William Thomas Groves married Sarah C Smith Groves December 31, 1846, in Brown County, Illinois. They had ten children: G. C., Jeneva, Frances Ann (m. Gilbert Lafayette Sayles), Sewell (m. Anna Moran), Margaret Jane (m. William clifton), Daniel C., Mary Matilida (m. William Joseph Raffety), Rebecca N. (m. Jess W. Jacks), Catherine "Kitty", and Emma Mae.
From: History of Cass and Bates Counties, Missouri, 1883, pg. 1221, West Boone Township:
William GROVES was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, October 6, 1820, his parents being Joseph and Catherine (Staley) GROVES, and of German descent. When twelve years of age, William came to Springfield, Illinois, and in the following year went to the mountains in the employ of the Hudson Bay Fur Company. He has passed the greater part of his time in the West, having gone to California in 1849, and to Colorado in 1864, and spending from one to four years at each period. In 1868 he came to Missouri and purchased land where he now lives. He was married in 1845 to Miss Sarah C. Smith, a native of Virginia. They have seven children: Frances, Matilda, Margaret, Rebecca, Catherine, and Samuel. His eldest daughter, Frances was married February 2, 1862 to Gilbert L. SAYLES, a native of Hillsdale County, Michigan, born February 1, 1838. He has since lived in Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois,and Missouri. He is a carpenter by trade, and has worked at his trade in nearly all of these states. They have six children: Minerva E. (wife of David McBride, and living Miami county, Kansas); Margaret Ethel, Sarah Lavina, Minnie Lee, William Jesse, George Eli (died when two years old) Cora ttie. Mr. SAYLES has a snug little farm of 140 acres, lying adjacent to that of his father-in-law.
From: Drexel, the First 100 Years, Drexel Missouri, 1890-1990, page 183:
The early name for this family was "Graf" or "Grof", and is believed to have been of German or Swiss in origin. The family first came to America in the 18th century probably first to Pennsylvania, then settling in Virginia, where William Thomas Groves, son of Joseph and Catherine Staley Groves, was born on October 16, 1820, in Jefferson County.
When Will was 12 years old his parents moved westward to the rich fertile prairie lands of Illinois. They settled near Springfield, Illinois, in 1832. The following year Will GROVES, who had been employed by the Hudson Bay Fur Company set out for the Far West. In 1833 the West was the home of the Mountain Men who trapped for beaver. He must have loved the mountains for he returned to them even after he married in 1844 Sarah C. SMITH in Perry County, Illinois. She was born in Illinois April 27, 1828, and spent 25 years of married life there before they came to Missouri.
In 1849 Will, at the age of 29, left his wife and a young family behind to join the '49'ers who rushed to California to search for gold. No one knows today whether he struck it rich or not, but we do know that he returned to his wife and children in Illinois, but not for long. Again he answered the call of the West and the Rockies in 1864 and sought his fortune in Colorado Territory, but when he returned to Illinois this time, he brought his family with him when he returned to Western Missouri.
It was the custom for one member of the family to make a trip to new lands, to select favorable locations for farming, and to purchase land. Then he would return to his old home to prepare for the overland trip by covered wagon -- bringing family, livestock and the entire household goods with him. According to the obituary of a granddaughter, his son Sewall came to Missouri in 172, and his brother Daniel is reported to have come from Adams County, Illinois, in 1865. We do know that one brother, Steve Groves, remained in Illinois, but three brothers of William T. Groves settled in the same area: Jacob at the age of 55 came in 1868, Daniel at the age of 38 in 1865, and Joseph at the age of 37, in 1882. There were few settlers on the prairies of Western Missouri when they arrived, but what difference it must have made tot he women of the family to have other relatives with families in the same neighborhood! They formed a community, and later the grandchildren would attend Woodland and Maple Grove Schools in West Boone Township.
In 1895 Will and Sarah Groves owned 32 acres in Section 20. His nephew Edgar Groves owned the 128 adjoining acres. They lived on 80 acres near Rosier.
Will Groves died June 2, 1898, and Sarah made her home with her married children. She died at the home of her daughter Kitty Hey on August 26, 1096.
From: 1883 History of Bates County, Missouri, page 61 on the CD:
The following settlers came soon after the close of the war:
John S. Stewart, James A. Stewart, Jacob Groves, William Groves, G. L. Sayles, J. N. White, A. Rosier, J. H. Boswell, R. M. Feeley, W. B. Akin, Jesse Nave, John Riley, Luke Gage, O. W. Stitt, J. C. Berry, George Harter.
