52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2024: Week 18 (LOVE AND MARRIAGE)
Recently Family Search sent out an email about connections to folks with multiple marriages.
Connecting to this Bramble Bush is Glynn (Scotty) Wolfe.
Glynn DeMoss (Scotty) Wolfe
BIRTH 25 JUL 1908 • Freelandville, Knox County, Indiana, USA
DEATH 10 JUN 1997 • Redlands, San Bernardino, California, USA
"The world’s most married man is now the world’s least mourned.
Glynn “Scotty” Wolfe did one thing in life and did it often. He married. In his 89 years, he married 29 times, setting the world record for monogamous unions. He married teenagers and grandmothers, farm girls and drug addicts, virgins and prostitutes, preachers and thieves, taking and shedding partners as casually as a square dancer.
He married some women for years, others for months, a few for days, and he loved, honored and cherished each one in his own odd way.
Marriage was his life’s work, his mission, his lasting monument. But when he died penniless last month at a Redlands nursing home, the body with the symbolic forearm tattoo of a tied knot went unclaimed. The man whose family tree sent branches and sub-branches in every direction, the man who married more often than Zsa Zsa Gabor, Elizabeth Taylor and Henry VIII combined, the man who made 29 different till-death-do-us-part promises, was singularly alone at the end." 1
Glynn's 2nd cousin 6x removed was the 1st wife of Josiah Hunt
Chris's 1st cousin 5x removed was the 2nd wife of Josiah Hunt
Both through their mother's paternal lines.
Given he is the most married man it seems fitting to feature him for this week's prompt Love and Marriage.
29 marriages -
The list of his wives is so long that they barely fit in this blog post.
In case you can't tell - Scotty is the 2nd in from the right.
Check the sources below for full lists of all his wives.
A vlogger, Side Tripping with Cary, posted this video
Pastor Mark Adams from the Redland Baptist Church used his story as part of his sermon on marriage:
"Mr. Wolfe’s situation was unique though—because he was no ordinary man. In fact, he held a very special world record. You see he is listed in the Guinness Book as the Most Married Man, with 29 monogamous marriages to his credit. 29 times Glynn Wolfe was asked, “Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife…forsaking all others do you pledge yourself only to her, so long as you both shall live?” Twenty-nine times Glynn Wolfe replied, “I do,” but it never quite worked out that way. His longest marriage lasted seven years and his shortest only 19 days.
It is said that he left behind several children, grand-children, great grand-children, and of course a number of living ex-wives, and innumerable ex-in-laws—but still, Glynn died alone.You would think that, after all the income Glynn sent his way, at least his divorce lawyer would have come to the service!
I share this tragic story—because I think it’s indicative of the tragic state of the institution of marriage in our culture. As I said a few weeks back, marriage statistics don’t look very good these days. Believe it or not—they look even worse than the stock market! We live in a nation where over 60% of new marriages end in divorce—and Christian marriages seem to be failing at an even higher rate than those of non-Christians. Unless things don’t change, Mr. Wolf won’t hold his record for very long." 2
***A link to the whole sermon is in the sources below***
Glynn (Scotty) Wolfe was said to be Reverend with the Baptist Church.
I was unable to find what church he had been associated with.
All the searches I did turned up his wives & not anything about his working life.
This is the only thing I could find that was even remotely connected to a faith based agency.
"Wolfe, a Bible-thumping minister who preached out of a trailer, was a relentless seeker of publicity." 3
The story of 31 wives seemed intriguing - almost amusing.
BUT then I looked more closely and discovered many of his brides had been young & vulnerable.
It appears that Mr. Wolfe may have been a predator....
"Wolfe took brides as young as 14, divorcing them before they hit their 20th birthday. Commenting on his teen brides, Wolfe once said he liked to "marry them young and train them the way you want." " 4
This amusing tale had taken a dark turn, and I pondered not writing about him to avoid adding to his notoriety.
I decided that since I I found nothing in my search that suggested Mr. Wolfe was anything but a misunderstood man seeking love & attention my questioning that would be a welcome addition to those seeking.
Then again - I have 2 followers and a handful of readers.
My primary audience is ME as a record of what I spend my time and money on.
When you find a distasteful relative, and you share it anyway!!!
This is why I search -
Cause ...
You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***
Footnotes:
1 Most Married, but Little Missed. J.R. Moehringer. Los Angeles Times. Originally published July 11th 1997. Retrieved April 16th 2024 from
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-jul-11-mn-11719-story.html
2 Love for a Lifetime. Sermon. Pastor Mark Adams. Redland Baptist Church. Originally published March 8th 2009. Retrieved April 16th 2024 from https://www.redlandbaptist.net/sermon/love-for-a-lifetime/
3 Body of much-married man lies unclaimed at morgue. Deseret News, Riverside Press-Enterprise. Originally published June 20th 1997. Retrieved April 16th 2024 from
https://www.deseret.com/1997/6/20/19318854/body-of-much-married-man-lies-unclaimed-at-morgue/
4 Body of much-married man lies unclaimed at morgue. Deseret News, Riverside Press-Enterprise. Originally published June 20th 1997. Retrieved April 16th 2024 from
https://www.deseret.com/1997/6/20/19318854/body-of-much-married-man-lies-unclaimed-at-morgue/
Sources:
Family tree of Glynn Wolfe. Famous Genealogies, Geneastar. Retrieved April 16th 2024 from
https://en.geneastar.org/genealogy/wolfeglynn/glynn-wolfe
Glynn Wolfe dating history. Whos Dated Who. Retrieved April 16th 2024 from https://www.whosdatedwho.com/dating/glynn-wolfe
'The faces just change'. United Press International. Originally published January 29th 1984. Retrieved April 16th 2024 from
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/01/29/The-faces-just-change/8005444200400/
Photos:
Screen clip from our Bramble Bush on Ancestry. Retrieved April 16th 2024.
Video:
The World’s Most Married Man! Rev. Glynn “Scotty” Wolfe (1908-1997). Side Tripping with Cary. Originally published August 5th 2022. Retrieved April 16th 2024 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFXfNn9WzPo
Links:
Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/
______________________________________________________________
Oh my goodness, glad you blogged about his many, many, marriages. I can't imagine finding this man in my family tree but his story should be told!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading-I will have to update to 3 readers 😀
Delete