William Daniel Wiedhofft The search for our legendary Rudolph Wiedhofft (the handsome man of Baldwins Gardens), who, according to the family legend escaped from Germany to England in fear of his life, hidden inside an apple barrel. The other family connection was that he was related to the German Chancellor, Prince Otto von Bismarck, (family went into black when he died). Other family stories relate to Rudolph being fluent in many languages and holding a position of translator in a London Hotel. Set out are the facts and family memories of this fascinating family that led to my obsession with the family history. Pictured right is William Daniel Wiedhof(f)t the first of the family that I have found evidence of living in Baldwins Gardens, (Holborn, London, England), the son of Daniel Chrystal Wiedhofft, who according to a later census was born in "Germany". Our London tale starts with (probably) two brothers Frederick Gottlieb and Daniel Chrystal Wiedhofft born in Germany 1795 and 1797 who marry in central London in the 1820's. As our history unravels, this is what I know, but I would love to hear from anyone who could help us piece together the history, present and future of this rare and precious name in the history of Europe, the USA and Australia (as far as I know,so far!)
Generation One
Generation Two
who was Frederick Wiedhofft

Frederick Wiedhofft

Frederick Wiedhofft was shown as a son of Daniel & Martha in the 1851 census. He was listed as a 25 year old labourer. So far this is the only information we have.
Generation Three

Charlotte Wiedhofft 1855 - 1855

Born 20th January 1855 at 6 Singleton St. Hoxton, Shoreditch, London but died of inflammation and supperation after vaccination on the 22nd of April 1855. Daughter of Fred Aug. and Amelia. Buried in Abney Park Cemetery, Stoke Newington, London

Charles Wiedhofft 1856 - 1858

was born in the June quarter of 1856 son of Fred Aug. and Amelia but once again the grim reaper took his toll, taking this young soul in the June quarter of 1858
General Information

Directory Entries - Various occurrences of the Wiedhofft (and variant) names that have appeared in assorted directories
Loose Branches - Names and known details of people that may belong to our family tree.
Rudy Wiedoeft - During the period from 1900 to 1930 in America, there was a saxophone craze which made the electric guitar phenomenon of the 1960's look like nothing in comparison. The one person who best personifies this period is perhaps the biggest musical star of the 1920's, Rudy Wiedoeft. From the information gathered it looks like Rudy's father Adolph Cornelius Wiedoeft was born in Gdanskiego, Poland on 21st April 1862 and married Anna Elizabeth Dunst. Their sons were:- Al (Adolph), born Salt Lake City, USA 1881: Guy (Gerhard) born 3rd April 1885 in California, USA: Herb (Herbert Arther) born 22 November 1887 Neuenburg, Germany: and Rudy born in Detroit, USA on 3rd January 1893.
Births, Marriages & Deaths - Listing the Wiedhof(f)t names from the GRO Registers for Births, marriages and deaths

My thanks must go my mum, not just for her enthusiasm for finding out about the Wiedhoffts, but also the tremendous amount of information that she "knew" about her ancestors. Not only starting me off but financing my obsession by buying the birth, marriage and death certificates required to piece the "jigsaw" together. From another branch of the family, Clifford Crewe fuelled the fire and set me off in the right direction, also providing an enormous amount of information and photographs of the family. (Photographs of the family is something that I never dreamed that I would ever see.) He confirmed much of the history "that I had taken with a pinch of salt". (eg. the fortune lost to Chancery - with documentary evidence.) The seven generation link to the Prince of Wied and the cousin to Count (later, Prince) Maximillian (of Wied.)? ( I will return later to this connection as it is currently under review). Also from Daryle Stevenson in America a great deal of information on the descendants of William James in America. There are a number of photographs and a wealth of information from Jean Alderton, John Whitgift, Lauren Payne and David Gough that have gone an enormous way to "flesh out the bones" of our family history. This site is always under development, in order to add as much information as possible. Please contact me if you have anything to add (or disagree with!)
Best Regards
Mark Burgess