Biography of Augustus C. Gruhlke, pages 534/535/536.  History of DeKalb 
County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914.



Augustus C. Gruhlke



	The life of Augustus C. Gruhlke, a highly respected citizen of 
Waterloo, Indiana, has been one of consecutive endeavor along lines 
that seldom fail to bring satisfactory results, and now, in the evening 
of his life, he finds himself very comfortably situated as a result of 
his former years of activity.  Augustus C. Gruhlke, of Waterloo, was 
born in Prussia, Germany, on March 6, 1850, and is the son of David and 
Wilhelmina (Tietz) Gruhlke. When he was about nine years old his 
parents came to America, locating in Pulaski county, Indiana, on a 
farm.  When he was about seventeen years old, Augustus Gruhlke started 
out in life on his own account, working at various employments, such as 
farming and then railroading.  In 1872 he came to Waterloo, Indiana, in 
the employ of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, having 
charge of the tower at the railroad crossing.  About three years later, 
when the Lake Shore depot was built, he put up a restaurant across the 
street from the depot, and for eighteen years this restaurant was 
operated by Mrs. Gruhlke, while Mr. Gruhlke attended to his duties at 
the tower.  In1897 Mr. Gruhlke sold the restaurant and in 1899 quit the 
employ of the railroad.  In 1895 he had invented the first practical 
electric cigar lighter and went into partnership with Mr. William 
Kessler, of Auburn, to manufacture them.  After the business was well 
started Mr. Gruhlke sold out his interest to Mr. Kessler.  In 1899 he 
began giving his entire time and attention to manufacturing and 
invention, and made improvements of the old cigar lighter, and at the 
same time organized the Waterloo Cigar Company. The lighter business 
was continued about six years, when Mr. Gruhlke sold his interest in 
it, and in 1908 he sold the cigar business.  He has been very 
successful in original patents and has taken out five different patents 
on electric cigar lighters, each one an entirely different one for the 
other.  He has also patented other inventions, including a formaldehyde 
generator for disinfecting purposes; a combination handle and castor, 
intended primarily to be used on rough boxes, so they could be either 
rolled or carried, but the holder can be used on any kind of a box.  He 
also has applications filed for a patent on a cigar bunch making 
machine.  Mr. Gruhlke has probably the largest collection of old 
firearms in the state of Indiana, and is an inveterate collector of 
curios, having at one time a collection of about twenty thousand pieces 
of Indian relics, but these he disposed of.  He has a large and 
valuable collection of American and foreign coins, probably comprising 
of two thousand specimens.  He also has many minerals, fossils, shells 
and other natural curiosities, all of which would make an interesting 
museum collection.  He has generously offered to loan these collections 
to public museum at Waterloo if the citizens will provide a safe place 
for their care and protection.  Mr. Gruhlke has a shop where he carries 
on his work as an inventor and designer and is an interesting man to 
talk to, for he has an intelligent comprehension of mechanics in all 
the details and is well posted on the current events of the day.

	In 1879 Mr. Gruhlke married Almira Wheeler, who was born and 
reared in New York a daughter of Seth and Mary Wheeler, and she was 
living at Norwood, New York when she and Mr. Gruhlke were married.

	Mr. Gruhlke has taken a deep interest in local public affairs and 
served three years as a member of the Waterloo school board, being 
treasurer of the board the first year and president during the last 
year.  Fraternally he belongs to the Free and Accepted Masons and he 
and his wife are members of the Order of Eastern Star.  In 1893 Mr. 
Gruhlke started the publication of a monthly magazine called the 
American Archeologist , which, attained a wide circulation among the 
scientists and archeologist.  However, after he went into the 
manufacturing business his interests demanded his time to such an 
extent that he was compelled to give up the publication of the 
magazine, which he sold to Professor Warren K. Moorhead, of Andover 
College, the man who had charge of the government exhibit at the 
Colombian World’s Fair at Chicago, and one of the best posted men in 
his line in the country. The magazine was after wards merged with 
Popular Science published in New York city.  Mr. Gruhlke possesses 
business ability of a high order, as is emphasized by his business 
enterprises, and among his associates his advice and judgment are 
valued highly.  Personally he is a man of fine qualities for character, 
genial and unassuming, and he has won a host of warn personal friends 
in this community, where he has spent so many of his active years.

	In 1913 he reorganized the Waterloo Cigar Company, taking in his 
former foreman, Frank A. Stevens, as a partner, and they are now 
engaged in the manufacture of cigars and cigar bunch making machines.



Submitted by:

Arlene Goodwin

Auburn, Indiana

Agoodwin@ctlnet.com