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John Grawey was born in Newport, KY and it is assumed he was a farmer. They spoke Gennan since the family Bible records of births were
written in German. It is not known exactly when his family moved to Tell City, IN.
He married Emma Georg in Tell City in 1885 and five of his nine children were born there. In Tell City, Indiana, John Grawey worked at furniture making.
They moved to Peoria, IL sometime
between 1893 and 1895. The first listing in the Peoria City Directory for John Grawey 1894-1895 and listed him as a porter for Comstoct
Funiture Co, living at 311 Merriman. In 1895-1896, it lists them residing at 1515 Second Street, which is the large two story home that he
built. One of the reasons they moved to Peoria was because his wife's (Marianna Trefzger Grawey) brother, Simon Trefzger, lived in Peoria
and owned a bakery in Peoria. They had told him that there would be more work available in Peoria. Four more children were born in
Peoria. In Peoria in 1897, he started out driving a horse-drawn delivery wagon for Trefzger's Bakery.
They then bought a farm in Missouri
in 1903, in Rail County, near Farber and Laddonia. This was 200 miles from Peoria. They moved there sometime between 1903 and 1905
and stayed there until approximately 1907. The family would later recall it as "a God-forsaken" farm. The fann was sold in 1917.
The 1907 Peoria City Directory lists John as being in Peoria and living at 312 Smith Street. Their moving days were over, as they stayed in Peoria.
The home on Smith Street was sold in 1936 after John's death. Three of their grandchildren were born in the farmhouse on the farm,
Fredolin, John and Edith. Emma Georg Grawey's mother, Marianna Trefzger Georg, lived with them there. She died in September of 1905
and was buried in Peoria at the Trefzger family lot at St. Joseph's Cemetery. All of the children moved back to Peoria except Francis
(Frank). He moved back to Peoria in 1922. All of the nine children were baptized Catholic. The family belonged to St. Josph Catholic
Church while living in Peoria and John is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery in Peoria.
After his wife Emma Georg Grawey died in 1914, John
married Francis Gesser in 1915 in Evansville, IN. There were no children from this marriage.
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