CAPT. JOSEPH GROFF - 19TH CENTURY MAN

***NOTE: New data-information added in 2007*** Joseph Groff came from Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the first quarter of the 19th century. He was a man of great skills, abilities and foresight. He overcame personal problems and hardships to build his family a very good future.
 

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Click on the line of 30 other family stories to learn about Alice's first published book LEGENDS - FAMILY STORIES & MYTHS: Learn about 30 other family stories, how the truth was learned and what sources were used. Second book out in 2007, "The Invincible Alice", also at Lulu Publishing. The Legends book is also available in paperback form from I-Proclaim Publishing - use a search engine to locate I-Proclaim and check non-fiction section for LEGENDS - FAMILY STORIES & MYTHS..

    The Groff family name is more than likely from Switzerland, possibly near the German border.  When Joseph Groff's ancestors first came to America and where they settled remains unknown.  The names of his parents and any brothers/sisters are also unknown.  So the beginnings of this Groff family start with Joseph Groff.
    He was born October 20, 1821 in New London, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (based on his information on 1880 and 1900 census).  This is an area traditionally know for its Pennsylvania Dutch settlers (those from Germany).  There are also many other Groff families in the area.  Handed down in family tradition was that Joseph had a twin but nothing has been found to prove this family tale.

  

    Joseph Groff enlisted on August 20, 1861 as a 1st Lt. of Co. "B" 1st Potomac Home Brigade of the Maryland Infantry  Regiment of  volunteers. Also enlisting for three years was William S. Groff as a private for Co. "B" 1st Potomac Home Brigade. The regiment had been commenced at Frederick City on August 15, 1861. Father and son  reported to service in the Union Army on September 6, 1861.  Between September, 1861 and April, 1862 it was lead by General Banks.  Some of the earliest duties included guarding the line of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad near the Shenandoah Valley.  In time the regiment was driven out of the Valley, with most of their forces concentrated in the Harper's Ferry area.  With the defeat of General Pope's forces at the Second Battle of Bull Run, the regiment was then forced to surrender the garrison they were guarding at Harper's Ferry on September 15, 1862.  Both Groff men were taken prisoner along with the rest of the regiment but one day later all the captured Union soldiers were paroled by the Confederates and exchanged for their own soldiers.  The regiment was then assigned to duty along the Potomac in the southern part of Maryland.
    Over the next 9 months Joseph was able to return to Frederick several times on leave to see his family.  By February 10, 1863 he was given the rank of captain.  Then on February 25, 1863, another daughter, Fannie W. Groff, was born.  But within just a few months one of the biggest battle of the war was about to take place just about 50 miles north of Frederick.
    Just prior to heading for Gettysburg, on May 20, 1863, Capt. Groff was on guard duty with his Company "B" at Chapel Point in Charles County, Maryland.  That evening several soldiers were sent by Capt. Groff to parole along the nearby Potomac River.  Three soldiers; Sylvester Stockman, his brother, Lattimer Stockman and Charles Keeler approached  three men in a feed shed and told them to surrender.  Two of the Confederates, Simpson and Brown surrendered right away but the third, Watt Bowie, managed to escape.  The Union parole took their two prisoners back towards company headquarters when another fellow came up to the group and joined them thinking they were some friends of his.  By the time he realized his mistake, he too, was captured by the Union soldiers.  The last prisoner taken that evening was Confederate Major Charles C. Hume (but his rank was unknown to the Union soldiers).  Continuing on the march back to headquarters Major Hume asked about the Union command the three soldiers belonged to when his mind raced to previous events months earlier.  He exclaimed to Capt. Groff's troops that they had been taken prisoners themselves at Harper's Ferry by Confederate troops and had not been exchanged.  Major Hume yelled, "I will kill you all" and pulled out a hidden pistol and fired at Sylvester Stockman, wounding his hand.  Sylvester was able to fire back but so did Hume and this time both fell died from the shots.  Lattimer Stockman and Charles Keeler were able to keep the other prisoners under control and get them back to Union headquarters.
