Contributions from: Paul MacCotter, John Woulfe, Sean deBhulbh, Jane Woulfe Cooper (Aunt Dollie),Kathy Woulfe, Barbara Clark, Bill and Jim MacAuliffe, Ray Gentleman, and dozens of others.
Some of us Woulfes have been debating some Woulfe issues like, was General James Wolfe the descendant of a Limerick Woulfe or the descendant of an old English Wolfe family from York? What about those Ulfs and Le Lou's in early Limerick? Were they the same family just using different spellings or were they Viking and Norman living side by side who eventually Anglicised their names to Woulfe? What about Theobold Wolfe Tone?
Then the lightbulb came on. We could settle some of these issues right away. How...?
The problem is, I know NOTHING about how these things work, and frankly, I'm way too overloaded to even attempt it.
Sean Woulfe in Limerick sent me an article from "Irish Roots" magazine.It was P. Clarke Glennon's Glennon Family DNA project. His quest was to link all the Glennon spelling variations found in Ireland, England, and the U.S. to see if they were the same family. And most were.
The answer is Familytreedna.com. Each participant pays them $169 dollars U.S. In a week or so, a little box arrives in the mail. Inside is a plastic bottle, 2 Q-tips, and a box to mail it back. You swab a Q-tip around the inside of your cheek each morning for 2 mornings, drop them in the plastic bottle and mail them back. The sampling is done by the University of Arizona. For anyone worried about privacy, you can mail yours with just initials or even a number known only to you. The University does not share the results with anyone else. The University processes the samples, and mails back the results. Then we all compare our Y Chromosome markers, and try and figure out who's who.
But, here's where it falls down. How do we do this? That's why I need someone with the time and some basic knowledge to write emails and line up participants. I have some Woulfe and Wolfe family member's email addresses, and you could start with them.
I don't think we'll have a problem getting volunteers from a few Limerick Woulfes around the world.(We've got 3 so far, including me) The plan ( and plan is a pretty advanced world for where we are now) is to find out how many Wolfes would be willing to put up the $169 dollars U.S. for each sample. If they balk at the cost, I will volunteer to bear the cost of 2 Wolfe samples. I think that would be enough.
Our next step after we've got say, a half dozen interested volunteers, is to petition members of the Wolfe family to take part. At that point, I'd ask the volunteers, and any interested Woulfe supporters not giving a sample, to join us in a letter petition to the Wolfes. If they say yes, we're good to go, and once I have the Wolfe results in hand, we'll start asking the Woulfe participants to contact Familytreedna.com. And that's the rub. If the Wolfe descendants decline, the idea's pretty much a bust.
The next step is for the project coordinator is to do the comparisons of the samples and figure it all out.
So, think about it. Send me your thoughts.
I will answer any questions I can, and if you wish, email you a copy of the Glennon article from Irish Roots magazine.
I'll create a DNA project page within the site, and it'd be your baby.
I will keep everyone updated right here on the homepage as to our progress.
We are found all over Ireland - and the World. We are descended from several Norman or Anglo-Saxon or maybe even Viking ancestors who arrived in Ireland at different times in history.
Our name first appears in Irish records in the 1100's as Ulf, a viking or Saxon name. A short time later, other Woulfe ancestors named Le Lou later appear. It's likely these Norman Le Lous accompanied the invader Strongbow as knights or soldiers, but they appear to be early employees of the Geraldine Earls of Limerick and Kildare. English Wolfes arrived later in Cork and Kildare.
Our ancestors have played important roles throughout Irish history. In the centuries since, we have spread all over the planet. We are most numerous in the US, but we have many cousins in Australia, New Zealand, Africa, England, Canada, and Germany!
Our earliest Woulfes are found in many places throughout the island. A large number of us in the U.S. are descended from early Woulfes in County Limerick. But, early records show Ulfs and Le Lous in Dublin, Wexford, Clare, Kilkenny, Louth, Down, Tipperary, and Waterford.
A HUGE number of Woulfes came from right around this little village in Limerick pictured below. It's a delightful place called Athea. That yellow building on the left corner used to belong to a Woulfe family. Athea has a special place in my research, because two of my major contributors, Sean deBhulbh and John Woulfe are descended from Athea Woulfes.
Ours is a fascinating history, with twists and turns and many unanswered questions, and some legends. The majority of the hard historical evidence in this project was done by professional Geneaologist Paul MacCotter in County Cork. The family trees in this project are from many Woulfes and Woulfe relations, some of whom worked on them for decades.
There will be many unanswered questions, because some family histories were lost, others are incomplete, and others relied on unverified information. But, all versions are included. Click on the dot below, and discover.
Welcome to the Woulfe Family homepage. My name is Michael Woulfe from Plantation, Florida, USA. (It's a few miles west of Fort Lauderdale.) The page is here to help Woulfes all over the world find out more about our wonderful family and our history. I don't presume to be an "official" spokesman or an expert. The idea is to maintain a site that all of us can learn from, contribute to, and find other Woulfes who can maybe help you find out more about your background. All dates given on this site are in the American style - month/day/year unless otherwise specified.
Please call or e-mail every Woulfe you know and ask them to check out the page and contact me. This project is based on the information shared by Woulfes all over the world. We all need to hear from YOU. Your information about your ancestors,your family, and yourself. Even if you've contacted me before, please check back and provide us all with more Woulfe history and information.And - we'd all love to see what you and your ancestors look like - send pictures!
Nothing would make me happier than if this page prompted you to start your own homepage on your branch of the Woulfe family and cram it with pictures and information that would help other Woulfes find their ancestors. The more of us doing this will mean even more our our history uncovered.
To learn more about me and other Woulfes/Wolfes taking part in this project, check out the "About Us" page. The link's further down the page.
