John Grubb
John Grubb | |
|---|---|
| Member, Provincial Assembly | |
| In office 1692 and 1698 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 15, 1652 Stoke Climsland, Cornwall |
| Died | March 1708 Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania |
| Residence(s) | Brandywine Hundred, Delaware |
| Profession | Tanner |
John Grubb (1652 - 1708) was a two-term member of the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly who was one of the original English settlers in Brandywine Hundred, Delaware, in what became known as Grubb's Landing. Grubb founded a large tannery that continued in operation for over 100 years. He was also one of the 150 signers of the Concessions and Agreements for Province of West Jersey.[1]
Born in Stoke Climsland, Cornwall, he was the 4th son of Henry Grubb Jr. and Wilmot (maiden name unknown). Henry was an early Quaker who was imprisoned several times for his beliefs.[2] With no chance of being established in his home village, John came to West Jersey in 1677 on the Kent, the first ship of settlers organized by William Penn. By 1682, he acquired a one-third interest in a 600-acre (2.4 km2) tract on Naaman's Creek in Brandywine Hundred where he built his tannery. John was one of the early settlers who greeted William Penn when he arrived in New Castle, before he founded Philadelphia.[1]
Political career
In 1692, Grubb was elected to a one year term in the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly representing New Castle County one of the three lower counties that ultimately became Delaware. The major issue that year was a dispute over the need for military defenses. The three lower counties were unsuccessful in overcoming Quaker opposition to military appropriations. The next year, John did not return to the Assembly and was appointed Justice of the Peace. In 1698, he was elected for a second term in the Assembly.[3]
In January 1700, Penn called a special session to address the piracy question. The sheriff of New Castle County failed to collect the votes from upper Brandywine Hundred and John Grubb led a petition drive to overturn the election. The Assembly decided to censure the sheriff but proceed without holding a new election because the session was limited to just adopting stronger piracy laws.[4] That October, John won a seat in the regular Assembly election. However, the voters in southern New Castle County complained that they had not been notified and the Assembly ordered a new election. This time, John was defeated.[3]
In 1702, Grubb's long standing feud with William Penn erupted into the open. From the beginning, Penn planned several 10,000-acre (40 km2) estates for his heirs. One of these manors, known as the Rocklands was in New Castle County. Penn purchased 5,000 acres (20 km2) in Brandywine Hundred, and then bought out the other two partners of Grubb's tract. John refused to sell and disputed Penn's proposed subdivision of the property. In 1691 and 1692, Penn's agents complained that Grubb was making daily Havock and Spoyle of Penn's timber.[1] Finally, in February 1702 Penn's secretary, James Logan ordered the provincial surveyor to subdivide Penn's portion out of the land owned by that troublesome man, John Grubb. Apparently Grubb objected and cut down the trees that marked the new propertly line. Penn and Grubb never settled their dispute, and the matter was finally resolved years later with the Grubb family buying the Penn family's interest in the area.[1]
Personal life
John Grubb married Frances (maiden name unknown) and was survived by nine children: Emanuel Grubb, John Grubb Jr., Joseph Grubb, Charity (Grubb) Beeson, Phebe (Grubb) Buffington Hadley, Samuel Grubb, Henry Grubb, Nathaniel Grubb, and Peter Grubb. About 1702, Emanuel became responsible for the tannery and John moved to Marcus Hook, where he was a founder of St. Martin's Episcopal Church. At the time of his death, he owned 500 acres (2.0 km2) and his other assets were valued at 566 pounds.[1]
It is often held that John Grubb's wife was Frances Vane, daughter of Sir Henry Vane, the second governor of Massachusetts. That belief, promulgated by Judge Ignatius Grubb in 1893, has endured and continues today. But Henry Vane's daughter Frances was buried in Kent County, England, on June 4, 1683, while John's wife continued to bear children. While it is possible that her name was Vane, she certainly wasn't Sir Henry's daughter.[5]
Notable descendants
- Nathaniel Grubb (c1693 - 1760) represented Chester County in the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly from 1749 to 1758.
