Evan F. Gross Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 758-759

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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EVAN F. GROSS. The business interests of Gettysburg, Potter county, 
have an able representative in the gentleman whose name heads this 
review. His hardware store is one of the best equipped of any within 
the city of Gettysburg, and has become known throughout the county. He 
has enlarged his first store room and increased his stock and enjoys an 
excellent patronage. He is one of the pioneer settlers of that region 
and has aided in its development and is entitled to much praise for his 
labors in its behalf. 

Mr. Gross was born in New York City, October 19, 1853. He was the son 
of George F. Gross, a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, who came to 
America at the time of his marriage, and settled in the city of New 
York, where he followed the trade of a printer. The mother of our 
subject, Theressa Fuchs, was a native of Austria, and the daughter of a 
grape grower and wine maker. Of their family of five children, four 
sons and one daughter, our subject was the eldest. His parents moved to 
Chicago in 1861, and the father established a printing office. Our 
subject was raised in Chicago and attended the city schools and 
graduated from the high school, and from Dyhrenfurth College of that 
city. During the time he was completing his schooling he also learned 
the printer's trade, and his first work was in his father's printing 
office. He remained with him until 1871, when the great Chicago fire 
lost them everything, and our subject worked for others for seven 
years. He established a job printing office in Chicago in 1878 and was 
in business in that city until 1883. In May of that year he went to 
Potter county, South Dakota, and took a pre-emption and erected a 
house, 20 x 30 feet two stories in height, and barns and other 
outbuildings, and began farming. His first team was a yoke of oxen, 
with which he farmed three years, and hauled all his lumber from Blunt, 
forty-six miles distant. He remained on the farm four years. He 
established his present business in Gettysburg in 1893, and in 1897 
added machinery and implements to his hardware stock. He started in a 
24 x 40 foot building, and now has a 24 x 90 foot building well 
stocked, and a room 24 x 50, and another 24 x 80, and a warehouse 30 x 
70 feet. He was one of the first men to locate in Potter county, and 
his house was the first built in Lincoln township, when no other 
buildings were to be seen in either direction. 

Our subject was married in 1874 to Miss Marion Augustine, the daughter 
of a farmer of Port Washington, Wisconsin, who was a native of France. 
Two children were born of this union, as follows: Robert and Alma. Mrs. 
Gross died in 1879. Mr. Gross married Miss Louisa Clausing in 1881. She 
was of German descent, and her death occurred in 1886. Mr. Gross was 
married in Dakota to Miss Mary Helen Williams. Mrs. Gross is a native 
of Harrison, Illinois. Two children have been born of this union, named 
as follows: Roger W. and Theresa. 

Our subject is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, the Ancient 
Order of United Workmen, and the Knights of Pythias. He was appointed 
auditor of Potter county, in April, 1887, being the first to serve in 
that capacity in the county, and was elected on the Republican ticket 
two terms, serving altogether about seven years. He has attended nearly 
every county convention since taking up his residence in South Dakota, 
and has served as delegate to numerous state and county conventions. He 
was formerly a Republican, but since 1896 has not been strongly 
identified with any party.