JAMES T. GRUBBS, SR., an industrious and enterprising farmer of
Clark Township, is a native of Kentucky, a son of James T. and
Eliza P. (Prentiss) Grubbs. The father was born in Louisa County,
Va., 1796, the mother was born in Lexington, Ky. Our subject's
father was a physician, and practiced his profession in Burlington,
Ky., about forty years. He departed this life May 21, 1884. The
wife died in 1880. To our subject's father and mother the following
children were born: William B., in 1831; Anna G., in 1834, and
James T., in 1837. Of these, the two brothers are now living. The
sister was married in 1873, to Samuel Bergen. Our subject came to
Indiana and settled in Johnson County, April 11, 1855, and began
farming. He began life for himself at the age of twenty-one years,
when he entered into merchandising in Burlington, Ky., where he
remained two years. On June 7, 1860, he was united in marriage with
Mildred A. Grubbs, a native of Christian County, Ky. To this union
the following children were born: James T. Jr., August 29, 1861;
John T., May 5, 1864, and Anna M., March 21, 1870. The mother of
these children, and the oldest son and daughter, are members of the
Christian Church. Mr. Grubbs is a member of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. He emigrated from Kentucky in 1865, and settled in Johnson
County, where he began farming, and by close economy and good
management, he has added to his farm until he now has 350 acres of
fine farming land, 200 acres of which are under a high state of
cultivation. He is a straight-out democrat. In 1882, he, with his
sons, began the manufacture of shingles, and since that time have
added a lumber saw to their mill, and for the last two years have
been doing an extensive business in shipping pine shingles. They
have under construction at this time a planing and box factory,
with all kinds of building material, under the firm name of J. T.
Grubbs & Sons.
Transcribed by Cheryl Zufall Parker
Banta, D.D. History of Johnson County, Indiana. Chicago, IL: Brant & Fuller, 1888.