National Grigsby Family Society Grigsby Gazette Vol. 21, No. 1 January 2003
ALONG THESE LINES Thank-You Letter from Margaret Mottley by Bruce Jogerst
The Eighth Triennial Conference I deeply appreciate the lovely Waterford bud vase which and Reunion of the National was presented to me at the Kansas City Reunion in Octo- Grigsby Family Society (NGFS) ber, 2002. It is a beautiful remembrance of over 20 years was held at the Weston Crown of involvement with the National Grigsby Family Society. Center Hotel in Kansas City, Mis- This vase is a constant reminder of good friendships and souri the weekend of October 25 and 26, 2002. About sixty-five (65) good times together. of your Grigsby cousins were in attendance. We are truly an Inter- I know that the founders of NGFS had no idea that the national Society even though we Society would continue to grow and prosper for so many are called a National Society; from years. They would be very proud to see the results of their inception we also had members from Australia. Currently our mem- hard work and dedication. I thank all of you for mak- ’ “ ”
Membership Dues: National: Sustaining — — — Continued on page 2
What's Inside 3 Who was Hugh Blair Grigsby? 5 SW Chapter President Message
5 Josephine L. Grigdesby
6 Basics Needed For Home Research S/W Chapter: Optional membership — 7 NGFS Database Online 8 Bruce R. Jogerst 8 Do You Know Whose Crypt This Is? 9 ’ Renewal of memberships are now due except for new member- ships.
Grigsby Gazette 1 Continued from page 1, Along These Lines Meetings are open to any member of NGFS that chooses to attend. An overview of the actions of these two meet- ings is as follows: Your board approved revisions to the Articles of Incorpo- ration; one of the changes was to Article II stating the “ ” “ ” “ ”
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th birthday in 2002. “ ” “ ”
Grigsby Gazette 2 Who was Hugh Blair Grigsby? By Matthew Beard
“ ” Cleveland Daily Banner. A description of him included that he was the third chancellor of William and Marcy College, preceded by Presidents George Washington and John Tyler. He was also described as a noted Virginian and U.S. historian and a long-time supporter and president of the Virginia Historical Society.
I decided to find out who this man was and if this information was accurate.
According to the online NGFS database, Hugh Blair Grigsby was born 22 Nov 1806 in Norfolk, Virginia to Benjamin Porter Grigsby (1770-1810) and Elizabeth Blair McPherson 1,2,4. The line continues through James Grigsby / Frances “ ” (note— .
He married Mary Venable Carrington (daughter of Col. Clement1,2 or Paul4 “ ” 1,4 on 19 Nov 1840 2. Two children are currently known of this line: Hugh Carrington Grigsby (b. 1857) and Mary Blair Grigsby (b. 1861) 2. The 1870 U.S. Census shows Hugh and Mary Grigsby with two children, Hugh (age 14) and Mary (age 10) 3. It also shows Mary (Carrington) Grigsby as being 57 years old and born in Virginia, which is not in the NGFS online database. The 1880 U.S. Census also shows all four still living together with three servants 11. How- ever, the website www.virginians.com, lists her birth date as 3 Aug 1813 and her parents as Clement Carrington and Jane (Watkins) Poage. This site also called Hugh Grigsby a child music prodigy. Five descendants of Mary Blair Grigsby line have been (or currently are) members of the National Grigsby Family Society; including 3 generations of the Zimmerman surname.
Hugh Blair Grigsby began as a law student at Yale College and working in a law office, but gave up the idea when he “ ” 1.
In 1828, he represented Norfolk in the legislature and was a member of the state convention of 1829-1830 1. After his marriage to Mary, he retired from public life and devoted himself to literary pursuits. He had one of the finest private libraries in the state, and a gallery of paintings and statuary not equaled there. In January 1862, just previous to the “ ” 4.
He was, at his death on 28 Apr 1881, the president of the Virginia Historical Society, of which he had served in that position from 1871 4. He also served from 1871-1881 as the third chancellor of William and Mary College since the establishment under an American charter. The two previous chancellors had been Presidents George Washington (1788-1798) and John Tyler (1859-1862). There were 13 chancellors under the British Royal Charter which estab- lished the college in 1693. Other notables have included Margaret Thatcher (1993-2000) and the current chancellor, Henry A. Kissinger who has served since 2000 6. He contributed to the "Southern Literary Messenger," and wrote nu- merous historical discourses, including one on the Virginia convention of 1829-'30 delivered before the historical soci- ety in 1853, another on that of 1776 delivered at William and Mary in 1855, and " Discourse on Hon. Littleton W. Taze- well " (Norfolk, 1860) 5. The two historical discourses have been published and can be found for sale at sites such as www.amazon.com .
