Muscatine County, Iowa FAMILY STORIES

THE GROSJEAN FAMILY

Submitted by George D.E. “Doc” Grosjean, May 11, 2023

This is a picture of the 3 Spence sisters. Their home was on Pond St in south end of Muscatine in a log house. Ruby (Spence) Kill, (Mary) Goldie (Spence) Ernst, and (Phoebe) Hazel (Spence) Rohde. They were the daughters of John and Sarah (Phillips) Spence. They had two other older sisters (Moddie and Maggie) who died in infancy. There was also an adopted sister named Annie (Bryant) Lawrence. (Mary) Goldie was the mother of (Sarah) Dorothy Ernst Grosjean.

This picture was taken in 1945. It is the picture is of (Sarah) Dorothy Ernst Grosjean mentioned in the first picture who was married to George Bernell Conrad Grosjean. They had three children (two shown here, I (George D.E. “Doc” Grosjean) wasn’t born yet when this picture was taken. George B.C. “Doc” Grosjean was drafted into the Navy. In civilian life he owned and operated two Phillips 66 stations before becoming district sales manager for Phillips 66. Family lore says that he was the model for the “Buddy” doll Phillips 66 made. He often dressed as a clown for new station openings.

This is a picture of the Ernst siblings (Sarah) Dorothy (Ernst) Grosjean and her brother John D. Ernst taken at 109 Pond St. In Muscatine. They were the children of Andrew and (Mary) Goldie (Spence) Ernst. Their grandmother Sarah Spence is in the background. (Sarah) Dorothy was mother to George “Doc” Duane Ernst Grosjean, Sandra (Grosjean) Holmes Carper, and Joan (Grosjean) Mathis. John served during World War II in the Army. He married Grace Silberhorn. He was the father of four children, Everrett, John Allen, Beatrice and Barbara.

This is the last picture of my dad and I that was taken before his passing (on Jan. 9, 1963). My father was George Bernell Conrad “Doc” Grosjean and I’m George Duane Ernst “Doc” Grosjean. Growing up we resided at 505 W. 3rd St. and then in third grade we moved to 917 Weir St. in Muscatine. The picture was taken in the summer of 1962 in Baraboo, Wisconsin when we had gone to the Barnum & Bailey Circus, our last trip together.

This picture is of the Grosjean siblings George Bernell Conrad “Doc” Grosjean, Bernice Grosjean and Lucille Grosjean. It was taken at “The Grosjean Home” which was on the corner of Lucas and Fletcher St. in Muscatine. They were the children of George W.T. and Lena (Pippert) Grosjean. Bernice married Walter “Jim” Mahraun. Lucille married Lieutenant Colonel Truman “Tru” Wigim.

These two pictures are of 1st Lieutenant Lucille (Grosjean) Wigim. She was a World War II Army Nurse. In the first picture was when she was being shipped out to New Guinea and the second picture is while she was there in New Guinea serving.

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Page created May 11, 2023 by Lynn McCleary