Grossenburg, John L. 1830-1922 and Melanie Stauffer Family

GROSSENBURG, STAUFFER, STOFFER

Posted By: Wilma J. Vande Berg - volunteer (email)
Date: 12/21/2021 at 05:04:51

Grossenburg, John L. (1830-1922) and Melanie Stauffer Family

This story was taken from the ‘Rock Valley Records & Recollections’ book written about 1976 in honor of the two hundredth birthday of our nation. It was a revision of the history written by Lottie Thomas in 1955. Story found on pages 42-44. It was transcribed for this BIOS by Beth De Leeuw of the Greater Sioux County Genealogical Society and some research notes were added.

John Grossenburg (Sr.) came from Switzerland and settled in Meemford, Wisconsin, where he married; to this union thirteen children were born. With his wife, Melanie, and their six living children, they came to Rock Valley and settled in Plato Township two miles west and two and one-half miles south of Rock Valley. The children were Lydia Grossenburg DeVos, William, Wilhemina (Minnie), John Jr., Martha Grossenburg Large, and Ann Grossenburg Elder.

John’s wife, Melanie, died at the age of fifty-nine, in 1891, shortly after the family had srrived here. Her tombstone is one of the older ones in Valley View Cemetery. After his wife’s death and after his children had grown to adulthood, John, Sr., with his unmarried son and daughter, William and Wilhemina, moved to Santa Ana, California. There he died in 1922 and was buried there.

John, Jr., upon marrying Mabel Hereshinger in 1894 or 95, moved to the present Grossenburg farm in Plato Township, Section 5 Northwest which is one mile west and two and one-half miles south of Rock Valley. They were the parents of six children who were all born in the present house.

The children are the twins, Leo and Leona (Mrs. Clyde Jones of Winner, South Dakota, Charles (now in the John Deere Implement business in Winner, South Dakota), Brenda (Mrs. Forrest Fowler of Brainerd, Minnesota), Marie (Mrs. Louis Hulton of Monte Sereno, California), and Johnny (who sells homes in Hill City, South Dakota). All these children, except Leo, are living.

John, Jr., rented the farm until 1913, when he bought it from the Gray Estate, which was in Astoria, Illinois, and stayed on the farm until he and his wife went to Winner to be with their family. They both died there, John Jr. in 1941 and Mabel in 1946, and both are buried there. While they were on the farm, in 1930, they made additions to the house and completely remodeled it. Also at that time, a big generator was bought so they could have the modern conveniences of electricity.

Their son, Leo, stayed on the farm and worked for his father until he was thirty-five years of age, except when he served in World War I. In 1931, he married Ethel Hilmers and they stayed on the farm helping his folks until the following year when they moved to Rock Valley, and Leo became a trucker until 1941.

At that time he moved his family to Winner to begin farming. After a year in Winner, the Grossenburgs moved back to Rock Valley, and Leo bought the family farm from his mother. Here he specialized in raising hogs. In 1963 Leo and Ethel retired to Rock Valley, where they lived until passing away. Leo died in 1970 and Ethel in 1975. Ethel and Leo had three sons, namely Rodney in the John Deere Implement business in Winner, South Dakota, Sydney on the home place, and David, who is with Lystad’s in Sioux City, Iowa.

Upon his parents’ retirement, Sydney and his wife of five years, Marie Koenen Grossenburg, started farming. Prior to that, Sydney had worked at Rock Valley Cement Block and Tile, and had also spent two years in the Marine Corps. Sydney continued in his father’s pattern of raising hogs, and in 1970 erected a fifty-unit farrowing house in which pigs are farrowed four times a year. In 1973 the old barn and out buildings were razed, and in their places a finishing house was built, this enabling Sydney to sell back feeder pigs and butchers. Sydney and Marie have three children, namely, Brett, Brian, and Jean Marie.

Above submitted by (Mrs. Sydney Grossenburg)

RESEARCH NOTES - added by Wilma J. Vande Berg, obits added by Beth DeLeeuw.

