Documents and Articles

Obituaries

William Henry Grabenhorst

Statesman Obituary 27 September 1923
Salem Realtor Died Wednesday
W.H. Grabenhorst, Head of Local Firm, Passes After Two Week Illness

William H. Grabenhorst, prominent Salem real estate dealer, died yesterday at is home, 162 West Lincoln street, following an illness of two weeks. Besides his widow he is survived by eight children, one brother and one sister. Mr. Grabenhorst was senior member of the W.H. Grabenhorst and Sons, realtors. He has lived in Salem since 1911, having come to Marion county from Iowa in 1903. He lived on a farm before moving into town. He was born in Baltimore, Md, December 14, 1859. He was educated in the schools of Baltimore and attended Pennsylvania college at Gettysburg for three years. He also attended Eastman College in Poughkeepsie, New York. He served for some time as a member of the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey in Washington, D.C. He was married in 1881 to Miss Eva Haight of Poughkeepsie, New York. They moved two years later to Dayton, Iowa, where Mr. Grabenhorst engaged in farming for 19 years. He came from there to Oregon. Beside his widow he is survived by a sister, Miss Carrie Grabenhorst, and a brother, Fred Grabenhorst, both of Salem, and seven children: Mrs. Lillian Busch of Yakima, G.H. Grabenhorst, W.H. Grabenhorst, Jr., Charles W Grabenhorst, and Eugene B Grabenhorst, all of Salem; Mrs. Nell McAllister, Corvallis; Mrs. Evelyn Oberer of Portland, ten grandchildren and an adopted grandson, Robert Johnson of Salem. Mr. Grabenhorst has, during all his business life in Salem, been one of the foremost citizens of this city, in all things looking for the good and the development of this community. He was a man of warm friendships, and his loss will be felt by a large circle. It is a community loss. The funeral will be held Friday at 10 o'clock from Rigdon's.

Capital Journal Obituary
ILLNESS FATAL TO GRABENHORST

William H. Grabenhorst, senior member of the Grabenhorst & Sons real estate firm here, died shortly after noon Wednesday, September 26, 1923, at the residence, 162 West Lincoln street. Mr. Grabenhorst, who was 63 years of age at the time of his death, had been ill for about two weeks. Mr. Grabenhorst was born in Maryland, where he lived until his early twenties when he moved to the state of Iowa., where he farmed for about 20 years. He then moved to Salem and lived on a farm for about ten years after which he entered into the real estate business. He has lived in or near Salem for the past 21 years. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Eva Grabenhorst, four sons and three daughters; George, Eugene, Charles and William Grabenhorst all of Salem; Mrs. Evelyn Oberer of Portland, Mrs. Lillian Busch of North Yakima and Nellie McAllister of Corvallis; also eleven grandchildren. Announcements of funeral services will be made later from the Rigdon mortuary.

Capital Journal Funeral Notice

Funeral services for the lae W.H. Grabenhorst, Salem realtor, who died here Wednesday, September 26, 1923, were held Friday morning at 10 o'clock from the Rigdon mortuary. Internment was made in the City View cemetery. All offices of Salem realtors and the abstract offices of the city were closed from 10 o'clock to noon Friday in memory of Mr. Grabenhorst.

Eva Haight Grabenhorst

Statesman Obituary 5 April 1929
EVA GRABENHORST OF THIS CITY DIES

Mrs. Eva Grabenhorst died Thursday morning at the family home, 162 West Lincoln street, at the age of 67 years. She had been in ill health for several months. Funeral services will be held Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock at the Clough-Huston chapel, the Rev. Marcy of Forest Grove officiating. Internment will be made in the City View Cemetery beside her husband, the late W.H. Grabenhorst. Mrs. Grabenhorst, a resident of Oregon since 1903, was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., October 29, 1861. Twenty years later she was married to W.H. Grabenhorst, and they moved shortly to Iowa where they remained until coming to this state. Mrs. Grabenhorst is survived by three daughters and four sons: Mrs. Lillian Busch of Yakima and Mrs. L.A. McAllister and Mrs. L.E. Oberer, both of Salem; Eugene B. Grabenhorst, George H., William H., and Charles W., all of Salem. Thirteen grandchildren survive.

