Janet and Robert Wolfe Genealogy --- Go to Genealogy Page for John Franklin Wolfe --- Go to Genealogy Page for Eileen Elizabeth Kirby

Notes for John Franklin Wolfe and Eileen Elizabeth Kirby

1901 John Franklin Wolfe, child of Ira G. Wolf and Clara Brenizer, was born on March 12 in Union City, Darke County, Ohio. [1] [2] [3]

1910 John Wolfe (age 8, born in Ohio, single), son, lived in Gainesville, Alachua County, Florida, in a household with Ira G Wolfe (age 56), Clara Wolfe (age 47), Grace Wolfe (age 20), Homer Wolfe (age 13), Faith Wolfe (age 6), and Clara's Aunt Sophie English (age 65). John Wolfe's parents were both born in Pennsylvania. [4] [5]


c 1910 John Wolfe and his older brother Homer [6]

1913 John Wolfe attended Steele High School in Dayton, Ohio.

1917 Clara V Wolfe (widow of Ira), Homer (installer at 654 Reibold Building), Grace B (stenographer at 654 Reibold Building), and John (clerk at 654 Reibold Building), lived at 610 W River, Dayton, Ohio. [7]Video history of Reibold Building, Dayton.


c 1917 John Wolfe [8]


c 1918 John Wolfe,
perhaps upon graduation from
Steele High School in Dayton Ohio [9]

1918 Clara V Wolfe (widow of Ira), Homer (rubberworker), Grace B (stenographer), and John (clerk at 654 Reibold Building), lived at 610 W River, Dayton, Ohio. [10]

1919 Homer M (assembler), Grace B (stenographer at 117 D Perry), John, Faith G, and Clara Wolfe (widow of Ira) lived at 121 South Creighton Ave, Dayton, Ohio. [11]

1920 Lois Bedichek, daughter, age 12, born in Texas, single, lived in Abilene, Taylor, Texas, in a household with Elija A Bedichek (age 42), Frances Bedichek (age 41), Wendell Bedichek (age 16), Elwyn Bedichek (age 14), and Freddie Bedichek (age 9). Lois Bedichek's father was born in Texas and her mother was born in Mississippi. Lois Bedichek could read and write. [12]

1920 Clara Wolfe (age 57) lived in Dayton, Montgomery County, Ohio with children Homer (age 23, a student at bible college), Grace (age 30, a typist), John (age 18, office labor at Elective Manufacturing), and Faith (age 16). [13] [14]

1921 Grace B, stenographer; John, clerk; Faith G, clerk; and Clara Wolfe, widow of Ira; lived at 402 W Edgewood, Dayton, Ohio. [15]

1922 Clara Wolfe (widow of Ira), Faith G (clerk), Grace B (stenographer at The Dayton Airless Tire Company), Homer N, and John F (clerk at 334 N Taylor) lived at 402 W Edgewood, Dayton, Ohio. [16]

1923 John F Wolfe (clerk) lived at 402 W Edgewood, Dayton, Ohio. [17]

1924 John Wolfe of Dayton Ohio was listed in the "Prickly Pear" yearbook of Abilene Christian College. [18]


c 1925 John Wolfe [19]

1925 John was awarded a B.A. degree from Abilene Christian College. The date of conferral shown here is based the assumption that he graduated at about age 25.

1926 John F. Wolfe and Synda L. Bedicheck were married on August 19 in Taylor County, Texas. [20]

1929 Sydna Lois Wolfe died on December 7 and was buried at Abilene Municipal Cemetery, Abilene, Taylor County, Texas. Her gravestone reports that she was born on June 1, 1907. [21] [22]:

Sydna Lois
wife of John Wolfe
June 1, 1907
Dec. 7, 1929

1930 Elizabeth Kirby (age 16, born in Alabama, single), daughter, lived in El Paso, El Paso County, Texas, in a household with John H Kirby (age 41), Ivie Kirby (age 39), Kenneth Kirby (age 17), Daniel Kirby (age 12), and Ruth Kirby (age 10). Elizabeth Kirby's parents were both born in Alabama. [23]

1935 John Franklin Wolfe and Elizabeth Kirby were married on August 8 in White Sands, Las Cruces, New Mexico.

1937 Sydna Ann Wolfe, child of John Franklin Wolfe and Eileen Elizabeth Kirby, was born on January 16 in El Paso County, Texas. [24] [25] [26] [27]

