FRANK S. GRUBER, “Dusty” was born August 1870 in Marion, Ohio to John J. Gruber and Martha Sayers Gruber. His family moved to Shawnee, Kansas soon after that, and there Frank married Leila Matthews (1880-?). They had 3 children: Elizabeth Gruber Duchard/Moisant/Brown, (1901-1995), Florence Gruber Tenney (1903-1986), and Grace GRUBER Burress (1904-1990). In 1902 Frank, Leila and Elizabeth moved to Los Angeles, California where the other two girls were born.
At some point before 1910 Frank left the family and headed north. Leila is listed alone with the children in 1910, as married, but as a widow in 1920-1940 census records and in Inglewood California City Directory for 1938 she lists herself as widow of F.S. Gruber.
In 1930 Frank is listed in Valdez, Alaska census as divorced. He was a laborer at the Beatson Copper Mine on Latouche Island. The mine closed on November 29, 1930, so perhaps it was soon after that that Frank moved on to Seldovia. On August 2, 1939 Frank died in Seldovia and the cause of death listed on the death certificate is “Chronic valvular heart disease”. He was 70 years old.