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WHO WAS - General Sherman Grove
in Plum Township
Venango County, Pennsylvania
By H. W. Strawbridge

General Sherman Grove was born a distance southwest of Diamond on Sept. 5, 1867. Hewas the fifth of a total of eight children of P. Haslet (Hays) and Amanda Archer Grove. His parents must have been admirers of General W.T. Sherman, a noted Civil WarGeneral, because they gave to their son the name of General Sherman Grove.

Sherman received his education in the old Plum Center school which was situated at theother end of the road on which he lived. The Hays Grove home was situated at the tcorner. At the other end of the road there was the schoolhouse which sat at the fourcorners.

A published report of the Plum Center school as announced by County Superintendent ofSchools, Silas H. Prather, in March 1880 showed that Sherman, 12, was one of nine pupilswho were first in attendance or progress. The teacher was J.H. (Jap) McClelland. Five ofthose nine pupils had the last name of Grove.

The Hays Grove family had in the early years what was called the Sheepskin Band. Allthe boys could play the fife, and some of them (George especially) could play the drums. Sherman was of course in this band. They played at most of the Harvest Home Picnicsheld then.

Family tradition has stated that Sherm left home when quite young to work here andthere. He apparently did not care for farmwork. In 1886 or 1887 Bruce Alcorn placed asawmill on the Burnheimer Tract which was located between the Richey and Cowen farmsabove Wallaceville. The mill sat about 200 feet above the former bridge in the hollowbetween the Richey and Cowen farms. Alcorn hired J.W. Beers, then a young carpenter,to build a shanty for the millmen. Later Irwin Grove and Sherm Grove finished taking thistimber out.

Sherm was in the lumber business for a portion of the early 1890s. He was associatedwith a sawmill for sometime. It was around 1895 when he left Plum Township. Whetherhe followed limbering or oil well drilling somewhere else, isn’t known for sure. He mayhave worked in the oil fields prior to the Spanish-American War. He knew how to drilland dress tools.

There is an extant old autograph album in which are the following names, all written onone page: Lucie Reeser, Scott Holder, Ida Grove, Irve Morse, Sherman Grove, MikeSpangler and Jerry Nickels. These names were penned around the early 1890s. Probablythe five men were associated in the milling or lumber business.

Sherm was also a member of the Pennsylvania National Guards. At the time theSpanish-American War broke out, Sherm enrolled in Company K of the SixteenthRegiment on April 27, 1898. When Sherm signed up for the war service, the recruiterasked what was his full name. Sherm replied, General Sherman Grove. The recruiter,who was in no mood for joking, said emphatically: Now I want to know your fullname! Sherm just as emphatically replied again: General Sherman Grove! Therecruiter was surprised that that was really his name.

He along with others were mustered into the service the following May 10th. Sherm wasa musician while in the service. He also carried mail on a mule during theSpanish-American War. There is a photograph of Sherm on the mule carrying the militarymail. Also, there is a grand old photograph taken in camp. There are 10 men from PlumTownship as soldiers in that war. They include Sherman Grove, Judd Sharp, Clint Richey,Elton Beers, John Arters, Earl Burns, Cliff Homan, Harry Boles, Kyle Noel and LewisRibb. In fact it was said that there were several photographs of Sherm, mostly civilian. He apparently delighted to pose for the photographers.

Sherm went to the California oil fields just after the war. He was very successful outthere. the story is that he and another fellow went to California with nothing. They leasedsome land, borrowed some money, then drilled oil wells. Family tradition stated thatSherm and his partner owned a portion of Beverly Hills, Calif.., but Sherm later sold hisshare to his partner. Eventually Sherm came back with 25 or 30 thousand dollars.

After Sherm came back from the California oil fields he went to the area of Butler, Pa.,and drilled. Also, Sherm and a brother, Jesse Grove, had an interest in oil wells on theStull lease on the hill west of Bradleytown. Family tradition again states that Sherm wasthe first person to use a wire line for oil drilling in the state of Texas.

Of the five Grove brothers a relative said that Sherm once weighed 240 pounds. Sherm’sbrother, George Grove, was a larger boned man, but he was not as heavy as Sherm. Sherm was about six feet, two inches tall. Also, four of the brothers dressed quite primand stylish. George wasn’t so much for style.

Most of the Grove brothers, Sherm included, were good-natured. Some of Sherm’srelatives borrowed money from him, then never paid him back. Sherm and his brother,Jesse, had paid the funeral bills of their parents. When his father, Hays Grove, made hiswill in 1898 (and died in 1908), he willed his property to one son, Guy Grove. Guy wasto pay $100 to a brother, Nelson Grove, then also to pay $10 to each of the other brothersand sisters.

When Sherm Grove retired from the oil business, he retired at Black Ash and lived withthe Jesse Grove family. As to how these two brothers settled in Black Ash, Jesse metEffie Teed at dances at Black Ash. Therefore Jesse and Sherman used to go over to BlackAsh, though Sherm never married.

It was as early as September 1903 when Sherm bought a farm of 52 acres and 10 perchesfrom James E. and Emma J. French for $1200.00. At that time Sherm was listed as havingbeen at Black Ash. French then lived in Toledo, O. This farm was north of Black Ash. For awhile Sherm’s sister, Mary Owens, stayed there with him and took care of the house. She eventually moved away.

While Sherm lived there lightning came into the barn one day about July 1, 1913, andkilled a valuable Jersey cow which could run in and out of a boxstall on the south side ofthe barn. The bolt didn’t damage the barn.

