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July 9, 2026. Letter from Linda Crichlow White:
I'm researching John Wolf/Wolff/Wolfe and came across your site. Would love to see what else you have about Wolfe. Do you, by any chance, have photos of John Wolf?
[The communication below was sent by Ms. Crichlow White to historian John Muller, who is working on a book on Frederick Douglass in Washington DC]
It was good to see and hear you tonight at the Hill Center. You or someone mentioned Garrison tonight and also mentioned the Colored Conventions among other important topics. Just sharing that last year I discovered a link, via marriage to one of the players in the Colored Conventions Movement, John H. Wolff. Wolff was the grandfather of THE HUSBAND of my ggreat aunt Goldie Glover Bruce. Below and attached are some documentation about Wolff, including a news article that states that Wolff worked with Douglass and Garrison.
Sorry to fill up your inbox but one never knows who can assist with (or be assisted with) historical and genealogical research! Maybe some of this could be useful when you do your book on Frederick Douglass in Boston?
The information below was originally sent to one of the staff persons at the New England Historical and Genealogical Society in Boston.
Linda Crichlow White
I am a member of both AAHGS and NEHGS and have enjoyed your programs about researching New England ancestors. All comments, replies, responses, new letters, etc may be sent to [email protected]
I was recently researching an uncle-in-law, Charles H. Bruce and came to John H. Wolff. Apparently John Wolff was Charles' grandfather and, according to the news articles, was an active abolitionist, underground railroad operator and officer of the Colored Conventions! We never know what we will come across when we are researching family!
Attached are some 1880s and 90s news clippings about John H. Wolff. I just came across these articles recently even though I have been researching Charles Bruce and family since about 2006.
I had attended virtually this talk (about Colored Conventions), below, back in 2021. Yesterday I also followed up with the African American Civil War Museum and also with James Morgan who was involved with the project and he sent the recording to me and I viewed the video again but John Wolfe is not mentioned.
Charles Bruce was married to my great-great aunt Goldie Glover Bruce and we discovered photos, letters and other memorabilia when cleaning out Goldie's house in 2006. Goldie died in 1977 but my husband and I were POAs for her daughter Constance (Connie) Glover Bruce who was still living in the house in 2006. Attached also is an article I wrote about Goldie and Connie for the American Ancestors magazine in 2021.
I've added an article that mentions James H. Wolff. I suspect that James might be related to John but don't immediately see the connection but will keep looking. The 1905 article focuses on a Garrison celebration that was celebrated in Boston in 1905. The article mentions Mary Church Terrell, Archibald Grimke and many other trailblazers!
Fascinating!
Also I have attached other images that I found with the Chas Bruce photos. The two painted photographs are still in my possession. The smaller b&w photos/cartes de visite are at Northeastern with the other Charles Bruce photos. I'm adding them to this thread because I "found" these photos in 2006 but still don't know the identity of the people. Since the photos were with the other Charles Bruce photos, I'm starting to think that the photos might be Mary and John H. Wolff? (Charles H. Bruce is not the same Bruce in "Bruce and Fisher." Note the reverse of the cartes de visites that says they were taken by Bruce and Fisher in Everett, PA. Judging by the attire, they were likely photographed about 1870? Charles was born in 1884. The color portraits are painted photographs; similar paintings are described in this book. For sure Bruce and Fisher were African American photographers in both Washington, DC and Everett, PA and I'm still trying to get more information about them as well.
There must be other photos of John and/or Mary Wolff around that I can look at and compare to the photos that I have. Danielle, do you have any suggestions for possible resources ?
I have looked in several books, including The Colored Convention Movement but don't see John Wolff's name mentioned. Surely there must be more about him in Boston or elsewhere. I live in Wash DC but even though I have been to Boston, and have some family papers there, it's not like I'm there every day!
Am also attaching a genealogy chart (Marietta Stevens Crichlow Family Chart) that shows my relationship to Charles Bruce. I am in the lower left corner. I haven't included the Wolffs or other members of Charles' family but must do so. John Wolff lived at 77 Phillips St, right across the street from Lewis Hayden who lived at 66 Phillips St. As a youngster, Charles H. Bruce lived with his mother and grandparents in the house at 77 Phillips St, on Beacon Hill.
Danielle, I would appreciate your suggestions for other organizations that might be interested in having this information about John Wolff. I'm also interested to see if any of the repositories who have info about Lewis Hayden also have documentation about John Wolff. I hope you can give me some suggestions.
Linda Crichlow White
Past-President, Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, James Dent Walker Chapter-DC
www.aahgsdc.org
Our national website: www.aahgs.org
and
co-author of Back There, Then, a Historical and Genealogical Memoir
www.backtherethen.com
Member, Board of Trustees, DC History Center
[Follow up from Linda Crichlow White to George Nagle]
As you might have noted, one of my primary goals is to learn who the subjects of these photos are. The photos were taken in Everett, PA, or better, were taken by Bruce and Fisher whose base was in Everett?
They were found in the home of Constance Bruce, daughter of Charles Bruce. Constance, who was age 92 and legally blind (though of very sound mind) could not identify the photos. She was able to share that photography was an avocation of her father and that he went around the neighborhood (in Boston) taking photos. Charles H. Bruce was born and raised in Boston. He moved to Wash DC sometime after 1933 when he and Goldie divorced. I must try to pinpoint when he moved to DC. For sure he died here in 1976. Although our lives overlapped, I did not know Charles H. Bruce. I have not documented the blood connection between Charles H. Bruce and Joseph Bruce of Bruce and Fisher but there must be a connection?
Constance (Cousin Connie) said that when her father Charles died in 1976, his 2nd wife turned over the photos to her. That's all she seemed to remember. All of the photos were in a red manila folder in a damp basement when we discovered them in 2006 but were in amazingly good condition.
Honestly I'm reminded that I need to post the photos on some of the Pennsylvania genealogy sites. I even was a member of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania but have let my membership lapse. As you know there are a lot of Pennsylvania genealogy pages...I must post these Bruce and Fisher photo queries there.