Cemetery Records of Cass County, Missouri Volume I
Name: Wm. T. Groves
Birth Date: 26 Oct 1820
Death Date: 02 Jun 1898
Cemetery: Sharon
Description: Located 3 1/2 miles east of Drexel, Mo. Last inscription taken 1947
From: History of Cass and Bates Counties, Missouri, 1883, pg. 1221, West Boone Township:
William GROVES was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, October 6, 1820, his parents being Joseph and Catherine (Staley) GROVES, and of German descent. When twelve years of age, William came to Springfield, Illinois, and in the following year went to the mountains in the employ of the Hudson Bay Fur Company. He has passed the greater part of his time in the West, having gone to California in 1849, and to Colorado in 1864, and spending from one to four years at each period. In 1868 he came to Missouri and purchased land where he now lives. He was married in 1845 to Miss Sarah C. Smith, a native of Virginia. They have seven children: Frances, Matilda, Margaret, Rebecca, Catherine, and Samuel. His eldest daughter, Frances was married February 2, 1862 to Gilbert L. SAYLES, a native of Hillsdale County, Michigan, born February 1, 1838. He has since lived in Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois,and Missouri. He is a carpenter by trade, and has worked at his trade in nearly all of these states. They have six children: Minerva E. (wife of David McBride, and living Miami county, Kansas); Margaret Ethel, Sarah Lavina, Minnie Lee, William Jesse, George Eli (died when two years old) Cora ttie. Mr. SAYLES has a snug little farm of 140 acres, lying adjacent to that of his father-in-law.
From: Drexel, the First 100 Years, Drexel Missouri, 1890-1990, page 183:
The early name for this family was "Graf" or "Grof", and is believed to have been of German or Swiss in origin. The family first came to America in the 18th century probably first to Pennsylvania, then settling in Virginia, where William Thomas Groves, son of Joseph and Catherine Staley Groves, was born on October 16, 1820, in Jefferson County.
When Will was 12 years old his parents moved westward to the rich fertile prairie lands of Illinois. They settled near Springfield, Illinois, in 1832. The following year Will GROVES, who had been employed by the Hudson Bay Fur Company set out for the Far West. In 1833 the West was the home of the Mountain Men who trapped for beaver. He must have loved the mountains for he returned to them even after he married in 1844 Sarah C. SMITH in Perry County, Illinois. She was born in Illinois April 27, 1828, and spent 25 years of married life there before they came to Missouri.
In 1849 Will, at the age of 29, left his wife and a young family behind to join the '49'ers who rushed to California to search for gold. No one knows today whether he struck it rich or not, but we do know that he returned to his wife and children in Illinois, but not for long. Again he answered the call of the West and the Rockies in 1864 and sought his fortune in Colorado Territory, but when he returned to Illinois this time, he brought his family with him when he returned to Western Missouri.
It was the custom for one member of the family to make a trip to new lands, to select favorable locations for farming, and to purchase land. Then he would return to his old home to prepare for the overland trip by covered wagon -- bringing family, livestock and the entire household goods with him. According to the obituary of a granddaughter, his son Sewall came to Missouri in 172, and his brother Daniel is reported to have come from Adams County, Illinois, in 1865. We do know that one brother, Steve Groves, remained in Illinois, but three brothers of William T. Groves settled in the same area: Jacob at the age of 55 came in 1868, Daniel at the age of 38 in 1865, and Joseph at the age of 37, in 1882. There were few settlers on the prairies of Western Missouri when they arrived, but what difference it must have made tot he women of the family to have other relatives with families in the same neighborhood! They formed a community, and later the grandchildren would attend Woodland and Maple Grove Schools in West Boone Township.
In 1895 Will and Sarah Groves owned 32 acres in Section 20. His nephew Edgar Groves owned the 128 adjoining acres. They lived on 80 acres near Rosier.
Will Groves died June 2, 1898, and Sarah made her home with her married children. She died at the home of her daughter Kitty Hey on August 26, 1096.
From: 1883 History of Bates County, Missouri, page 61 on the CD:
The following settlers came soon after the close of the war:
John S. Stewart, James A. Stewart, Jacob Groves, William Groves, G. L. Sayles, J. N. White, A. Rosier, J. H. Boswell, R. M. Feeley, W. B. Akin, Jesse Nave, John Riley, Luke Gage, O. W. Stitt, J. C. Berry, George Harter.
Cemetery Records of Cass County, Missouri Volume I
Name: Wm. T. Groves
Birth Date: 26 Oct 1820
Death Date: 02 Jun 1898
Cemetery: Sharon
Description: Located 3 1/2 miles east of Drexel, Mo. Last inscription taken 1947
William Thomas Groves married Sarah C Smith Groves December 31, 1846, in Brown County, Illinois. They had ten children: G. C., Jeneva, Frances Ann (m. Gilbert Lafayette Sayles), Sewell (m. Anna Moran), Margaret Jane (m. William clifton), Daniel C., Mary Matilida (m. William Joseph Raffety), Rebecca N. (m. Jess W. Jacks), Catherine "Kitty", and Emma Mae.
