Benjamin DeWolf JP (October 14, 1744 – September 1/2, 1819) was a businessman and political figure in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. He represented

Hants County Hants County is an historical county and census division of Nova Scotia, Canada. Local government is provided by the West Hants Regional Municipality, and the Municipality of the District of East Hants. History Formation The county of Hants ...

in the

Nova Scotia House of Assembly The Nova Scotia House of Assembly (french: Assemblée législative de la Nouvelle-Écosse; gd, Taigh Seanaidh Alba Nuadh), or Legislative Assembly, is the deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Nova Scotia of the province of Nova Scotia ...

from 1783 to 1798.

Early life

DeWolf was born in

Lyme, Connecticut Lyme is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The population was 2,352 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lyme i ...

on October 17, 1744 in the prominent

DeWolf family The DeWolf family (also spelled D’Wolf or DeWolfe) is a prominent Canadian and American family that traces its roots to Balthazar DeWolf. Balthazar DeWolf Balthazar DeWolf (d. about 1696) is first mentioned in the records of Hartford, Conne ...

. He was a son of Simeon DeWolf (1719–1780) and Parnell (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Kirtland) DeWolf (1724–1827), who emigrated to Nova Scotia. His paternal grandparents were Benjamin DeWolf and Susannah (née Douglas) DeWolf of Lyme and his maternal grandparents were John Kirtland and Lydia (née Belden) Kirtland of

Saybrook, Connecticut Deep River is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, Middlesex County, Connecticut. The population was 4,415 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The Deep River Center, Connecticut, town center is designated by the U. ...

Career

DeWolf had received a number of large land grants near

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

. He represented Hants County in the

from 1783 to 1798. In 1788, he was named a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. DeWolf served as High Sheriff for

. In the autumn of 1780, DeWolf offered a "handsome reward" to anyone "securing a Negro boy named 'Mungo', 'about fourteen years old and well built'." His account books showed the sales in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

of slaves from Hants County. DeWolf was also said to have given his slaves their freedom, but they chose to remain in his employ.

Personal life

On 16 March 1769, he married Rachel Otis (1741–1807), a daughter of Dr. Ephraim Otis of

Scituate, Massachusetts Scituate () is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census. History The Wampanoag and their neighbors have inhabited ...

, and sister of Susannah (née Otis) Haliburton (mother of

William Hersey Otis Haliburton William Hersey Otis Haliburton (September 3, 1767 – July 7, 1829) was a lawyer, judge, and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Windsor Township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1806 to 1811, and represented Hants Cou ...

). Together, they were the parents of: * Sarah Hersey Otis DeWolf (b. 1770), who married Maj. Nathaniel Ray Thomas Jr., the Collector of Customs at

who was a son of prominent

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

Nathaniel Ray Thomas, and a first cousin of Lady Frances Wentworth (who was known for her affair with Price William Henry, later King

William IV William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...

). * Rachel Hersey DeWolf (1772–1772), who died in infancy. * Rachel Otis DeWolf (1773–1815), who married James Fraser (–1822) in 1802. Fraser, who was born in

Inverness Inverness (; from the gd, Inbhir Nis , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness"; sco, Innerness) is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands. Histori ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, served in the New Brunswick assembly and the Nova Scotia Council. * John DeWolf (1775–1775), who died in childbirth. * Susanna Isabella DeWolf (1776–1777), who died young. * Frances Mary DeWolf (1778–1791), who died young. * Isabella Amelia DeWolf (b. 1779), who married Capt. John McKay of 27th Regiment in 1821. * Harriet Sophia DeWolf (b. 1781), who married Rev. William Colsell King, Rector of Windsor, in 1799. DeWolf died on 1 September 1819 in Windsor, one of the oldest magistrates in the Province and, by that point, an inhabitant of Windsor for upwards of fifty years.

Descendants

Through his eldest daughter Sarah, he was a grandfather of Sarah Rachel Thomas, who married Judge

Lewis Morris Wilkins Lewis Morris Wilkins (May 24, 1801 – March 15, 1885) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Windsor Township from 1833 to 1838 and from 1852 to 1856 and Hants County from 1843 to 1847 in the Nova Scotia Hou ...

(a son of

and grandson of

Isaac Wilkins Isaac Wilkins (1743–1830) was a judge and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented Shelburne Township in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1785 to 1793. He was born in Jamaica, the son of Martin Wilkins. He was educated at King ...

and Isabella (née Morris) Wilkins, sister of

Lewis Morris Lewis Morris (April 8, 1726 – January 22, 1798) was an American Founding Father, landowner, and developer from Morrisania, New York, presently part of Bronx County. He signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence as a delegate to the Continen ...

). Through his surviving daughter Rachel, he was a grandfather of Sarah Rachel Fraser (b. 1803), who married Hon.

Charles Stephen Gore General Sir Charles Stephen Gore (26 December 1793 – 4 September 1869), also styled as the Honorable Charles Gore, was a British general. Early life Gore was a son of Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran and, his third wife, the former Elizabet ...

(third son of the

Arthur Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran Arthur Saunders Gore, 2nd Earl of Arran KP, PC (Ire) (25 July 1734 – 8 October 1809) styled The Honourable Arthur Gore from 1758 to 1762 and Viscount Sudley from 1762 to 1773, was an Irish peer and politician. Early life Arran was the eldest ...

and was the mother of Eliza Amelia Gore (1829–1916), who married

William Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll William Harry Hay, 19th Earl of Erroll (3 May 1823 – 3 December 1891), styled Lord Hay between 1823 and 1831, and Lord Kilmarnock from 1831 to 1846, was a Scottish peer. Early life William Harry Hay was born on 3 May 1823. He was the only son ...

in 1848 and who served as

Lady-in-waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 21 ...

for twenty-eight years); James DeWolf Fraser (1805–1852), who married Catharine Prescott (daughter of

Charles Ramage Prescott Charles Ramage Prescott (January 6, 1772 – June 11, 1859) was a merchant, noted horticulturalist and political figure in Nova Scotia. He represented the town of Cornwallis in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1818 to 1820. He was bor ...

); Harriet Amelia Fraser (1806–1880), who married Col. Dixon in 1826; Amelia Isabella Fraser (1808–1837); Frances Mary Fraser (1809–1827); Dr. Benjamin DeWolf Fraser (1812–1888); Catharine Fraser (1813–1880), who married the Rev. Thomas G. Suther,

Bishop of Aberdeen and Orkney The Diocese of Aberdeen and Orkney is one of the seven dioceses of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Created in 1865, the diocese covers the historic county of Aberdeenshire, and the Orkney and Shetland island groups. It shares with the Roman Cat ...

; and Mary Hulbert Fraser (1813–1822).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dewolf, Benjamin 1744 births 1819 deaths Nova Scotia pre-Confederation MLAs DeWolf family