RIAMCO

Rhode Island Archival and Manuscript Collections Online

For Participating Institutions

D'Wolf Family papers (D'Wolf Family Papers)

Bristol Historical & Preservation Society

PO Box 356
48 Court Street
Bristol, RI, 02809
Tel: 401-253-7223


Biographical/Historical note

The D'Wolf family of Bristol, Rhode Island became Bristol's most prominent family in the period after the Revolutionary war, initially engaging in maritime businesses that include the slave trade, privateering, and whaling. A large, enterprising family, they branched out into many fields that eventually included a rum distillery, banking, an insurance company, a textile factory and sugar and coffee plantations in Cuba. Members of the family assumed positions of political leadership including John, who served in the State Legislature and became a judge, and James, who became a United States Senator.