George Gruen

Contents

Family

George was born on Nov. 29th, 1874 in Saline township, Madison County, Illinois, which is today part of metropolitan St. Louis. Saline Township includes most of Grantfork, parts of Pierron, and the northern part of Highland, the latter of which is the origin of several exclusive brethren assemblies, of which there is no present meeting. However, one of the Highland meetings, a Grant meeting, merged with the Booth brethren, then in 1949 with the G-A, which moved to Edwardsville, in the same county. More related history to be found at Highland Meeting Room, IL.

George's parents were John and Linoma Elizabeth (Lembach) Gruen, and he was one of twelve children. John was one of sixteen, and introduced to the PB at Highland sometime after emigrating.

Ancestry

Father

John was born on Jan. 12, 1840 in Bad Kreuznach, West-Central Germany as Johann Grun, and died June 12, 1905 in Highland, Illinois. He married Elizabeth Lembach on July 17, 1862 at the home of his parents near Highland. He was the eldest of sixteen children. John's parents were Caspar Grun (b. 1817) and Susanna Lang Grun (d. 1887).

Rev. Humphrey officiated John's funeral. The deputy coroner was Adolph Koch, and the jury that decided his cause of death (apoplexy) was comprised of: Emanuel Winter, W. Schwarz, F. Frederich, Charles Hoefle, F. Blumer and Charles Schwend. Unknown if any Brethren, but the Winter family has been in leadership within the present Highland assembly for many years.

• Caspar's parents were Johann Peter Grun (1771-1839) and Susanna Elizabeth Graeff Grun (1779-1832).
  • Johann Peter Grun was lived his entire life in Bretzenheim, Bad Kreuznach, Germany, and his parents were Johann Christoph Grun (1738-1809) and Christina Barbara Ellenberger Grun (d. 1793).

Mother

Elizabeth was born Aug. 1, 1844 in Switzerland, and may have also been known as Linoma. Her family had emigrated to Highland, Illinois 1845-1846. She died Aug. 12, 1918 in Christian County, Illinois. She was the daughter of John G. Lembach (b. 1808 Switz.), a farmer, and Elizabeth D. Lembach (b. 1809 Switz.). Elizabeth had three younger siblings, all born in Highland, IL:

• Dora Lembach (b. 1846)
• Charles Lembach (b. 1850 - d. 1887 Erie, Neosho County, KS)
  • m. Anna Muller (b. 1848 Smithton, MO - d. 1921 Neosho County, KS), dau. of Cord Muller (b. 1815 Fischerhude, Niedersachsen, Germany - d. 1888 Smithton, MO) & Gretje Muller (b. 1815 Wilstedt, Niedersachsen, Germany - d. 1870 St. Clair County, MO);
• Anna Lembach (b. 1858)

Siblings

• Mary Gruen
• John Gruen
• Louisa Gruen
• Pauline Gruen
• Charles Gruen
• Edward Gruen
• Emma. E. Gruen
• Anna S. Gruen
• Mathilda R. Gruen

Marriage

On October 4, 1899, George married Freda L. Malan in Bond, Illinois. Freda was the daughter of Bartholomew Malan (b. 1832 Piedmonte, Italy - d. 1911 Highland, IL) and Jennie Combe Malan (b. 1843 Lausanne, Switzerland - d. 1913 Highland, IL).

Children

• Bertha Leila Gruen Baseler (b. 1901 IL - d. 1987 St. Louis, MO) married Alfred Warren Baseler (b. 1900 St. Louis, MO - d. 1990 Ballwin, St. Louis, MO) in 1922, a leading brother among the Kelly-Continental brethren (Reunited Brethren) who was instrumental in merging his group with the Glanton Brethren in the early 1970's.

• Samuel Brian Gruen (b. 1903 Saint Rose, IL - d. 1950 Sabetha, KS) m. Edna Mae Wells (b. 1910 Sadlea, MO - d. 1997 Raymore, MO); Baptist deacon;
  • Samuel Edward Gruen (b. 1929 Abilene, KS - d. 2005 Maize, KS)
  • Richard Eugene Gruen (b. 1934 Abilene, KS - d. 1999 San Juan Capistrano, CA)
  • Ernest J. Gruen (b. 1936 Abilene, KS - d. 2009 Lenexa, KS), married Delores Ann Slaughter. See one bio. He authored six books and pastored Baptist churches ten years in Wichita. Then in 1966, he co-founded "Full Faith Church of Love" megachurch in Kansas City, KS, now known as "[Cross Points Church" in Shawnee, of which hived "Bridgeway Church" in Lenexa, KS in 2014, and "Park City Church" in Overland Park, KS in 2017.

• Eva Martha Gruen Martin (1905-1989) studied at Emporia State, and the Baptist Missionary Training school in Chicago, and left for India in 1932. In 1937, she married John Clough Martin, a Baptist pastor there in Ongole, South India, who studied at Dennison University, and Colgate University Divinity School. John's grandfather, Dr. John E. Clough, was a pioneer missionary in South India also. She died in Burnsville, MN.

• Ruth Gruen (b. 1907 IL - d. 1989 Erie, PA) m. Lewis Day Iredell (b. 1900 Erie, PA - d. 1968 Erie, PA), son of Arthur D. Iredell (b. 1868 Franklin, OH - d. 1905 Erie, PA) and Alice Jessie Lewis Iredell (b. 1870 Erie, PA - d. 1941 Erie, PA)

• Alice C. Gruen Waddell (b. 1909 Taylorville, IL - d. 2006 Seattle, WA) m. Paul V. Waddell in 1948 at Fremont Baptist, Seattle;

• Timothy George Gruen (1914-1992) m. Lola Mae Cormack (1915-2004); served @ First Baptist of Abilene;
  • George Everett Gruen - Idaho Falls, ID
  • Donald C. Gruen (1949-1951)
  • Ronald Eugene Gruen (1947-2020) m. Vicki L. Persinger; Three children; Florissant, MO
  • T. Lee Gruen (1944-6-2-2024) served as an elder 1970's-1980's at Grace and Truth Gospel Chapel, an open brethren assembly near Abilene, Kansas, and in respected lay leadership at Community Bible Church of Abilene from the 1990's thru 2024. Three children; 1st wife: Libby Wade (b. 1945 Great Bend, KS - d. 1990 Abilene, KS) who was also in fellowship at Grace and Truth.
• Donna Gruen Kooken - Flower Mound, TX

• Paul Frederick Gruen (b. 1923 Abilene, KS - d. 1990 Los Angeles, CA) moved to St. Louis in 1944, Los Angeles in 1950 with McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft, later with Lockheed Aircraft. Never married. His nephew T.Lee officiated his funeral at Newbern.

Later Years

George's later years were spent in an area of Erie, Pennsylvania known as Harborcreek. He died at the age of 82 on Dec. 16, 1956 at the Heaster Convalescent Home in Conneautville, Crawford, Pennsylvania, where he resided the final six months of his life.

Frank B. Tompkinson

George's death was reported by Frank Benjamin Tompkinson (b. 1890 England - d. 1978 Erie, PA), also of Harborcreek at the time. Frank was in leadership with the Erie Bible Truth Depot, now known as [Believers Bookshelf https://www.bbusa.org/] and located in Sunbury, PA.

Sources

• Madison County wiki
• Ancestry.com
• The Brethren Since 1870 and other Papers by W.R. Dronsfield. p. 32, etc.