The First Four Generations of Grovers in Rowley, Iowa

I put this together for my hometown's 150th Anniversary in 2023

I wrote a book that came out a few years ago called “Barnstorming Babe—A Slugger’s Bumpy Trek Across Small Town America.” People have been asking me since then if I’m working on another one.

I’ve got several ideas:

1. the jobs I’ve had (literally DOZENS, besides owning a biz for 25 yrs!)

2. my photography (some stuff good enough to win some State Fair ribbons)

3. my poetry (I’ve had several accepted for the Lyrical Iowa compilations).

What I keep coming back to is the need to share my family history. I’ve got some amazing folks I’m related to whose tales are worth telling. Some are included below. I’ve also posted some on prior Substack blogs.

I’m sharing this now in hopes it will inspire some CREATIVE DISCIPLINE to get this project MOVING FORWARD!

Anyway…here’s what I shared for Rowley’s 150th History Book about my family’s roots in southern Buchanan county, Iowa. BTW…I’m a proud 5th generation Rowley-ite!

Descendants of Azotus Grover have lived in Homer Township and the Rowley area since shortly after the Civil War. In 2023, a seventh Grover generation continues to reside there.

Our first American ancestors, Thomas and Elizabeth Grover, emigrated from Chesham, England, to the Boston area in the 1630s. Both were listed in the 1640 Charlestown, Massachusetts census. Around 1650, their son Mathew Grover was the first in our bloodline to be born in the New World.

Successive generations spread further into western Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and upstate New York. Our early ancestors include Rebecca Nurse, accused of witchcraft in Salem (and hanged in 1692); Nathanial Grover (a 1775 Minuteman, activated soon after Lexington and Concord); and Sylvester Griffin (at 61, he volunteered for the Union-- and died after being shot at Shiloh in 1862).

And we had three consecutive generations of Grover matriarchs named “Sarah.” I’m confident they were all heroic, hard-working frontier women.

Luke Grover (1797-1877) and Isabella Foster (1789-1880) were married in Vermont. A year later, Harvey Foster Grover was born in 1819. Migrating far from New England, Harvey settled in the Iowa Territory (established in 1838) around 1840.

Harvey Grover (1819-1846) married Lucinda Griffin (1824-1903, Sylvester’s daughter) in 1842. In 1844, Lucinda gave birth to Azotus Harvey Grover. According to his son’s obituary, Azotus may have been the first white baby born in Jackson County—two years before Iowa became a state!

A tragic accident took Harvey Grover’s life at age 26. He died during a “barn raising” near Andrew, Iowa in 1846. Ironically, his wife Lucinda gave birth to her second child the same day. (She later married Smith Hawkins; both are buried at Rowley).

First Rowley Generation--Azotus and Olive Grover

Azotus and Olive Grover Family, ~1890. Back row, L-R: Nella (Sloan), Will, Byron, Harvey Middle: John, Guy, Ethel (Junkins) Front: Azotus, Laura (Sprague) , Mary (Crain), Olive (holding baby Mabel who died as an infant)

Having been raised by mother Lucinda and his stepdad Smith Hawkins, Azotus Harvey Grover (1842-1906) remained in Jackson County until 1862. When the Civil War began, he joined Company I, 31^st Iowa Infantry volunteers. Suffering from various medical ailments, he received an honorable discharge in May,1863. Returning to farm in the Andrew area, Azotus married Canadian native Olive Buell (1845-1930) in 1866. (Olive’s parents only stayed in Iowa for a few years before returning to Canada).

Azotus and Olive Grover migrated to Buchanan county, buying an eighty-acre plot located 2 1/2 miles south of the Rowley corner on the east side of highway 150. Azotus, Olive, and at least one baby lived there in a sod house for several years before moving into a permanent home.

Azotus overcame his humble origins to become a prosperous sodbuster. He was an astute cattleman, grain farmer, and land buyer. According to an 1886 Homer township plat map, Azotus owned four parcels south of Rowley totaling 370 acres, gradually expanding his holdings to 800 acres.

Azotus and Olive Grover were charter members of the Rowley Methodist Church. They had eleven children, nine living to adulthood. And according to family lore, each child received a farm on their wedding day. Two daughters included Nellie, who married Stewart Sloan; and Mary, who married Edgar Crain. Some of their descendants continue to live nearby.

Second Generation--Guy and Eunice Grover

The middle child of Azotus and Olive, Guy I Grover (1876-1953) signed his name as “Guy Irah Grover” on his World War I draft registration card. After completing his education in Rowley, he briefly attended Upper Iowa University in Fayette.

Guy & Eunice Grover Family, ~1910. L-R: Lloyd, Guy, John Devere, Elizabeth (Strachan). Doris (Smith) was born later in 1915.

