Biography of John Frederick Groscop, pages 876 / 877.  History of De Kalb 
County, Indiana.  Inter-State Publishing Company, Chicago, 1885.

John Frederick Groscop,  is a native of Germany, born June 12, 1821.  His 
youth was spent on a farm in his native country, receiving a common-school 
education. When he was twenty-one years of age he enlisted in the regular 
army and served seven years.  At the expiration of his term of service he 
returned home, and soon after married Christina Crennion.  In 1852 he 
started for the United States with his wife and three children.  His wife 
and one child died on shipboard and he arrived in New York with his two 
children, without friends and with very little money.  He went to Buffalo 
and remained one winter, and in 1853 came to Indiana and found employment on 
the railroad in De Kalb County.  From his earnings he saved enough to pay 
for sixty-five acres of land, and to this has since added till he now owns 
100 acres.  When he bought his land it was mostly heavily timbered, but he 
went bravely to work and soon had sufficient cleared to plant a crop.  He 
has been industrious and frugal, and now has one of the finest farms in 
the township.  He has a new two story brick house, and a new barn 40x50 
feet in size.  His other farm buildings are large and convenient.  Mr. 
Groscop was married a second time to Mary Myers, a native of Germany, 
cousin of his first wife.  He has a family of nine children---William, 
Charles, Frank and Frederick (twins), Harmon, John, Caroline (wife of 
Charles Rees), Emma and Sophia.  Mr. Groscop and his wife are members of 
the German Reformed church.  When Mr. Groscop was married the second time 
he had but fifty cents, and the first hay be bought he paid for with $3 of 
his wife’s money.

Submitted by:
Arlene Goodwin
Auburn, Indiana
Agoodwin@ctlnet.com