Grant Genealogy
Volume 1, Issue 1
March, 2002
- Editor: Marty Grant, Kinston, NC,
USA
- E-Mail:
public@martygrant.com
- Website:
http://www.martygrant.com
Welcome to the premier issue of
"Grant Genealogy", a newsletter devoted to Grant Genealogy in North
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia (and other states to a lesser extent).
Please visit my Grant web pages at:
http://www.martygrant.com/gen/grant.htm for documented web pages for
numerous Grant families in NC, TN and VA.
To change your subscription information
(change your e-mail address, or unsubscribe) refer to the instructions at
the bottom of this newsletter.
In this Issue:
Introduction
North Carolina Grant families
Who are they? Are they all related?
Where do the North
Carolina Grants come from?
England and Scotland mainly
Southern Grants, Are they related to President U. S. Grant?
Why do almost all southern Grant
families claim to be related to him?
Family
of the month:
William and Mary (---) Grant family of
Rutherford Co, NC
Web Links
Introduction
For many years, people have asked me to
consider doing some sort of newsletter. I always balked at the idea for
several reasons. The first and foremost reason being that I didn't feel
able to do a decent one. The other reasons include laziness, fear of
public speaking, etc. However, I recently received a newsletter which
contained instructions for creating a simple HTML based newsletter.
After reading how simple it was, I decided to give it a shot. This is
the result. I hope you like it.
My goal for the newsletter is to
publish articles (written by me, or anyone else who wants to submit
something) pertaining to Grant genealogy, particularly in North
Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, which is where my own Grant ancestors
lived. My only guidelines are that the articles have to be of specific
interest to Grant genealogy, and within the area of interest, and in the
general timeframe of pre-1880 (roughly). This will not be a newsletter
of current events or that sort of thing.
Since there are numerous unconnected
Grant families in these three states, it is likely that not every
article will appeal to every reader, but hopefully it will be of
interest nonetheless.
If you want to submit an article, then
feel free to e-mail me about it. My only guidelines are those given
above, and that the article not be too long. I also don't want to be
publishing genealogical registry reports, for they are difficult to
properly format in an e-mail environment, making them hard to follow.
North Carolina Grant families
There are many Grant families in North
Carolina, and most of them had their progenitors in this state as early
as the 1700's, though a few were later arrivals. There are several
distinct groups of Grant families, and quite a few isolated Grants who
have not been positively connected to any larger documented Grant
family. Refer to the map below showing North Carolina Grant family
distribution as of the 1850 census. The counties marked in yellow had at
least one Grant living there in 1850. Those marked in light blue had
Grant families there in earlier times, but none left as of 1850. The
base map is from
Animap, a great little program showing all county changes in the US
over the years.
From the map above you can see that
Grants were well spread out over the entire state by 1850.
Here is an outline of the major groups
(not including the isolated Grants):
Eastern North Carolina Grant
Families:
- Dobbs, Greene, Lenoir
and Wayne County families: Various families, all seemingly
related, but with unproven connections.
- Northampton County family:
Probable brothers: Joseph Grant (c1721), John Grant (c1724) and James
Grant (c1732).
- Onslow County family:
Alexander Grant (1681-1739) and Jane Starrett (d 1760).
Central North Carolina Grant
Families:
- Caswell County family: James
Grant (d 1805) - Ann Diskin (d 1808).
Western North Carolina Grant
Families:
- Rutherford County family:
William Grant (c1730-1795) and Mary ---
- Wilkes, Iredell and
Alexander County family: John Grant (1756-1844) and Margaret Sale
Many of the seemingly isolated Grant
families may have ties into one of the above larger family groups.
The eastern North Carolina Grants had
origins in Maryland and Virginia, while some may have came direct from
Scotland into some eastern port, settling in North Carolina.
The Caswell County Grant family came
from King George County, Virginia.
The Western North Carolina Grants
consist of two groups. The John Grant family came from England and
settled in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Old John only had one son, so
the Grant name continued in his line, but not a large number of them.
