GEORGE CONRAD
George Conrad came to Cass county in 1854, and located near the site of Grove City. In 1860, he opened the first regular store in that embryoic city, on the very small capital of thirty-five dollars. His counter was a walnut slab, and the first sale was that of a paper of saleratus, for which he received the sum of fifteen cents. During the year, his stock slowly increased, and in later years, he added dry goods and notions to his grocery stock. He removed to Atlantic on the founding of that city, in 1868, where he entered into the dry goods business. In this he achieved a competency, and has now retired from the active pursuits of life, and lives in retirement, employing his time in looking after his large property. He is a native of Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, and was born September 16, 1829, near the village of Middletown, not far from Harrisburg. He is the son of George and Mary (Singer) Conrad, who were both natives of the "Keystone State," of Dutch descent. In early life, Mr. Conrad removed with his parents to Wooster county, Ohio, where he was reared. He, while there, engaged in nearly all kinds of business, principally staging and running on the cars. He was married in Cass county, on the 20th of June, 1858, to Elizabeth Donner, a daughter of one of the early settlers of Pymosa township, by whom he has two children.
Contributed by Lisa Varnes-Rex from "History of Cass County, Iowa. Together With Sketches of its Towns, Villages and Townships, Educational, Civil, Military and Political History: Portraits of Prominent Persons, and Biographies of Old Settlers and Representative Citizens." Springfield, Ill.: Continental Historical Company, 1884, pg. 838.
