Andrews and Groos Families

Edmund Andrews (circa 1814–1843) was a settler in Stephen F. Austin's colony, arriving in Brazoria County, Texas, in 1830 December from Carolina. He remained there and served as a judge and postmaster of San Luis. In 1830, Andrews married Isabella Maria Barclay, a widow. He adopted her three children, two of whom were Henry and Edwin Marston Barclay.

Edmund's adopted stepson Henry Barclay Andrews was born on 1828 September 21 on the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies. Henry moved to Galveston in 1844 and became a merchant. Over the next decades, he held various positions in Galveston, including a district court attorney, postmaster, and Civil War soldier. In 1863 he was made chief of the Texas Labor Bureau and in 1864 was elected to the Texas legislature. Andrews' railroad career began in 1868, and he eventually became a vice-president and general manager of the Galveston, Harrisburg, and San Antonio Railroad. Andrews moved to San Antonio in 1877, and he died there on 1895 April 14. On 1846 July 10, Andrews married Martha E. Wynn, with whom he had nine children. He later married Mary (Mollie) Huston Smith (1837-1917), widow of Frank Smith, with whom he had one son.

Members of the Groos family came to Texas from Strass-Ebersbach, Dukedom of Hesse-Nassau, Germany, in 1848. In 1854, brothers Friedrich Wilhelm Carl (1827-1912), Carl Wilhelm August (1830-1893), and Gustav (1832-1895) Groos formed the mercantile and banking business F. Groos and Co. from what began as a contract to haul supplies to Fort Duncan. Initially, the business's headquarters were in Eagle Pass with branches in San Antonio, New Braunfels, and Matamoros; the headquarters were moved to San Antonio in 1866. In 1874, the company's mercantile operations were displaced by its banking functions and the company began functioning as a private bank. In 1912, it was chartered as the Groos National Bank.

Bettina James (1890-1981), a granddaughter of Henry B. Andrews and John James, married Carl F. Groos, a son of one of the pioneer banking brothers.

References

Hazlewood, Claudia. "Henry Barclay Andrews." Handbook of Texas Online . http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fan18 .

Gideon, Margaret Guenther. "Gustav Groos." Handbook of Texas Online . http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgr89 .

York, Miriam. "Carl Wilhelm August Groos." Handbook of Texas Online . http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgr88 .

York, Miriam. "Friedrich Wilhelm Carl Groos." Handbook of Texas Online . http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgr76 .

From the guide to the Andrews and Groos Families Papers Doc 9476., 1839-1877, (Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas)