John Grieser

John Grieser

• Father: Frederic Grieser b. 18 August 1833, d. 21 January 1873
• Mother: Anna Elisabetha Dexheimer b. 11 September 1828, d. 23 December 1895

• John Grieser was born circa 1861 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan.
• A carte de visite photograph found in the album of Elisabeth's sister Philippina Harmson appears to have been made about 1867 of the four eldest Grieser children, Mary, Louis, John and Nicholas (by G. Grelling, Artist, Detroit).
• Frederic Grieser and Anna Elisabetha Dexheimer, appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1870 in Detroit, Michigan. Other members of the household included John Grieser, Maria J. Grieser, Louis Grieser, Nicholas Grieser and Lina Grieser.
• Anna Elisabetha Dexheimer appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1880 in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, at 294 Sherman Street and brewer John Schmidt.. Other members of the household included John Grieser, Louis Grieser, Nicholas Grieser and Lina Grieser.
• He was a laborer, according to the 1880 census.
• He married Ellen M. Martinke on 14 October 1884 in Detroit, Michigan, The marriage was witnessed by Nicholas Grieser.
• John Grieser died in March 1896.
• Ellen M. Martinke became a widow at his death.
• The following, which appeared in "Brewed in Detroit," by Peter H. Blum, is to be taken with a grain of salt ["relatives" Louis and Nicholas actually were sons of Elizabeth, brothers of John]. Germania. The story of the Grieser brewery illustrates the determination to continue in the face of tragedy. Fred Grieser started a home-brewing operation at the northeast corner of Sherman and St. Aubin in 1871. His untimely death two years later left his forty-one-year-old wife Elizabeth with a ten-year-old boy, John. Eliza, as she was known, buckled down and became one of the few women to run a brewery. If she could make a go of it, perhaps John could take his father's place someday.
       In 1874, Eliza Greiser's brewery turned out 1,237 barrels, 1,355 the following year. In 1876, she was also operating a saloon as part of the establishment. A relative, Louis Grieser, came to live in the house and helped to brew. Nicholas Grieser, another relative who was a bookkeeper for the Hawley Malt Company, boarded at the home.
       Finally, in 1885, twenty-two-year-old John Grieser was ready to take his place in the brewery. The name was changed to Germania Brewing Company in 1888, with John in charge. Nicholas Grieser left Hawley to join the family firm. By 1890, John was married and living at 193 Chestnut with his wife, Ellen. The Germania Brewery was small but provided a livig for the Griesers. In December 1895 Eliza Grieser died at sixty-four. Tragedy struck again in March, when John died suddenly at thirty-three, leaving an even younger widow.
       Nicholas Grieser took over as brewmaster. However, time was running out for Germania, and the family closed the brewery in August 1898. The following July, Karl Zahringer and John Honer either purchased or leased the small plant and resumed production. brewing operaiton shut down permanently in 1900.
• It is an educated guess that Anna Elisabetha Dexheimer married Frederick Grieser, pending further research. Although her stated age indicates that she was born about 1832 rather than late 1828, it is possible that she may have consistently under-stated her age, possilby because her husband appears to have been younger.

• Last Edited: 12 Nov 2012

• Charts: Descendants of DEXHEIMER Philipp Peter & Maria Agnesa Wagner / Anna Christina Baltz