An Internet Family Tree shows three wives for Thomas Newton Wolfe including first wife Melissa Kleckner and it shows the known children of Thomas N and Melissa.

The 1880 Census says that Melissa was a widow. But was she? Or did Melissa and Thomas divorce long before it was a common thing to do? I think the latter.

I have been in touch with Kathy Richter, a descendant of Thomas and Melissa and she referred me to a book: "History of Gift, Kern and Royer Families" found on Ancestry.com. It clearly shows Melissa as Thomas’ first wife, names their children, and documents his second and third wives and the children of his additional marriages. His second wife died in 1883. Kathy has verified the chronology. Divorce is the only possible explanation.

In addition to their two sons, Thomas and Melissa also had a daughter Mary Olive Wolfe who married Samuel Beaver and they had a son William Ernest Beaver who had a daughter Beatrice Olive Beaver. Beatrice married James Teahan and they had a daughter Kathleen who married Mr. Richter and Kathy Richter is my email cousin who has shared with me information about Thomas Wolfe, his marriages and descendants.

She lived with Joseph and Catherine Kleckner in the 1860 Census and in 1880 with her mother Catherine, so they were clearly her parents.

Public Press in 1890’s mention Melissa Mertz of Rapidan, Virginia visits her daughter Mrs. Benfer of New Berlin and does other traveling. She was “superintending the household affairs of her brother-in-law’s plantation in Culpepper County.

In addition to the George Kleckner family (Radie Diehl's ancestors), here is another Kleckner of interest -- Melissa.

Her father Joseph was the son of Solomon who in turn was the son of Johann Anton -- our ancestor. Melissa, therefore, was a second cousin of our ancestor Rachel E Kleckner. Of course, during their lifetimes, even if they knew each other, they had no reason to know that Rachel’s granddaughter Rachel Diehl would marry John Oakley Mertz the grandson of Melissa’s second husband -- in 1910.

Melissa Kleckner of New Berlin married first Mr. Wolfe. She then married second George Peter Mertz on 21 Sep 1882. She and George Peter had a prenup, which I have.

I found her tombstone in the New Berlin Cemetery buried with her two sons, it says: Melissa Mertz 1841-1907, Thomas O Wolfe 1863-1882, J Lee Wolfe 1868-1914. She was buried near her parents.