A significantly large branch of the Gruwell family was founded by pioneer John Gruwell (1774 - 1853), great-grandson of John Gruwell and Mary Cook of Delaware, and his wife Ruth Harding (1779 - 1847). Little is known of John's childhood other than to speculate that he lived with his parents on the Gruwell family's North Murderkill plantation in Kent County. John left Delaware circa 1800, and after marrying Ruth in Washington County, Kentucky, established his family in Montgomery County, Ohio. John was soon followed by his father Jacob Gruwell (c1746 - 1824) who left Delaware circa 1808 after the death of his wife Margaret Ketchel. Jacob lead the remainder of his children westward to settle in western Ohio alongside John, but eventually moved onward to Indiana. Eventually John too moved his young family farther westward, initially settling in Fayette County, Indiana for a number of years, but finally pushed onward, pioneering in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois and in the Half Breed Indian tract in Lee County, Iowa by 1838. Perhaps spurred on by goldrush fever, from 1849 through 1851, John and Ruth's 9 surviving adult children all moved to California with their families, most settling in Santa Clara County. The first family to arrive was eldest son Asa Gruwell (1802 - 1881) in December 1849. After successfully completing the perilous journey across the entire western continent, ironically, tragedy soon struck the Asa Gruwell family once they settled in California in 1850.

"They crossed the Tuolumne [river] and proceeded along the south bank about three hundred yards, where they had to pass a long and narrow road, bounded on the right by a high bank and on the left by the river, which is upwards of fourteen feet deep, close to the bank. At this point the horse became restive...backed towards the river and precipitated the wagon into the stream. Mr. McDowell, who is unable to swim, succeeded providentially in rescuing his wife and the youngest daughter of Mr. [Asa] Gruwell. Their screams alarmed Mr. Hutchinson and several of the residents of Tuolumne, among whom was Mr. Gruwell and his sons, who rushed down the left bank and preceiving the nature of the occurrence, plunged immediately into the stream, and swam to the right bank to the place where Miss [Sarah Jane] Gruwell was twice seen to rise on the surface of the water. Their utmost efforts were unavailing to reach the spot in time, as the unfortunate girl had not been seen for a considerable time previous to their arrival. The bodies of the child and the young lady, who was 16 years of age, were, by continued diving, recovered, but every effort to restore animation proved unsuccessful." (Full Text) The San Joaquin Intelligence.

While many easterners arrived in the west by sea, sailing into San Francisco Harbor by ship via the Panama passageway , John and Ruth's son Robert Norman Gruwell (1804 - 1881) and the other family members soon followed Asa, travelling to the west via the overland trails. This was accomplished by wagon trains from departure points in the Midwest to Salt Lake and then on to either Sacramento via the Northern Route or to Los Angeles via the Southern Route.In testament to the hardship of the western trek, Robert Norman Gruwell lost his eldest son Noah Noble Gruwell (1828 - 1852) on a return trip when the young man became feverish and died at the sink of the Humboldt River in Nevada. The primary travelling party for the Gruwell's initial trip was referred to as the Gruwell-Derr wagon train, and several eye-witness accounts survive which record this chapter in the annals of California history.

"Came from Iowa to California in '49 across the plains in ox teams, 7 months enroute, with 64 wagons. All went well till we reached Salt Lake, it being late in the season we concluded to winter at Utah Fort but learning that the Mormons were about to attack us we broke camp and with a Mexican guide took the south route for Los Angeles which was the pioneer train over that route being 5 days at times going 3 miles. At Santa Clara Canyon the Indians ran off 9 head cattle and shot one full of arrows. We surprised one of the braves who had his bow bent to fire on us by shooting him on the spot, which threw the enemy into disorder and so we escaped further trouble..." (Full Text) Journal of John Daves Gruwell.

Settling in Northern California, John and Ruth's descendants became prominent citizens of their communities. Most notably, son Jacob Gruwell (1805 - 1900) served in the newly formed California State Legislature, representing the County of Santa Clara in 1852 as Senator from the Whig party before retiring to the ministry. While many offspring pursued stock raising and fruit cultivation, grandson Columbus Oscar Gruwell (1837 - 1923) became a mining prospector in Montana before becoming a State Senator in 1898, representing Yellowstone County. Another grandson, Melvin Lowry Gruwell (1834 - 1912), was a member of the Mormon faith. Bishop Melvin lived in various places in the western states and participated in the Mormon settlement of Colonia Diaz in Mexico. Melvin, who sired twenty-four children by three wives in polygamist marriages, also served his country by representing Onieda County in the Idaho Territorial Legislature in the House of Representatives from 1882 to 1883. Today, John and Ruth's many descendants can be found scattered across the western United States. An excellent resource for this Gruwell branch is the History of the Gruwell, Woodland, and Whitaker Families compiled by David Hollis Mulholland, a descendant of Melvin Lowry Gruwell.