Christoph Henry Wolfhard
Born October 1, 1863, died December 29, 1948.
Henry was the child of Peter Wolfhard.
Henry married Elizabeth Kutt
Henry had the following children: Harry Wolfhard and Edith Wolfhard .
In 1891, they also had a son, Herbert William who died at the age of 9 months.
Henry Wolfhard was christened Christoph Henry in the Lutheran faith in 1864.
He became a Christian Scientist in 1911.
He married Elizabeth (Liz) Kutt on May 1st, 1888. Marriage Certificate
She was from Baden and a staunch Christian Scientist. Her mother was a widow of a Minister.
In November 1889, Henry bought a parcel of his father’s lot #7 for $150.00. His father held the mortgage. He built a house at the north end of the lot, 49 Albert Street. Today it is 49 Madison Avenue North.
He lived there until 1919 when he bought the house at 147 Queen Street South, a large stately house set back from Queen Street. In around 1930, the address changed to the current 389 Queen South. Left of his house was the Barra Castle. On the right was J.M. Schneider’s Buena Vista home. He became good friends with J. M. They shared a driveway behind the houses. Henry owned cars, a 1915 Buick and a 1920 Studebaker.
There are photos of Henry and J. M. driving together in the Schneider Historical Archives. Both Henry and J.M. are buried side by side in the Mausoleum at Woodside Cemetery.
Henry’s wife died of diabetes at the age of 63 on November 23, 1927
at her home. Elizabeth Kutt obituary
Henry Wolfhard’s Business Career
Henry Wolfhard started his career as a Tin Smith by trade. He formed a partnership with Philip Gies who owned Philip Gies Stoves which operated at 13 King West, Berlin. The Partnership was called Gies-Wolfhard Hardware Co. The store, at the same 13 King West was opened January 2, 1889. Around 1903
Mr. Gies sold his shares for the retail hardware store to Henry as well as to George Sehl and William K. Weber.
The store, now known as H Wolfhard & Co. continued operations at 13 King West.
A photo posted in the KW Record shows the Star Theater centered with the Wolfhard store to its right and the store Walter A Zeigler Shoes on the Left. This is the only photo of the first location that I have found.
In 1911, the company moved to 17 King West, where it continued to operate until it was sold. (some time later, the street number changed to 31 King West) The 1912 Vernon Directories substantiates the move as the Macklin Dry Goods was listed previously on the left side of the old location and then on the right side.
In 1928, the directory shows H Wolfhard also owned 6 Apartments. He would have purchased them from G.A. Wanless, a stock broker who originally owned the block of 12 units. This building 
was adjacent at 35 King West. The building is still standing and appropriately called today the ‘White Pillar Suites’. In 1931, the title of the Wolfhard Apartments changes to Kresge.
In 1928, Henry Wolfhard and William K. Weber sold the business to Mr. Sehl who carried on as Geo. Sehl Hardware and moved it to 62 King East.
In February, 1929, Henry sold the building at 31 King West to SS Kresge Co. for $96,000. He along with William K. Weber held back the mortgage of $48,000.
H. Wolfhard & Company sale to S. S. Kresge 1929
Henry Wolfhard & Co. closing letter to customers
Henry’s brother-in-law, William H Kutt, built them a beautiful Grandfather clock in 1918 with a Pequegnat clock movement. The moment Henry died, the clock stopped and the face fell off and broke. My cousin Bill Fraser, Henry’s great grandson rebuilt the clock in the 70’s and over the Christmas holidays, the clock shook for several minutes at exactly the same time and day of when Henry had passed many years ago.
Henry loved his cigars. When he quit, he carried hard candy in his pockets.
In 1944, Henry became the family’s first Snowbird spending winters in St. Petersburg, Florida. His US Visa notes the application is for health reasons.
Henry’s US Visa
Henry also owned another house at 473 Queen Street South that his daughter Edith and her husband lived in. After Liz died, Edith and Robert moved into 389 Queen with Henry. Henry then rented the house on 473 Queen in 1930 to his son, Harry, who later purchased it.
In 1944, Henry and daughter Edith sold 389 Queen to his son Harry.
Deed for Queen South
Henry died in 1948 at his home at 389 Queen South. Henry memorial
In 1950, Harry sold the house back to Edith for $1.00.
Edith continued to live at 389 Queen until her death in 1969. I remember visiting my great aunt Edith and playing with my sister and cousins in the house. It was trimmed in fine woods and had a secret stairway from the kitchen to the upper level for the maid. My father wanted to buy the house but the estate had to sell the property to the neighbor. The restrictive easement for the driveway Henry and JM shared was too narrow for modern cars and the other owner would not change it. It sold to David Dwyer for $30,000 in 1970.
The house still stands in 2020 but is a collection of offices. The Barra castle has been torn down and a new condo is being built. There is no longer any back yard or side yard.
The Wolfhards 