Andrew Groff, "son of John and Anna (Moyer) Graff, was born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, April 18th, 1793. His boyhood days were spent in acquiring a business education which proved of great benefit to him in later years. At the age of seventeen he made choice of the milling business as the most pleasing to his taste. His first years of apprenticeship were served in Earl Township where he remained until 1822 when he was induced by others to seek his fortune either in the West or in Canada. Being persuaded by one Joseph Mosser and others who were on the point of leaving for Canada, to join in with their company, he came to Waterloo in the fall of 1822 and found everything most satisfactory. As he was a miller by trade, old Abraham Erb wanted him to take charge of his grist mills which he intended to do after moving to Canada. After being here a short time and making arrangements to move to Canada he started again for Pennsylvania. Arriving at home in safety and spending a few weeks in visiting friends, he then set out for his new home. He left Pennsylvania with his wife and family of four children and made the trip to Canada in seventeen days. On his arrival at Waterloo in November, 1822, he was engaged by Abraham Erb to work on the saw mill where he remained three weeks, after which he entered the employ of Mr. Shade of Galt where he remained for nearly two years, and acquired a considerable amount of cash. He then purchased 200 acres of land half way between Preston and Galt and in a few years he was the proprietor of a store, tavern, grist mill, saw mill, and distillery, from all of which he soon realized quite a fortune, becoming one of the wealthiest men in the county. In 1848 he sold this property and purchased the farm of the late David Erb, north of the town of Waterloo, now in possession of his son Jacob. During the close of his life he lived on the place now possessed by Mr. F. Scheifle, a little to the north of the town of Waterloo. Here he died May 11th, 1877. He was married in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in 1815, to Annie, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Reist) Huber. She was born October 15th, 1795, and died in Waterloo County, Ontario, September 19th, 1865. They had a family of twelve children:

1. Catharine Groff, b. 23 Mar 1816, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania
2. Isaac Groff, b. 2 Mar 1818, , Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania
3. Susannah Groff, b. 13 Jul 1820
4. Nancy Groff, b. 5 Oct 1822
5. Andrew H. Groff, b. 26 Jul 1825, near Galt, Waterloo Co., Ontario
6. John Groff, b. 29 Sep 1827
7. Abraham Groff, b. 13 Oct 1829
8. Magdalena Groff, b. 8 Apr 1832
9. Jacob Groff, b. 3 Apr 1834
10. Mary Ann Groff, b. 19 Nov 1836
11. Leah Groff, b. 17 Aug 1839
12. Elizabeth Groff, b. 24 Apr 1843

Died of Dropsy.

# Title: Mennobits (Mennonite obituaries) Publication: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mennobit/ Page: Herald Of Truth, December, 1877, page 196, 197, 198 Text: May 11th, in Waterloo co., Ontario, of dropsy, Bro. ANDREW GROFF, aged 84 yrs., and 23 days. Buried the 13th in Martin's burying-ground. # Title: Berliner Journal Author: Transcribed & translated from German by Ont. Genealogical Society Publication: Birth/Marriage/Death announcements Page: May 24, 1877 edition