Judge Groom was born in Manchester, England, January 29th, 1874. His family were converts to the L.D.S. church. Their one desire was to come to Utah. In order to finance such an undertaking all members of the family had to work. Percy, as a very young lad, threaded needles at a large cotton manufacturing plant where his mother and sister Annie were also employed. At the age of nine, Percy with his mother and older brother Nate emigrated to the United States. They were 30 days crossing the Atlantic ocean and traveled in steerage or in the hold of the ship, slept on the floor and ate food, cooked in the large kettles placed on a table, each passenger receiving a ladle on his or her tin plate by the steward. The journey from New York City to Salt Lake City required five days by train. The seats of the coaches were made of slats. His mother, after paying the custom officials had only $1.95 for the expenses of the journey for the three of them. They arrived in Utah in June, going to Butler Bench, east of Murray where their father and brother Harry had emigrated and located some five years earlier, the father arriving in 1883 and Harry in 1878.

In 1887, in the early spring, the family moved to the Snake River Valley. At that time Percy and Harry were assigned the task of moving the livestock. They were 30 days driving the cattle due to the heavy spring snow storms, mud and poor trails. The boys walked the entire distance. The family located at Garfield in Jefferson county, then a part of Bingham county, taking up a homestead. A small log house was constructed from logs hauled down from Granite, above Antelope. The sagebrush was growing so high about the small clearing where the house was located that it was necessary to erect a tall post with a gunny sack as a guide post to find one's way back to the cabin when out a distance in the tall sagebrush. The nearest water was Snake River five miles west or the Burgess swail 2 1/2 miles north.

One spring evening a jack rabbit was killed for supper. Nate Groom took the rabbit and a pail, walked the 2 1/2 miles to the swail, dressed the rabbit, got a pail of water and returned, walking five miles. The rabbit was cooked and eaten for supper which was relished by all.

Percy and his brothers broke the sagebrush land, planted seeds, dug ditches and run water over the virgin soil. Many days they worked with teams helping dig the Harrison canal to bring water to their homestead from Snake River, east of Ririe. Besides tilling the soil, Percy was always interested in subjects dealing with political science, history, current issues and has always been a student of the Bible. In early pioneer days newspapers were very scarce and after work he would ride horse-back several miles to discuss politics with neighbors or exchange newspapers or books. In 1895 citizenship became his most prized possession. In 1907 he served an L.D.S. Mission to England. His title 'judge' came in 1912 when he was elected probate judge of Jefferson County and served for six terms. He was admitted to the Idaho State Bar Association in 1914. During his years of residence in Rigby he has held a number of civic offices and positions and at the present time he is engaged in a private law practice and is secretary of the Pioneer Cemetery Association. The Grooms celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary in June 1949.

They have four children: two sons and two daughters, Golden Groom, Midvale, Utah, Ray Cleo Groom, Rigby, Mrs. Elsie Riggs, Garfield, and Mrs. Ella Mae Hinckley, Rigby, twelve grandchildren. His older brother Harry has been crippled with arthritis for several years but is still enjoying his family and friends.

This history was copied from a newspaper clipping taken from the Rigby Star in January of 1954 when Percy Groom was celebrating his 80th birthday. An open house was held at that time at thier home at 382 West 1st North in Rigby.

August 12, 1999: Transcribed from a photocopy of a handwritten document of unknown origin by Matt Young. Spelling and punctuation are original.