Hugh Blair Grigsby also was well known by other famous individuals in the art, historical, and political worlds. Accord- ing to an article of the Norfolk Historical Society, he became familiar with Alexander Galt, a famous sculptor who has busts in the Virginia Legislature and the U.S. Supreme Court. The article states:
Alexander Galt, one of the best-known American sculptors of his day, was Norfolk's first bid for national artistic fame. Romantically classical by temperament, Galt drew his inspiration from ancient Greece and Rome. One of his works, an ideal bust of Sappho, has an interesting story.
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Grigsby Gazette 3 (Continued from page 3)
Commissioned by the Norfolk-born Virginia historian Hugh Blair Grigsby, the bust was shipped from Italy to New York early in 1861. The Civil War had begun when it arrived, and as it was Southern property, it was confiscated and sold to J. Nelson Tappan, a wealthy New York merchant.
After the war, Grigsby went to New York in search of the bust, and when he discovered it and presented Tap- pan with the evidence that he was the rightful owner, the New Yorker graciously turned it over to him, refusing any remuneration.
The bust was then shipped to Norfolk, where Grigsby installed it in the drawing room of his half-brother, the banker, John B. Whitehead, where it was acclaimed the finest art work in the city until Grigsby sent it to his country home in Charlotte County. 8
The half-brother described above was John Boswell Whitehead who was twice mayor of Norfolk, a banker, and a pro- moter 10. He was the son and one of five children of Nathan Colgate Whitehead and the widow Elizabeth (McPherson) Grigsby 10— .
Another excerpt, from a professor of William And Mary College who was giving a presentation at a conference, dis- cussed his world of politics:
On a late February evening in 1856, Hugh Blair Grigsby, a prominent Virginia historian, shook the snow from his hat and overcoat and handed them to the servant who greeted him at the door of Edward Coles' Philadel- phia brownstone. Unexpectedly late, Grigsby entered the parlor only to find Coles had already assumed his normal position before the fireplace and was engaged in an animated tale that dominated the attention of all those present. A Virginian who settled in Philadelphia after a fifteen year sojourn in Illinois, Coles frequently hosted gatherings in his parlor where like-minded men exchanged their impressions and opinions regarding the various members of the Founding Generation. As he gazed at the faces around the room, Grigsby recog- nized among the attendants Professor George Tucker, the recent biographer of Thomas Jefferson, Dr. Robley Dunglison, the University of Virginia's retired professor of medicine and the physician who had attended Jef- ferson during the last weeks of his life, and Henry Dilworth Gilpin, a Pennsylvania lawyer, author, and recent editor of James Madison's papers. All of these men, Grigsby included, shared an increasingly popular interest in the past, and the legacy of the American Revolution and its leaders in particular. More often than not, how- ever, these men sat silently as they listened to Coles communicate his own personal impressions of America's most revered statesmen. Surrounded by the portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madi- son, and James Monroe, Coles, "a most graphic narrator, and even actor of the conversations of Mr. J" and James Madison, related anecdotes and facts "touching [on] the rise and fall of politicians" during the nation's first several administrations. Few of the attendees could doubt Coles' heartfelt celebration of these men or his determination to perpetuate his own understanding of the legacy of the nation's early political leaders.
On this particular occasion, Coles related, "with exquisite humour," a story involving one of Jefferson's many trips from Monticello to Washington during his first term in office. Confronted with muddy roads that prevented the use of his carriage once he reached Alexandria, the third president mounted his own horse and proceeded to Washington alone. Within a mile of Alexandria he "overtook a plain substantial Kentuckian" with whom he "chatted freely." Upon learning that his companion was eager to "get sight of Mr. Jefferson," the unrecognized President encouraged the Kentucky native to call at the President's house, assuring him that he "should be well received." After some debate, the Kentuckian agreed to arrive at the President's house the next day. The frontiersman then proceeded to ask his fellow traveler "about the tales told of Mr. Jefferson - his wearing red breeches - his intercourse with Black Sal - and fifty other equally vacuous charges made by the federalists." According to Coles, Jefferson refuted each charge, all the while maintaining his anonymity. Upon their arrival in Washington, the pair parted ways and the Kentuckian asked a passerby if they knew the identity of his com- panion, who was now making his way up the stairs of the President's house. To his surprise, he learned that his traveling partner was none other than Thomas Jefferson himself. Embarrassed by the tenor of the ques- tions he had asked during their ride together, the Kentucky native called the next day to offer an apology and assured Jefferson that he had "not dream[ed] of his real character." Jefferson received him cordially, laughed about the previous day's conversation, and invited the man to dine with him. For Coles, the moral of the story was clear. His Jefferson was the plainest of republicans. He was a man of the people, an individual whose (Continued on page 7)
Grigsby Gazette 4 Message From The Southwest Chapter President:
The Southwest Chapter of the NGFS will meet in Tampa, Florida on June 12, 13, and 14. If you did not receive the Southwest Chapter mailing on this, please let me know and I will send you more information.