From: History of Cass and Bates Counties, Missouri, 1883, pg. 1221, West Boone Township:
William GROVES was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, October 6, 1820, his parents being Joseph and Catherine (Staley) GROVES, and of German descent. When twelve years of age, William came to Springfield, Illinois, and in the following year went to the mountains in the employ of the Hudson Bay Fur Company. He has passed the greater part of his time in the West, having gone to California in 1849, and to Colorado in 1864, and spending from one to four years at each period. In 1868 he came to Missouri and purchased land where he now lives. He was married in 1845 to Miss Sarah C. Smith, a native of Virginia. They have seven children: Frances, Matilda, Margaret, Rebecca, Catherine, and Samuel. His eldest daughter, Frances was married February 2, 1862 to Gilbert L. SAYLES, a native of Hillsdale County, Michigan, born February 1, 1838. He has since lived in Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois,and Missouri. He is a carpenter by trade, and has worked at his trade in nearly all of these states. They have six children: Minerva E. (wife of David McBride, and living Miami county, Kansas); Margaret Ethel, Sarah Lavina, Minnie Lee, William Jesse, George Eli (died when two years old) Cora ttie. Mr. SAYLES has a snug little farm of 140 acres, lying adjacent to that of his father-in-law.
From: Drexel, the First 100 Years, Drexel Missouri, 1890-1990, page 183:
The early name for this family was "Graf" or "Grof", and is believed to have been of German or Swiss in origin. The family first came to America in the 18th century probably first to Pennsylvania, then settling in Virginia, where William Thomas Groves, son of Joseph and Catherine Staley Groves, was born on October 16, 1820, in Jefferson County.
When Will was 12 years old his parents moved westward to the rich fertile prairie lands of Illinois. They settled near Springfield, Illinois, in 1832. The following year Will GROVES, who had been employed by the Hudson Bay Fur Company set out for the Far West. In 1833 the West was the home of the Mountain Men who trapped for beaver. He must have loved the mountains for he returned to them even after he married in 1844 Sarah C. SMITH in Perry County, Illinois. She was born in Illinois April 27, 1828, and spent 25 years of married life there before they came to Missouri.
In 1849 Will, at the age of 29, left his wife and a young family behind to join the '49'ers who rushed to California to search for gold. No one knows today whether he struck it rich or not, but we do know that he returned to his wife and children in Illinois, but not for long. Again he answered the call of the West and the Rockies in 1864 and sought his fortune in Colorado Territory, but when he returned to Illinois this time, he brought his family with him when he returned to Western Missouri.
It was the custom for one member of the family to make a trip to new lands, to select favorable locations for farming, and to purchase land. Then he would return to his old home to prepare for the overland trip by covered wagon -- bringing family, livestock and the entire household goods with him. According to the obituary of a granddaughter, his son Sewall came to Missouri in 172, and his brother Daniel is reported to have come from Adams County, Illinois, in 1865. We do know that one brother, Steve Groves, remained in Illinois, but three brothers of William T. Groves settled in the same area: Jacob at the age of 55 came in 1868, Daniel at the age of 38 in 1865, and Joseph at the age of 37, in 1882. There were few settlers on the prairies of Western Missouri when they arrived, but what difference it must have made tot he women of the family to have other relatives with families in the same neighborhood! They formed a community, and later the grandchildren would attend Woodland and Maple Grove Schools in West Boone Township.
In 1895 Will and Sarah Groves owned 32 acres in Section 20. His nephew Edgar Groves owned the 128 adjoining acres. They lived on 80 acres near Rosier.
Will Groves died June 2, 1898, and Sarah made her home with her married children. She died at the home of her daughter Kitty Hey on August 26, 1096.
From: 1883 History of Bates County, Missouri, page 61 on the CD:
The following settlers came soon after the close of the war:
John S. Stewart, James A. Stewart, Jacob Groves, William Groves, G. L. Sayles, J. N. White, A. Rosier, J. H. Boswell, R. M. Feeley, W. B. Akin, Jesse Nave, John Riley, Luke Gage, O. W. Stitt, J. C. Berry, George Harter.
