Summary Information
William F. Wolf Papers
circa 1820-1967
- Wolf, William F., 1875-1967
Green Bay Mss 182; PH Green Bay Mss 182
1.6 cubic feet (4 archives boxes and 1 flat box), 370 photographs and 1 drawing in 1 archives box, and 78 negatives (1 negative box)
UW-Green Bay Cofrin Library / Green Bay Area Research Ctr. (Map)
Papers, circa 1820-1967, of William F. Wolf, an Outagamie County historian, amateur archaeologist, and curator of the historic Charles A. Grignon House museum in Kaukauna. Included are letters concerning operations of the museum, an application for WPA restoration funds; “Dawn of a New Day,” an unpublished manuscript about early Wisconsin; transcriptions of miscellaneous Grignon Family papers, some of which are original documents; and photographs. Single letters of note among the original Grignon papers concern Cutting Marsh, Morgan L. Martin; and Josiah A. Noonan. Wolf's own papers include letters from Constance W. Deer concerning J.G. Frechette of the Menominee Indian Advisory Council. The photographs include interior and exterior views of the Grignon House before and after its restoration, archaeological excavations at the site, and activities of the Outagamie Pioneer and Historical Society.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-gb0182 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
Local historian William F. Wolf was born in the town of Black Creek, Outagamie County, on May 5, 1875. He held a number of posts in local government including elections to the county board and to the position of county clerk. As an active member of the Outagamie County Pioneer and Historical Society, in 1935 Wolf was appointed to head the committee responsible for restoration of the Charles A. Grignon House in Kaukauna. The Grignon House, one of the oldest buildings in Wisconsin, was constructed by Grignon between 1837 and 1839 for his Pennsylvania bride, Mary Meade Grignon. Also on the property were the foundations of several earlier structures including a log cabin built by Dominique Ducharme in 1790 that was acquired by the Grignon family in 1804. After the restoration in 1941, Outagamie County appointed Wolf curator of the Grignon House museum. During his tenure Wolf supervised several archeological excavations; transcribed historical documents housed at the museum; and drafted a historical manuscript, “Dawn of a New Day.” He retired in 1956. William Wolf died in Appleton on February 21, 1967.
Scope and Content Note
The William Wolf Papers are a small collection donated to the Historical Society by his daughter Annabelle Wolf during Wolf's final illness in 1967. As originally received, the collection consisted of manuscripts, books, artifacts (now in the Historical Society Museum), many partial versions of his unpublished book “Dawn of a New Day,” correspondence pertaining to management of the Grignon House, photographs, and some original papers of the Grignon Family. The collection is arranged in three series: WILLIAM F. WOLF PAPERS, GRIGNON FAMILY SUBJECT FILES, and VISUAL MATERIALS.
The WILLIAM F. WOLF PAPERS series include correspondence concerning the operations of the museum. Although little of the correspondence is about the restoration of the museum, there is the application submitted by the county to the WPA for restoration funding in 1940 and the blueprints and drawings of the house prepared by the Historic American Building Survey in 1934. The application includes several photographs of architectural details prior to restoration. Also included is Wolf's unpublished historical manuscript, “Dawn of a New Day,” about early Wisconsin, which comprises the largest part of the series. Wolf prepared many carbon copies of the manuscript that were probably sold or given away at the museum. Despite the number of copies received, it is possible that a complete manuscript was not received. It is also possible that the manuscript represents two works. In addition to Wolf’s narrative, “Dawn” includes transcriptions of land patents, Native American treaties, and additional correspondence. One chapter of special interest which may have been intended as a separate manuscript describes Wolf’s amateur excavations on the property and lists the artifacts uncovered. The transcriptions of newspaper articles and obituaries that are included served Wolf as background for his research and curatorial responsibilities. Unlike the majority of other correspondence is a letter to Wolf from Constance Deer which in turn conveyed several long letters about J.G. Frechette of the Menominee Indian Advisory Council.
The GRIGNON FAMILY SUBJECT FILES series consists of original and transcribed documents. The original documents include tax receipts, deeds, and fragmentary family correspondence. Notable among the latter are letters from Cutting Marsh (in the Deuel Family folder) and Josiah A. Noonan (in the Charles A. Grignon folder). There are also several letters written at Kaukauna by Frances Grignon (a daughter of Charles) and reports made by David Meade about the Kaukauna town school during the 1850s. Although less important, most of the original material concerns Rossiter Grignon and his wife Edith Acker Grignon, the last members of the family to reside at the house.
The chronologically-arranged transcriptions made by Wolf probably represent a portion of the letters once at the Grignon House, and they include correspondence of Charles A. Grignon and his father-in-law, John F. Meade.
The majority of the original Grignon papers are of a miscellaneous nature, and it is thought that they represent odds and ends that Wolf may have stored at his Appleton home. The precise nature of the Grignon Papers owned by the county historical society is not made clear, although a Wolf letter mentions a Charles A. Grignon letterbook and elsewhere he refers to “approximately 500 letters.” It is thought these references may be to the Wisconsin Historical Society's Charles A. Grignon collection that was donated by Outagamie County in 1958 (see Green Bay Mss 138).
The VISUAL MATERIALS consist of photographs, negatives, and a drawing documenting the Grignon House interior, exterior, its surroundings and numerous excavations that took place on the site. There are also a few images of work done by the National Youth Alliance during the late 1930s on the park areas around the house. Most of Wolf's archaeological work was unscientific, with no evidence of measurement or little in situ photography. A number of the images show Richard Boyd, the boy who assisted Wolf. Additional images document other houses, sites, and memorials in and around the Green Bay area. There are also photographs of activities of the Outagamie Pioneer and Historical Society. Some of the exterior photographs of the Grignon House include members of the Grignon family. Portraits of the family donated by Wolf were added to the Grignon, Lawe, and Porlier collection (see PH 3236).