    The Confederate General Robert E. Lee was moving his Armies northward from Virginia into Maryland and was ready to move into Pennsylvania by June of 1863.  There was a great deal of concern by the local citizens around Frederick and into Hanover, Pennsylvania of the Confederate Army taking their towns.  At the same time two regiments, The First Regiment Potomac Home Brigade of Maryland lead by Colonel William P. Maulsby and the 115th New York Volunteers lead by Colonel J. H. Ketcham were making a long and painful march from Baltimore, via Frederick City to reach Gettysburg.  They arrived at 8 a.m. on July 2nd.  Early on  July 1, 1863, the Union cavalry patrols were on the roads northwest of Gettysburg watching for any Confederate troops.  It was then that shots were fired on the Union troops, west of Gettysburg along the Chambersburg Pike.  The Union soldiers were outflanked and driven back to Seminary Ridge and to higher ground.  That first day alone saw thousands of Northern troops killed, injured or taken prisoner.  The second day of fighting centered in the areas south of Gettysburg (Little Round Top, Culp's Hill, Cemetery Hill, and Devil's Den).  Again the push of the Rebels kept the Yankees in place.  Near midnight of July 2nd, a skirmish between both sides broke out as soldiers from both sides tried to get water for their canteens at Spangler's Spring which was near Culp's Hill.
    During the early morning hours of Friday, July 3, 1863, Colonel Maulsby's regiment (First Potomac Home Brigade of Maryland) were selected to engage the enemy within the woods.  The woods were entered and the enemy engaged then driven back behind a stone wall, which was nearly parallel with the turnpike.  During the battle, while leading his men at Spangler's Spring, Capt. Joseph Groff was wounded by a bullet in the right foot.  But there was no time to remove the bullet, only time enough to put a dressing over the wound.  The regiment had 80 men killed or wounded and their ammunition was in short supply. The Brigade Commander of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Henry H. Lockwood, wrote in his report, "I cannot too strongly comment the courage and good conduct of every officer and man engaged in this fearful enterprise."
    There would be continuous fighting on both sides during the day.  The Confederacy with Pickett's Charge would see that there was tremendous fighting by both sides for many hours. Gunfire, cannons and hand to hand fighting continued until the Union reinforcements arrived and the Confederates withdrew. It rained all day of July 4th and then on the 5th, General Lee retreated his remaining Northern Virginia Army southward.  The casualties for both sides were about 50,000 men over those three bloody days.
    The regiment marched with the Army of the Potomac in pursuit of General Lee as far as the Potomac River, when it was then assigned to guarding the line of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad.  During that time there were many skirmishes with the Confederates and the First Potomac Home Brigade of Maryland.  By July of 1864, when General Early invade Maryland, the regiment took an active part in checking the Confederate advance, and part of the regiment fought in the Battle of Monocacy under General Wallace.
    Capt. Joseph Groff was given permission to return to his home in Frederick, since it was so close to Gettysburg, to have a surgeon remove the bullet.  This would offer him the time to mend his wound.  He returned to his company and active duty by September 2, 1863.  But within the next year the effect of explosives had caused deafness in Joseph's ears.  He was also unable to do physical labor after a year.  By September 6, 1864 (even while the war still waged on), Joseph was released from his three year military service and then honorably discharged in Washington, D.C. in December, 1864.  His son, William, was not injured during his three years of service and was mustered out of his company at Harper's Ferry on September 6, 1864. NOTE: Capt. Groff kept the bullet that was removed from his leg and it has been handed down to his descendants, through William's side of the family. Also handed down was the revolver Capt. Groff used during the War.

SOURCES:   Written information submitted by Capt. Groff to apply for his military pension.  Books:  "The American Heritiage Book on American Civil War" by Bruce Catton, "History of the Hume Family", page 122-123.    History of Maryland Infantry Units (http;//www.civilwararchives.com/Unreghst/),  John A. Heseltine - "Col. William Maulsby's Report on Gettysburg" and "Brig. Henry Lockwood's Report on Gettyburg".  "Answering the Call: The Organization & Recruiting of the Potomac Home Brigade, Maryland Volunteers, Summer & Fall, 1863" by Keith O. Gary.