Cemetery Records of Cass County, Missouri Volume I
Name: Wm. T. Groves
Birth Date: 26 Oct 1820
Death Date: 02 Jun 1898
Cemetery: Sharon
Description: Located 3 1/2 miles east of Drexel, Mo. Last inscription taken 1947
From: History of Cass and Bates Counties, Missouri, 1883, pg. 1221, West Boone Township:
William GROVES was born in Jefferson County, Virginia, October 6, 1820, his parents being Joseph and Catherine (Staley) GROVES, and of German descent. When twelve years of age, William came to Springfield, Illinois, and in the following year went to the mountains in the employ of the Hudson Bay Fur Company. He has passed the greater part of his time in the West, having gone to California in 1849, and to Colorado in 1864, and spending from one to four years at each period. In 1868 he came to Missouri and purchased land where he now lives. He was married in 1845 to Miss Sarah C. Smith, a native of Virginia. They have seven children: Frances, Matilda, Margaret, Rebecca, Catherine, and Samuel. His eldest daughter, Frances was married February 2, 1862 to Gilbert L. SAYLES, a native of Hillsdale County, Michigan, born February 1, 1838. He has since lived in Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois,and Missouri. He is a carpenter by trade, and has worked at his trade in nearly all of these states. They have six children: Minerva E. (wife of David McBride, and living Miami county, Kansas); Margaret Ethel, Sarah Lavina, Minnie Lee, William Jesse, George Eli (died when two years old) Cora ttie. Mr. SAYLES has a snug little farm of 140 acres, lying adjacent to that of his father-in-law.
From: Drexel, the First 100 Years, Drexel Missouri, 1890-1990, page 183:
The early name for this family was "Graf" or "Grof", and is believed to have been of German or Swiss in origin. The family first came to America in the 18th century probably first to Pennsylvania, then settling in Virginia, where William Thomas Groves, son of Joseph and Catherine Staley Groves, was born on October 16, 1820, in Jefferson County.
When Will was 12 years old his parents moved westward to the rich fertile prairie lands of Illinois. They settled near Springfield, Illinois, in 1832. The following year Will GROVES, who had been employed by the Hudson Bay Fur Company set out for the Far West. In 1833 the West was the home of the Mountain Men who trapped for beaver. He must have loved the mountains for he returned to them even after he married in 1844 Sarah C. SMITH in Perry County, Illinois. She was born in Illinois April 27, 1828, and spent 25 years of married life there before they came to Missouri.
In 1849 Will, at the age of 29, left his wife and a young family behind to join the '49'ers who rushed to California to search for gold. No one knows today whether he struck it rich or not, but we do know that he returned to his wife and children in Illinois, but not for long. Again he answered the call of the West and the Rockies in 1864 and sought his fortune in Colorado Territory, but when he returned to Illinois this time, he brought his family with him when he returned to Western Missouri.
It was the custom for one member of the family to make a trip to new lands, to select favorable locations for farming, and to purchase land. Then he would return to his old home to prepare for the overland trip by covered wagon -- bringing family, livestock and the entire household goods with him. According to the obituary of a granddaughter, his son Sewall came to Missouri in 172, and his brother Daniel is reported to have come from Adams County, Illinois, in 1865. We do know that one brother, Steve Groves, remained in Illinois, but three brothers of William T. Groves settled in the same area: Jacob at the age of 55 came in 1868, Daniel at the age of 38 in 1865, and Joseph at the age of 37, in 1882. There were few settlers on the prairies of Western Missouri when they arrived, but what difference it must have made tot he women of the family to have other relatives with families in the same neighborhood! They formed a community, and later the grandchildren would attend Woodland and Maple Grove Schools in West Boone Township.
In 1895 Will and Sarah Groves owned 32 acres in Section 20. His nephew Edgar Groves owned the 128 adjoining acres. They lived on 80 acres near Rosier.
Will Groves died June 2, 1898, and Sarah made her home with her married children. She died at the home of her daughter Kitty Hey on August 26, 1096.
From: 1883 History of Bates County, Missouri, page 61 on the CD:
The following settlers came soon after the close of the war:
John S. Stewart, James A. Stewart, Jacob Groves, William Groves, G. L. Sayles, J. N. White, A. Rosier, J. H. Boswell, R. M. Feeley, W. B. Akin, Jesse Nave, John Riley, Luke Gage, O. W. Stitt, J. C. Berry, George Harter.
Cemetery Records of Cass County, Missouri Volume I
Name: Wm. T. Groves
Birth Date: 26 Oct 1820
Death Date: 02 Jun 1898
Cemetery: Sharon
Description: Located 3 1/2 miles east of Drexel, Mo. Last inscription taken 1947
Family Members
Parents
Siblings
-
![]()
Jacob Groves
1813–1890
-
![]()
Stephen Staley Groves
1817–1904
-
![]()
Rebecca Groves Akins
1823–1888
-
![]()
Mary Elizabeth Groves Gerrish
1824–1900
-
![]()
Daniel Staley Groves
1828–1919
-
![]()
Joseph A. Groves Sr
1831–1915
-
![]()
Catherine Groves Six - Baldwin
1834–1924
-
![]()
Nancy J. Groves Lake
1853–1905
-
![]()
Frances Adelia "Fannie" Groves Cory
1855–1934
-
![]()
Henry Groves
1857–1857
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