Related Material
Charles A. Grignon Papers (Green Bay Mss 138)
Grignon, Lawe and Porlier Fur Trade Accounts (Wis Mss A)
Grignon, Lawe and Porlier Papers (Wis Mss B)
Silas L. Spengler Collected Papers (Micro 350)
Administrative/Restriction Information
Presented by William F. Wolf, Appleton, Wisconsin, 1967. Accession Number: M67-010
Processed by Carolyn Mattern, 2011.
Contents List
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Green Bay Mss 182
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Series: William F. Wolf Papers
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Wolf, William F., Correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Wolf, Annabelle, Post cards and correspondence
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Boyd, Dick, Badger History article
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Deer, Constance, Frechette/Menominee Advisory Committee letters, 1956-1958
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Kaukauna miscellaneous papers
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Box
1
Folder
6
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Menasha Library history
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Newspaper clippings and transcriptions
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Box
1
Folder
8
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Notes
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Box
1
Folder
9
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Property notes
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Grignon House publicity materials
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Transcriptions binder
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Box
1
Folder
12
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Transcriptions in chronological order
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Transcriptions regarding Black Creek
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Box
3
Folder
1
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WPA restoration application, 1940
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Box
5
Folder
1
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Historic American Building Survey blueprints, 1934
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Box
5
Folder
2
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Porch balustrade drawing
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Writings
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“Dawn of a New Day” chapter drafts
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Treaties I
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Box
2
Folder
1-3
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Treaties II-IV
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Menominee Tribe and New York Indians
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Menominee Tribe during Black Hawk War
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Box
2
Folder
6-7
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Private land claims and associated background
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Box
2
Folder
8
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Menominee reservation at Winnebago Rapids
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Box
2
Folder
9
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Home of the Menominees
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Box
2
Folder
10
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Winnebago (Ho-Chunk) Treaties
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Box
2
Folder
11
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Missionaries Mazzuchelli, Den Broek, and Bonduel
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Box
2
Folder
12
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Daughters of Early Fur Traders
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Box
2
Folder
13
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Stockbridge-Munsee
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Box
2
Folder
14
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Excavations at Grignon House
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Box
2
Folder
15
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Homes of Long Ago
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Box
2
Folder
16
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Miscellaneous writings
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Series: Grignon Family Subject Files
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Box
2
Folder
17
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Grignon genealogy and obituaries
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Box
3
Folder
2
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Acker family
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Deeds
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Box
3
Folder
3
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General
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Box
3
Folder
4
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Grignon, Augustin
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Box
3
Folder
5
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Grignon, Mary and Charles
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Box
3
Folder
6
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Meade family
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Box
3
Folder
7
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Deuel family
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Box
3
Folder
8
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French instruction books, 1833, 1843
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Box
3
Folder
9
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Grignon, Augustin David
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Box
3
Folder
10
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Grignon, Charles A.
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Grignon, Edith (Mrs. Ross Grignon)
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Box
3
Folder
11-12
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Correspondence and postcards
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Box
3
Folder
12
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Autograph book and notebooks
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Box
3
Folder
13
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Grignon, Mary Meade (Mrs. Charles A. Grignon)
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Box
4
Folder
1
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Grignon, Rossiter
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Box
4
Folder
2
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Grignon family miscellaneous documents
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Box
4
Folder
3
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Grignon family land patents
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Box
4
Folder
4
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Martin, Morgan
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Box
4
Folder
5
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Meade family
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Box
4
Folder
6
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Music
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Box
4
Folder
7
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Outagamie Paper Company, 1902-1908
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Box
4
Folder
8
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Pierce, Edward
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Box
4
Folder
9
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Tax receipts of Charles and Mary Grignon
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PH Green Bay Mss 182
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Series: Visual Materials
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Prints and drawing
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Wolf, William, portraits and family snapshots
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Box
1
Folder
19
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Ducharme/Grignon house
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Grignon house
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Exterior views
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Box
1
Folder
12
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Grounds and parking area
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Interior views
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Box
1
Folder
18
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Sewer and water line installations
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Site views
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Before restoration
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Miscellaneous
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Box
1
Folder
17
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Treaty re-enactment
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Excavations
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Box
1
Folder
6
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National Youth Administration, 1937-1940
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Box
1
Folder
7
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Indian graveyard, 1940
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Box
1
Folder
8
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1940-1942
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Box
1
Folder
9
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1950s
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Box
1
Folder
10
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Dick Boyd
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Box
1
Folder
11
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Miscellaneous
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Box
1
Folder
16
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Cemeteries: Brothertown [Union], Portland, and Stockbridge, 1958
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Box
1
Folder
13
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Grignon Family reburial
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Box
1
Folder
15
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Houses, Outagamie County [?]
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Box
1
Folder
19
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Memorials, shrines/grottos
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Box
1
Folder
14
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Outagamie County Pioneer and Historical Society and Grignon House publicity
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Negatives
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Box
2
No.
1
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Wolf, William, Portraits and family snapshots
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Grignon House
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Box
2
No.
2-5, 74, 76
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Exterior views
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Box
2
No.
53-57
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Sewer and water line installations
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Box
2
No.
6-26, 58-66, 77
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Site views, miscellaneous
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Excavations
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Box
2
No.
27-52, 70-73
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Dick Boyd
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Box
2
No.
67-69
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Miscellaneous
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Box
2
No.
75, 78
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Grignon family reburial
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