Andrew Groff^[1]

1793 - 1877  (84 years)

• Name	Andrew Groff
  Born	18 Apr 1793	, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania   [2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]
  Gender	Male
  Land	Bef 1831	Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 007, Waterloo County, Ontario   [8]
  Occupation	1852	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [4]
  	farmer
  Occupation	1861	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	Farmer
  Residence	1861	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [5]
  	Mennonite
  Residence	Bef 1865	Lititz, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States   [9]
  Occupation	1871	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	Gentleman
  Residence	1871	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [6]
  	Mennonite
  Died	11 May 1877	Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2, 3, 7]
  Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region	Bef 2012	, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [10]
  Name	Andreas Groff
  Eby ID Number	00044-3340
  Buried	Martin Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [3]
  Person ID	I4021	Generations
  Last Modified	3 Mar 2025

  
  

  Father	John Graff,   b. Abt 1740, Earl Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Mother	Annie Moyer,   b. Abt 1740, Of, Earl Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Married	Earl Twp., Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania   [11]
  Family ID	F1289	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Annie Huber,   b. 15 Oct 1795, , Pennsylvania, USA ,   d. 19 Sep 1865, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 69 years)
  Married	1815	, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania   [11]
  Children	1. Catharine Groff,   b. 23 Mar 1816, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. Yes, date unknown   2. Isaac Groff,   b. 2 Mar 1818, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 2 Jun 1850, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 32 years)   3. Susannah Groff,   b. 13 Jul 1820, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 3 Apr 1887, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 66 years)   4. Nancy Groff,   b. 5 Oct 1822, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania ,   d. 8 Nov 1897, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 75 years)   5. Andrew H. Groff,   b. 26 Jul 1825, Near, Galt, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 26 Apr 1905, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 79 years)   6. John H. Groff,   b. 29 Sep 1827, Near, Galt, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 23 Aug 1908  (Age 80 years)   7. Abraham Groff,   b. 13 Oct 1829, Near, Galt, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 15 Feb 1885  (Age 55 years)   8. Martha Groff,   b. 1832, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown   9. Magdalena Groff,   b. 8 Apr 1832, Near, Galt, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 21 Jul 1856, Woolwich Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 24 years)   10. Jacob Groff,   b. 3 Apr 1834, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 3 Nov 1920  (Age 86 years)   11. Mary Ann Groff,   b. 19 Nov 1836, North Dumfries Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 25 Feb 1907  (Age 70 years)   12. Leah Groff,   b. 17 Aug 1839, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 18 Apr 1910  (Age 70 years)   13. Elizabeth Groff,   b. 24 Apr 1843, Near, Galt, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 13 May 1843, Near, Galt, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 0 years)   14. Anna Groff,   b. 1844, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. Yes, date unknown
  Last Modified	4 Mar 2025
  Family ID	F1292	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Children	1. Jacob Groff,   b. 3 Apr 1834, Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 3 Nov 1920  (Age 86 years)
  Last Modified	4 Mar 2025
  Family ID	F254912	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Andrew Groff

  
  