Guy wed Eunice Crain (1876-1930) in 1897. Her parents--Charles Crain and Elizabeth (Haines) Crain--were born in New Jersey and Ohio respectively. They arrived in Iowa in 1853, living in Cedar and Linn counties before settling in Homer Township.

First renting and then buying farmland, Guy and Eunice Grover eventually owned 180 acres northwest of Rowley. According to a 1914 history of Buchanan County, Guy Irah also “bought, sold, and raised livestock in large numbers, making judicious purchases and profitable sales.” Their homestead eventually became the long-time residence of his future grandson and namesake, Guy Frederick Grover.

Guy and Eunice had five children: John Devere, Lloyd, Charles, Elizabeth, and Doris.

Third Generation--John Devere and Martha Grover

Eunice Grover gave birth at home to their oldest boy on November 14, 1898. They named him “John Devere.” He went by either “JD” or “Devere,” but never John.

Devere attended school in Rowley and farmed with his father Guy and brother Lloyd. He became one of Rowley’s two rural mail carriers in 1919. Hauling mail by horse & buggy was a slow process! As roads improved and cars became a more efficient means of travel, Devere took over both routes in 1933. His deliveries doubled in length from 29 to 59 miles.

After nearly forty years of bucking snowbanks and inhaling gravel dust, he retired in 1959. With an estimated one-million miles of rural mail delivery, he said his only accident was skidding on ice into a tree.

John Devere and Martha Grover family, 1973. L-R: Guy, Devere, Jim, Ruby Marks, Gladys Corkery, Ruby Marks, Ruth Hanson, Bill, Martha, and Max

At age 26, Devere married Martha Elizabeth Basquin at Tipton on Christmas Day, 1924. Martha was born in Manchester in 1905 to Fred Basquin (1867-1935) and Anna (Snyder) Basquin (1875-1923). Fred’s father, Francis Basquin (1835-1911) fought in the Civil War for three years with the 7^th Regiment of the Ohio Infantry.

After living in town for several years, Devere and Martha bought an 80-acre farm a mile west of Rowley around 1930 (their great-grandson Brian Grover lives there now). Devere continued to haul mail six days a week. Like many small farms of that era, the Grover family raised hogs, cattle, and chickens. Crops included corn, soybeans, oats, and hay.

Martha, a homemaker, gathered eggs and kept the kitties fed. She worked briefly for Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids during World War II. My dad Max remembers being sad about missing her warm cookies in those days.

Martha and Devere were active Rowley Methodists, rarely missing Sunday services and taking their turns on various committees. Martha served as church treasurer for many years. Both were members of the Iowa Rural Letter Carriers Association and Eastern Star. Devere enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Grandma Martha always had a white candy bowl filled with lemon drops and Brach’s mints. The grandkids made it their first stop before filling up on cookies and Kool Aid. Both grandparents shared their Wrigley’s gum, too. No wonder Grandpa had bad teeth!

Martha passed away in 1974; John Devere followed in 1976. Regarding their lifestyle, “no time or money was spent on alcoholic beverage or foolishness of any kind,” although Grandma liked her Avon products. They were hard workers with a great sense of humor and generous hearts.

Martha and Devere were survived by four sons and three daughters. From oldest to youngest, they were Gladys, Bill, Guy, Jim, Max, and twins Ruth and Ruby. An eighth child, Leland, died as a baby.

Fourth Generation—My Dad and His Siblings

This is my Dad’s generation.

I was lucky to have known all six of my Grover aunts and uncles, and recorded interviews with five of them. Like their parents, they are/were wonderful people.

Martha and Devere were married nearly 50 years. Their sons Guy, Jim, and Max were all married for at least 64 years! Since fewer than one-percent of marriages last 60 years, the odds of three brothers being married for that long are astronomical!

Grandpa and Grandma Grover had forty grandkids that survived infancy. All lived past fifty. Their names and birth years are listed with their parents.

Martha and John Devere Grover’s oldest child was:

Gladys Martha (1926-2014). Shortly after graduating from Rowley High School in 1943, she married Dwight Corkery (1924-97) in Winthrop. They lived along Bear Creek southwest of Rowley on Iowa Avenue, farming ground owned by Corkery ancestors since 1870. (Their son Dave and wife Brenda continue to live there). Besides farming, Dwight worked at Rath Packing company in Waterloo for 28 years. Dwight was a big sports fan. Gladys enjoyed genealogy, crosswords, sewing, and gardening. But her greatest pleasure was being a joyful mother of fourteen kids and sharing their crazy stories!

Members of All Saints Catholic Church in Rowley, their kids all graduated from St John’s High School.

Children born to Gladys and Dwight Corkery:

Johnny (1943-46); Steve (1944-2015); Dan (1946); Cathy (1947); Patricia (1948); Ric (1951); Craig (1953); Mary (1955); Melinda (1957-2019); Dave (1958); Dennis (1959); Gary (1961); Janette (1962); Shelly (1964); and Rob (1966).

William Devere Grover (1927-95). Better known as Bill, he graduated from Rowley in 1944. After serving in the Army during the Korean Conflict, he returned home as a laborer. In 1966, he married Mary Alessio in Oelwein. They had a son, Chris (1967), and later divorced.

Guy Frederick Grover (1928-2013). Guy joined the Army after high school and served in Korea prior to the war. He married Shirley Kuhn (1929-2020) in 1949 at St John’s in Independence. Living on the farm owned earlier by grandfather Guy Irah Grover, he raised hogs, corn, and beans. Beginning in the 1970s, his successful investments in Colorado real estate allowed him to buy several area farms. Guy enjoyed hunting and fishing with his brother Max. Together, they planted approximately 30,000 trees on property Guy owned along a beautiful stretch of the Wapsi River near Quasqueston. In 2011, Guy and Shirley donated the land to the Buchanan County Conservation Board. It’s named “Guy Grover Timber and Tree Plantings” park.

Guy and Shirley were married for 64 years.

Their children include Mike (1950); Patricia (1953); Beth (1960); and Mark (1965).

James Lee Grover (1931-2018). After graduating from Rowley HS in 1949, Jim married Colleen Morrissey (1931-2015) in 1950 at All Saints Church. A lifelong farmer, Jim also sold Dekalb Seed, served on the Independence Community School Board, and owned the Hungry House Café in Rowley for several years.

Jim and Colleen owned several farms. Their homestead was on Michel Avenue, a mile east and half a mile north of Rowley. Colleen welcomed any opportunity to help with field work—it gave her a break from raising twelve kids! At least their trampoline allowed them to burn off some energy.

Jim and Colleen Grover were married for 65 years. They were parents to Julie (1953); John (1955-2018); Joe (1957); Jeff (1958); Jeanette (1959); twins Janice and Jane (1960); Joan (1962); Jimmy (1963); Judy (1964); Michael (1965); and Jalleen (1968).

Max Dean Grover (1935-2024). An outdoorsman from an early age, Max graduated from Rowley in 1953. He married former elementary teacher Charlotte Raney (born 1932) in Livermore, Iowa, on April 25, 1954. Fresh out of Iowa State Teachers College, Charlotte met Max on her first day of teaching fifth grade at Rowley.

Max served in the US Army from 1955-57, then worked two years for the Independence newspapers. Placing first in his civil service exam, Max was appointed to take over his father’s rural mail route in 1959. He retired from the postal service in 1996.

Max and Charlotte served the Rowley United Methodist Church in many capacities. Mutual hobbies include genealogy, sports, and traveling.

In 1969, they bought a 100-acre farm on King Ave, just a half mile south of where Max was born and raised. He supplemented his farm income by hunting, trapping, and later selling Christmas trees for several years.

Their children are Tim (1957); Tony (1958) and Diane (1964).

Ruth Elaine and Ruby Jane (twins, born 1937). Ruth (born first) and Ruby graduated in 1955.

Ruth Elaine (1937-2023) married Robert Hanson (1932-2008) in 1956 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Independence.

Bob, a 1950 graduate of Independence HS, served in the Army during the Korean Conflict. Following his discharge, he attended the Radio Engineering Institute in Omaha. After graduating in 1960, Bob accepted a job in Ilion, NY, with a company that eventually became Unisys. Ruth and Bob transferred to Blountville, Tennessee in 1976 before retiring and moving to Rowley in 1987. Bob passed away in 2008.

Ruth enjoyed genealogy, and along with sister Gladys spent countless hours in the pre-internet days assembling detailed histories of the Grover and Basquin families.

They had one son, Bobby (1962-2015).

Ruby Jane married Roger Marks in Rowley shortly after graduation. The Marks family had moved from Tipton to Rowley in 1951, when Raymond & Velma Marks bought the grocery store. Due to failing health, Raymond sold the business several years later to his sons Roger, Earl, and their wives.

The store featured self-service grocery shopping in the front, with meat processing and locker facilities in the back. Marks Locker expanded when the grocery business dissolved in 1973. Fifty years later, the locker continues to process livestock and venison for customers from a wide region. Ruby & Roger’s daughter Lisa and husband Tom Taylor currently own and operate Marks Locker.

Ruby played organ at the Methodist church for many years. Both served in various church and civic groups and loved their monthly card club gatherings. Roger enjoyed golf, hunting, and fishing. Sadly, health issues forced Roger to curtail his involvement in their locker business and other activities starting in the 1970s. He passed away in 1999 at age 62.

Their five children are Lisa (1957); Terry (1958); Tami (1960); Sue (1962); and Doug (1964).

I hope this encourages you to research your own family history. There are many stories to unlock!