This post is an excerpt from my book "Historic Walking Tour of East Petersburg". For more info on the book give me a call at 717-799-0851.
Portrait of a Prominent East Petersburg resident: David Witmer Graybill (1853-1938)
As a public servant, businessman, family man and neighbor, “DW” Graybill was much accomplished. A lifelong resident of East Petersburg, he and his wife S. Alice Graybill are buried in the Reformed cemetery beside the Mennonite Church on Main Street. This guidebook references him on several occasions, as he was one of the drivers of the growth of town during the turn of the 20th century. The following is an interesting write up of him from a book of biographies written in 1905 for the 1905-06 session of the Pennsylvania State Legislature:
“D. W. GRAYBILL, Republican, of the Third District of Lancaster county, was born November 10, 1853, in that county. Educated in the common schools and in the State Normal School at Millersville, Pa., he added to his store of information by study of men and books. In his home community, East Petersburg, he early called the attention of his townsmen to his worthiness as a citizen by his strict integrity and zeal for the advancement of the community. He served a three years' term as township assessor and for eighteen years as justice of the peace, resigning the office in May, 1900, to accept the nomination tendered him to represent his people and his party at Harrisburg in 1901. He was twice elected a delegate to Republican State Conventions and has broken the party record by having been six consecutive times elected chairman of the Republican County Committee. A member of the Masonic order, the Odd Fellows and other fraternities, Mr. Graybill is known well and favorably from end to end of his county. Defeating his Democratic opponent by over 7,000 votes in the election of November, 1900, and by a large majority in 1902, he assumed his chair in the Legislature without the least suspicion being cast upon his stalwartism. Assigned to the Committees on Railroads, Insurance, Counties and Townships, Federal Relations and Legislative Apportionment in 1901, he accepted the responsibility and performed the duties incumbent upon him in a creditable manner. In 1903 he was chairman of the Committee on Education and also a member of the Committees on Legislative Apportionment, Federal Relations, Railroads and Library. In the House duties he was regarded as diligent and observant. In 1904 an Independent Citizens' ticket, composed of dissatisfied Republicans, was placed in the field against the regular Republican candidates for the House. This ticket received the support of many Democrats, who also had party nominees for the Legislature. Despite this threatened formidable opposition Mr. Graybill, with his colleagues in the Third District, was elected by about 5,000 plurality, almost as great as that obtained in 1902. At the session of 1905 he served on the Committees on Accounts, Federal Relations, Legislative Apportionment, Library, Printing and Railroads and also was Chairman of the Committee on Education. In 1880 he was married to Miss S. Alice Martin, an every way worthy young lady of Lancaster county lineage. Three boys serve to dispel the illusion that married life is not the better part of real enjoyment.”
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