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The Groff Family

Variations: Graf, Graff, Groh, Groff, Grove

The following information is copied from The Groff Book Part 1 and American Groff Families Part 2. In these books, the line of Martin Groff was referred to as the “L” line so it is here, also.

The descendants of Martin GROFF are too numerable to fit this page. Please download this text file for more information on the individuals that appear on this page and for names of their descendants.

FIRST GENERATION
L Martin GROFF* b. abt. 1690. He m. Catherine BEAR* who was b. abt. 1695 and d. aft. 3 Jul. 1754.

Martin may be the son of Marx GRAF who was baptised 2 Nov 1640 at Bäretswil, Canton Zurich, Switzerland. In 1649, Marx was living in Wirzwil with his five siblings and his Anabaptist parents, Jacob GRAF and Anna SPÖRRI. In 1651, the family moved near Sinsheim, which is now in Germany. On 26 Apr.1716, Marx’s widow lived in Steinsfurt, Germany.

Martin Groff (L) was named "my affectionate brother" in the will of Hans Groff. In 1755 he was a trustee with Christian Wenger of The Groffdale Mennonite Church. He served with Henry Landis, who married Fronica Groff, as guardian of the minor children of Jacob Groff (C) and of Jacob Groff (E1). It is believed that some of the orphaned married the children of Martin Groff (L).

After 1751, Martin served as the guardian of his three grandsons, children of Barbara (L1) and Peter Eby. During the last year of his life he assigned a mortgage4 of £ 75 to his son-in-law Abraham Groff, tailor of Earl Twp., for "use of orphans of Peter Eby." Martin Groff (L) shines through the dry pages of court house records as a compassionate and caring man, everyone's favorite relative, and the matchmaker of a large family.

The children of Martin and Catherine include: Barbara (L1), Joseph (L2), Christian (L3), Anna (L4), Elizabeth (L5), Mary (L6), Jacob (L7), Frena/Feronica (L8) and Mark (L9).

SECOND GENERATION
L1 Barbara GROFF* b. abt. 1719 and d. aft. 1761. In 1740, she m. widower Peter EBY*, who was b. abt. 1690 (See EBY A2). Martin Groff (L) was appointed in 1751 as guardian over his grandsons, Dorst, Martin, and John Eby. By 13 Dec1750, Barbara (L1) had married Dewald LICHTY (also Leighty, Lighty), whose name appeared on the tax list of Lebanon Twp. in 1755. Dewalt Lightly died in Lebanon Twp. in Jan 1791, leaving a grandson, John SHALLENBERGER.

Barbara had several children with Peter Eby (see EBY page for info on them) : Anna Barbara* (L11), Dorst (L12), John (L13), Martin (L14).

Barbara also had a child with Dewald Leighty: Barbara (L15).

L2 Joseph GROFF was b. abt. 1722 and inv. 7 Nov. 1776. He m. at meeting Catherina GROFF, who was b. abt. 1726.
Joseph was a yeoman and he was the first named son on the release by the heirs of Martin Groff (L) to his brother Jacob (L7), who was named in his father’s will dated 3 Jul. 1754, to inherit the homestead in Earl Twp.

L3 Christian GROFF

There is no known proof of which Christian Groff is the "real" ' son of Martin Groff (L). The author of American Groff Families Part 2 states in his book that he believes that the Christian Grove (who was F5 in the first Groff book) whose will was proved 27 Jul. 1786 in Woodstock, Va was the son of Martin and that the Christian Groff listed in the 1770 tax list of Lampeter Twp, Lanc. Co, Pa as “freeman (single) and poor man” was F5.

This Christian Grove, in 1756, purchased 225 acres from John Lionberger on the Big Hawksbill Creek near Luray, Va. The tract was divided between his sons Christian (L37) and Samuel (L39).

When the heirs of Martin Groff (L) released property to Jacob Groff, Christian Graffe (L3) signed an X as his mark on 2 Mar. 1761, which was affirmed by witnesses John Thome and David Stout on 15 Jun. 1763. Christian Grove’s will was dated 9 Jun. 1786, to which he signed an X as his mark.

