Wolfgang

Protectors

(“wolf stride” or “those who go for wolves”)

Saints, Knights, Royalty

Immigrants, Revolutionaries

Farmers, Laborers, Miners

An American Family

Introduction

What's in a name? I suppose it could be quite a lot or very little but, somewhere in between, is where most of us fall when it comes to our family name. In this day, when family unity has become somewhat passe', I believe we would be made better by a healthy interest in our name, it's origins, heritage and, most importantly, what it stood for in the community of man.

My interest was first aroused when, at age 46, I suffered a fatal heart attack, was revived and then found myself forced to face my mortality. It was then I realized that something had disappeared from my life and left me with a void that could not be filled. I had lost my entire nuclear family! They didn't all die at one time but they had been removed from my life just as surely as if they had. I was uprooted at age 12, moved 2000 miles away and, because of our poverty, never to see them again. Any of them! Now, because they are truly gone, I will never again be able to look upon the faces of those I so loved. I have only my boyish memories of them as solace. Some of these mental pictures are not very pretty, even painful. I remember looking up at the window of a third story attic apartment, where my grandmother Wolfgang lived, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of a mother too distressed to come down and see her son and grandchildren off on a journey from whence, she knew, they would never return. A grandfather clinging to my Dad’s neck through the car window, anguished tears on his face begging his son, “Don’t go, I don’t think I can hold on long enough to see you again!” He proved to be right, dying the next year. I see my father sitting alone in despair, the room dark because the loss of his jobc made him unable to pay the electric bill, let alone go home for his father's funeral. Then there's the vision of my maternal Grandmother "Gram" Stilson in her rocker, chin quivering, clutching her bible and praying that "God would look after us and allow her to live long enough to touch our faces once again." She didn't.

This same 12 year old boy,visualizing these sad events, was still horrified by other visions. Visions from only 2 years before of himself, trapped two hours in a mangled car, soaked in his mother's blood, crying uncontrollably, the words of the ambulance driver as they removed her tattered and limp form from the car. "She will never live long enough to make it to the hospital!" repeating over and over in his mind. For the, seemingly endless, time it took to remove him from the crushed automobile, his only thoughts were those words. This mother survived, though horribly injured and maimed, injuries that would cripple her and force a move to a climate more "friendly" to the excruciating pain of the arthritis that had consumed her shattered bones.

It was this precious little lady with the vivid scars and misshapen body, now widowed and blind, in her late 80's but with such detailed memories of all those family ties I had tried so hard not to think of for so many years who helped me realize that family memories do not have to be painful. That they can be a real source of comfort. It was her story of "that old man with no hair" that began to create the pride in my family background that all should be blessed to have.

"That old man with no hair, you remember, the one who lived with your mother. He laughed a lot and pinched real hard! Then, one day, he quit laughing and confined himself to his chair monotonously repeating "I'm sorry mama, I'm sorry mama" every waking hour. “Mom, who was that old man with no hair?" "Why that was your great-grandfather Davies, my grandfather" she said, "To understand him, you have to understand his family history. Grampa Davies was orphaned and went to work in the rolling mills of Cardif, Wales at age 6. He never remembered taking a bath because he would fall asleep on his 12 year old brother's shoulders on the way home after working a 16 hour day. His mother would bathe him in a washtub and carry him to bed. Imagine that, working 16 hours a day and tiny enough for his mother to carry him to bed! By the time he was 7, he was opening the doors on blast furnaces for his brother to shovel in the coal. The heat destroyed his hair follicles causing total loss and it never grew back.He didn't regret it though, he was proud of his work." I said, "I don’t understand, Mom, what happened to cause him to stop laughing and sit in that chair all day?" She replied, "You were too young to understand but, he had a stroke and his chair ritual stemmed from the fact that, he felt, his mother's death from pneumonia when he was 10 was his fault. You see, he and his brother could not afford to buy coal to heat the home. He was still apologizing to his mama the day he died."