The other Western North Carolina Grant
family (my own line) consists of William Grant, born either in Scotland
or Virginia, coming from the Louisa County, Virginia area into
Rutherford County, North Carolina before the American Revolution. The
vast majority of Western NC Grants are descendants of old William.
I have found no common linkages between
any of the several Grant groups mentioned above. It has been theorized
that the Dobbs County Grants originated from the Onslow County Grant
group, but I've seen no proof of that. The other groups seem to arrive
in North Carolina at different times, from different regions, and if
they have common ancestry, it is probably several generations back.
The above major groupings fails to
include the African-American Grant families, of which there are many.
I'll admit that I have not studied these families in any great detail,
but I have noticed that many of them were not previously
associated with a Grant family. In other words, they were not former
slaves of a Grant family. My guess is that after their emancipation,
they chose the surname "Grant" in honor of General U. S. Grant. There
were some Grants (in eastern North Carolina, especially) who owned
slaves, but most of the western Grant families did not.
This has been a very general overview
of the major Grant families in North Carolina. For more information
visit my Grant web pages at:
http://www.martygrant.com/gen/grant-nc.htm
Where do the North
Carolina Grants come from?
From my meager studies on the subject,
it seems that most of the North Carolina Grant families had their
ancient origins in Scotland or England, with some possibly from Ireland.
My studies have been very limited, but we have had a tradition in my own
line (Rutherford Co, NC Grants) of a Scots heritage. I have not found
any direct evidence to support this tradition, but it seems reasonable.
The John Grant family of Wilkes County is from England, according to his
Revolutionary War Pension records. I have found no such records for the
other Grant lines, though they may exist.
Scottish deportation records clearly
show that a large number of Grants were exiled to America in the mid
1700's. I strongly suspect my own immigrant ancestor to be on one of
those lists.
Southern Grants, Are they related to President U. S. Grant?
Did anyone ever say to you: "Shhh!
Don't tell anyone, but we are kin to U. S. Grant". How many times have I
heard that! Well, honestly, I never heard it growing up, but after I
began researching my Grant ancestry, I was totally surprised at the
distant cousins who told me that they had always heard this while they
were growing up. One of my Great Great Great Great Aunts even wrote
something in her family bible about being related to U. S. Grant. The
trouble with this is that it is completely untrue. (Actually almost
everything in her bible was fictitious, including her own birth date and
parents names!)
I can understand the desire to claim a
relationship to someone famous of the same surname. This happens all the
time, it must be basic human nature to want to be associated with
someone famous. However, in the War torn south, you would think that
southern Grants would not be interested in claiming a relationship to
General U. S. Grant, especially if they were not really related! That is
one reason I think that the claims are bogus, and most of them came
about many years after the Civil War, when it was no longer such a hot
or divisive issue.
Many researchers have spent
considerable time trying to tie their own Grants into the Ulysses S.
Grant family. The trouble is that his family had no southern
connections, unless you count Kentucky. His ancestors came from England
into New England, and went west from there, some going into Ohio and
Kentucky, which I think is the furthest south they went. There may be a
connection in Tennessee with at least one Grant family there, but I
don't know for sure. I would dare say that none of the North Carolina or
Virginia Grant families can claim any kind of relationship to his
family. I may be mistaken in this, but so far, I've found nothing to tie
any NC or VA Grant family into old U. S. Grant or his family. If there
is any sort of connection, it would have to go back several generations
into England.
For more on President Grant's
genealogy, check out the
Ulysses S.
Grant Association web page.
Family
of the month:
William and Mary (---) Grant family
of Rutherford Co, NC. These are my ancestors, so I thought it would
be natural to start with them. I will not give every detail of their
lives here, but just a brief overview. For a more completely documented
survey of this family, visit my web page on them at:
http://www.martygrant.com/gen/grant/grant-william.htm
William Grant was born ca 1720-1730 or
thereabouts, either in Virginia or Scotland. We have found no records of
him in Virginia, but we know he was there in the 1750-1770 timeframe,
for that is where his children were born. We have tied him to various
other families (not Grants) who lived in the Albemarle, Goochland and
Louisa County areas, so it is reasonable to assume that William Grant
lived in that general area.