- Peter Grubb (c1702 – 1754) discovered Cornwall Iron Mines and founded Cornwall Iron Furnace, one of the largest ironworks in Colonial Pennsylvania, now a designated National Historic Landmark
- Curtis Grubb (c1730 - 1789) was two-thirds owner of the Cornwall Iron Furnace and colonel of the 2nd Lancaster Battalion during the American Revolution.
- Peter Grubb, Jr. (1740 - 1786) was one-third owner of the Cornwall Iron Furnace and colonel of the 8th Lancaster Battalion during the American Revolution.
- William Grubb Jr (1740 - c1810) was an early settler in Charles Town, West Virginia who during the Revolution supplied over 100 barrels of whisky per month to his neighbor, George Washington.
- Henry Bates Grubb (1774 - 1823) founded the Grubb family's Mount Hope iron empire, which became one of the largest Pennsylvania iron producers in the mid-1800's.
- Jehu Grubb (c1781 - 1854) was an early settler and Justice of the Peace in Stark County, Ohio, a War of 1812 veteran who served in the Ohio House of Representatives in 1828 and 1832.
- Thomas Grubb McCullough (1785 - 1848) represented Franklin County, Pennsylvania in the U.S. Congress from 1831 to 1835.
- Curtis Grubb Hussey (1802 - 1893) was a Pittsburgh industrialist who built the first Lake Superior copper mill and developed the process for making crucible cast steel.[6]
- Samuel P. Heintzelman (1805 - 1880) was a Civil War General who commanded the 3rd Corps during the Peninsula Campaign.
- Charles Gilpin (1809 - 1891) was Mayor of Philadelphia from 1850 to 1853.
- John G. Parke (1827 - 1900) was a Civil War General and later Superintendent of West Point.
- Edward Burd Grubb, Jr. (1841 - 1913) was a Civil War General, a candidate for Governor, and later Ambassador to Spain. After the war he joined the family iron business as President of the Lebanon Valley Furnace Company.
- Ignatius Cooper Grubb (1841 - 1927) was Chief Justice of the Delaware Court of Appeals.
- William Irwin Grubb (1862 - 1938) was a Federal District Judge in Birmingham, Alabama who was appointed by President Hoover to the Wickersham Commission.
- George Grey Barnard (1863 - 1938) was a noted sculptor who founded the Cloisters collection that is now a part of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- J. Hunter Grubb (1870 - 1930) was President of the DuPont Chemical Corporation.
- Stuart Heintzelman (1876 - 1935) was a career Army officer who was promoted to General in 1931.
- Roland Grubb Kent (1877 - 1952) was a noted classics professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Edward Burd Grubb III (1893 - 1973) was President of the New York Curb Exchange during the critical period after the creation of the SEC.
- Warner Norton Grubb (1900 - 1947) was a Navy Commodore during W.W.II.
- Margaret Louise Grubb (1907 - 1963) was the first wife of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology.
- Stanley Keller Grubb (1907 - 1990), better known as Stan Keller, was a well-known musician and big-band leader in the 1940's.
- Floyd Dale Grubb (1949-) is the Democratic Caucus Leader in the Indiana State Assembly.
- Artist (1989-) is a world renowned artist and is most notable for his pop art and contemporary art of iconic world famous people.
References
- ^ a b c d e Cope, Gilbert (1893). The Grubb Family of Delaware and Pennsylvania.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Penney, Norman (1928). Record of the Sufferings of Quakers in Cornwall 1655 - 1686.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ a b Horle, Craig (1991). Law Making Legislators in Pennsylvania 1682 - 1709.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Donehoo, George (1926). A History of Pennsylvania.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ Grubb, David (2008). The Grubb Family of Grubb's Landing, Delaware. Higginson Book Co.
{{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ The Magazine of Western History, Vol. III. February, 1886 No.4.
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http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/grubb.htm Grubb Family Papers, University of Delaware