Mt. Hope's dedication on October 3, 1838 marked the beginning of this rural cemetery's role as a place of rest and repose for both the living and the dead. The 196 acres provide the burial grounds for over 350,000 citizens, while the nature above flourishes, and creates an atmosphere of peace and tranquility for anyone lucky enough to pass through its gates. Hidden inside the iron fence of the cemetery are countless secrets. In between the trees and bushes, the dead sleep, some telling their story through inscriptions and monuments and others through a simple headstone. Several of Mt. Hope's inhabitants are well known, but the majority of them are not. These sites known only to family sit calmly, away from fame, and only tell their stories to those who search them out.

The day when I first saw the Wollf family plot was beautiful. I was walking down Greentree Ave and to the left of me was the most striking Japanese maple tree. I left the road and walked over to it, thinking that this would be a nice place to stop and read. The sunlight danced as it filtered though the delicate red leaves, leaving its trail on the grass and on a picturesque statue of an angel. The angel hovered in mid air, with one hand holding an open book and the other posed, ready to write in the book of Life. This was the central monument for the Wollf family.

The Wollf family plot is located in Lot 1, section 3, on the northwest side of Greentree Avenue. The focus of the plot is a monument with a large square base, into which the names of the family members is carved. Atop of the base stands a winged angel. Its left arm cradles an open book and the angel's right arm hovers above the book, inscribing its entry though its pen had broken off from the hand some time prior. Surrounding the monument are the individual gravestones of the family members. These small, white marble headstones are approximately one and a half feet high with an arched topped. Each stone is marked with the family member's name, their position in the family, and on some, an inscription.

The progenitors of Rochester's Wollf family were Elias Wollf and Babette Wollf, who resided at 29 North St. Paul Street. Their names and date of death are carved on the front side of the central monument. Elias' headstone has his name engraved on one side and an inscription, which has unfortunately become unreadable with the weathering of time. Carved on the western side of the stone are Hebrew letters, which are barely discernable. On the top of the stone is the word "FATHER". Elias immigrated to Rochester from Germany in 1849 and began to peddle small wares (Wile, Isaac Abram, p.77) . Within several years he had saved enough money to start a retail clothing business, Wollf & Bachmann, with partner Julius Bachmann. When Bachmann passed away in 1868 Elias opened a wholesale clothing business for a few years. In 1870 he entered the real estate field and located his office in the Power Block, which he would eventually leave to his children.

Elias was a hardworking citizen who was popular with the public for his straightforward and honest way in which he conducted business. He played an active role in the society. Elias was one of the first Jewish citizens to settle in Rochester, and at the time of his death was the oldest member of his community worshiping at the old Jewish Synagogue on North St. Paul Street. In addition to his religious affiliations, Elias was also a member of several fraternal societies, the Humboldt Lodge of Odd Fellows and the Jewish Benevolent Society. His many successes in business enabled him to accumulate property for the preservation of his family, which he left to them on December 17, 1874 at the age of 47 (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, December 19, 1874) .

Babette, the wife of Elias, outlived her husband by over 26 years when she died on October 17, 1901, in her 72 year. The inscription on her grave reads "Dear Mother, Though unseen the chain that binds us to thee will...all to...thee" Only a few words are unreadable. On the top of the gravestone is carved "MOTHER". Together, Babette and Elias had four children, William E., Abram E., Martin E., and Minnie B (Wile p.77) . She was survived by two of her children, Abram and Martin.

William E. Wollf was the eldest of the four children, born April 7, 1850, within a year of the Wollf family arriving in America. William died at the age of 25, of consumption, less than nine months after the death of his father, Elias (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, December 30, 1875). William's name, date of death, and age are carved on a side panel that he shares with his sister, Minnie. His headstone is inscribed with his name and an eroded inscription with only the words "our eyes have...of...soft cheek..." legible. On the top of his stone is the title of "BROTHER", and on the western face is a faint Hebrew inscription.

Minnie B. W. Elsner shares the side panel of the monument with her brother William. Like his inscription, hers consists of her name, date of death, and age. Minnie was the youngest child of Elias and Babette, born on July 27, 1863. Minnie married Dr. Simon L. Elsner, and lived at 83 North St. Paul Street (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, July 30, 1901) . Minnie and Simon had two daughters, Mildred and Elaine. For several years at the end of her life, Minnie was an invalid, and Simon took care of her (Wile p.67). She passed away on July 30, 1901, at the age of 38 years: the cause of death was listed as sarcoma. Her two daughters and her husband (who passed away in 1910) survived Minnie. Her name is carved into the side of her gravestone, along with the inscription "She came like a flower and is cut down." On the top of her stone she is identified as "MOTHER".

The second son of Elias and Babette was named Abram E. Wollf. Abram was born on May 3, 1853 in the office of Dr. Simon L. Elsner, his future sister's husband, at 83 No. St. Paul Street (Wile, p.75). Abram took over control of his father's estate when the latter passed away in 1874. Abram tried his hand in the newspaper business for some time, founding the Sunday Times with partner Silas D. Phillips in 1878 and changing it to the Sunday Tribune prior to selling it to Asa T. Soule. In 1886 Abram married Miss Ella Schloss of Syracuse, and the two had a son, Ellis A., in 1888.

Abram is remembered for having a love of music, and was the first President of the Lyceum Theater (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, October 18, 1902). At the time of his death, October 18, 1902, at the age of 49 years, Abram was as successful a businessman, if not more so, as his father. He was both a manager and a Vice President of the Union Trust Company. The physician tending to him at his time of death from Typhoid was Dr. Elsner, the same man who saw his entrance into life. Abram's name, date, and age at death are carved onto a side panel of the family monument. He shares this panel with his wife and child, who respectively died in 1940 of a heart attack at age 71 and 1938 of a stroke at age 50. Abram's grave includes an inscription, "Tho lost in sight in memory dear". His wife's grave, Ella's, is situated next to his in the plot. Her inscription is: "Yer thou thy smile be lost to sight, To memory thou art dear." On the other side of Ella's stone is their son Ellis', whose inscription says, "In our hearts you will live forever."

The youngest son of Elias and Babette was Martin E. Wollf, who was born in Rochester on June 28, 1855 (Wile p.117). Martin was also a successful businessman. He attended De Graff's Military Academy where much of his early business training took place. When Elias passed away in 1874 Martin took control of his father's brokerage office in Powers Block, and continued his interest in business with other ventures. Martin exchanged vows with Jennie Stein on June 19, 1894 and the couple started their family and had two children, Nathaniel S., 1895 - 1959, and Margaret E.

Martin was a member of several religious and fraternal societies. He was a trustee of the Congregation Berith Kodesh, a Mason, a member of the Elk, and Bnai Brith. His business ventures varied. He started his own company, Martin E. Wollf & Co., Insurance Brokers in the same office that his father originally settled. Martin also held positions as President of the Hotel Seneca Company, Director of the National Bank of Commerce, proprietor of the Empire Theater in Syracuse, and President of the Lyceum Theater and Vice President of the Union Trust Company after the death of his brother, Abram, in 1902.

Martin's wife and son, Jennie and Nathaniel (The whereabouts of Martin's daughter, Margaret E., at this time is not in any of the sources, including her birth and death dates), survived him when he passed away on December 24, 1920 of cancer of the pancreas. Martin and Jennie share the final side of the Wollf family monument, and have engraved there their birth and death dates. Martin's grave contains no inscription, only his name on the side and "M. E. Wollf" on the top.

Jennie Stein Wollf lived for twelve more years following the death of her husband. During that time she took over the position of directing head of the Lyceum Theater (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, December 3, 1932). Jennie was the daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Stein and lived to be 62, when she died at her home on Portsmouth Terrace of lung cancer (The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle gave an address of 23 Portsmouth Terrace, while the records at Mt. Hope gave 25 P. Terrace). She is buried with her husband at the Wollf family site, rather than at the Stein mausoleum, which is in eyesight. Her grave rests next to Martin's, and is carved with her name on the side and "MOTHER" on the top. Her son, Dr. Nathaniel S. Wollf is along side her, with the word "SON" on the top of his grave.

