Beginning as a poor boy at six dollars a month, which he contributed
to the support of his mother and sisters, Herman Grosenheider developed
a spirit of courage and self-reliance which has made him one of the
substantial farmers of Macoupin county. He was born in Westphalia,
Germany, February 2, 1846. His father died when the son was quite young,
but the mother nobly assumed the responsibility of rearing a family of
eight children. At different times during the ’50s two sons and two
daughters of Mrs. Grosenheider emigrated to America and their reports
were so favorable that in 1860 she started for the new world with the
remainder of her family. They came to Cahokia township, Macoupin county,
and one of the sons, who'was grown to manhood, took charge of the farm
upon which they settled and assisted the mother in looking after the
younger members of the household.
Herman Grosenheider was
fifteen years of age when he arrived in the region which became his
home. He received his preliminary education in his native land and soon
after taking up his residence in Macoupin county hired out as a farm
hand, contributing his wages to the support of the family. In his
nineteenth year he began saving money on his own account and a year
later purchased eighty acres of raw prairie land in Cahokia township and
with his mother as housekeeper began farming upon his own account. Upon
starting in his life work independently, he lived in a humble dwelling
on the prairie about one and one-half miles from his farm and here
continued until he had paid for the place. He now owns a comfortable and
well furnished home, supplied with the conveniences and many of the
luxuries of modern life. His farm comprises two hundred and ninety acres
and is one of the most attractive properties of the size in this part of
the county.
On April 20, 1867, Mr. Grosenheider was married to
Miss Sophia Brush, who was born in Germany and came to Macoupin county,
Illinois, about five months before her marriage. Six children have been
born to this union, namely: Ida, who is the wife of August Marburger, a
merchant of Mount Olive; Mary, who married Henry Melchert, a butcher of
Mount Olive; Sophia, the wife of Herman Johnson, who is engaged in the
mercantile business at Mount Olive; and Louis, Herman and Edward, all of
whom are at home.
Mr. Grosenheider and his family are members of
the Evangelical Lutheran church, the faith in which he was reared and
from which he has never departed. In politics he is in hearty sympathy
with the republican party, whose principles of tariff and concentration
of authority appear to him highly important in the progress of the
nation. Although born in a foreign land, he has spent most of his life
in the United States and is in thorough accord with the spirit of the
institutions of his adopted country. Here he has prospered and while so
doing has assisted materially in the upbuilding of the section with
which he has for fifty years been closely identified.
Extracted 15 Nov 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 376-377.
Macoupin County ILGenWeb Copyright
Design by
Templates in Time
This page was last updated
07/01/2022