BIO: JOHN DEPPEN GREYBILL, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Joe Patterson OCRed by Judy Banja Copyright 2004. All rights reserved. http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/copyright.htm http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/cumberland/ _____________________________________________________________ >From Biographical Annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Chicago: The Genealogical Publishing Co., 1905, pages 232-235 _____________________________________________________________ NOTE: Use this web address to access other bios: http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/cumberland/zeamer/ JOHN DEPPEN GREYBILL. Conspicuous among Carlisle's energetic and enterprising business men is the merchant miller whose name introduces this sketch. He was born at Abbeville, on the Little Conestoga creek, one mile west from Lancaster city, on Sept. 27, 1851. According to tradition there came from Switzerland at an early date six Greybill brothers, who settled in different parts of Lancaster county. All of them were Mennonites and brought with them the habits of industry and frugality characteristic of that sect. One of these six brothers, John Greybill, settled in Heidelberg township, Lancaster (now Lebanon) county, where he purchased 600 acres of land. Here, on April 25, 1748, was born John D. Greybill's great-grandfather, Michael Greybill, who married Anna Brubaker, born Jan. 29, 1756. Michael and Anna (Brubaker) Greybill had seven daughters and one son. The son was born on Dec. 18, 1789, in Heidelberg township, and was named John. This John Greybill, on reaching manhood, married Susanna Brubaker, who was born June 20, 1791, CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 233 John and Susanna (Brubaker) Greybill lived all their days in Heidelberg township, and among their other children had a son named Henry Brubaker Greybill, who was born Oct. 15, 1825, grew to manhood in Heidelberg township, and learned the milling trade. He married Elizabeth Royer Deppen, who was born Dec. 8, 1826, a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Royer) Deppen, of near Wernersville, Berks county. Samuel Deppen's family was among the early settlers of Berks county. Mary Royer's parents were from the vicinity of Ephrata, Lancaster county, and belonged to the German Baptist Church. By occupation both the Deppens and Royers were farmers. About the year 1849 Henry B. Greybill bought of Mrs. Livergood a gristmill located on the Little Conestoga creek, one mile west of Lancaster city. The mill stands where the Columbia Turnpike crosses that stream, and is an historical landmark, as it was built in 1717 by John Brubaker, the great-grandfather of Susanna Brubaker, who married John Greybill. Here he lived and engaged at milling for three years, and then sold out and bought a mill situated on the Conestoga, in West Earl township. The West Earl mill was another historical landmark, having been built as early as 1767. On moving to his West Earl purchase Mr. Greybill engaged in various enterprises, including milling, farming and merchandising. He was a business man in the fullest sense of the term, centered all his energies upon his business enterprises, and naturally was successful and prosperous. He died in October, 1894, but his wife, at this writing, is still living. Henry B. and Elizabeth R. (Deppen) Greybill had children as follows: Emma, who died at three years of age; John Deppen, the subject of this sketch; Samuel D., who is farming the homestead farm in West Earl township, and Rufus D., who is a miller and is operating the old mill which his father purchased in West Earl in 1852. John D. Greybill, the eldest son, was educated in the common schools, and at the Millersville State Normal School, where he spent one term. He inherited business enterprise and early directed his attention into business channels. In 1873 he rented his father's mill and began milling on his own account. He was making fair progress, but was anxious to do better. Early in the year 1875, in the banking house of Blair & Shenk, in Lancaster city, he saw an advertisement of a large mill property for sale at Middlesex, Cumberland county. He looked it over, became interested and called his father's attention to it. After some consideration they came to Middlesex and investigated, and on April 6, 1875, bought the property. That same spring John D. Greybill took charge of the new mill, which he operated for seven years. Like the two mills with which he previously was associated the Middlesex mill was a famous historical landmark. It was built long before the war of the Revolution by John Chambers, from whom it descended to his sons, who conveyed it to Robert Callendar. Callendar was an Indian trader in this section prior