Wolff Family History

There were a number of WOLFF merchant families living in Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) in the early Eighteenth Century. It is likely that the following were brothers since they were godfathers to each other’s children:

  1. JOHANN, of whom presently.
  2. JACOB, merchant, of Königsberg, b. circa 1728, m. 20 Apr 1774 at the Domkirche, Königsberg, SOPHIA CHARLOTTE HOEPPNERIN and had issue:
    1. Johann Heinrich, b. 1775, m. 1800 at Sackheim, Johanna Juliana Brahl and had issue: 2 sons and 4 daus.
    2. Jacob Christian (twin), merchant, of Königsberg, b. 7 Apr 1780, bapt 11 Apr 1780 at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg, m. 1802, Gertrud Urbani and had issue: 3 sons and 1 dau.
    3. MARIA FREDERIKA CHARLOTTA, b. 15 Jun 1777, bapt 24 Jun 1777 at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg, m. JACOB GOTTHARD WOLFF and had issue (see below).
    4. Catharine Elizabeth (twin), b. 7 Apr 1780, bapt 11 Apr 1780 at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg, m. Johann Ludwig John.
  3. Christian, merchant, of Königsberg.

JOHANN WOLFF, merchant, of Königsberg, m. 1760 at the Domkirche, Königsberg, ANNA CATHARINA MEYERIN and had issue:

  1. JACOB GOTTHARD, of whom presently.
  2. Catharine Dorothea, bapt 19 Jul 1761 at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg.

JACOB GOTTHARD WOLFF, merchant, of Kneiphofische Langgasse 30, Königsberg, b. 16 Sep 1764, bapt 17 Sep 1764 at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg, m. 25 Nov 1794 at the Domkirche, Königsberg, his first cousin, MARIA FREDERIKA CHARLOTTA WOLFF (see above) and had issue:

  1. Carl Eduard, b. 1797, bapt at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg.
  2. JACOB HEINRICH GUSTAV, of whom presently.
  3. Hermann Ludwig (twin), b. 1803, bapt at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg.
  4. Otto Ferdinand (twin), b. 1803, bapt at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg.
  5. Franz Theodor, b. 1805, bapt at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg.
  6. Juliana Emilia, b. 1798, bapt at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg.
  7. Laura Eugenia Florentina, b. 1801, bapt at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg.
  8. Bertha Friederike, b. 1807, bapt at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg.

JACOB HEINRICH GUSTAV WOLFF, merchant, of Kneiphofische Langgasse 13, Königsberg, b. circa 1799, bapt at the Altstadtische Kirche, Königsberg, m. 19 Dec 1823 at the Burgkirche, Königsberg, JOHANNA MATHILDE, dau of DANIEL HEINRICH SCHERRES, landowner, of Wulfhoefen, near Kaymen and had issue:

  1. Jacob Heinrich Theodor Gustav, b. 15 Apr 1837, bapt 7 Jun 1837 at the Burgkirche, Königsberg.
  2. JACOB RUDOLF, of whom presently.
  3. Johanna Maria Mathilde, b. 7 Apr 1826, bapt 9 May 1826 at the Burgkirche, Königsberg.
  4. Emma Laura Mathilde, b. 31 Jul 1828, bapt 11 Sep 1828 at the Burgkirche, Königsberg.
  5. Johanna Lilli, b. 22 Jun 1830, bapt 24 Jul 1830 at the Burgkirche, Königsberg.
  6. Bertha Ide Henriette Mathilde, b. 2 Feb 1832, bapt 21 Mar 1832 at the Burgkirche, Königsberg.
  7. Jacobin Anthonie Henriette, b. 16 May 1834, bapt 25 Jun 1834 at the Burgkirche, Königsberg.

