Mary (Sims) Wolfe

© Kathy Duncan, 2015

Mary "Polly" Sims, daughter of Rev. James and Dolly (Spillers) Sims,  married George Wolf:

25 Sept 1850, Macoupin County, Illinois:
2-2
George Wolf 51 M Farmer $1,600 b. VA
Mary Wolf 47 F b. SC
James H. Wolf 20 M b. IL
John Wolf 16 M b. IL
Thomas Wolf 12 M b. IL
George Wolf 10 M b. IL
Peyton Wolf 7 M b. IL
Dolly A. Doughrty 17 F b. IL

1860, Twshp 12, Range 7, Macoupin County, Illinois:

George Wolfe 61 M b. VA
Mary Wolfe 58 F b. SC
Thomas Wolfe 22 M b. IL
George Wolfe 20 M b. IL
Patten Wolfe 18 M b. IL
Elizabeth Wolfe 75 F b. PA
Catherine Wolfe 70 F b. PA

A likely burial for George Wolfe is located in Oak Grove Cemetery, Modesto, Macoupin County, Illinois:
George Wolfe, d. 27 June 1873, aged 74 years, 3 months, 1 day.

Children of Mary (Sims) and George Wolfe:

James H. Wolfe. The life record of James H. Wolfe, now deceased, covered a period of seventy-eight years and few men of Macoupin county have been more highly respected. He was long a resident of this county and conducted his affairs in such a way as to reflect credit not only upon himself but upon all with whom he was associated. He belonged on the paternal side to one of the old families of Pennsylvania and was born in Morgan county, Illinois, March 19, 1830. His parents were George and Mary (Sims) Wolfe, the former a native of Virginia and the latter of South Carolina. The grandfather on the maternal side, James Sims, was born in Virginia but emigrated to Illinois and was the first representative from Sangamon county to the state legislature. George Wolfe, father of our subject, came to Macoupin county with his family in 1839 and located on a farm on Apple creek, in North Palmyra township, where he made his home until until 1854, and then removed to North Otter township, settling on a farm four and half miles from Girard. There his wife died on the 1st of January, 1873, and he passed away four months later.

James H. Wolfe was the eldest of a family of seven sons and grew to manhood under the favoring conditions of country life. At the age of nine years he came with his father to Macoupin county. He began attending school in Morgan county but continued his education in the district schools of North Palmyra township. In 1842 he began actively assisting his father upon the home farm and so continued until 1850 when he became a teacher, but also devoted his attention to farming as opportunity permitted. In 1855 he was appointed agent of the Chicago & Alton Railway at Girard, being the first agent of the road at that point, and in 1856 embarked in the mercantile business at Girard. Previous to his mercantile career he was engaged in buying live stock, which he drove to the market at Alton and St. Louis. The news of the discovery of gold in Colorado created a great excitement in 1858 throughout the Mississippi Valley and Mr. Wolfe started overland with a party of adventurous young men bent upon quickly acquiring a fortune in the new gold fields. They endured many hardships after arriving at a spot near the foot of the mountains where Denver now stands, but the sands of Cherry Creek refused to yield the yellow treasure and the quartz mines of Gilpin and Clear Creek counties proved equally unpromising to many gold seekers. After becoming convinced that his destiny pointed in other directions than to gold mines Mr. Wolfe returned to Girard and until 1869 engaged in teaching and in the lumber business at Shipman. He then moved to Carlinville and served two terms as deputy county clerk. In 1878 he took up his residence on a farm near Nilwood, which he cultivated for ten years. He then removed to the village of Nilwood where he spent the remainder of his life, being one of the successful merchants of the town.
On the 3d of September, 1857, Mr. Wolfe was married to Miss Faustina M. Magoon, who was born in Canada, a daughter of Ezra and Betsy (Mack) Magoon, the former of whom was a native of Canada and the latter of New Hampshire. Mrs. Wolfe is a granddaughter of Asa Mack, of New Hampshire, and a great-granddaughter of Cyrus Mack, who was one of the soldiers of the patriot army at the time of the Revolutionary war. Of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe five are now living: Arthur L. and Mary E., both of Nilwood; George E., who married Minnie E. Otwell and resides in Norman, Minnesota; Mabel, who became the wife of John Murphy, of Nilwood, and has one daughter, Ruth; and Faustina E., who lives at Nilwood. A son of Mr. and Mrs. Wolfe, Loren E., married Ella B. Corrington and died in 1893, leaving one child, Roland C., who is now living in Minnesota.
Mr. Wolfe was a valued member of the Girard Lodge, No. 171, A.F. & A.M., and was for many years a member of the Masonic order, having been made a Mason in 1855. He was also identified with the Odd Fellows and had many warm personal friends in those organization. He gave his support to the republican party and, being an earnest friend of education, served as a member of the school board, the only political office he ever held being that of supervisor. He died December 19, 1908, and for many years had faithfully discharged his duties as a citizen and the head of a family, setting an example of industry, integrity and perseverance worthy of the highest commendation. His memory will ever be deeply revered by all with whom he came in contact either in business or social relations.
[Source: History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, Vol. 2 by Charles A. Walker]

