Biography of William Henry Grube, pages 666/667/668. History of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914. William Henry Grube Another of the enterprising an successful farmers of DeKalb county, who traces his ancestry back to the fatherland, is the gentleman whose name initiates this sketch, a man who has succeeded in his life work for no other cause than that he has worked persistently and along proper lines, and he has not only succeeded in his chosen vocation of agriculture, but has also won a reputation for honesty and fair dealing. William Henry Grube was born November 25, 1842, in Massillon, Stark county, Ohio. His parents were of German descent, and his father, Peter Grube, was married to Elizabeth May in 1835. They came to America in 1836 from Ulmet, a town in Bavaria. On the voyage across the Atlantic heavy winds blew their sailing vessel along the coast of Africa, but after troublesome repairs were made, they again headed for the “new world.” Having to depend wholly upon the winds, the voyage took almost three months, at the end of which time they sailed into New York harbor. They resided in New York City for about a year and a half, and then started to the West. They traveled by stage coach to Massillon, Ohio, which was then a small village. Here they lived until 1843, and while living there three children were born, Katherine, Jacob and Henry. The little sister died before they left Massillon. From their home in the Buckeye state they again took up the Western trail, this time by wagons drawn by oxen, through woods and swamps, until they arrived at what is now Stafford township, DeKalb county. On this journey Henry was but a baby, so they had wrapped him up in a little bundle, and when they came to a rough stretch of corduroy road this precious bundle fell out of the wagon, but they fortunately happened to look down in time to rescue the baby from under the wagon wheels. This was only one of the many narrow escapes Mr. Grube has had during his successful career. A clearing was soon made it the wilderness and a log cabin was built on the seventy-four acre tract of forest land bought from the government. Then came the laborious work of clearing, that cultivation might be instituted. In those days Mr. Grube’s father would walk ten miles to Hicksville, the nearest village, with wheat and would carry back big sacks of flour to his home. His mother was busy from morning until night helping roll logs and grub up the roots, briars and brush. While they were living here two other children were born, a girl, Elizabeth, and later a boy, Peter. While living in Stafford, Jacob, one of Mr. Grube’s brothers, died, which left but three of the children, Elizabeth, Henry and Peter, to help in the arduous labor. The subject lived in Stafford township on the old homestead until he was eighteen years old. He spent his time helping his father in the farm work, and in the winter he took his slate and copybook and trudged through the woods to school. He was thus engaged until he was about fifteen years of age, when he went up into the pine woods of Michigan, where he worked for three years, cutting logs and breaking rollways on the Muskegon river. This was a dangerous occupation, and the subject’s life was threatened many times while he was working there. After returning home from the pine woods, he worked by the month on different farms in Illinois, Missouri and Kansas for several years, and finally, returning home, bought a horsepower threshing machine and worked almost the entire year round, threshing for this neighborhood for thirteen years. In 1880 Mr.Grube was married to Mary Haas, a Canadian girl, who had come with her parents to the United States and lived on a farm south of Butler. They moved on to an eighty-acres Farm three miles east of Butler and lived in a little log cabin during the first summer months. Later buying the old Henry Shoub place across the creek. Here two children were born, Charles in 1882 and Cleve in 1888. Cleve is now twenty-five years of age, and is actively identified with the Democratic party, following his father’s example in the bestowing of his franchise. At present he is farming one hundred and ten acres of his own land, together with one hundred and sixty acres of his father’s farm. He was married, January 2, 1913, to Garnet Brink, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Brink of Butler, Indiana. The subject and wife lived on the Shoub place until 1897, when they moved on to a farm one and a half miles east of Butler, where they still reside. Two years later the youngest boy, Andrew was born. He is now fourteen years old and is attending the Butler high school. In 1900 Charles attended the Ohio Northern University for one year, then went to Lafayette to attend school with the intention of becoming a civil engineer. In 1903 he was on the train going to Indianapolis to play on the Purdue football team when the train was wrecked, and he, together with twenty others Purdue boys, was killed. His death was a great shock to the family and friends. The following summer Mr. Grube took a trip through the West with the Knights Templar in a special car. He is also a Shriner and has been a member of the Odd Fellows for forty-three years. Mr. Grube displays a deep interest in everything, which helps to develop his town, and is at present aiding in the building of a new I.O.O. F. hall. He is one of the directors of the First National Bank. Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin Auburn, Indiana Agoodwin@ctlnet.com