to the formation of Cumberland county, and rich and prominent. Robert Callendar died in 1776 and in the hands of his executors the property was sold at sheriff's sale, being purchased by Ephraim Blaine, who was the great-grandfather of the late James G. Blaine. Ephraim Blaine devised it to his grandson, Ephraim L. Blaine, who in 1818 sold it to Judge James Hamilton, whose executors sold it to Charles B. Penrose, grandfather of present United 234 CUMBERLAND COUNTY. States Senator Boies Penrose, whose executrix sold it to Jacob Stouffer, whose assigns sold it to the Greybills. In 1879 John D. Greybill visited the Millers' Exposition held in Cincinnati, and new processes there exhibited convinced him that a new epoch in milling had arrived and that to succeed millers would have to adopt these new inventions. He acted promptly. In 1882 he and the late Charles R. Woodward formed a partnership, and in Carlisle built the first roller mill that was erected in the Cumberland Valley. It is of one hundred and fifty barrel capacity and besides being the first roller mill also enjoys the distinction of being the largest merchant mill in the valley. The firm at first was composed of Charles R. Woodward, John D. Greybill and John G. Robb, all of Carlisle, and known by the name of Woodward, Greybill & Co. In about a year and a half after its formation Major Robb withdrew, and the firm became Woodward & Greybill, which was further simplified in 1890 by Mr. Woodward selling his entire interest in the property and the business to Mr. Greybill. In 1892 Mr. Greybill associated with him Mr. J. A. Davis, who for some time had been milling at the head of the Big Spring, Cumberland county, but was formerly of Ohio. Mr. David continued a partner in the business until in 1899, when he withdrew, and since then Mr. Greybill has been the sole owner and operator. He is a miller in every acceptation of the term, manufacturer and merchant as well. He inherited the handicraft and principles of the business from his father and has persistently practiced them from early manhood down to the present day. The improvements and new milling processes which have come up in the progress of time he adopted as their usefulness and advantages were proven, and his present large establishmentis an all around up-to-date mill, owned and personally managed by a man who is master of all the details of the milling business. He is also interested in enterprises aside from his milling business. In 1887 he helped to organize the Millers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the home office of which is at Wilkesbarre, Pa., and has been a director in it ever since it was begun. Although a comparatively new organization, this company carries risks amounting in the aggregate to over three millions of dollars, and its financial credit is of the best. He was long a director in the Farmers' Bank of Carlisle, and when it was merged into the Farmers' Trust Company became a director and vice-president of the new organization, the heaviest financial institution in the Cumberland Valley. John D. Greybill married, first, Salinda Rupp Grabill, a daughter of Isaac H. and Phianna (Rupp) Grabill, of West Earl township, Lancaster county. By this marriage he had one child, a daughter named Salinda May, who was born Feb. 27, 1875. She married Monroe P. Haverstick, and has a daughter named May. Mr. and Mrs. Haverstick reside in Manheim township, Lancaster county. Mrs. Salinda R. Greybill died March 8, 1875, in Lancaster county, and on Jan. 16, 1877, John D. Greybill married for his second wife Miss Barbara Hertzler, daughter of John and Fanny (Erb) Hertzler, of South Middleton township, Cumberland county, by whom he has had children as follows: Deppen Hertzler, born Jan. 18, 1881, who died in infancy; Harry Hertzler, born July 22, 1882; John Roscoe, born Sept. 5, 1885, and Florence Elizabeth, born April 2, 1892. Harry Hertzler Greybill, the eldest son, at this writing is a student in the Senior class at Dickinson College; the next son, John Roscoe, CUMBERLAND COUNTY. 235 is a member of the Sophomore class at Dickinson, and the daughter, Florence Elizabeth, is attending public school in Carlisle. Mr. and Mrs. Greybill are both of Mennonite ancestry, but circumstances making it inconvenient for them to keep up their relations with that denomination the family now worship in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Carlisle, where they are members and regular attendants. In the matter of politics Mr. Greybill follows his convictions rather than party bias and it is a little difficult to classify him. He is of Republican antecedents, but by profession and practice a Prohibitionist, and reserves to himself the privilege to vote for honest men and honest measures, no matter under what party flag he finds them.