Read down this front page and check out all the links to other pages with tons of information, history, and links to other Woulfes.
See if any of the names or faces connect to your ancestors. We've helped a lot of people this way
This project is laid out like a book with chapters. If you were to print it, it would be more than 120 pages long. I know it's a lot to read, but it contains the fruit of decades of work by Woulfe family researchers.
I can be of any help, please e-mail me with as much background as you can find, and I'll try to steer you in the right direction.
With your info posted, other Woulfes can seek you out and maybe give you a hand. But again, I try to protect people's privacy, and won't post your information unless you specifically tell me to do it. There have been some hurt feelings because I didn't post some folks background, but I wasn't ignoring them. Once they contacted me and let me know that's what they wanted - it was done. I won't take it upon myself to hang their life history out here in public without permission....mw
This really is the proper Coat of Arms for many Woulfe descendants. It was first registered by a Limerick City Woulfe in the 1400's. It is actually the coat of arms for the branch of Woulfes who descended from the original Limerick City and Eastern County Limerick Ulfs.
I made this one with no text on the page so you can print it - maybe even frame it if you want. Try printing it on photographic paper for ink-jet copiers - it'll turn out very slick.
This next section breaks down the different Woulfe/Wolfe family groups by county and by specific towns and townlands.
My Woulfe cousins still live near the town of Ardagh in County Limerick. My great grandfather Michael Woulfe and his 8 children came to the US in the 1920's..
Above: The original family farmhouse in Ireland, built in the 1700's, still stands, and still belongs to my cousins. I've also got some pictures and family lore. Read it, get inspired, and send me your Woulfe story.
Carol Taggart of Canada has done extensive research on her branch of the family that emigrated from Co. Cork in the 1840's. They were true pioneers. This section includes Paul MacCotters History of the County Cork Woulfes
John Woulfe has spent more than 20 years studying the history of his Woulfes ancestors in Crioch near Athea.
I consider John my mentor in this project. It was his help right from the beginning that spurred the growth of this project. I finally got to meet my good cousin in Australia in 2000. John is really into history. He founded a re-enactment society in Australia. Here's John at a recent ceremony honoring the history of the Victoria police and their gun battle with Ned Kelly.
Richard Woulfe is looking for more information on his Woulfes from Meenoline, Templeglantine, County Limerick. He's provided me with information going back to the 1840's. He has a GREAT family history. A real success story.
Lots of Woulfes browsing the internet check this page every now and then, and some of them might be able to help you. Send me your question and I'll post it here. And - if you have lots of family background, check ou these questions, maybe you can help them
With Pictures! Meet me, Richard Woulfe of Wisconsin, John Woulfe from Australia, Michael Woulfe of the U.K., Peter Woulfe of Australia, and others. Please do a little boasting and send some pictures along, and I'll include you too!
Documents I can e-mail you. There's Paul MacCotter's complete work, a family tree from Ramy Brouder in Limerick and a map of Athea. I've also added the O'Neill data put together by my cousin Maureen O'Neill Jenkins. Also - an extensive family tree by Jim Mcauliffe.
Feel free to e-mail or even call or write me. I love hearing from other Woulfes. There are also e-mail addresses of other Woulfes who may be able to help you with your search - or you may be able to answer some of their questions. Make sure you specifically request that I post your e-mail address. I won't do it unless you ask, or if I e-mail you back to ask if it's okay.
I have word that a genetic condition known as Low Pressure Glaucoma runs in some branches of our family. Next time you get those eyes checked, insist that the doc examine you for symptoms. The popular so-called "puff test" will NOT do the job. It may cost you an extra 50 bucks or so for the more involved test. But - it's worth it to save your sight. mw
Because I love doing it. It's my gift to all the Woulfes looking for information on their ancestors.
There is no more chilling experience to stand in the same spot our ancestors have occupied for more than 800 years and realize we go even further back than that in history.
Sadly, myself and 2 cousins are the last of the Dunganville line of Woulfes who came to the U.S. in the 1920's. None of us has any children to pass this information on to. So - it's a gift to you and your children and their children.
But - I'm not taking credit for anything here other than the information on my immediate family. All the incredible research and family trees in this project are the hard work of many others. My goal is to bring as much of it together in one place as I can.
I got a late start on finding my family roots. Until I got my computer in 1997, I had no idea how many other Woulfes there are all over the world. I also had no idea about our background other than what I'd been told by my grandfather when I was very young.
Everything I have gathered here is yours for free. You may print and bind it and save it for reference for your future generations.
I will continue to build and refine the Woulfe Family Homepage, so check back and see the progress. I'm 51 now, and plan to keep at it for many years - but maybe right now, you're showing this to one of your children, and they'll be the one to pick up the project after me.
My mother, Delores May Woulfe, lost a long battle to cancer Monday, May 25th, 2003. She was 71. She was born March 5th, 1932 in Washington, D.C. to Leo and Virginia Woulfe. She was named Dolores after Our Lady of Dolors Church in Dublin, Ireland. She grew up in Washington D.C., Tampa, Florida, and Norfolk, Virginia during the war years while her father worked repairing Navy ships for Otis Elevator. She attended High School at Sacred Heart Academy in Washington, D.C. She married my father, Arthur Miner April 5th,1952. She was a loving mother to her 3 children, Michael, John, and Karen, and grandmother to Karen's children Jon and Shannon. I was fortunate to accompany her to Ireland in 2000 and 2001. She worked at Barry University in Miami Shores, Florida for the last 15 years. She was a dual citizen of the U.S. and Ireland, and very proud of getting her Irish citizenship in the last year of her life. Her giving ways and wonderful sense of humor will be missed.