Biography of Isaac Grogg, pages 468.469/470/471.  History of DeKalb 
County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914.



Isaac Grogg



	There are individuals in nearly every community who, by reason of 
pronounced ability and force of character, rise above the heads of the 
masses and command the unbounded esteem of their fellow men.   
Characterized by perseverance and a directing spirit, two virtues that 
never fail, such men always make their presence felt and the vigor of 
their strong personalities serves as a stimulus and incentive to the 
young and rising generations. To the energetic and enterprising class 
of the subject of this review very properly belongs.  Having never been 
seized with the roaming desires that have led many of DeKalb county’s 
young men to other fields of endeavor and other states, where they have 
sought their fortunes, Mr. Grogg has devoted his life to industries at 
home and has succeeded remarkably well, as may be seen by a study of 
his life history.

	Isaac Grogg, who has an enviable standing as a progressive 
business man and public-spirited citizen, and who are proprietor of the 
Auburn Novelty Company, has been a potential factor in advancing the 
industrial interests of Auburn, was born on July 4, 1860, in Keyser 
township, two miles west of Auburn, son of Adam and Emily L. (King) 
Grogg.  Adam Grogg, who was born in Stark county, Ohio, in 1840, was a 
son of Jacob and Sarah (Becker) Grogg.  Jacob Grogg was born on 
February 14, 1814, at Canton, Stark county, Ohio, the son of Solomon 
and Mary (Snyder) Grogg.  About the time he attained his majority he 
learned the miller’s trade and in 1840 he took charge of a mill at 
Pekin, Ohio, and later took charge of the Hostetter and Roof Mills, 
with which he remained connected until 1851.  In the latter years he 
bought the farm west of Auburn and in the following years moved his 
family to wilds of DeKalb county.  He married in 1837 Sarah Becker, of 
Canton, Ohio, and she bravely bore with him the hardships and 
privations of pioneer life. Though Jacob Grogg never aspired to public 
office he was elected by his fellow citizens to several positions of 
trust and responsibility, in all of which he acquitted himself with 
credit.  On this DeKalb county farm Adam Grogg was reared to maturity 
and married Emily L. King, who was born in Maryland and was the 
daughter of John and Catherine King.  She came to this county in an 
early day with her parents, who settled a mile and one-half west of 
Auburn in Union township.  Adam Grogg died on December 24, 1866, at the 
age of twenty-six years, at which time the subject of this sketch was a 
boy of but six years of age.  The latter was taken into the home of his 
grandfather, and his mother afterwards, in 1871, became the wife of 
Daniel Lower, living in Noble county about thirty years, or until Mr. 
Lower’s death, and she afterwards  became the wife of Daniel Thomas, 
spending her last years at Corunna.  Isaac Grogg remained with his 
grandparents until he was nineteen years old, and then went to Dayton, 
Ohio, where he learned the car finisher’s trade.  In 1885 he returned 
to Auburn and for a number of years was employed with the Zimmerman 
Manufacturing Company plant, being foreman of their mechanical 
department for quite a while.  While at the Zimmerman Company Mr. Grogg 
drifted into the windmill and tank business, and from 1885 until 1900 
devoted his attention to that work, being part of the time connect with 
the Zimmerman Company and about two years with the Monitor 
Manufacturing Company.  After the latter company quite business Mr. 
Grogg established a small plant for himself, calling it the Auburn 
Novelty Works and here did cabinet work and manufactured souvenirs and 
novelties of wood.  In this enterprise he was successful beyond his 
expectations and established more than a local reputation. He was also 
interested in the manufacture of patterns, and while so employed made 
patters for a concrete block machine for Messrs. Brost and Grosscup.  
His business grew so rapidly and he soon required larger quarter and 
decided to build a concrete block building for his shop.  There being 
no block manufacturer in this locality he decided to make his own 
blocks, and his sons, delighted with the idea, urged him to buy a 
second-hand block machine that was then for sale.  Buying this machine 
they commenced to make their own blocks and were soon turning them out 
