Peter Grubb Jr. (1740–1786), Patriot and second son of Peter and Martha Bates Grubb, was a second-generation member of the Grubb Family Iron Dynasty along with his older brother Curtis Grubb. They operated the Cornwall Ironworks, making significant contributions to the American Revolutionary War effort.
The brothers inherited the ironworks from their father in 1754, with Peter, as the youngest, receiving only a one-third interest. They took over operation of the ironworks about 1765 and expanded it successfully. Peter, who had more ironmaking experience, took over the nearby Hopewell Forges, making bar iron from pig iron produced by Curtis at Cornwall Furnace. They operated the business through and after the Revolution, becoming quite prosperous until they died, Peter in 1786 and Curtis in 1789.
Most of the Cornwall Ironworks fell out of family hands during the period 1783 - 1802, to Robert Coleman who became Pennsylvania's first millionaire. But a portion remained with Peter Jr.'s heirs, who added to it to become major Pennsylvania producers of iron in the mid-19th century, operating out of Mount Hope Estate.
Patriotism
The Grubb brothers were major contributors to the Revolutionary War effort, their Cornwall Ironworks supplied cannon, ammunition, shot and saltpans (used to make salt from seawater) to the Colonial forces. George Washington personally visited Cornwall to inspect the facility. Both brothers were elected as militia colonels, Peter's unit was the 8th Lancaster Battalion and Curtis' was the 2nd Lancaster Battalion, both assigned to the Flying Camp.
Business career
Peter and his brother took over the operation of the ironworks about 1765, with Peter operating the Hopewell Forges and Curtis the Cornwall Furnace. They were successful operators of the ironworks through the Revolution. They were, however, complex individuals whose affairs were closely intertwined and became increasingly acrimonious. Their ongoing feuds and legal entanglements led to the fragmentation of the ironwork's ownership and its eventual loss by the Grubb family into the hands of Robert Coleman, who used it to build his fortune.
Tensions between the brothers reached the crisis point in 1783 when Curtis decided to marry his 20-year-old cousin Ann Grubb, granddaughter of the brothers' uncle Nathaniel Grubb. Inheritance concerns by Curtis' oldest son, Peter III (actually called Peter Jr. to distinguish him from Curtis' brother Peter), resulted in him being given a portion of Curtis' holdings, which then required a legal division of the assets that had previously been shared informally. Included in Peter III's newly acquired assets were a one-third interest in the Hopewell Forges. Peter, who had been running the forges, became fearful and reacted by purchasing land at Mount Hope to build his own furnace in competition with his brother, going heavily into debt. The feud intensified and Peter III became concerned for the business and sold his interest to Robert Coleman, a friend who had worked for the brothers and was by then also an ironmaster. Curtis, concerned with the competition, allied himself with Coleman and tried various tactics to put Peter out of business. Succumbing to the pressure, Peter became distraught and committed suicide in 1786, at age 45. The ironworks were apportioned by the courts among Curtis, Peter's estate, and Coleman.
Robert Coleman additionally acquired the Mount Hope furnace from Peter's estate. After Curtis' death in 1789 he operated the ironworks for the heirs until 1798, when they sold their interests to him. Thus Robert Coleman became the owner of most of the former Grubb holdings, which he added to his own and expanded to become Pennsylvania's first millionaire.
The holdings remaining in Peter's estate were eventually expanded upon by his second son Henry Bates Grubb, whose family went on to become one of Pennsylvania's largest iron producers in the mid-19th century, with their center of operations at Mount Hope Estate.
Personal life
Before the brothers took over the ironworks in 1765, Peter had moved to the mansion built by his father and was learning the iron making business. He continued to reside in the mansion and took over operation of the Hopewell Forges. The Hopewell Forge Mansion still stands, denoted by a historic marker, on modern-day Route 322.