    Between 1865 to 1867, Joseph operated a brickyard in Frederick at the southeast corner of Eighth and Market Streets.  The clay was dug from a quarry near the livery stable.  The bricks were used to build many new homes on the east side of the 700 block of North Market Street.  He built 17 years later a brick house for his daughter (Fannie) and her family at 738 North Market Street.
    Joseph was able to purchase 28 acres of land northwest of Frederick when a German stock company named Deutsches Scheatzen Gesellschaft needed to sell their property.  Besides the land there was a clubhouse and a beer garden.  After Joseph's purchase of the land he turned it into a farm to produce vegetables for his clients at the Groff Hotel in town.  The land was renamed Groff Park and greenhouses were also built to grow flowers.  This operation was run by David Groff in the 1870's.  The Groff family sometimes lived at the Groff Hotel and other times at the clubhouse in Groff Park.
    Joseph and Susan had other children after the war.  After Joseph's leave from the service, a daughter, Ida Legget Groff was born on October 21, 1865 in Frederick.  On July 10, 1867, Nannie Groff was born in Frederick.  Then on Friday, July 1, 1870, the youngest daughter named Josephine Smith Groff, but nicknamed Josie, was born.  The last child, a son, was born July 29, 1872 in Groff Park.  His name was Charles Benjamin Groff.  But Joseph's health still had not improved since he left the military service in 1864.  So in November 1879 he started gathering the necessary records to apply for a federal government pension for his military service.  It would take many years of continual forms to be completed but towards the end of the 19th century Capt. Groff was receiving of $15.00 per month.  Even after Joseph's death, his widow, Susan was able to collect a widow's pension of $12.00 per month until her death years later.
    With many young children still to raise, Joseph felt he needed a larger home in town.  He traded his 28 acres of Groff Park for land on the northwest corner of  Seventh and North Market Streets.  The area covered 707 to 709 North Market Street and additional homes were on West Seventh Street.
    His new Groff House was started in 1884 using bricks made by the brickyard he had started in Frederick.  Greenhouses were also built at the back end of the property for flower production and were maintained by David Groff.  The architect for the Groff House was Joseph Taylor from Emmetsburg, Maryland.  From his brickyards at Eighth and Market Streets Joseph  was able to provide the building material at a low cost for the massive house.  The home was true Victorian style with many large rooms and windows all around.  The front yard had several large trees to help shade the front of the house.  Then a short distance from the front yard stood a circular fountain, spraying water a couple feet into the air.  The grand Groff House and the fountain in front made the entire area became a showpiece within the town.  It would be ten years after the house was started before the Groff family actually moved into their new large home.

            GROFF HOUSE                                                                                                            ABT. 1915

    Capt. Groff's first two children, William Sheldon and Rebecca, had been on their own for a number of years. One family story was that Capt. Groff stopped in Woodsboro on his way to Gettysburg in 1863 to kiss his daughter good-bye.  Rebecca married Milton Warner on November 5, 1872 at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Middletown, Maryland.  Milton was born May 8, 1845 in Maryland. Milton and Rebecca had five children: William Milton Warner (1879-1940), Susan R. Warner (1888 - 1987), Joseph F. Warner (1886 - 1933), Lillie May Warner (1876 - 1948), and Margaret C. Warner (1874 - 1915). **NOTE - e-mail Alice for more details on the Warner Family** The couple were given a 2-story framed house and its property from her father's 1903 will.  It was located between 6th & 7th Street in Frederick. Milton lived until April 29, 1906 and then Rebecca lived with her grown children. She lived until July 26, 1937 (living in Johnsville, MD).   After William Sheldon's service in the Civil War, he settled in Reading, Pennsylvania.  He married first ALICE ENGLE, in 1866 but she died about 1868. William then married Maggie E. Connor on April 7, 1872.   First child was Viola Virgina Groff, born Jan. 22, 1875 in Ashland, PA. Second, Ella Maud Groff. born July 22, 1877. His first son, named Charles Joseph Groff, was born about Dec. 16, 1880 in Frederick, MD. A second son was George Heber Groff, born Jan. 9 1887, back in Ashland, PA. Another daughter may be SARAH SHELTON GROFF, born 1883 (but that is not proven yet).  William worked with fabric, covering furniture and making mattresses. William lived in Frederick, MD and later in Berks Co., PA. He died Sept. 19, 1899 in Ashland of "consumption - TB".
     His son, Charles, remained in Reading and married Henoietta Ellen Seitzinger.  She was born November 28, 1881 in Northampton County in Pennsylvania.  Two daughters were born to Charles and Henoietta (known as Nettie).  The oldest was Carolyn M. Groff, born May 27, 1905 in Ashland, Pennsylvania.  The second daughter was Virginia Louise Groff,  born November 10, 1908 in Reading, Pennsylvania.
     Charles' occupation in Reading was that of a coal dealer. Carolyn married about 1924 (the man's name is unknown) and the couple divorced in early 1927.  Carolyn's second husband was Raymond E. Fehr, whom she married on April 7, 1927 in Berks County, Pennsylvania.  He was also a wholesale coal man in Reading and lived at 940 N. 4th Street.  Virginia married John Thomas Routzahn on September 19, 1932 in Wyomissing, PA. and they lived in Middletown, Maryland.  Viriginia and John had a son named John, Jr. born on July 1, 1939 in Frederick and a daughter born on March 4, 1942, named Caroline Ann.  Henrietta died in 1929 in Reading.  Charles lived many more years and died in 1945 in Pennsylvania.  Carolyn lived until August 1980 in Reading, Pennsylvania and Virginia in Middletown, Maryland until her death in February 1987.  Carolyn's husband lived until March 1968 and Virginia's husband lived until December 25, 1999 in Middletown.