William married Mary sometime
around ca 1753 in Virginia. We have not been able to determine her
maiden name, but the best theories point to one of these: Bradley,
Dalton or Morris. They remained in Virginia for some time, until ca 1770
when William left his family in Virginia to start a homestead for them
in the North Carolina frontier. He obtained land grants in what is now
Rutherford County (then part of Tryon County), and due to Indian
hostilities, and the Revolutionary War, it would seem that most of his
family remained in Virginia until after 1777.
William's older sons came down to North
Carolina with him, and he, and his sons William Jr and Alexander,
enlisted in a local militia in 1777 to fight the British. Their service
records show a short service for them, with William serving as Sergeant,
and his two sons as Privates. I have found no records to indicate what
battles they fought in, nor where they may have traveled while serving.
While the war was still raging,
William's wife and other children finally joined the family in North
Carolina. In 1782, two members of his family (William Jr, and Elizabeth
Grant) were killed by the Cherokees when they attacked the settlements
and burned the Grant home. The Cherokee were encouraged by the British
to attack the settlements, so this attack was technically part of the
Revolutionary War, though certainly barbaric in nature.
William Grant was very active in local
politics and public life. He served in many offices in the Rutherford
County Court, including a Justice of the Peace, a Ranger, and on various
committees.
William Grant died in 1795, and
fortunately for us, he left a Will naming wife and children.
Unfortunately, I (nor any other
researchers) have ever been able to find any evidence of who William's
parents were, nor have we identified any likely siblings. There is an
Alexander Grant (c1726-1787) who lived in Goochland, Louisa and Fluvanna
County, Virginia. He is the best candidate for a sibling of old William
that we have ever found.
William and Mary (---) Grant had 8
known children, 6 proven by his will, the other two are surely his, but
not named in the Will. (The two marked with an asterisk * below are not
named in the Will)
- *Elizabeth Grant (bef 1755-aft
1800), married James Morris, 1783 Rutherford Co, NC
- Alexander Grant (1755/61-1806),
married Susanna Morris. Early descendants in Buncombe and McDowell Co,
NC and Blount Co, TN.
- *William Grant (died 1782), married
Elizabeth ---. No known children.
- Clementine Grant (1755/60-c1825).
Never married, but had 6 children out of wedlock.
- Andrew Grant (1755/65-c1825).
Married Martha Mackey, 1788 Rutherford Co, NC. Early descendants in
Macon and Henderson Co, NC.
- Charles Grant (1760/67). Married
Sarah Wyatt, 1796 Lincoln Co, NC. No further record.
- Thomas Grant (c1773-1860/70).
Married Amy Coxey, 1801 Rutherford Co, NC. Resided in Buncombe Co, NC.
- Archibald Grant (1774/84-aft 1795).
Never married. May have died young.
William and Mary's descendants heavily
populated western North Carolina and to a lesser extent, Eastern
Tennessee and North Georgia. Of course, within a few generations,
descendants could be found throughout the south and mid-west, and today
are found in nearly every state.
Visit the William Grant web page (link
given above) for more information on his family and descendants.
Web Links
Marty and Karla Grant website:
http://www.martygrant.com
What's New at Marty and Karla Grant?:
http://www.martygrant.com/gen/whats-new.htm
Grant Genealogy - North Carolina,
Tennessee and Virginia:
http://www.martygrant.com/gen/grant.htm
What's New on the Grant pages?
http://www.martygrant.com/gen/grant/grant-new.htm
Grant Census Transcriptions 1790-1870:
http://www.martygrant.com/gen/grant/grant-census.htm
Grant Discussion Forum (North Carolina
Grants only):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrantGenealogyNC/
Other Grant websites:
http://www.martygrant.com/gen/grant/grant-links.htm
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