at a rated of one hundred and fifty a day.  Using first class material 
and care in the making, these blocks turned out by them were of such a 
high quality that a demand was soon created for the blocks among their 
neighbors, to whom they sold them. The demand grew so rapidly that in a 
short time the new enterprise entirely superseded in extent the wood 
and pattern work.  By the next fall they needed more help and more 
machinery, which they installed.  Always striving for a better way to 
do things, Mr. Grogg exercised his inventive genius and devised a 
continuous mixer for mixing the concrete by machinery, which was 
economically propelled by a gas engine, and this improved machinery is 
now being manufactured by a company at Kendallville, Indiana.  Mr. 
Grogg also designed an automatic scraper and finisher for a block 
making machine, which he sold to the Ideal Concrete Machinery Company, 
of South Bend. Another invention of his was a reinforcing device for 
placing and stretching the reinforcing irons in concrete fence posts, 
and also a vaporizing system of steaming and curing concrete products.  
Mr. Grogg also designed an automatic brick tamper that is to be 
manufactured by the Ideal Company on a large scale. Mr. Grogg has 
manufactured many products besides the concrete blocks, including 
concrete moldings, columns, pedestals, etc., and has discovered a 
method of making them almost white and much smoother in grain than 
ordinary blocks, being much more like marble and presenting a very 
pleasing and attractive appearance.  Quality has been the watchword in 
the building up of this business, and on this basis does Mr. Grogg base 
all representations as to his work. Indeed, so well established is the 
reputation of the Grogg factory that when one local concern projected 
the building of a four-story factory building, and Mr. Grogg was to 
busy at that time to supply the blocks needed for the building, the 
company refused to get them elsewhere, but suspended their building 
operations until the next spring. This in itself is certainly a 
remarkable tribute to the quality of the Grogg plant. The business grew 
to such proportion that the first plant established near the center of 
Auburn became entirely inadequate for the purpose and now Mr. Grogg has 
a plant at the north end of Auburn, where he has plenty of room for 
expansion and abundant shipping facilities, being close by the 
interurban road.  His goods are delivered by auto trucks to local 
parties and in every way modern and up-to-date methods are employed in 
the operation of the business. Always a hard worker, Mr. Grogg has the 
satisfaction of realizing that his work has not been unproductive of 
results and that he has been a prominent factor in the splendid 
business growth of this locality.  He follows up-to-date business 
methods in his affairs and pays his help by time instead of by the 
piece.  Thus insuring a high quality of work rather than quantity.  He 
is exact and reliable in all his business dealings and has gained a 
splendid reputation among his business colleagues.

	In 1887 Mr. Grogg married Catherine C. Otto, who was born and 
reared in Auburn, she and Mr. Grogg being acquainted from early 
childhood.  She is the daughter of Captain John and Catherine 
(Reehling) Otto, who are mentioned elsewhere in this work. To Mr. and 
Mrs. Grogg have been born the following children: Earl J., Harold O., 
Russell I., Emily K.. Hubert, Roger, Frank, who is good-naturedly 
called “Buster” by his associates, and Helen and Paul.  Several of the 
sons are interested with their father in the manufacturing business, 
and are alert in their efforts to advance the enterprise in every way 
possible.  They subscribe for all the technical periodicals touching on 
their business and are well versed in every phase of concrete 
manufacture.  Keenly alive to every avenue of information they are 
frequent visitors to the great cement shows at Chicago and elsewhere, 
and are numbered among the enterprising and energetic young men of 
Auburn.  Personally, Isaac Grogg, though a very busy man, always finds 
time to greet friends cordially and to take an intelligent interest in 
the public affairs of the community.  He give his support unreservedly 
to every movement for the material, moral, intellectual or social 
advancement of Auburn and is well deserving of the high place which he 
now holds in public esteem.



Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com