On May 22, 1916, Guy and Blanche Grove sold the old home place in Plum Township toSherm for a listed price of $1200.00. Then the very next day Sherm sold and deeded it toa woman for $1150.00. It isn’t known just why this method was used, unless Guy hadbeen in financial trouble. By doing it this way, at least the new buyer had a clear title.

Since Sherm didn’t care for farming, he deeded his black Ash farm to Jesse and EffieGrove with the provision that he would always have a home with that family. It was saidby a relative that Jesse and Effie moved on that farm around 1916, and lived there perhaps10 years. Record states that it was in May 1924 when Jesse, Effie and Sherman signed thedeed of the farm to Clyde Grove for $4000.00. The previous deed from Sherm to Jesseand Effie had been made only the previous fall, September 1923.

In the meantime Jesse and Sherm built a new house a ways southeast of the farm. Theymoved into it, and Jesse’s son, Clyde, moved into the farmhouse in 1926, he later said. The reason that Sherm signed the last deed was for the purpose of releasing thereservation which had been in his deed to Jesse and Effie.

While the following story was not family-orientated, it was told that Sherm once hidmoney in the bridge just south of the farm buildings. A flood came and washed it away.

Sherm was very particular in his work. When he lined out rows for planting garden, therows had to be straight. Once he made a line in the orchard. It was curved. Disgusted,he took off his hat, tramped it, then threw it into the air. It landed in a tree where he couldnot reach it.

One time somebody lined the inside of his hatband with limburger cheese. It was duringthe warm summertime, and he became quite a smell.

It was said that Sherm had the first Chevrolet car in Black Ash. He had a 1928 or 1929Chevrolet (Whether the first Chevrolet, or the second one, unknown). One night hestarted somewhere with it. He came back shortly afterwards. He said that he was nevergoing to drive again. He didn’t say why, but he apparently had a close call. He advertisedit in the newspaper and sold it.

One day he was sitting on the front porch of the newer house around 1940. He lookedover towards the barn of Clyde Grove and saw lightning strike it. He later said that firewas all over the roof, but strangely it did not catch on fire. Smoke was all through thebarn. Clyde was going to cut the two horses loose, but they were down and out. Soonthey came to, but the one was never any good after that. the barn smelled of brimstonefor a long time. The fact that it had a metal roof and lightning rods probably saved it.

Sherm sold his interest in the Stull lease on the hill west of Bradleytown in December1924. He assigned his interest to A.H. Sloan of Oilcreek Township, Crawford County. The exception was about 10 acres in a square out of the southwest corner upon whichwere two producing wells.

Sherm declared that he was going to spend his money because he had no children to leavethe money. When he went to town to buy a suit, he bought the best and had it tailored. When he had work to be done, he hired young fellows to do the work. Sherm neverpushed the young fellows. He generally let them do as they pleased. A generous man, heused to take the children to the circus, etc.

Sherm had the first power lawnmower at Black Ash. He bought it at Wolfe’s Store inMeadville for 180 or 190 dollars. Francis Hill had that mower in later years. Sherm alsohad a pension for his Spanish-American War service.

Sherm lived his last number of years with his sister-in-law, Effie Grove. Jesse Grove haddied in 1932. Numerous visitors called at their home through the years. The old BlackAsh news columns attested to that fact.

Sherman Grove was the last survivor of the eight brothers and sisters. The first to die wasthe pretty youngest sister, Ethel May Grove, who died May 8, 1895. Next was LusettaGrove Luce who died Aug. 31, 1903. Then Mary Grove Owens died in the West on Feb.25, 1919. Therefore the three sisters died first.

Of the five brothers George died May 27, 1921, then Jesse R. Grove died June 8, 1932. Guy Grove died Nov. 12, 1938, and Nelson Grove died June 3, 1939. This left onlySherm.

One day Sherm’s niece, Edith Smith, was over to see her mother, Effie, and Sherm. Sherm said that he didn’t know who was going to tend to the ram at the spring after hewas gone. Edith told him that he would be around for a long time yet. Sherm replied thatone never knows. Edith noticed that he wasn’t quite right, so she had Dr. John E. Lewisof Cochranton come up to examine him. The doctor and Sherm joked with each other alittle, then the doctor advised Sherm to go to the hospital.They were not sure just what ailed Sherm. He had had his gall bladder removed severalyears before that, and the incision ruptured when he once lifted something. later he hadthe rupture repaired. This was probably five or six years before his final illness. Edith saidthat his last trouble could have stemmed from his previous operation. It was said that healso experienced some kidney trouble.

Edith had said that Sherm lived three weeks after entering the hospital. However, thedeath certificate stated seven weeks. It seems that they had a time keeping him in bed. The certificate stated that Dr. Lewis doctored Sherm from Jan. 31, 1950, until his death inthe hospital in Meadville at 11:30 a.m., March 21, 1950. this seemed to indicate the sevenweeks stay. The cause of death was chronic myocardial failure which in turn was due tocoronary artery heart disease.

Sherm’s funeral was held on March 24 at the Waid Funeral Home in Meadville. Burialwas in the Black Ash Cemetery where are buried two of his brothers - Jesse, Guy andNelson Grove. Sherm had enough money to have himself buried, and left a little to EffieGrove.

Around a year after Sherm died, a large Cadillac automobile pulled into Effie Grove’sdriveway. The driver was a Negro chauffeur with a wealthy old gentleman in the backseat. The old fellow was Sherm’s former partner back in the California oil field days. Hehad not known that Sherm died. They were headed for Philadelphia. They stayed atEffie’s home for two days then continued on their journey.

Transcribed by Dr. Harry Sharp
NY & FL
patroon@ibm.net

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription ofinformation from both early and late (current contributors) work.