Capital Journal Obituary
DEATH SUMMONS EVA GRABENHORST

Mrs. Eva Grabenhorst, widow of the late W.H. Grabenhorst, died Thursday morning, at the age of 68 years at the family residence, 162 West Lincoln street, following an illness of several months duration. Mrs. Grabenhorst was born October 29, 1861 in Poughkeepsie, New York. In she was married in Poughkeepsie to W.H. Grabenhorst. Shortly after their marriage, the Grabenhorsts moved to Ioa where they resided for 19 years before coming to Oregon in 1902. Mr. Grabenhorst founded the Grabenhorst Realty company. Besides her three daughters, Mrs. L.A. McAllister and Mrs. L.E. Oberer, both of Salem; and Mrs. Lillian Busch of Yakima, Washington; Mrs. Grabenhorst is survived by four sons; George H., William H., Charles W., and Eugene B. Grabenhorst, all of Salem and thirteen grandchildren. The remains are in the care of the Clough-Huston mortuary. Funeral announcements will be made later.

Capital Journal Funeral Notice

Grabenhorst
Mrs. Eva Grabenhorst, widow of the late W.H. Grabenhorst, died April 4 at the family residence, 163 West Lincoln street, at the age of 68 years. She is survived by the following daughters and sons; Mrs. Lillian Busch of Yakima, Wash., Mrs. L.A. McAllister and Mrs. L.E., both of Salem; George H., William H., Charles W., and Eugene B. Grabenhorst, all of Salem . Also a grandson, Robert A. Johnson. Funeral service at Clough-Huston chapel Saturday at 2 p.m. Rev. Marcy of Forest Grove officiating. Internment City View cemetery.

Articles

The Biographical Record of Webster County Iowa (1902)

William H. Grabenhorst, who, with his father and brother owns and operates a half section of land on section 12, Dayton township, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, December 14, 1859, and is a son of H.C. Grabenhorst and Margaret Ann (Layer) Grabenhorst, the former of whom was born in the province of Brunswick, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1847. The father lived for many years in the vicinity of Baltimore, Maryland, where he engaged principally in the dairy business. He owned about one hundred and ninety cows, and did an annual business of nearly forty thousand dollars. His life has been one of immense industry and well applied enterprise, and he is one of the foremost developers of Webster county, where he first bought land in 1859. As a boy, William H. Grabenhorst profited by the training to be found in the public schools of Baltimore, and he also studied for three years at Pennsylvania College, at Gettysburg Pennsylvania. His initiation into the field of independent support was as a member of the United States coast survey at Washington, with which he was connected up to the time of his marriage, September 22, 1881, with Eva Haight, who was born Duchess County, New York, and is of American parentage. Mrs. Grabenhorst has one brother, Harry, who is a resident of Seattle, Washington, and one sister, Mrs. Harry Miller of Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Grabenhorst with his wife came to their present home near Dayton, Iowa, in March, 1883. To them have been born eight children: Anna, in 1883; Lillie, in 1885; George in 1887; Will, in 1889; Charley, in 1891; Eugene, in 1893; Nellie, in 1896; and Evelyn, in 1901. Mr. Grabenhorst is one of the intelligently progressive men of his township, and enjoys the esteem of all who are privileged to know him.

History of Oregon, Vol. 2; The Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, pub. 1922, page 19

W. H. GRABENHORST. William H. Grabenhorst was born in Baltimore, Maryland, December 14, 1859, and is the son of Henry C. and Margaret A. (Layer) Grabenhorst. The father of Mr. Grabenhorst was born in the province of Braunschweig, Germany, and emigrated to the United States in 1847. He is still living at the advanced age of ninety-two years, but the mother died on the 26th of May, 1921, at the age of eighty-two years. She was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Grabenhorst was educated in the public schools of Baltimore, Maryland, and was also a student three years at the Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg. His introduction into business was as a member of the United States coast and geodetic survey at Washington, D. C. On the 22d day of September, 1881, he was married to Miss Eva Haight, of Dutchess county, New York. In 1883, accompanied by his wife, he settled in Webster county, Iowa, where he engaged in farming. Eight children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Grabenhorst: Anna A., Lillian M., George H., William H., Charles W., Eugene B., Nell C. and Evelyn I., all of whom are now living except Anna A. In 1902 Mr. Grabenhorst and family moved to Marion county, Oregon, and purchased what was known as the Frank C. Baker farm, four miles south of Salem, consisting of three hundred and twenty-seven acres. He farmed this tract of land for a number of years and was very successful in this line of work. Thinking it was for the best interests of himself and family, he subdivided this tract of land and sold the same in small tracts of five acres. The amount he received from these sales justified his judgment in the matter. In 1911 Mr. Grabenhorst moved from his farm to Salem, where he engaged in the real estate and loan business. He is an enterprising business man. He has subdivided over two thousand acres of land, which has greatly promoted the development of the city of Salem and the country adjacent thereto. His success in life has been due to his energy and attention to the business in which he has been engaged. His pride In the development of the capital city of Oregon has been one of the principal causes of adding so much to the growth and prosperity of Salem.