In 1765, Chrisitan Grove bought 116 acres on the north branch of the Shenandoah River from Joseph Rodes, his brother-in-law, whose father John Rodes, a Mennonite preacher, was killed there by Indians in 1764. This farm was inherited by son John Grove (L34).

L4 Anna GROFF b. abt. 1726. She m. bef 1761 Christian NEWCOMER and lived in Bethel Twp in 1775.

L5 Elizabeth GROFF b. abt. 1728 and she m. bef. 1761 Andrew LIVINGSTON.

L6 Mary GROFF b. abt. 1730. She m. Peter BECKER. In the Groff Book 1 the Peter Becker whose will was proved on 3 Feb. 1785, was identified as Mary’s husband and his children as her children. However, the research of Charles R. Clemson1 proves that this Peter Becker was m to Susanna Holtzbaum on 18 Nov. 1735 by Rev. John Casper Stoever.

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L7 Jacob GROFF b. abt. 1732. Pictured above is the 151-acre home plantation in Earl Twp., that he inherited from his father in 1761.

Jacob had several children: Fronica (L71), Martin (L72), Henry (L73), Peter (L74), Margaret (L75), Jacob (L76).


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The fraktur pictured above shows the birthdates of the wife and children of Jacob Groff's (L7) descendant, Martin Groff (L72).


L8 Frena/Feronica GROFF b. abt. 1734. By 1761, she m. Abraham GROFF, tailor, of Earl Twp. He was b. abt. 17251 or 17352. He was naturalized on 18 Jun. 1765. Feronica and Abraham had 7 children.

L9 Mark GROFF b. abt. 1736 and d. 29 Sept. 1808 in Lower Massnutten, Va.

Mark was the youngest son of this large family, and received "my ould Bibelle" in his father's will. Although the inventory of Martin Groff was dated 9 Aug. 1759, the will was not probated until 1760. They may have waited until Mark reached age twenty-one to avoid the complications of minor heirs.

Mark was married to Susan RHODES bef. 25 Sept. 1765, when a deed from the heirs of her father gave him tracts of 120 and 68 acres on the south side of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in Frederick, now Page County, Virginia. Susan was b. abt. 1740 and d. abt. 1770. Susan's parents, Hans ROTH and Catharine ALBRIGHT, had been killed by Indians on 31 Aug. 1764, along with some of their younger children.

The name of Marks Grove is on the list of Captain Michael Reader's Company of Militia in the Revolutionary War Records of Shenandoah County, Virginia, which was created from Frederick, now Page, County in 1772. He was a farmer and lived with his large family just east of Massanutten Mountain on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River in what is now Page County, Virginia.

Susan Rhodes Groff was probably the mother of the first five children of Mark Groff (L9): David (L91), Barbara (L92), Martin (L93), John (L94) and Christian (L95).

The second wife was Maria GRAFF, a cousin from Pennsylvania. She was probably the daughter of Jacob Groff (El). She must have been bom just before or after her father's death about 1740, if she were the mother of Mark's sixth through eleventh children, who were bom between 1772 and 1786: Mary (L96), Nancy (L97), Susannah (L98), Anna (L99), Samuel (L90), Elizabeth (L9a).

The third wife of Mark Grove (L9) was Susanna ???, the mother of at least the three youngest children. She dated her will 10 May 1813, in Shenandoah County, Virginia, naming Daniel (L9b), Joseph (L9c), and Frainey (L9d) as "my youngest children" and heirs.

Mark Grove died intestate 19 Sept. 1808, and is buried on the old Rhodes farm.

Below is a picture of one of Mark Grove's descendants, Frances Brumback Grove (L96a), b. 1814 and d. 1880. She was the wife of Emanuel Grove.

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Questions? Comments? Recognize any names? Email me!

kmcguinness@angelfire.com

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The asterick (*) denotes a direct ascendant of mine.