Brief Life History of Nicholas
When Nicholas Groesbeck was born on 5 September 1819, in Buskirk, Hoosick, Rensselaer, New York, United States, his father, Harmon Bogardus Groesbeck, was 32 and his mother, Marie Bovee, was 32. He married Elizabeth Thompson on 24 March 1841, in Springfield, Sangamon, Illinois, United States. They were the parents of at least 8 sons and 2 daughters. He lived in Sangamon, Illinois, United States in 1855 and Springville, Utah, Utah, United States in 1860. He died on 29 June 1884, in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States, at the age of 64, and was buried in Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States.
Photos and Memories (21)
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Family Time Line
Sources (90)
- N Grosbeck, "United States Census, 1860"
- Nicholas Groesbeck, "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940"
- Nicholas Groesbeck, "Utah, Salt Lake County Death Records, 1849-1949"
Spouse and Children
Children (10)
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Parents and Siblings
World Events (8)
1820 · Making States Equal
The Missouri Compromise helped provide the entrance of Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state into the United States. As part of the compromise, slavery was prohibited north of the 36°30′ parallel, excluding Missouri.
1827 · Slavery Becomes Illegal in New York State
During the years 1799 to 1827, New York went through a period of gradual emancipation. A Gradual Emancipation Law was passed in 1799 which freed slave children born after July 4, 1799. However, they were indentured until 25 years old for women and 28 years old for men. A law passed 1817 which freed slaves born before 1799, yet delayed their emancipation for ten years. All remaining slaves were freed in New York State on July 4, 1827.
1839 · From Swamp to Beautiful Place
By 1829 Venus, Illinois had grown sufficiently and in 1832 was one of the contenders for the new county seat. However, the honor was awarded to a nearby city, Carthage. In 1834 the name Venus was changed to Commerce because the settlers felt that the new name better suited their plans. But during late 1839, arriving members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought the small town of Commerce and in April 1840 it was renamed Nauvoo by Joseph Smith Jr., who led the Latter-Day Saints to Nauvoo to escape persecution in Missouri. The name Nauvoo is derived from the traditional Hebrew language. It is notable that by 1844 Nauvoo's population had swollen to around 12,000 residents, rivaling the size of Chicago at the time. After the Latter-Day Saints left the population settled down toward 2,000 people.
Name Meaning
Dutch: habitational name from Groesbeek, south of Nijmegen.
History: The name is recorded in Beverwyck in New Netherland (now Albany, NY)in the mid 17th century.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
Story Highlight
Journal of Nicholas Harmon Groesbeck
Recorded in: Treasures of Pioneer History, Vol 6, p 55. When I was eight years old my father [Nicholas Groesbeck] sold his home to a Mr. Phelps and built himself a new house where we lived until May …
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