Asking questions of my mother opened new doors into my past, doors leading to new memories. I began to discover the thread of emotion that tied me to something worth remembering, indeed, worth discovering! With each new door I became more committed to what exists on the following pages. You see, these pages are MY FAMILY!

First Generation First Generation

William Allan and Belle (Hidinger) Wolfgang taken August 11, 1903 at the time of their wedding. The gown she is wearing is exquisite.

1. William Allan¹ Wolfgang, son of Johan Jacob Wolfgang and Sarah Jane Blakeny, was born in Sigel, Jefferson Co., PA June 22, 1874. Bill died September 4, 1953 in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH, at age 79. His body was interred September 1953 in North Lima, Mahoning Co., OH.

He married Belle Emily Hidinger August 11, 1903 in Brookville, Jefferson Co., PA. The following individual is also linked to this event: F. B. Williams (minister). Belle was born December 16, 1879 in Sigel, Jefferson Co., PA. Belle was the daughter of Jacob Hidinger and Jane (Jennie) A'Harrah. Belle died 1958 in Leetonia, OH, at age 78. Her body was interred 1958 in North Lima, Mahoning Co., OH. Belle applied for a marriage license to wed William Allan Wolfgang August 11, 1903 in Brookville, Jefferson Co., PA.^{^[1]} The following individual is also linked to this event: Gill Reetz County Clerk (notary).

Bill was employed as a Lumberjack in in PA 1900. Bill applied for a marriage license to wed Belle Emily Hidinger August 11, 1903 in Brookville, Jefferson Co., PA.^{^[2]} The following individual is also linked to this event: Gill Reetz County Clerk (notary). Bill was employed at Youngstown Sheet & Tube as a Steelworker in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH 1930.

William Allan Wolfgang and Belle Emily Hidinger had the following children:

Guy Wolfgang and Violet (Crumbacker) Wolfgang, about 1955, Boardman, OH.

2 i. Guy Elmer² Wolfgang was born in Brookville, Jefferson Co., PA October 20, 1905. Guy died September 1957 at age 51. He married Violet Crumbacher. Violet was born 1914. Violet died 1962 at age 48.

Guy was employed after 1940.

+ 3 ii. Russell Leroy Wolfgang was born January 29, 1907.

+ 4 iii. William Merle Wolfgang was born January 22, 1909.

+ 5 iv. Marvin Edgar Wolfgang was born June 20, 1911.

Second Generation Second Generation

Russell Leroy Wolfgang and Ruth (Rhinehart) Wolfgang about 1940 in Youngstown, OH

3. Russell Leroy² Wolfgang (William Allan¹) was born in Brookville, Jefferson Co., PA January 29, 1907. Russell died January 7, 1953 in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH, at age 45.

He married three times. He first married Hilda Snyder after 1925. Hilda was born 1908. She married David Curtis Hidinger after 1930. Hilda was employed. Hilda was divorced from Russell Leroy Wolfgang 1944. He then married Ruth Rhinehart about 1938. Russ died 1952 in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH, at age unknown. He married a new spouse about 1952.

Russell was employed as a salesman after 1940. Russell was divorced from Hilda Snyder 1944.

Russell Leroy Wolfgang and Hilda Snyder had the following child:

+ 6 i. Janet³ Wolfgang was born about 1927.

William Merle and Elizabeth (Stilson) Wolfgang taken at Conneaut on the Lake, Ohio circa 1938

4. William Merle² Wolfgang (William Allan¹) was born in Brookville, Jefferson Co., PA January 22, 1909. Bill died February 1, 1983 in Mesquite, Dallas, TX, at age 74. His body was interred February 4, 1983 in Dallas, Dallas Co., TX.^{^[3]} The following individuals are also linked to this event: Rev. Walker Railey (minister); Rev. Ron Gilbert (minister).

