
DCC
Athens, GA, 7 May 2009