Samuel Alfred Groff (1847 - 1907)

Born 3 Apr 1847 in Manheim, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States

Husband of Louisa C. (Mentzer) Groff — married about 1874 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States

Died 7 Jan 1907 at age 59 in Washington, District of Columbia, United States

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Biography

• Samuel A. Groff developed the street letter box fastener. He was born 3 April 1847 in Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

He lived with his parents and siblings in Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in 1850Samuel Groff, United States Census, 1850.

In 1860 he lived with his father, stepmother and siblings in Mount Joy Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania[1] Samuel Groff, United States Census, 1860.

Samuel, originally from Pennsylvania, was a collector of fines with the Police Court since 1885 in Washington, DC. Around 1896, he came up with an improved method of fastening the letterboxes along city streets.

He invented such a fastener and received a patent for street letter box fasteners which could then be sold to the U.S. Postal Office.

Samuel possessed considerable talent for mechanics. Among his inventions were a projectile, a safeguard for streetcars, a device for catching crabs and a street indicator.

In 1900 he, his wife Louisa, and son John lived in the District of Columbia He died 7 January 1907 in Washington, D.C.[2] Samuel A. Groff, District of Columbia Deaths, 1874-1961] and was buried in Rock Creek Cemetery, Washington, District of Columbia, District Of Columbia.

Sources

• Find A Grave: Memorial #138947125

• "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP8K-6HHN : Sat Mar 09 21:30:54 UTC 2024), Entry for Samuel A Groff, 21 June 1865.

• "United States Census, 1900", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMFW-KHJ : Thu Apr 11 20:24:55 UTC 2024), Entry for Saml A Groff and Louisa C Groff, 1900.

• "District of Columbia Deaths, 1874-1961", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7RP-392 : Sun Mar 10 23:00:06 UTC 2024), Entry for Samuel A. Groff and , 07 Jan 1907.

• "United States, GenealogyBank Historical Newspaper Obituaries, 1815-2011", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q53N-VF1L : Thu Mar 14 23:43:23 UTC 2024), Entry for Mr Samuel A Groff and Rev George E Maydwell, 08 Jan 1907.