John F. Groff

Notes:

From Twentieth Century History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and Representative Citizens, by Roland D. Swoope, Jr., Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, 1911, page 630.
JOHN F. GROFF, who is owner and proprietor of a commodious and well kept public house at Ramey, Pa., the Hotel Ramey, and is also auditor of the borough, was born in Lancaster county, Pa., November 10, 1866, and is a son of Adam G. and Anna (Snyder) Groff. The parents of Mr. Groff were born also in Lancaster county, where they spent their lives. The father was both merchant and miller and was a well known man. Of their family of children, John F. is the eldest, the others being: Fred F.; Hannah, wife of H. M. Keen; Elizabeth S., wife of Dr. R. V. L. Raub, and William. John F. Groff had excellent educational opportunities afforded him, passing his earlier boyhood in the Lancaster county schools, afterward spending two years in the Millersville State Normal School and later taking a commercial course in the Weidler & Musser Business College, and then learned the milling business and followed the same for eighteen years. He is a man of very practical ideas and in order to get better acquainted with modern methods, he spent some time among the great milling plants in Northern Minnesota. He subsequently carried on a milling business at Quarryville for five years, and at Houtzdale for two years and then retired form the milling line and purchased his present hotel. Mr. Groff was married in May, 1895, to Miss Margaret Neilson Williams, a daughter of W. N. and Elizabeth (Jacobs) Williams, who were natives of Lancaster county, her father being a railroad man. Other children born to Mr. and Mrs. Williams were: Elizabeth, wife of Ralph Rapalee; Edward; Margaret, wife of Mr. Groff, as above mentioned; Anna, wife of George M. Brientnell; William; Rudolph; and Augusta, wife of W. B. Hoar. Mr. and Mrs. Groff have the following children: Eugene E., Edward D. W., Sena R., William A. and John J. Mr. and Mrs. Groff attend the Episcopal church, in which she was reared. He is identified with a number of fraternal organizations including: Tyrone Lodge, No. 212, F. & A. M., at Quarryville; the Elks at Tyrone, the Knights of Pythias at Houtzdale, and the Brotherhood of America. Politically Mr. Groff is a Republican and is active in public affairs both in borough and county. Both the Groff and Snyder families as well as the Williams and Jacob families have belonged to Pennsylvania for generations.

John married Margaret Williams in May 1895. Margaret (daughter of William N. Williams and Elizabeth B. Jacobs) was born about 1874 in Pennsylvania, USA. [Group Sheet]

Adam married Anna Snyder. Anna was born in Dec 1841 in , Lancaster Co, Pennsylvania, USA. [Group Sheet]