JACOB RUDOLF WOLFF, iron and metal merchant, founder of Rudolf Wolff & Co., of 9 Fenchurch Street, London and 16 Eton Road, Hampstead, b. 11 Feb 1841, bapt 12 Apr 1841 at the Burgkirche, Königsberg, m. 9 Jan 1876 at the Register Office of St. Giles, London, ELIZABETH, dau of THOMAS GALVIN, an Irishman variously described as a bricklayer's labourer and grocer, and his Irish wife Katherine. As the younger son Rudolf, as he was known, may have been encouraged to seek his fortune in England: he relinquished Prussian citizenship on 11 May 1867, became naturalised as a British Subject in 1873, started in partnership with Leopold Seebeck as Seebeck Wolff & Co. at 18-19 Fenchurch Street and lived initially at 66 Torrington Square, London. Elizabeth Galvin had a sister Katherine, known as Kate, who was born in Ireland circa 1846 (1851 Census - Clarendon Place, London), married Henry Sigmond, a tailor of Prussian origin, and had an only son, Alfred Henry, b. 1871, who drowned at the age of 19 when S.S. Enterkin foundered on Galloper Sands en route from Hull to Brisbane, Australia on 12 Dec 1891. Kate Sigmond, who was widowed before 1881, lived , at Clarendon Place, London in 1851, in Scotland, at 65 Torrington Square, at 12 Parkhurst Road, Holloway and d. 1 Feb 1928 at St. Mary’s Nursing Home, 266 Camden Road. Jacob Rudolf Wolff d. 14 Oct 1901 at 16 Eton Road, Hampstead and Elizabeth Wolff d. 25 Mar 1931 at 14 Burgess Park Mansions, Fortune Green Road, Finchley Road, Hampstead having had issue:

  1. RUDOLF ARTHUR JACOB, of whom presently.
  2. James Daniel, M.B.E., Partner, Rudolf Wolff & Co., Chairman of Board, London Metal Exchange 1946-61, of Omard, Harrow Weald, b. 8 Nov 1876, educ Merchant Taylors’, awarded the Royal Humane Society medal in 1902, served as a Captain in the Royal Garrison Artillery during the First World War, m. 15 Jul 1905 at St. Saviour’s, South Hampstead, Winifred, younger dau of Thomas James Brinsmead, a member of the well-known family of pianoforte manufacturers, of The Limes, 7 Fellows Road, South Hampstead. She d. 3 Mar 1930 and he d. 10 Aug 1961 having had issue:
    1. Irene, of 4 Corinium Gate, Cirencester, b. 4 Jul 1906, m. 15 Sep 1928 at Harrow Weald, Robert Gourlay, engineer, son of Robert Cleland Gourlay of Glasgow. He was b. 12 Feb 1901 and d. 21 Jan 1986 and she d. 1 May 2000 in Cirencester having had issue: 1 son and 1 dau.
    2. Frieda, of Huntley, Flaunden, Buckinghamshire, b. 24 Oct 1909, m. Walter Lacey, fishmonger, and d.s.p. 29 Dec 1988.
  3. Philip Robert, Partner, Rudolf Wolff & Co., of The Dene, Grange Road, Bushey and later of 18 Willow Lane, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, b. 30 Jan 1878, educ Merchant Taylors’, m. 1909 at the Catholic Church, Southend-on-Sea, Marie Therese Angelique Irma, dau of Fernand Embrechts of Brussels. He d. 10 Dec 1962 and she d. 28 Mar 1971 having had issue:
    1. Frederick Ferdinand (alternative photograph, obituary), C.B.E., T.D., Chairman of Board, London Metal Exchange 1970-77, Gold Medallist, 4 x 400m Relay, Berlin Olympic Games 1936, b. 13 Oct 1910 in Hong Kong, educ Beaumont College, joined Rudolf Wolff & Co. in 1929, m. 16 Oct 1937 at St. James’s, Spanish Place, London, Natalie Winifred Virginia, dau of Ferdinand Byrne, dental surgeon, of Hatch End, Middlesex and his wife Mary Freeman (née Keith). See Who’s Who. He d. 26 Jan 1988 and she d. 26 Nov 1995 having had issue: 2 sons and 3 daus.
    2. Gustave Rudolf, metal merchant with Rudolf Wolff & Co., of Greythorpe, Trout Rise, Loudwater, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, b. 18 Aug 1913, m. 1stly (marriage dissolved) Joan Hooper. He m. 2ndly Anne Findlay-Wilson and d. 4 Jun 1972 having had issue: 1 son and 1 dau.
    3. Jack Philip Albert Galvin, M.B.E. (obituary), b. 9 Mar 1916, m. 17 Aug 1943 at Ugbrooke Chapel, The Hon. Mary Winsome Clifford, dau of Lewis Joseph Hugh, 12th Baron Clifford of Chudleigh and his wife Amy, dau of John Arthur Webster, M.D. See CLIFFORD of CHUDLEIGH – Burke’s Peerage. She d. 7 Aug 2001 and he d. 16 Sep 2004 having had issue: 2 daus.
    4. Lilian, b. 4 Jan 1914, m. 1939, Paul Beauchemin and d. 2005 having had issue: 1 son and 2 daus.
  4. Arthur Thomas, on the Baltic Exchange, of Greenhills, Bushey Hall Road, Bushey and later of Beverley, 13 Oxhey Road, Bushey, b. 23 Dec 1884, educ Merchant Taylors’, m. 1906, Margaret, dau of James Chislett, draper, of Market Place, Deddington, Oxfordshire and his wife Emily (née Samman) and had issue:
    1. Arthur Jack Rudolf, with the Asiatic Petroleum Company Limited, b. 1907, educ Aldenham, m. Molly Fox and d.s.p. in a motor accident.
    2. James Philip, President, Nestlé, Canada, b. 15 May 1909, educ Aldenham, m. 5 Jan 1936 in the Philippines, Marie, dau of John Dumas of New Orleans and d. May 1967 having had issue: 2 sons and 3 daus.
  5. Gustav Frederick (obituary, correspondance), Major, 3rd Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers, attached to the Machine Gun Corps, unmarried, b. 7 May 1888, educ Merchant Taylors’, mentioned in despatches, killed in action on 21 Mar 1918 and was buried in Red Cross Corner Cemetery, Beugny, France.