John S. Wolfe, attorney at law in Champaign is a native of this State was born in Morgan County, Sept. 21, 1833. His parents were George and Mary (Simms) Wolfe, natives respectively of Greenbrier County, Va., and Spartanburg, S.C. George Wolfe, in 1812, removed with his parents to Ross County, Ohio, the family locating near Chillicothe, where the father, Henry, engaged in farming until his death, in 1825. He was a deep piety and marked ability. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and late in life united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he remained a consistent member for many years. The children of the household were Elizabeth, Jacob, Henry, Catherine, Daniel, John. Mary, George and Joseph, all now deceased. George Wolfe, the father of our subject, was reared to farming pursuits, which he followed in Ohio until 1826, in which year the entire family came to this State and were among the early pioneers of Morgan County. The father located upon a tract of Government land where he remained until 1839, when he sold out and moved into Macoupin county, where he still pursued his former occupation until his death, which occurred in 1874. The mother also died that same year. Of their seven sons, two died in infancy. The others are as follows: James is a resident of Macoupin County, Ill.; J.S. of our sketch, was the second; Thomas lives in Barton County, Mo.; George is a resident of Gerard, this State; Peyton lives in Barton, Mo. George Wolfe politically was a staunch Republican, a strong Prohibitionist, and especially interested in the establishment and maintenance of schools. The subject of this biography remained on the farm until twenty-two years old, and pursued his early studies in the pioneer log school-house, which, however, was different from some others of that early period, having a long window on each side. They, however, used slabs for writing-desks and the system of teaching as well as the structure itself in which it was carried on, were widely different from those of the present day. Mr. Wolfe early in life began to lay his plans for the future. After leaving home he purchased five yoke of oxen and commenced breaking the prairie, and was occupied at this laborious work for two years, in the meantime keeping in view the intention which he had formed of commencing the study of law as soon as possible or practicable. In 1857, he went to Carlinville, entered a law office, and became a thorough student of Blackstone, and admitted to the bar two years later. Mr. W. commenced the practice of his profession at Carlinville, but following year removed to Champaign, of which city he was then a resident for four years. In 1864 he took up his abode in Chicago, where he remained until 1867m and then, on account of the death of his father-in-law, William Young, returned to Champaign, where he has since lived. He has been an Attorney for the Illinois Central Railroad, a number of years, and socially belongs to Western Star Lodge No. 240, A.F. & A.M., and Urbana Commandery No. 16, K.T.  Mr. J. W. Wolfe was married, May 15, 1862, to Miss Celestia A. Young, of Lorain County, Ohio. Their residence, to which a host of warm friends and acquaintances often resort, is pleasantly located on Church street, and the office of Mr. Wolfe is located in the Burnham Block. Our subject is independent in politics. Mr. and Mrs. W. are members in good standing of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which the former is Class-Leader and a member of the Official Board. He is a careful, painstaking lawyer, a man of the strictest integrity, and enjoys the confidence of his fellow-citizens.
[Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Champaign County, Illinois, Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1887]

Thomas Wolfe, Second Assistant Secretary, was born in Morgan county, Illinois, in 1838. In early life followed farming. Was admitted to the bar in 1869, and practiced law for a time. Was editor of the Ford County Journal from 1872 until 1874, when his office was destroyed by fire. In May, 1875, started the Appeal at Bloomington, which paper he continued to edit until November, 1876. Is now a resident of Paxton, Illinois. Was elected to present position in January, 1877.

[Source: Illinois Legislative Manual for 30th General Assembly. 1877 and 1878.]

Peyton Wolfe:

James D. Metcalf, cashier of the Shipman Banking Company of Shipman and prominently identified with the business interests of Macoupin county, is a native of Girard, born February 14, 1871. He is a son of James D. and Brunette (Mason) Metcalf...On the 16th of October, 1897, Mr. Metcalf was married in Macoupin county to Miss Eugenia Wolfe, who was born November 11, 1877, a daughter of Peyton Lisle and Medora (Young) Wolfe, the former of whom was born November 20, 1843, and the latter March 16, 1856. One child, Eugenia, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Metcalf. The Wolfe family is well known in Pennsylvania, the grandfather of Mrs. Metcalf coming from that state to Macoupin county in an early day. He settled upon a farm west of Girard. In his family were seven sons, two of whom died in infancy, while James, John, Thomas and George died after arriving at manhood. Peyton Lisle Wolfe, the father of Mrs. Metcalf, was reared in Macoupin county and at the age of nineteen, the Civil war being then in progress, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Twenty-second Illinois Volunteer Infantry, serving in this regiment until the close of the Rebellion. After returning home he took charge of the home place. On November, 20, 1874, he was married to Miss Medora Young and shortly afterwards purchased a farm in this county. In 1881 he moved to Kenoma, Barton county, Missouri, and purchased land there but later disposed of it and went to Colorado, where he took up his homestead on government land. In 1888 he returned to Girard where he continued to reside until his death which occurred in 1904. In his family were three children: Geraldine, who is the wife of Ernest Menard Kenna, a wholesale lumber dealer of New York city; Eugenia, now Mrs. James D. Metcalf; and Maude, who married Dr. John W. Kelly, of Springfield, IL.

[Source: History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, Vol. 2 by Charles A. Walker]