He married Elizabeth Davies Stilson October 27, 1934 in Boardman, Mahoning Co., OH. The following individuals are also linked to this event: Rev. Glen O. Bennethum (minister); Helen S. Whitworth (witness); Marvin Edgar Wolfgang (witness). Elizabeth was born August 8, 1911 in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH. Elizabeth is the daughter of Earl Blaine Stilson and Sarah Ann Davies. Elizabeth graduated from Boardman High School in Boardman, Mahoning Co., OH May 25, 1929. She became engaged to William Merle Wolfgang 1931 in Boardman, Mahoning Co., OH. Elizabeth applied for a marriage license to wed William Merle Wolfgang 1934 in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH. The following individual is also linked to this event: Judge Woodside (notary). She and William Merle Wolfgang honeymooned in Niagara Falls October 27, 1934. She resides 4225 Oleander Trail, in Mesquite, Dallas, TX April 27, 1999.

He became engaged to Elizabeth Davies Stilson 1931 in Boardman, Mahoning Co., OH. Bill applied for a marriage license to wed Elizabeth Davies Stilson 1934 in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH. The following individual is also linked to this event: Judge Woodside (notary). He and Elizabeth Davies Stilson honeymooned in Niagara Falls October 27, 1934. Bill joined the Masonic Lodge in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH. Bill was employed at Wolfgang's Menswear as a salesman in Rockwall, Rockwall Co., TX January 1, 1978. His funeral was held February 4, 1983 in Dallas, Dallas Co., TX. The following individuals are also linked to this event: Rev. Ron Gilbert (minister); Rev. Walker Railey (minister); John Mapes (pallbearer); Bill Cox (pallbearer); Jerry Young (pallbearer); Shad Storey (pallbearer); Mickey Fuller (pallbearer); Dudley M. Hughes Jr. (funeral director). PERSONAL NOTES William (Merle) Wolfgang was honored in 1975 at a banquet in Boardman, OH for having started the first professional baseball team in the area. (see graphic on "Gallery Page" this site) "Bill", as the playing manager, was responsible for many successful years of touring with this ball team playing such notable teams as the Indianapolis Clowns who, at the time, featured Satchel Paige as their star pitcher. Bill later went on to play ball in the Cleveland Indians organization as a catcher, was called up to the majors only to be "beaned" by a fast ball from Bob Feller which caused so much head trauma, it ended his major league career. He carried a scouting card for the Cleveland Indians until his death in 1983 giving his family access to many thrilling moments spent with famous players from the forties and fifties. His sons, Bill Jr. & Lee, are noted for being stupid enough to "knock the cover off" a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, Pie Trainer, & George Sisler. They were also privileged to sit in the dugout of every ball park they entered.

Bill is also credited with having invented the shredded carnation corsage at an FTD convention in Pittsburg, PA in the forties.

His singing voice was legendary among those who heard him and, but for his overly generous heart and the tragic accident that uprooted him from his home, could have accomplished wonders.

William Merle Wolfgang and Elizabeth Davies Stilson had the following children:

7 i. June Ann³ Wolfgang was born in Youngstown, Mahoning Co., OH September 22, 1935. June Ann died April 12, 1936 in Boardman, Mahoning Co., OH, at less than one year of age. Her body was interred April 14, 1936 in Boardman, Mahoning Co., OH.

+ 8 ii. William Merle Wolfgang II was born June 1, 1938.

+ 9 iii. Earl Lee Wolfgang was born July 11, 1940.

+ 10 iv. Linda Joan Wolfgang was born October 25, 1942.

Marvin Edgar & Evelyn (Armstrong) Wolfgang about 1955 in Boardman, OH.

5. Marvin Edgar² Wolfgang (William Allan¹) was born June 20, 1911. Marv died November 20, 1961 in Beaver Falls, Beaver Co., PA, at age 50.

He married Evelyn Armstrong 1941 in Elkton, OH. Evelyn was born May 9, 1910. Evelyn died 1983 at age 73. Evelyn was employed at as a Housewife.

Marv was employed as a Florist.

Marvin Edgar Wolfgang and Evelyn Armstrong had the following child:

+ 11 i. Marvin Allan³ Wolfgang was born 1942.