    Raising eight children, running several businesses, maintaining properties and being a town leader kept Capt. Groff very busy for years.  One interesting business was a roller skating rink built at Groff Hall in the mid-1880s. There was already one for 'whites' to use but none for 'blacks'. So Joseph had Groff Hall redesigned as a skating rink for the 'colored people' of Frederick. The new popular sport / entertainment was a passing 'fad' and was soon replaced with bicycles.   Groff's war injuries did slow him down some but not his spirit.  He instilled in his three sons and five daughters a sense of pride and hard work.   His  son, David Groff, was the floriculturist, working and maintaining the Groff greenhouses from the 1880's until 1918 at Seventh and North Market Street.  The greenhouses covered an area of 15,000 square feet of glass and contained roses, carnations and many other types of flowers.  David was a member of the Floricultural Society.  He then sold the business to his brother, Charles.  David never married but had a great interest in the Junior Fire Engine Company in Frederick and devoted his retirement years to its welfare. David died August 31, 1937 in Frederick.
    The second child of Capt. and Susan Groff was Jennie Groff who married William E. Ranels in the mid-1880's.  Jennie and William made their home in Hagerstown, Maryland and had two children, Susan Ranels (birth date unknown) and William Ranels, who was born July 30, 1886.  Jennie was a widow when she died in 1936.  She had fallen on ice near her home at 33 Summit Avenue in Hagerstown and had not recovered from the effects of the fall when she died on January 17, 1936 at her home.
    John Groff was their third child and the one who was a policeman with the Metro Police Department in Washington, D. C. starting in January 12, 1901.  He served between 1915 and 1921 as police security at the White House under President Woodrow Wilson and President Warren G. Harding. In September 1913, John even saved the life of President Wilson by stopping a car on the road from hitting the President as he crossed the street one evening. Before coming to Washington John married a Frederick girl, Caroline Miller on November 23,1892. They had lost a son born before the 20th century and then they divorced about 1905. He remarried to Mamie Eva Hesser (from Virginia) on September 12, 1906 and 'possibly' had a child in either late 1920 or early 1921.  But John died (possibly a heart attack) while on duty at the White House on December 14, 1921. It is unknown what became of Mamie Groff and their child. Only thing known is that Mamie did remarry to Archie W. Smith on December 17,1925.
    Fannie W. Groff married Richard Cromwell Dudrear on January 25, 1882 (based on Groff bible) in Frederick, Maryland.  They had four children, Charles R. C. Dudrear, born October 21, 1884 in Frederick, Susan Dudrear born April 1887, Nannie Groff Dudrear born July 13, 1893, and Josie Dudrear born August 23, 1883.  Richard died before his wife, Fannie.  Fannie died September 11, 1953 in Lansdowne, Maryland at her granddaughter's home (Susan Grim) from complications following a short illness.  She was over 90 years old. NOTE: More details available about Baumgardner and Dudrear families, contact Alice.
    Very little is known of Ida Legget Groff who was born October 21, 1865 to Joseph and Susan Groff.  She looked after her mother at the Groff House.  After her mother, Susan, died in 1911, Ida married in October 1914 to Charles Warren Taylor. Unfortunity, he soon became a widower on February 6,1919 when Ida died (it may have be the 'Spanish flu').
    Nannie Groff was born July 10, 1867.  She never married and lived her whole life at 700 North Market Street in Frederick.  Two other Groff female members were later named Nannie:  a daughter of Fannie Groff Dudrear in 1893 and a granddaughter of Josie S. Groff Everhart in 1915.  Nannie Groff died after a short illness on May 29, 1948.
    Josephine Smith Groff was nicknamed "Josie" and born on July 1, 1870 in Frederick, Maryland.  Josie met Charles J. Everhart (who was from Manchester, MD) while he worked part-time selling tickets at Groff Hall when it was a roller ring in the mid-1880s. She married Charles Jacob Everhart from Manchester, Maryland on June 5,1890 in the Groff House in Frederick and lived in Manchester several years.  They had only son, whom they named David Groff Everhart, born September 8, 1890 in Manchester.  Charles was a cigar maker in Manchester and later moved to a farm in Lewistown, Maryland.  When Josie and Charles were ready to retire about 1919, they moved to Frederick and lived in the large house of their son, David and his family.  Josie suffered several strokes in the mid-1930's and needed continual care provided by her daughter-in-law, Eva Bixler Everhart.  Eva died very young of kidney problems in 1940.  Charles and David were left to care for Josie.  Josie died July 11, 1942 at 707 North Market Street in Frederick.  Her son, David suffered a heart attack (stroke) in December 1944 and died also. He was buried in National Arlington Cemetery with full military honors (having served as a captain during World War I).  Charles Everhart continued living in Frederick under the care of his grandson, David Everhart Jr. for many more years and died a month less the age of 94 years on August 19, 1956. Josie & Charles were buried in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Frederick.

                                 Top Row: Ida & Fannie         (GROFF SISTERS)      Bottom Row:  Josie, Jennie & Nannie

 

    Capt. Joseph Groff was a well known and respected citizen of Frederick.  He lived until February 12, 1903 in his landmark Groff House in Frederick.  He was 82 years old.  In his will, dated June 6, 1902, he gave his daughter, Rebecca a house and property in Frederick and all the rest of estate went to his wife Susan.  His wife, Susan, carried on the care of the Groff family and the house until her death on March 11, 1911.  She was a few days short of her 83rd birthday.  Family members continued to live at the Groff House, including the daughter, Nannie Groff until her death in May 1948.  The home was then sold and converted into a radio station.  It became the "WFMD BUILDING" for over 17 years.  The radio station moved out in 1968 and the house was vacant for years.  The house began to deteriorate due to lack of care.  The Foundation Medical Center Inc. had plans in 1972 to purchase the house and land and renovate the building into medical offices.  But the final decision by the Foundation was to tear down the house completely.  It was destroyed on March 1973 and nothing to date has been built on the land. The fountain across the street still remains in Frederick. There are new townhouses built near the corner now where the Groff House once stood.