Jared Ellison Groce (October 12, 1782, Halifax County, Virginia[1] – November 20, 1836[2][3]) was an American planter, slaveowner and settler.
He settled in Kenbridge, Virginia in 1727 and farmed tobacco with slaves, and married Elsa Murray, an Ulster Scots woman from Carrickfergus.
The couple had three sons and one daughter: Leonard Waller, Edwin (who drowned while he was young), Sarah Ann, and Jared Ellison Jr. His wife died on either November 7, 1813, while visiting her relatives,[2] or in 1814.
[1] In light of his great success, Groce had a dairy house and a small cabin built for the resident doctor in town.
To show his opposition, he donated ferries, wagons, teams, supplies, and even some of his slaves to Mexican Colonel Mateo Ahumada, who was marching on Nacogdoches, Texas.
[1] Seeing as how the Mexican government was treating him very well (giving him land and ownership benefits), he believed that seceding would only harm his business and personal interests.
He only confirmed this when he was selected to be a delegate from the District of Viesca (now Milam County), at the Convention of 1832, and opposed all ideas of seeking independence from Mexico.
Following the convention, he and several other opposing members drafted a bill for tariff reduction in hopes that it would reduce the number of people wanting to secede.
In 1833, Groce divided up his estate among his children and relocated some miles north to Wallace Prairie (now Grimes Country) to get away from the malaria-prone region.
Others speculated that he had made enemies within the Mexican government and wanted to cut ties between them before they could harm his business and personal interests.
[citation needed] General Sam Houston even wrote about him in his journal, commending Groce for his contributions and efforts, even stating that they most likely would not have been able to succeed without his help and generosity.
[citation needed] Beginning on the night of March 2, 1836, a draft of the Texas Declaration of Independence was written by a committee led by George Childress in only 24 hours at Groce's Retreat.