Published September 28, 2024
By Thomas Grieser
During the mid to late 1800s and the early 1900s, the Grieser family had a significant presence in the Quincy area and were instrumental in developing local farming improvements, including the Indian Graves Drainage District and the Ursa Farmers’ Cooperative.
Along with many other German immigrants, Johann Leonard Grieser immigrated to Quincy via Baltimore in 1837, about twelve years after the founding of Quincy. He married another German immigrant, Dorothea Hauk. Their family saw Quincy grow from a small village to a leading industrial metropolis of the middle west by the early 1900s.
From humble beginnings they scraped out a modest living on a small farm just north of Quincy in Ellington Township. They had seven children, one of whom, Christopher, served with the 119th Illinois Infantry in the Union Army during the Civil War.
Another one of Johann’s children, John Leonard Grieser, was in the lumber industry in the Quincy area. He was also a part owner in a steamboat company. He shipped timber up and down the Mississippi and provided lumber from his sawmill to local businesses and schools.
According to Quincy and Adams County History and Representative Men, Leonard was “one of the citizens who took the lead and brought about one of the greatest improvements Adams County had, the Indian Drainage District. Ursa Township land lay in this district and was benefitted highly from the improvement… .” The drainage district provided protection from the Mississippi River flooding and interior flooding. Leonard served as a levee commissioner for many years.
Over time, Leonard accumulated large land holdings in the bottoms area north of Quincy near Bear Creek and on Long Island which became a wildlife sanctuary in 1958 under the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Leonard and his family also accumulated several properties in downtown Quincy, mostly along Fourth Street where his office was located. Their house at 401 Elm Street was purchased from one of John Wood’s son and is still standing today.
In early November 1899, he narrowly avoided being killed on the way to his farm north of Quincy. The C. B. & Q. train from Carthage had not whistled as usual at the Cedar Creek crossing. The train struck Leonard in his horse drawn carriage, destroying both the carriage and horse. He was severely injured, but did recover. In the November 3, 1899 Quincy Weekly Herald article about the accident, Leonard is described as “one of the largest landowners in this section of the county. Mr. Grieser is a pioneer citizen of Quincy. He is known by name, if not by person, to every man, woman and child in the county.”
After Leonard’s death in 1906, his widow, Hattie Grieser and their large young family bought a home at 305 South 16th Street. Most of the 10 children attended Quincy High School, and several were football stars. In particular Robert Grieser was widely acclaimed for excelling in all sports and was captain of the football team. Following his last game, the November 27, 1914 Quincy Daily Journal remarked “the students see the end of the high school career of the greatest quarterback that ever battled for the honor of Q.H.S.” and “His name will go down in high school history as one of the heroes of the school.”
In 1914, Roy Grieser and about 30 of his Quincy friends formed a hunting and fishing club on hundreds of leased acres on Long Island. The January 17, 1914 Quincy Daily Journal said, “The property will make the best grounds for hunting and fishing between St. Louis and Burlington.” Another brother, William , managed the Long Island farm operation and lived in LaGrange, Missouri. He regularly traversed the Mississippi by boat to Long Island.
Before the entrance of the United States into World War I in 1917, American volunteers were supporting the Allies. Robert Grieser enlisted at the University of Illinois and served from 1917 to 1919. His unit was the Section Sanitare Automobile Americaine SSU, in other words, the Ambulance Corps. He saw heavy fighting along the front lines. For his courage and heroic actions under fire, Robert received the Croix de Guerre, one of the highest awards of the French Army.
Back at home, the Grieser family ran into hard times and started selling off some of their land holdings. They still remained active in farming at their farm in the bottoms.
In May 1920, Ursa area farmers formed the Ursa Farmers’ Cooperative. Roy Grieser, was instrumental in creating the cooperative which would erect an elevator in Ursa for grain storage. According to the May 27, 1920 Quincy Whig, about 150 farmers were present at the first meeting where officers were elected.
One Spring night in 1923, the large barn on one of their farms caught fire and was consumed. Seven horses, two cows, 400 bushels of oats, 500 bushels of corn, and several tons of hay were destroyed. It was never discovered how the fire started. The March 3,1923, Quincy Daily Herald speculated that it was “spontaneous combustion or that possibly a tramp sleeping there had set it on fire.” The large barn was rebuilt and is an iconic landmark barn in the Bear Creek area. It stands as a testament to the hard work and enduring legacy of the Grieser family in the Quincy area.
This year marks the 150th year of continuous farming by the Grieser family at the Bear Creek area farm. It is fitting that over a dozen Griesers are buried at Quincy’s Woodland Cemetery high on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River that they loved so much and upon which their lumber, livestock and grain products have transited over the past 150 years.
Thomas Grieser is a descendant of Johann Grieser and is a retired engineer living in Florida with his family. He loves to come back to historic Quincy whenever possible. He enjoys history, genealogy, and learning from those who have gone before us.
Sources:
“Bad Accident To Len Grieser.” Quincy Weekly Whig, November 2, 1899, 2.
“A Co-Operative Grain Elevator Company at Urse.” Quincy Whig, May 27, 1920, 3.
“Grieser Brothers’ Barn Destroyed.” Quincy Daily Herald, March 3, 1923, 14.
“Len Grieser Nearly Killed.” Quincy Weekly Herald, November 3, 1899, 8.
“Mrs. Grieser Buys New Home.” Quincy Daily Herald, November 18, 1909, 12.
“New Hunting And Fishing Club Formed.” Quincy Daily Journal, January 17, 1914, 4.
“Passing Of A Pioneer.” Quincy Daily Journal, August 23, 1906, 8.
Quincy and Adams County History and Representative Men. David F. Wilcox, ed. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1919.
“Randall’s Ravings.” Quincy Daily Journal, November 27, 1914, 6.
