NOTES ON PHILADELPHIA DEWOLF (DILLY DOLPH)
by Patricia Clark

Dilly was the source of several lawsuits between Gilsum and Sullivan and in
fact has a page and several notations in the book the history of Sullivan, NH in
which the lawsuits are mentioned concerning the maintenance of her children of
differing paternity and in fact the family was 'burned out' one dark and stormy
night' with the connivance of the town authorities who furnished a bottle of
rum for the occasion (see below),
Notes on Philadelphia DeWolf---She was born March 1, 1772. The original site of
a hut in which lived PHILADELPHIA DEWOLF, on land, known as the "Baker lot".
This woman did not own the land. She was usually known as "Dilly Dolph". She
was a strange, mischievous person. She lived in this hut from about 1799 to
1803, while Calvin Chapman of Keene owned this land. Dilly's life was a public
scandal. She is not known to have been legitimately married. She had several
children whose paternity was uncertain. We scarcely know their names, but they
were the cause of lawsuits betweent Gilsum and Sullivan with respect to their
maintenance. She claimed a marriage with Abraham Nash, Jr., who lived once at
225, but it could not have been legitimate, as he was not divorced from his
former wife. Dilly went into Gilsum to live. Her children, of both sexes, were
veritable "chips of the old block", Their finale in Gilsum is thus described by
Hayward in his "History of Gilsum", page 47: "In 1822 or 1823 (June 20, 1821),
a hut in the northeast part of the town (of Gilsum), beyond where George Bates
lives (afterwards the C.R. Bliss house), was torn down and burned one dark
stormy night. This was done by connivance of the town authorities, who
furnished a bottle of rum for the occasion. The purpose was to get rid of a
disreputable family named Wolf or Dolph, who were harboring there. The family
escaped to the neighbors, and what little furniture they had was carefully
taken out, before the hut was burned, and covered with bark, to protect it from
the rain. The family left for parts unknown." We learn from the diary of John
Davis that the real date of that event was June 20, 1821, and the "Dolphs" left
town on June 23. They went to Vermont, to the town of Pownal. At a special town
meeting in Gilsum, in 1800, it was voted to "put out" Philadelphia Dolph's
child. He was accordingly "put out" to Moses Farnsworth, a near neighbor, who
was to have fifty dollars for taking him. His paternity is unknown. 2. David
Nash, Son of Abraham Nash Jr., q.v., b. in Pownal, VT,., January 4, 1804,
correcting the record in the history of Gilsum. In 1804, there was a lawsuit
between Gilsum and Sullivan about the maintenance of "Dilly's" children.
Sullivan probably paid the bills. She is understood to have had other children,
among them two daughters, but we cannot learn any authentic particulars. It is
understood that no one of her children were b. in Sullivan.

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