Pennsylvania.

The Henry Wolfe Family in Pennsylvania.

Our ancestor John Wolfe was the son of Henry Wolfe and Sarah Gilchrist (her maiden name was recorded in death certificates of several of her children, albeit with spelling variations). John was born in Pennsylvania on September 9, 1848.

In 1850 the family was living in Pine, just north of Pittsburgh. Henry, 38, (of German descent) and Sarah, 35, (of Scottish descent) were also born in Pennsylvania according to their response in census records.

The land they farmed was valued at $2,380. The couple had 7 children: David, 14, Mary, 12 (born in Greensburg about 1838), Catharine, 10, Henry, 8, and Savila, 6 all in school. Three-year old John and one-year old Margaret J. (born in Turkey Creek about 1849) rounded out the family. Twenty-seven year old Levenia Husley was also a part of the household.

The family farmed about 70 of their 110 acres of land, producing 100 bushels of wheat, 75 of "Indian" corn, 480 of oats and 20 of "Irish" potatoes. From their 3 milk cows they received 200 pounds of butter. Twelve tons of hay fed the cows, their 3 horses and 19 pigs.

Darkness on the Horizon.

With the addition of gold-rich California the United States now numbered thirty-one, tipping the balance toward free (16) versus slave (15) states. There was talk of the Southern states withdrawing from the Union, so deep was their animosity. The Compromise of 1850 tamped down the flames, though only for a decade. Each territory seeking statehood reignited the issue.

A Hotel Keeper.

The Wolfe's sold their farm and moved to Harmony in Butler County before the census was taken in 1860. The town had suffered some significant recent disasters, a fire in 1852 destroyed several sections and a tornado unroofed many buildings in 1856.

In 1860 Henry was a hotel keeper with $9,000 worth of real estate and personal assets of $1,200. His oldest son David, 25, had married, and he and his wife Helen Kelker, and 5-month old daughter Sarah farmed land in nearby Jackson. Mary, 22, did not appear with the family in this record, but the other children were listed: Catharine, 20, was a domestic, and Henry, 17 was a farm hand. In school were Savila, 15, John, 13, and Margaret, 11. Three more children had been added in the intervening years: Jeremiah, 9, Elizabeth, 5 (born in Zelienople about 1855), and Jeannette (or Nettie), 2.

The 1860's Brought Civil War.

Pennsylvania remained in the Union, but both sides passed unpopular conscription acts for men 18-35 years old to fill their ranks. Henry, at 50, would not be called to serve. John's age ranged from 14 to 18 over the course of the Civil War. John's older brothers David and Henry may well have been involved in the battles which raged throughout their state until Lee, after the deaths of over one million Americans, surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox, Virginia in April 1865.

Though Henry (senior) was not a soldier he did support the effort. His class B licenses cost him $20.00 for retail liquor and $5.00 for the hotel in taxes in 1862. The Act of 1862 established a national income tax of three per cent to help fund the war. The income tax was eliminated in 1872, and was later found to be unconstitutional when Congress tried to revive it in 1895.