The Grubb Family Iron Dynasty was a succession of iron manufacturing enterprises owned and operated by Grubb family members for more than 165 years. Collectively, they were Pennsylvania's leading iron manufacturer between 1840 and 1870.
About 1737, Peter Grubb entered the iron business after discovering the vast and rich Cornwall Iron Mines (Cornwall Banks) in Lebanon County, about 21 miles north of Lancaster. Peter and the next five generations of his descendants operated and expanded the business until they owned or operated in close association with at least 18 iron production operations and several thousand acres of property in eastern Pennsylvania.
Grubb's heirs sold most of the original properties between 1786 and 1803 to Robert Coleman, who became Pennsylvania's first millionaire and whose operations were continued through the 19th century by his heirs. Beginning in 1800, the heirs of Curtis' brother Peter Grubb, Jr. rebuilt their business on the minority interest they retained, primarily in the Cornwall Iron Mines, and operated for nearly 100 years out of Mount Hope. The Grubb and Coleman families were competitors, but also partners due to their shared interests in the ore fields.
Both families' operations bowed to the advances of iron and steel technology in the latter part of the 19th century and were gradually sold between 1883 and 1926. Many of the Grubb holdings and the Cornwall Iron Mines were sold in 1902 to the Pennsylvania Steel Company, which was acquired by Bethlehem Steel in 1916. The remaining Coleman holdings and the related Robesonia Iron Company were also sold to Bethlehem Steel, in 1919 and 1926 respectively. Bethlehem Steel continued to mine iron ore at Cornwall until 1973.
People In 1677, John Grubb came from Cornwall, U.K., and settled in Brandywine Hundred, Delaware, where he established a tannery. His son Peter launched iron operations that eventually linked six generations of people, including:
First generation Peter Grubb Sr. (1702–1754): Founded the Cornwall Ironworks when he discovered the vast iron ore fields at Cornwall, PA, about 1737 and built the Cornwall Furnace and Hopewell Forges by 1742. He leased the operations to Cury & Company until 1765 and removed to Wilmington, Delaware, where he bought and sold real estate and lived out his life. Succeeding family generations built their fortunes on his discovery.
Second generation Curtis Grubb (1730–1789): Peter's eldest son and Patriot. 4/6 owner-in-common of the Cornwall Ironworks and operator of the Cornwall Furnace from 1765 to 1789. Built the Union Forge in 1882. His pending remarriage in 1783 spawned inheritance issues that led to the 1885-6 partition of the Grubb holdings. By 1795, Curtis' holdings had been sold by his heirs to Robert Coleman; they had all died by 1805. Curtis did have a son, Jehu Grubb, unacknowledged and not an heir, who became an early settler and leading citizen of Stark County, Ohio. Peter Grubb Jr. (1740–1786): Peter's youngest son and Patriot. 2/6 owner-in-common of the Cornwall Ironworks and operator of the Hopewell Forges from 1765 to 1786. He reacted to the forced partition by building his own Mount Hope Furnace in 1784 to compete with his brother; he took his own life in 1786. His heirs rebuilt the family iron business from Mount Hope in the 19th century.
Third generation Peter Grubb III (1757–1805): Curtis' eldest son and heir, was actually called Peter Jr. at the time to distinguish him from his uncle Peter; however, this article uses Peter III to distinguish him from his uncle Peter Jr. A former officer and prisoner of war in the Revolution, he began the gradual sale of the Grubb holdings to Robert Coleman when he sold his inherited 1/3 share of the Hopewell Forges and 1/6 share of the rest of the Cornwall Ironworks to him in 1785. Curtis Grubb Jr. (1772–1790): Curtis' son and principal heir, inherited his father's remaining 3/6 share of the Cornwall Ironworks but soon left it to his sister Elizabeth when he died as a teenager in 1790. He mentioned his half-brother Jehu Grubb in his will. Elizabeth Grubb (c. 1775 – after 1795): Curtis' daughter and subsequent heir, inherited the 3/6 share of the Cornwall Ironworks from her late brother Curtis Jr. and furthered the gradual sale of the Grubb holdings to Robert Coleman by selling her share to him in 1795.
Alan Burd Grubb (1772–1828): Peter Jr.'s eldest son, inherited half of his father's estate but sold it to his brother Henry in 1798 for $29,266. He became a physician in Tennessee. Henry Bates Grubb (1774–1823): Peter Jr.'s youngest son, founded and built the 19th-century Grubb family iron empire from 1800 to 1823, building on the legacy of his father's Mount Hope Furnace and remaining 2/6 share of the Cornwall Ironworks. Henry financed his efforts, including the purchase of additional properties, with proceeds from the final sale of most of the original Grubb holdings to Robert Coleman; their transactions in 1798 and 1802 left Coleman with the Hopewell Forges and Henry with the Mount Hope Furnace and only a 1/6 interest in the Cornwall ore bank. Harriett Amelia Buckley Grubb (1788–1858): Henry's widow, oversaw the Grubb operations for several years after his death, until the sons came of age.
Fourth generation Curtis Grubb (1781–1847), son of Peter Grubb III, owned the Gray's Ferry Inn south of Philadelphia from 1805 to 1825.
Edward Burd Grubb, Sr. (1810–1867): Henry's eldest son, was sent to Europe in 1830 to study the latest iron technology. He returned to partner with his brother Clement in 1833, under the name E. & C.B., to run the family business, then consisting of interests in at least five properties. They rebuilt the old furnaces and expanded the operations. In 1837 he moved his family to Burlington, NJ, where he became one of its leading citizens and an ardent abolitionist.
Clement Brooke Grubb (1815–1889): Henry's second son, entered the family business in 1832 and partnered with his older brother Edward in 1833, under the name E. & C.B., becoming the manager of the Mount Hope Estate. He sold his half interest in the Mount Hope Estate to his younger brother Alfred in 1845 and moved to Lancaster. He left E. & C.B. about that time, apparently to strike out on his own. He acquired the Chestnut Hill Ore Banks by 1851 and built the St. Charles Furnace in 1852. In 1872, Clement formed a new partnership with his son Charles (C.B. Grubb and Son) and they purchased the Henry Clay Furnace (renamed St. Charles #2) in 1875. At his death, Clement was said to have been the wealthiest person in Lancaster County. Alfred Bates Grubb (1821–1885): Henry's youngest son, was involved in the family business and acquired a half interest in the Mount Hope Estate for $25,000 from his brother Clement in 1845. He continued to manage Mount Hope, and was involved with Edward and Edward's heirs until at least 1873. After Alfred's death in 1885, Mount Hope was sold back to Clement for $300,000. Alfred's children were not involved in the iron business.
Fifth generation
Edward Burd Grubb, Jr. (1841–1913): Edward Sr.'s eldest son, known as E. Burd Grubb, was a noted Civil War General and politician who made his fortune in the family iron business after the war. Like his father a resident of Burlington, NJ, he assumed his father's position as President of the Lebanon Valley Furnace Company in 1865 and owned the Lebanon Valley Furnace. Gen. Grubb may have been the last family member to actively participate in the iron business when he retired, probably in 1911. Henry Bates Grubb (1848–1919): Edward Sr.'s third son, was Vice President of the Conewago Iron Company that owned the Conewago Furnace. Charles Ross Grubb (1851–1928 ): Edward Sr.'s youngest son, often known as C. Ross Grubb, purchased the Eagle Furnace in 1869, at the age of 18. He was educated at Andover and Yale. He formed a relationship with the Haldeman iron manufacturing family and in 1888 partnered in the firm of Haldeman, Grubb and Company to own and operate Chickies Furnaces #1 and #2 until 1899. By 1892, C. Ross was President of the Conewago Iron Company that owned the Conewago Furnace. He was President of the Cornwall Ore Bank Company when it was sold to the Pennsylvania Steel Company (later acquired by Bethlehem Steel) in 1902. Charles Brooke Grubb (1844–1911): Clement's eldest son, joined his father in 1872 under the name C.B. Grubb and Son. The partners owned both St. Charles Furnaces plus the Codorus Iron Mines, and Charles owned the Chestnut Hill Ore Bank in 1904. Ella Jane Brooke (Grubb) Smith (1847–1920): Clement's daughter and wife of ironmaster Col. Heber Smith, owner of the Joanna Furnace in Berks County. Daisy Elizabeth Brooke Grubb (1850–1936): Clement's youngest daughter, inherited substantial holdings from her father but sold most of the industrial holdings in 1902. She became a wealthy Lancaster spinster and socialite who, beginning in 1895, renovated the 12-room Federal style residence at Mount Hope Estate into a 32-room Victorian mansion. She entertained many prominent citizens at the mansion and was the last family member to reside there.
Sixth generation Parker Ross Grubb (1876–1920): C. Ross Grubb's only son, was educated at Yale and, after his service in the Spanish American War, joined the family business briefly until it was sold.
Cornwall era (1734–1800)
Cornwall, Pennsylvania, was the center of the early Grubb Family Iron Dynasty in the 18th century. It later served a similar role for the Coleman Family operations.
Founding (first generation, 1734–65)
The Grubb family enterprises began when Peter Grubb, a stonemason by training, discovered at Cornwall, Pennsylvania between 1734 and 1737, what proved to be the largest domestic iron ore deposit east of Lake Superior. Grubb purchased 1,000 acres of iron-rich property and began manufacturing activities at the Cornwall Iron Furnace and Hopewell Forges in 1742. The business thrived at Cornwall, operating until 1765 under lease by a group of businessmen named Cury & Company, while Grubb removed to Wilmington, Delaware, where he lived out his life.
Patriot years (second generation, 1765–89)
Peter's sons Curtis Grubb and Peter Grubb, Jr. inherited the iron works after their father died in 1754, and took over operation in 1765. The ironmaster brothers were both Patriots of the American Revolution and Colonels of local militia; their iron works developed and supplied significant quantities of cannon and other munitions to the war effort. With the heavy demand for iron products and the accompanying inflation during the war, the brothers (and other ironmasters) realized handsome profits in the service of their new country. Curtis added the Union Forge to the holdings about 1782. They continued to operate the iron works, producing several hundred tons annually, Curtis at the Cornwall Furnace and Peter at the Hopewell Forges, until they died, Peter Jr. in 1786 and Curtis in 1789. Their residential mansions at both locations still stand today.
Partition and divestiture (1783–1803)
The Grubb brothers unfortunately had a serious falling out beginning in 1783, when Curtis' pending remarriage spawned inheritance anxieties by his oldest son Peter III, 26, who had been a Captain of the Continental Army and a prisoner of war. Curtis acquiesced and decided to give his son his inheritance before the wedding, which subsequently required the courts to formally partition the family operations and allocate ownership shares among Curtis, Peter Jr., and Peter III.