My Genealogy Hound

JOHN GROTT. Among the citizens of Randolph County who have contributed their quota toward the development of their adopted land may be properly mentioned Mr. Grott, who for many years was an active farmer and is now living in retirement on section 10, township 7, range 7. He has been very prosperous in the pursuit of his calling, establishing what is considered one of the model farms in the county, and now that old age has come upon him, is enabled to retired from the arduous duties of life.

A native of Poland, our subject was born in Sarban, June 17, 1824, and was the youngest of five children born to the union of Andrew and Agnes (Kosma) Grott, the former of whom died when our subject was but two years old. The mother survived until 1852, when she departed this life, at the age of sixty years. While in the Old Country our subject served for three and one-half years in the Prussian army, that portion of the country in which he lived having fallen to that nation. While a resident of Poland he was engaged as a farmer, working on his father’s estate. On the death of the latter he sold his share in the property to his brother, receiving $4,000 for the same.

When reaching his twentieth year, Mr. Grott determined to come to America, and leaving Poland in April, 1854, landed at Quebec after an uneventful voyage. His destination being Chester, this state, he came by way of the Lakes to Chicago, thence by rail to La Salle, from which place he descended the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers by boat to that city, where he arrived July 12. His first work after coming here was on a plank road leading from Randolph to Chester. He was thus employed for about two months, receiving as his pay $1.25 per day, which was considered very good wages at that time. After the road was completed he was engaged in “grubbing,” and together with his partner he cleared about four hundred and seventy acres. When the property came into his possession, it was covered with wood and brush, but by hard work he succeeded in converting it into a valuable farm.

Previous to settling on his farm, however, our subject went to Texas in the employ of a railroad, but the climate and water did not agree with him and he became sick after a stay of two weeks in the south, as did all the other workmen, and in a month’s time they were unable to work.

On his return from Texas Mr. Grott began working for Jacob Convall, in whose employ he remained for two years. At the end of that time he worked out by the day on the farm of Fritz Buchman, with whom he remained for seven years. Following this he rented two hundred and forty acres of land for one year, after which he purchased the first eighty acres of his present possessions. To this was later added twenty-nine and one-half acres, and since that time he has increased his acreage with a tract of one hundred and twenty acres, making in all a valuable estate of two hundred and twenty acres.

In Kaskaskia, November 25, 1866, Mr. Grott married Miss Wilhelmena, daughter of Stephen and Julia Grooste, now residents of Chester. By their marriage were born nine children, namely; Amel, Roman, John, Joseph, Celia, Andrew, Albert, Mary and Rudolph. Amel and John are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Grott, together with their family, are members of the Roman Catholic Church in Chester, of which our subject has been Trustee since 1877. In politics he is a Democrat, but does not hesitate to vote for the best man, regardless of party. He attended the World’s Fair in Chicago, which was the first time he had visited the Garden City since his advent into the state in 1854. Then there were but a few houses in that now great city, and the present site of the Union depot was a large marshy tract of land.