1939 Newman Reginald Wolfe, child of John Franklin Wolfe and Elizabeth Kirby, was born on October 2 in El Paso County, Texas. [28]

1940 John F Wolfe (age 39) and Elizabeth Wolfe (age 25, born Alabama) lived in Area C, El Paso, Justice Precinct 1, El Paso, Texas with Sydna A (age 3) and Newman R (age 0). [29] [30] [31]

c 1940
c 1940 John Wolfe with mother Clara and sister Grace and Charles Wilson
at the Wilson home in Dallas [32]

1941 Kenneth Lawrence Wolfe, child of John Franklin Wolfe and Elizabeth Kirby, was born on April 17 in El Paso County, Texas. [33]

1941 "One of the most important leaders of Iglesias de Cristo in Mexico in the early twentieth century was Pedro Rivas. ... In 1941, John F. Wolfe, minister in El Paso, Texas, conducted an evangelistic meeting in Rivas's home that brought several converts and energized the small group already there." [34]


c 1942 John Wolfe and Family [35]


c 1942 John Wolfe and Family [36]

1942 Several family members got together at 726 Oxford, Dayton, Ohio, when Clara Brenizer Wolfe died in October.


John Wolfe; Barbara, Duane and Gladys Teegarden;
Julia, Donna, Ramon, and Doug Wolfe;
Grace, Petrovna, and Charles Wolfe
(Ranald likely took the picture, files of Doug Wolfe)


Petrovna, Ranald, Doug, Grace, Donna, Ramon, Julia,
Gladys, Duane, Barbara, John Wolfe
(Charles likely took the picture, files of Doug Wolfe)


1942 Ranald Wolfe, John Wolfe, and Charles Wolfe at Clara's funeral in Dayton[37]


1942 John Wolfe, Grace Wilson, and Charles Wolfe, at Clara's funeral in Dayton[38]

1943 Brother Homer reported, in a letter to brother Charles, that John was in Mexico City [39]. John was in Mexico City pursuing a Master's Degree because he wanted to improve his Spanish. The classes were in Castillian Spanish, rather than the Tex-Mex that John spoke, but they helped him anyway. Later in life, John told brother Homer that when he preached to an English speaking congregation, John would have to translate from Spanish into English in his mind as he spoke. [40]

1950 John F Wolfe (age 49, born in Ohio, married) lived in Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, in a household with Elizabeth Wolfe (age 35), Sydna Ann Wolfe (age 13), Newnan R Wolfe (age 10), and Kenneth L Wolfe (age 8). John F Wolfe's residence was not a farm. [41]

1958 John and siblings at Colorado Springs in the Rockies in Colorado.


Left to right: Homer Wolfe, Eunice Sweet Wolfe, Elizabeth Kirby Wolfe, John Wolfe,
Homer Jr's wife, Homer Jr with son Terry, Faith Betts, and Clyde Betts

1978 John Wolfe published Rahab and Other Poems. [Photocopy, Book cover of John Wolfe's poetry.].


John and Elizabeth Wolfe's 50th wedding anniversary, 1985 [42]


John and Elizabeth Wolfe's 50th wedding anniversary, 1985 [43]


John and Elizabeth Wolfe's 50th wedding anniversary, 1985 [44]


John and Elizabeth Wolfe's gravestone in San Antonio, Texas [45]

1987 John Franklin Wolfe died on Dec. 12, (reported at San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA) and was buried at Mission Burial Park North, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA, born Mar. 12, 1901, (reported at Union City, Darke County, Ohio, USA). [46] [47] An obituary reports [48]:

John F. Wolfe, 86, evangelist and pioneer preacher of the churches of Christ among Spanish-speaking people, died Dec. 12, 1987, in San Antonio, Texas. His death was caused by cancer of the abdomen. The funeral sermon was delivered by Harris L. Goodwin. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; a daughter, Sydna Ann Krouse; two sons, Newman R. and Kenneth; a sister; a brother; eight grandchildren; and one great-grandchild. Brother Wolfe helped in the establishment of churches in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Matamoros, San Fernando, Jimenez and Valle Hermoso, Mexico. He served as director of two schools of preaching, and he edited and published a bilingual magazine titled The Latinamerican Christian. He also conducted campaigns in many states in Latin American countries.

John Wolfe
John Franklin Wolfe biosketch

1987 John F Wolfe died on March 12, last residing at San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. [49]

John was a minister in San Antonio, Texas. John was a poet and published several books of poems, one entitled "Rahab and other Poems". The cover of this book has the following synopsis. "John Wolfe was born in Ohio, but for the greater part of his life, has made his home in Texas. Graduating from Steele High School in Dayton, Ohio, he finished his education in Abilene Christian College, Pepperdine College in Los Angeles and the University of New Mexico. Most of his work as minister in the Church of Christ, has been among Spanish speaking people of the United States and in Mexico. He is past president of the Poetry Forum, which is the San Antonio chapter of the Poet Society of Texas, and is also a counselor for the state society." The book includes the following poem.

MAGIC TELESCOPE
For my brother Homer

It was only a cyprus swamp,
a jungle of trees and water,
but you named it the Garden of Enchantment.
Daisies and high-bush huckleberries
beckoned from bulges of earth
that surrounded each tree, and we jumped
across the intervening water
from tree to tree, whose boles
reached down like muscled arms
with hands and outspread fingers
clutching the earth. The flickerings
of light that filtered through
green branches and danced on the water
were like notes of music tapped out
by the sun to accompany the deep
frog-chorus. Through the magic
telescope of memory I can see
again those trees,
that brackish water, and hear
again the exultant ring
of your laughter among the cypresses.

Notes titled "The Story of Mexican Missions in Texas" by Howard L. Schug report the following excerpt:

The El Paso church has been responsible for Brother John Wolfe. Other churches have helped. The church meeting in the auditorium of Abilene Christian College has aided in the support of Bro. Hilario Zamorano. Colorado, San Benito, Harlingen, Ranger, Sinton, and other place have helped freely in finances, in prayers, /146/ and in brotherly fellowship. The self-denial, zeal, and consecration of such workers as Brothers Sanchez, Brother Wolfe, Brother Zamorano, and Brother Jesse Gill, need to be seen and felt to be appreciated. The prayers, letters, counsels, dollars and cents, and the love that these and many other self-sacrificing Christians have sent to every frontier of the work cannot be measured. In fact each one would prefer that God alone should have the praise, but they have all aided in the victory.

In November, 1928, when Brother Wolfe began his work in El Paso, there were about eighty members of the church of Christ among the Mexicans in Sweetwater, Abilene, Colorado, and Sinton, and a few scattered members in other places where they could find no scriptural worship their tongue. But now there are scattered over Texas some two hundred and fifty members, besides those in Old Mexico. ... El Paso has about 25 members and is steadily and firmly growing, led by Brother Wolfe. Through Bro. Wolfe's earnest, efficient and consecrated efforts, they are planning to reach out into New Mexico and Old Mexico.

2002 Elizabeth Kirby Wolfe died on Nov. 15, 2002, (reported at Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, USA) and was buried at Mission Burial Park North, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA, born Apr. 14, 1914, (reported at Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA). [50] [51] An obituary reports [52]:

Elizabeth K. Wolfe, 88, of Ft. Worth, TX and formerly of San Antonio, entered into eternal rest on Friday, November 15, 2002 in Ft. Worth. She was born April 14, 1914 in Birmingham, AL to John Henry and Icie Newman Kirby. Mrs. Wolfe was the wife of the late John F. Wolfe, a Spanish Missionary Preacher for the Church of Christ in San Antonio where they resided for 30 years before moving to Ft. Worth seven years ago. She was a member of the Brentwood Church of Christ in Ft. Worth and a former member of the Jefferson Church of Christ in San Antonio. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, John F. Wolfe; daughter, Sydna Ann Krause; parents, John and Icie Kirby; sister, Ruth Presnall; brothers, Dann and Kenneth Kirby. Survivors include two sons, Kenneth Wolfe and his wife Bonnie of Ft. Worth, TX and Newman Wolfe and his wife Carol of Blue Ridge, TX; nine grandchildren, Gregory Hargis, Jeffrey Hargis, Carrie Beth Hargis, Michael Wolfe, Laura Varner, John Wolfe, Keith Wolfe, Christopher Wolfe and Debra George. Other survivors include four great-grandchildren. Visitation for Mrs. Wolfe will be held Monday, November 18, 2002 from 5:00-7:00 P.M. at Mission Park Funeral Chapels North where the Funeral Service will be held on Tuesday, November 19, 2002 at 11:00 A.M. with Ira Wolfe, her nephew, officiating. Concluding Services and Interment will follow at Mission Burial Park North Cemetery. Service arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Mission Park North Funeral Chapels.

Papers of John F Wolfe are held in a special collection at Abilene Christian University. [53]


Footnotes:

[1] Darke County, Ohio, Records of birth, marriage and death, 1817-1911, [FamilySearchImage], [FamilySearchRecord].

[2] United States Social Security Death Index, [FamilySearchRecord].

[3] Ohio, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973, [AncestryRecord].

[4] United States Federal Census, 1910, [FamilySearchImage], [FamilySearchRecord].

[5] United States Federal Census, 1910, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].

[6] Family Document, Files of Carol Wolfe.

[7] Williams Dayton Directory (Cincinnati, Ohio: 1917), 1415, [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].

[8] Family Document, Files of Carol Wolfe.

[9] Family Document, Files of Carol Wolfe.

[10] Williams Dayton Directory (Cincinnati, Ohio: 1918), 1521-22, [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].

[11] Williams Dayton Directory (Cincinnati, Ohio: 1919), 1525, [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].

[12] United States Federal Census, 1920, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].

[13] United States Federal Census, 1920, [FamilySearchImage], [FamilySearchRecord].

[14] United States Federal Census, 1920, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].

[15] Williams Dayton Directory (Cincinnati, Ohio: 1921), 1561, [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].

[16] Williams Dayton Directory (Cincinnati, Ohio: 1922), 1584, [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].

[17] Williams Dayton Directory (Cincinnati, Ohio: 1923), 1415, [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].

[18] 1924 Prickly Pear, Abilene Christian College, [URL].

[19] Family Document, Files of Carol Wolfe.

[20] Texas, Select County Marriage Records, 1837-2015, [AncestryRecord].

[21] Find A Grave Memorial 34573921, [FindAGrave].

[22] Find A Grave Memorial at Ancestry.com, [AncestryRecord].

[23] United States Federal Census, 1930, [AncestryRecord].

[24] Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, [FamilySearchRecord].

[25] Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997, [AncestryRecord].

[26] Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997, [AncestryRecord].

[27] Texas, U.S., Birth Index, 1903-1997, [AncestryRecord].

[28] Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, [FamilySearchRecord].

[29] United States Federal Census, 1940, [FamilySearchImage], [FamilySearchRecord].

[30] United States Federal Census, 1940, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].

[31] United States Federal Census, 1940, [AncestryRecord].

[32] Family Document, Files of Carol Wolfe.

[33] Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997, [FamilySearchRecord].

[34] D. Newell Williams, Douglas Allen Foster, Paul M. Blower, eds., The Stone-Campbell Movement: A Global History (2013), 448, [GoogleBooks].

[35] Family Document, Files of Doug Wolfe.

[36] Family Document, Files of Doug Wolfe.

[37] Family Document, Files of Doug Wolfe.

[38] Family Document, Files of Doug Wolfe.

[39] Family Document, Files of Douglas Wolfe, descendant of brother Charles.

[40] Personal Communication, Ira Wolfe, a descendant of brother Homer.

[41] United States Federal Census, 1950, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].

[42] Family Document, Files of Carol Wolfe.

[43] Family Document, Files of Carol Wolfe.

[44] Family Document, Files of Carol Wolfe.

[45] Family Document, Files of Carol Wolfe.

[46] Find A Grave Memorial 125366341, [FindAGrave].

[47] Find A Grave Memorial at Ancestry.com, [AncestryRecord].

[48] Newspaper, Gospel Advocate, March, 1988, page 62.

[49] United States Social Security Death Index, [FamilySearchRecord].

[50] Find A Grave Memorial 125366416, [FindAGrave].

[51] Find A Grave Memorial at Ancestry.com, [AncestryRecord].

[52] Newspaper, Express-News, Nov. 17, 2002.

[53] Citation to John F. Wolfe Papers, 1939-2001, [URL].