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Cross-country Trip to visit the Woolley House
Thomas Woolley descendent Dan Woolley, September 2018.
Genealogy search brings Woolley descendent from Washington state to Ocean Township
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Until recently, Keith Feather—a descendant of a survivor of the New Era, wrecked off Asbury Park in 1854—held the record for distance traveled specifically to visit the Museum. In 2012, Keith came from Durham, North Carolina, to see the sea trunk from the New Era in our collection.
But on September 19, Dan Woolley of Duvall, Washington, took the title. He had discovered the Eden Woolley House in his genealogy research and traveled across a continent to pay a visit.
Three years ago, Dan’s father died and his interest in his roots began. A Mormon friend helped him trace his line back to Emmanuel Woolley, born in England in 1625. Emmanuel came to the New World as an indentured servant, worked to earn his freedom, and bought the land that his sons settled in what is today Ocean Township.
Dan is a direct descendent of Emmanuel’s great-grandson, Thomas Woolley, the man who in 1747, built the oldest part of the Eden Woolley House (home to our Museum). Dan came across a photo of the house posted on ancestry.com and he made up his mind to visit.
“I was considering a pilgrimage to the Woolley House when a friend now living in New Jersey suggested a visit. That settled it,” Dan said.
Dan, a skilled craftsman himself, wanted to see his ancestor‘s handiwork.
“It was worth the trip to see the construction and touch the wood that Thomas shaped,” he explained. “I looked into the hearth where he warmed himself and walked along the brook and through the woods where my grandfathers walked. I got a real sense of their hardship.”
Dan would like to hear from Woolley family members here in New Jersey. He is planning a return trip in September 2019 and is interested in organizing a Woolley family reunion at the Museum. He invites Woolley family members in our area to contact him directly at danwoolley47@gmail.com.