RUDOLF ARTHUR JACOB WOLFF (alternative photograph, alternative photograph), metal merchant with Rudolf Wolff & Co., of 36 Lime Street, London, who lived at 2 Wilson Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, b. 13 Feb 1875 at 66 Torrington Square, London, educ Upton School, m. 15 Sep 1900 at St. Cuthbert’s, Hampstead, HILDA ADELA (alternative photograph), b. 13 May 1878 at 4 Barnsbury Square, Islington, dau of ALFRED COLES, accountant, of 85 Fordwych Road, London and his wife CAROLINE LOUISA, dau of JOSEPH WILLIS. He d. 29 Sep 1926 at Leas Court Mansions, Folkestone and she d. 5 Sep 1938 at Trewen, Cliff Road, Folkestone having had issue:

  1. ELIZABETH HILDA CAROLINE (Betty), of Tate’s Cottage, Burley, Hampshire, b. 9 Aug 1901 at Westcliff-on-Sea, educ Roedean, m. 3 Feb 1926 (marriage dissolved) at St. Paul’s, Knightsbridge, DOUGLAS HARRY HUGH, son of ANGUS McDONALD, District Locomotive Superintendent, Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railway, and his wife BERYL ELLIOTT, elder dau of HARRY FINDON of Jamalpur, Bengal. See McDonald Family History. He d. 22 Aug 1974 and she d. 9 Oct 1984 having had issue: 1 dau.
  2. Helen Mathilda Katherine (Jell) (alternative photograph), of Tate’s Cottage, Burley, Hampshire, b. 3 Mar 1903, educ Roedean, d. unmarried 11 Jul 1991 at Sandy Shoot, Burley.
  3. Laura Henrietta, of 11 Spencer Court, New Milton, Hampshire, b. 13 Jul 1905, educ Roedean, m. 1stly 22 Jun 1929 (marriage dissolved) at St. Paul’s, Knightsbridge, John Harold Amos, Manager, Dunlop Ltd., son of Harold Clyde Amos of Wallington, Surrey. She m. 2ndly 1939 (marriage dissolved) at Folkestone Register Office, Eliot Warwick-Evans, actor, pilot and schoolmaster at Millfield, son of Charles Warwick-Evans, cellist and founder member of the London String Quartet. He d. 23 Jun 1988 and she d. 23 Dec 1994 having had issue: 1 son.