• Notes

  Andrew Groff, "son of John and Anna (Moyer) Graff, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, April 18th, 1793. His boyhood days were spent in acquiring a business education which proved of great benefit to him in later years. At the age of seventeen he made choice of the milling business as the most pleasing to his taste. His first years of apprenticeship were served in Earl Township where he remained until 1822 when he was induced by others to seek his fortune either in the West or in Canada. Being persuaded by one Joseph Mosser and others who were on the point of leaving for Canada, to join in with their company, he came to Waterloo in the fall of 1822 and found everything most satisfactory. As he was a miller by trade, old Abraham Erb wanted him to take charge of his grist mills which he intended to do after moving to Canada. After being here a short time and making arrangements to move to Canada he started again for Pennsylvania. Arriving at home in safety and spending a few weeks in visiting friends, he then set out for his new home. He left Pennsylvania with his wife and family of four children and made the trip to Canada in seventeen days. On his arrival at Waterloo in November, 1822, he was engaged by Abraham Erb to work on the saw mill where he remained three weeks, after which he entered the employ of Mr. Shade of Galt where he remained for nearly two years, and acquired a considerable amount of cash. He then purchased 200 acres of land half way between Preston and Galt and in a few years he was the proprietor of a store, tavern, grist mill, saw mill, and distillery, from all of which he soon realized quite a fortune, becoming one of the wealthiest men in the county. In 1848 he sold this property and purchased the farm of the late David Erb, north of the town of Waterloo, now in possession of his son Jacob. During the close of his life he lived on the place now possessed by Mr. F. Scheifle, a little to the north of the town of Waterloo. Here he died May 11th, 1877. He was married in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1815, to Annie, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Reist) Huber. She was born October 15th, 1795, and died in Waterloo County, Ontario, September 19th, 1865. They had a family of twelve children." Eby, Ezra E. (1895). A biographical history of Waterloo township and other townships of the county: being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin: as also much other unpublished historical information chiefly of a local character. Berlin [Kitchener, Ont.]: [s.n.]. _________________________________- SAMUEL GROFF. PRESIDENT NORTH WEST BUTTON CO. Mr. Samuel Groff, though not a native born Berliner, still is a son of the fine old County of which Berlin is the chief town. He comes of Pennsylvania German stock. His grand father was Andrew Groff who learned the trade of Miller in his home state-Pennsylvania. In 1822 he came to Waterloo and after a few years spent there and at Galt, he acquired a large tract of land near Preston, where he carried on farming, saw-milling, a grist mill, store, hotel and distillery and became one of the wealthiest men in the county. His eldest son, Isaac, was the father of the subject of this sketch, who was born near Freeport in 1847. He early entered mercantile life in the late J. Hoffman's store and was one of the earlier merchants in Berlin. He was head of the firm Groff and Hymmen for many years, a house that was among the largest in the county. Several years ago, he went to Winnipeg and at present he is president of the North West Button Co.2a Berlin Today 1806-1906 official souvenir _______________________________________________________ From the Region of Waterloo Hall of Fame website. The name of Groff in Waterloo in the nineteenth century was associated with the raising of Shorthorn cattle. Andrew Groff of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, settled in 1822 on 170 acres at the location of the Galt Country Club. He later owned a grist mill, general store, tavern and a distillery. In the 1840s the family moved to Waterloo where his sons and grandsons, with outstanding success, bred and raised Shorthorn cattle. A Knight of Warlaby, imported from Scotland, proved to be an outstanding sire. A son, A Baron of Waterloo," in 1882 was Grand Champion at the leading Canadian show at Kingston. In 1886 he was champion at Guelph. He was then sold to the Hon. George Brown. This bull sired what was probably the best show herd in Canada, winning awards on the American and Canadian show circuits. The Groffs were justifiably proud of their reputation as Shorthorn breeders.

  
  

• Sources

  [S3] Book - Vol I A Biographical History of Waterloo Township and other townships of the county : being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin..., 82. [S3] Book - Vol I A Biographical History of Waterloo Township and other townships of the county : being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin..., 721. [S64] Cemetery - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo City - Martin's Mennonite CC#4521 Internet Link. [S131] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo Twp. - 1851, div 3 pg 133. [S1943] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo North - 1861, Div. 9 Page 74. [S168] Census - ON, Waterloo, Waterloo North - 1871, Div. 3, Pg. 16. [S7] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Berliner Journal (1859-1917), 24 May 1877. Died 11 May 1877 At the home of his son, Jakob Groff, Waterloo Township, Andreas Groff died at the high age of 84 years, 23 days. He was born on April 18, 1793 in Lancaster Co., Pa.; he came to Canada in 1822 and settled between Preston and Galt where he lived for about 2 [S1322] Land - Founding Families of Waterloo Township 1800-1830, 28. [S32] News - Herald of Truth, November 1865 - Vol. II, No.11. On the 19th of Sept. in Waterloo Co. C.W., Anna, wife of Andrew Groff, sen. formerly of Litiz, Lancaster Co., Pa., aged 69 years, 10 mos., 25 days. [S220] Waterloo Region Hall of Fame Waterloo Region Hall of Fame. [S3] Book - Vol I A Biographical History of Waterloo Township and other townships of the county : being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin..., 720.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 18 Apr 1793 - , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania Married - 1815 - , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania Land - Bef 1831 - Waterloo Township - German Company Tract Lot 007, Waterloo County, Ontario Occupation - farmer - 1852 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Occupation - Farmer - 1861 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Mennonite - 1861 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Bef 1865 - Lititz, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States Occupation - Gentleman - 1871 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Residence - Mennonite - 1871 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 11 May 1877 - Waterloo Twp., Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Hall of Fame - Waterloo Region - Bef 2012 - , Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Martin Meeting House Cemetery, Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth