Individual Details
Hans "Groffdale" Groff
(1661 - Abt 1746)
I believe I had confused two different Hans Groffs. I have tried to separate as accurately as I can, but I am unsure how successful I have been.
I have listed the Hans Groff who was born in 1661 in Zurich, Switzerland, and who died 7 May 1746 in Lancaster County as the one who may have married Susanna Orendorf Kendig (1680-1746).
He immigrated to America in 1696, a member of the first Mennonite colony in Lancaster County. on 27 March 1704 he bought 84 acres along Gredheim Creek, north of Germantown. In 1706 he signed the Naturalization Petition, but he did not complete the process to become a British citizen in 1709.
On 31 January 1714/1715 Hans warranted 300 acres in present-day West Lampeter Township where Big Spring Run enters Mill Creek. He sold his Germantwon property.
On 4 October 1718 he warranted 1,150 acres in present-day in West Earl Township, and founded the Groffdale settlement. He donated the land for the Groffdale Mennonite (Brick) Church.
Hans Groff originated the six horse Conestoga wagon, and he traded blankets and merchandise with the Native Americans for skins and furs.
Hans Groff's father may have been Marx Graf, baptized 1640.
I have listed the Hans Groff who was born in 1661 in Zurich, Switzerland, and who died 7 May 1746 in Lancaster County as the one who may have married Susanna Orendorf Kendig (1680-1746).
He immigrated to America in 1696, a member of the first Mennonite colony in Lancaster County. on 27 March 1704 he bought 84 acres along Gredheim Creek, north of Germantown. In 1706 he signed the Naturalization Petition, but he did not complete the process to become a British citizen in 1709.
On 31 January 1714/1715 Hans warranted 300 acres in present-day West Lampeter Township where Big Spring Run enters Mill Creek. He sold his Germantwon property.
On 4 October 1718 he warranted 1,150 acres in present-day in West Earl Township, and founded the Groffdale settlement. He donated the land for the Groffdale Mennonite (Brick) Church.
Hans Groff originated the six horse Conestoga wagon, and he traded blankets and merchandise with the Native Americans for skins and furs.
Hans Groff's father may have been Marx Graf, baptized 1640.
Events
| Birth | 1661 | , , Zurich, Switzerland |  |  | |
| Marriage | Abt 1700 | Susanna | |||
| Death | Abt 1746 | , Lancaster, PA | | | |
| Probate | 7 May 1746 | ||||
| Marriage | ms | ||||
| Alt name | Hans Graeff | ||||
| Alt name | Hans Graf | ||||
| Alt name | John "Groffdale" Groff Senior | ||||
| Burial | Groffdale Mennonite Brick Church Cemetery, Leola, Lancaster, PA |
Families
| Spouse | Susanna ( - ) |
| Child | Peter Groff Senior (1704 - 1761) |
| Child | Hannah "Anna" Groff (1707 - 1739) |
| Child | Samuel Groff (1708 - 1770) |
| Child | Veronica Groff (1710 - 1751) |
| Child | Marcus Groff Senior (1712 - 1791) |
| Child | Daniel Groff ( - 1772) |
| Child | John Groff Junior (1715 - 1788) |
| Child | David Groff (1721 - 1784) |
| Child | Maria Groff (1722 - 1746) |
| Spouse | ms ( - ) |
| Child | Jacob Groff (1699 - 1776) |
Notes
Birth
Jane Best, page 13 of "Swiss Origins . . . ," gave "about 1675" as Hans Groff's birth year. Allan Garber, Mary Burkholder and James Good also used the 1675 birth date.Death
Hans Groff died in 1745, according to Mary Burkholder and James Good. Also, his death occurred in Earl or in Groffdale.Endnotes
1. Reiff, Eli E., Jr. and Amos H. Reiff, Reiff Family History, 1735-1982: Family Names of Nine Generations, Approximately 247 Years (Gordonville, PA: Pequea Publishers, 1982), 11.
2. Mary Ann Burkholder, Compilers, Good Heritage, A: Ancestors and Descendants of Harry M. and Mabel Good (Myerstown, PA: Little Mountain Printing, n.d.), 19.