There are also two graves at the Wollf's family site that have no direct relationship to the family. Anna Elizabeth Heckman, who was known as Libby, was born on November 9, 1868. She was survived by a godchild in Germany at the time of her death on December 30, 1949 and was living at 25 Portsmouth Terrace (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, January 2, 1950), the prior home to Martin and Jennie Wollf. Libbie's gravestone is identical to those of the Wollfs. Carved on the top of her stone is "LIBBIE." On the eastern side of her grave is carved her name and dates of her life. On the western side her inscription reads "Sleep in Peace Honey. He leaded me. He leaded me by his own hand he leaded me." Perhaps a dear friend made this inscription, and the language is an interpretation of a favorite verse.

The other grave at the Wollf site belongs to Frieda Mayer. Frieda Meyer was born June 8, 1887 and was a dear friend to Libbie Heckman. Frieda passed away on February 25, 1965 and was survived by three sisters in Germany as well as several nieces and nephews (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, February 27, 1965). Her stone is the same structure as the Wollfs', and her name and dates of life are carved on the side and "Frieda" carved on the top.

The Wollf family's gravesite gives no indication of their many professional and societal accomplishments. Instead, their identity at the plot celebrates the relationship they had with each other. There are no symbols of the fraternal groups to which some members belonged at the plot, while their inscriptions indicated that they are gone, but remembered. What is common to all of these inscriptions, in conjunction with the inscription on the top of each headstone, is that the identity this family chose to commemorate in stone was their love of family. Davies claims that identity is "the sense individuals have of who they are and of what makes them what they are ." (Davies, Douglas James, p.12) The monument and stones that the Wollfs chose to rest with for eternity must therefore embody beliefs that they held.

The original Wollf family emigrated from Germany. When they came to Rochester in 1849, the Wollfs were among the first, pioneering Jewish settlers. Their religious beliefs were strong and the Wollfs participated in the services of the local synagogue. They were hardworking and diligent, always trying to build upon the wealth of their family, while developing worthwhile relationships with the community through their ideas of fairness in business. The family plot that the Wollfs purchased was large enough for the parents, all of their children and their spouses, several grandchildren and two other family friends to be buried there. The plot is also located around other Jewish burials, linking their ethnic and religious identity to others of their community (Davies, p.100).

The white, marble statue that is erected at the plot is striking in its understated beauty. At the top of the rectangular base, above the decorative arches is the angel perched four feet in the air. Its long, flowing robe falls delicately to her feet, while her feathered wings extend from above her head to the bottom of her robe. The angel supports an open book in her left arm and the right arm is posed to engrave its mark for eternity in the book of Life. Perhaps the angel represents a messenger between man and God, the book divine knowledge, and the hand writing its role in history as the Wollfs become closer to their God.

The Wollf's family site is an eternal commemoration of the lives they led, and while some have left, they will never be forgotten. The preservation of the family and their beliefs correlates strongly with Lifton's theories of immortality (Lifton, Robert Jay, p.18-24). According to Lifton, there are several fields of immortality. Biological immortality can be achieved through the burials of many family members and the inscriptions, for example Abram's, "Tho lost in sight in memory dear," indicating that while the dead have left the domain of the living, they will be remembered and live on through others. The theological connection with immortality is the covenant that the Wollfs had with God. The angel could be their guide another world beyond death, acknowledging the spiritual power of the Wollfs' belief. Further, the Wollfs may have achieved a creative immortality in various other contexts. The action of passing businesses from one generation to the next continues to build on the hard work of one individual, and its continued rewards to their loved ones. The founding of the Lyceum Theater shared the Wollfs' love of music with the Rochester community, while the parental love and nurturing remains with the children and grandchildren.

The Wollf's family memorial is a testament to the lives of the Wollfs, for all who happen by. The individual stones and monument "permit 'conversations' with the dead", sharing their beliefs and suggesting stories to those who visit (Davies, p.161). The peaceful setting with the white marble set against a Japanese maple tree will no doubt invite others to sit amongst its playful shade for years to come. Perhaps they too will come to know the Wollfs and their many contributions to the community of Rochester.