May 9, 2023

"What's in a name? The Short Story of Dilphus Dufort

Sometimes, a grave will spark our interest because of the intricacy of the carvings or maybe the things that have been left at the grave, in this case, my interest was sparked by the name. Dilphus is a name I had never seen before. In fact, when I attempted to research it further, I couldn't even find it. The closest I could find is Adolphus or Adolf, which is German in origin meaning Nobel Wolf.

Dilphus Dufort was born on either April 29th or April 30th, 1876 to Gabriel & Artemis Dufort in Lake Huron Beach, Michigan. Born on that same day was his twin brother Adolph. This makes me wonder if his parents made up his name to coordinate with that of his brother. The twins were the sixth and seventh children born to their parents who immigrated to the US from Canada. According to the 1880 census, the twins had three older brothers, two older sisters, and one younger brother and one younger sister.

I was unable to find much on the life of Dilphus or his brother. I get the feeling that they spent their early adulthood together, but at some point they split and traveled west to different states. It seems Dilphus went to Colorado while Adolf made his way further west to Oregon. According to his World War I draft card, Dilphus was short with a medium build and had dark brown hair and light blue eyes. The 1920 census lists his home in Bailey, Colorado and his occupation is listed as Timber Man working in the logging industry. It appears that he never married. He died at the age of 50 on March 17, 1926 and was laid to rest in Horn Cemetery in Park County, Colorado. His twin, Adolph, outlived him by another 39 years dying January 6, 1965. Adolph is buried in an IOOF cemetery in Bandon, Oregon.

Photos: Grave of Dilphus Dufort located in Horn Cemetery - Park County, Colorado - Photograph of 3 Dufort brothers: Henry(in the white tie) and twins Dilphus and Adolph. This photo is from the Cora Dufort Buhl and shared in a public album on www.ancestry.com.

#TwinBrothers #WestwardTravel #LoggingIndustry #HornCemetery #ParkCounty #Colorado #IOOFCemetery #Bandon #Oregon #Genealogy #FamilyHistory #GraveyardMystery #ForgottenNames #UntoldStories #AncestryResearch #TuesdayTidbits #cemetery #cemeteries #cemeteryphotography #cemeterywandering

Jennie Johnson

Creator & Host

Jennie has been in love with cemeteries and their stories since she was a teenager. She has taken thousands of photographs of historic headstones and the nature that inhabits cemeteries and graveyards. While she is not a history major, she is a history buff and loves to do research on all kinds of historical people and events. She was once locked into a museum (at the curator's request. He had an urgent coffee matter to attend to) and it was a dream come true! Jennie's dad is a retired Navy Senior Chief which means she spent her childhood living in different parts of the United States and ultimately developed a love of travel. She has also been involved in theater since she was 12 years old. She enjoys being on stage, but in recent years has developed a passion for directing and script writing. She has three awesome kids who are all grown or nearly so and is married to a Radio DJ/music programer who also loves playing pinball. She adores her black cat named Salem after her favorite city in the whole world, Salem, Massachusetts.

The Fleeting Life of Myrtle Winter

Myrtle Winter (yes, her first name is misspelled on the headstone) was just 21 years old when she was laid to rest at Valley View Cemetery (also called Rocky Ford Cemetery) in Rocky Ford, Colorado. A tiny obituary printed in the Rocky Ford Enterpris…

Digging Deeper: Uncovering the Roots of Death and Burial Terminology

A recent online discussion sparked curiosity about the language surrounding death and burial. The term "planted" surprised some, but its origins imply the term was used with affection, especially among certain populations of farmers across the Unite…