ANCESTRY.com has a family report submitted by other family members. The remarks in ( ) were added by the BIOS submitter.
John L. Grossenburg Sr. born Feb 1835 Switzerland (his birth year in other sources in 1830)
He died November 1922 at Santa Ana, California. His parents unknown.
His wife was Malanie Stauffer born 14 Dec 1831 Switzerland and died 2 Mar 1891 Rock Valley IA. There is a tombstone in the Valley View cemetery for Melanie who died 2 Mar 1891 age 59 years 2 months and 19 days, wife of J. (There are no local papers that recorded of her death or a county death record.)
Children listed were:
1.Louis J. Grossenburg born 1855 died 1881 Montort WI
2.Lydia Louisa Grossenburg bon 23 Mary 1856 Grant Co. WI or PA died 4 Jul 1941 Sioux Falls SD, Husband William Harrison De Voe 1848-1919, children William 1875, Orville 1876, Malanie 1878, Guy 1898 and Jay 1900.
3.John L. Grossenburg Jr. born Mar 1861 Wisconsin died 1941 Winner SD, wife Mabel 1872-1946, Children – Leo 1896, Charles 1897, Brenda 1899, Marie 1901 and John 1912.
4.Anna Grossenburg born 26 May 1861 Wisconsin died 1944 Glendale CA, husband Charles Melville Elder 1847, their children –Avisa 1896-1900 and Lewis Eugene 1903.
5.Minnie W. Grossenburg born Sep 1865 WI, died 1948 Santa Ana CA
6. William H. Grossenburg born Jun 1867 WI died 1936 Santa Ana CA
7. Freddie Grossenburg born 12 Nov 1870 died unknown
8. Martha M. Grossenburg bon 25 Sep1872/1873? WI died 1957, husband Isaac Samual Large 1868-1936 One child listed as ‘private’ (Martha’s obit lists a daughter Wilhemina Mrs. Henry Rath).

OBITUARY OF JOHN GROSSENBURG
From the Rock Valley Bee, November 10, 1922:
DEATH OF FORMER RESIDENT
Mrs. I.S. Large received a message Friday afternoon advising her of the death of her father, John Grossenburg, at his home in Santa Ana, California. No further particulars were given, but it is presumed that his death was due to paralysis, together with the natural decline of old age. Mr. Grossenburg was in his 93rd year. Had he lived until next February 21st, he would have been 93 years old. He had suffered strokes of paralysis before and had been in feeble health for some time past, which of course, might naturally be expected in one of his advanced years.
Mr. Grossenburg was a resident of Rock Valley and vicinity for many years, in fact he was one of the pioneers of this vicinity. He moved from Rock Valley to Santa Ana, California, some ten or twelve years ago and resided there until death claimed him.
Mr. Grossenburg leaves two sons and three daughters: John Grossenburg, Jr., of Rock Valley vicinity, and Wm. Grossenburg, of Santa Ana, California, and Mrs. I. S. Large of Rock Valley, Mrs. Anna Elder of Carter, S.D., and Miss Minnie Grossenburg of Santa Ana.
Mr. Grossenburg was a man who was highly respected by all who knew him, and his friends in Rock Valley will be sorry to learn of his death.
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FindaGrave.com has an entry that is probably him, despite an apparent slight age discrepancy: John L. Grossenburg, Sr., 1832-1922, buried in Fairhaven Memorial Park, Santa Ana, California.

OBITUARY OF MELANIE GROSSENBURG
Grossenburg, Melanie (Mrs. John L.) born 11 Dec 1831 Switzerland, died 2 Mar 1891 buried in Valley View cemetery at Rock Valley, Iowa. (no obituary was found in the papers.)
Note: From ancestry.com report - Her husband was John L. Grossenburg born 1827/1835 Switzerland died 1921/22 Santa Ana CA. They had a family of seven children.

No picture of the elder John L. and Melanie Grossenburgs was found in the local archives. If any family member has a picture or more ancestral information for the Grossenburgs please contact our page coordinator to add it to this BIOS.