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Josephine L. Grigdesby Genealogical Lineage:
Memorial pamphlet received from her husband, Harold Robert Grigdesby (b. 1930) Harold R. Grigsdesby. Harold Edward Grigdesby (b. 1909) married to Jennie Pearl Bramble (b. 1907)
In Loving Memory James Edward Grigdesby (b. 1885) married to Stella May Wilber Josephine L. Grigdesby Robert Jesse Grigsby (b. 1834) married to Elizabeth Price Date of Birth Ingram July 29, 1929 Indianapolis, Indiana Jesse Grigsby (b. 1807) married to Mary M. Moseley (b. 1812) Date of Death January 14, 2003 Jesse Grigsby (b. 1770/1780) married to Elizabeth Northern Indianapolis, Indiana (b. 1770/1780) Service William Grigsby (b. 1746) married to Dorthea Saturday, January 18, 2003 1:00 PM Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Center-Carmel Moses Grigsby (b. about 1715) married to Katherine Branson
Officiating John Grigsby (b. 1680/1685) married to Jane (b. about 1680) Dr. Russell F. Blowers John Grigsby (b. about 1623) married to Jane Rosser (b. Internment about 1660) Washington Park North Mausoleum
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Grigsby Gazette 5 Basics Needed For Home Research: 1910 and then 1930. It has in- dexes for years 1790 to 1810, By Matthew Beard 1870, and 1890 to 1910. A sub- scription to this service costs about $100 for a year or can be paid for about $20 a month. Some members have great op- portunities for research based on As you can see, neither service where they live and the libraries has a complete index of all years, available there: but subscriptions to both can give access to all images and also Houston, TX - Clayton Li- access to indexes for all years brary Center For Genealogi- except 1860 and 1880. Indexes cal Research for those two years can be bought on CDs as needed. Ft. Wayne, IN - Allen County Public Library 6. Printed material is still needed to help teach better methods of Salt Lake City, UT - Family research and for quick reference. History Center Most information found in ad- dress guides can be accessed However, a lot of people do not online via searches. However, live near these great resources or “ ” may not have the time to go and utilize them. The best option in that case is to be able to perform Citation of sources research from the comfort of your Research specific areas home. Research specialty in specific types of records What is needed to do this? 7. CDs can be an easy way to 1. The first thing is a personal access a lot of data with simple computer. It does not have to be searches. Much of the secon- a high end performance machine. dary source material available on All you need for research is to do CDs may still not be online yet, work processing, run genealogi- even though more is being added cal software, and access the each day. An example was seen internet. A computer of this type recently with a discussion that can be bought for as little as was held about the California $200 to $400. Birth and Death Indexes which used to be available on the Cali- 2. The second is a software pro- fornia State web site. This was gram that is easy to use and pro- taken off for security reasons, but vides the features you want for Www.ancestry.com the data is still available on CDs your research. A lot of times, this Www.genealogy.com found in online auctions. is the type of reports that you would like to use. Some of this The first service offers all of the software is free and can be census images (1790 to 1930) This is a basic description of what downloaded from sites on the with complete indexes included is needed to be able to accom- internet. After some testing, the for the years 1790 to 1850 and plish research online. Many “ ” 1920 to 1930. This one costs a hours will still be needed to minimum of $100 for a year of search for data. And if it still be- access. comes necessary, the libraries are still there waiting for you. The second service has census images for the years 1790 to
Grigsby Gazette 6 (Continued from page 4) manner and behavior displayed his virtue and revealed a blindness to social distinctions. 9
Hugh Blair Grigsby sounded like a man worth knowing and full of historical knowledge that he had lived and learned. He would definitely be worth investigating further at a later time.
Sources: 1— www.genealogy.com under Virginia Genealogies and Biographies, 1500s-1900s.
2— ’ www.grigsby.org.
3— www.genealogy.com and www.ancestry.com .
4— www.newenglandancestors.org (the site of the New England Historic Genealogical Society).
5— ’ www.famousamericans.net/hughblairgrigsby/ .
6— www.wm.edu/catalog/1999- 00/presidents.html, located in Williamsburg, Virginia.
7— www.spt.lib.sc.us/obits/carspartanherald/eg.htm#G .
8— www.norfolkhistorical.org/highlights/39.html .
9— www2.h-net.msu.edu/~shear/s2000.d/pa/GuascoSuzanne.htm . Footnotes are listed to correspondence of Hugh Blair Grigsby.
10— www.genealogy.com .
11— www.genealogy.com and www.ancestry.com .
NGFS Database online:
For those of you who have not discovered yet, the NGFS database has been utilized to put the majority of pedigrees “ ’ ”
Grigsby Gazette 7 Biography Of Bruce R. Jogerst
Bruce joined the National Grigsby Family Society in 1999. Bruce served as Director and Vice President of the Na- tional Grigsby Family Society in 2001 and 2002 and will serve as Director and President in 2003.
Bruce is the great-great-great grandson of Aaron Grigsby (b. 1793) and Polly Strange. The lineage is as follows: 1. Their daughter, Nancy Grigsby, born 1822, married David DeGraff in 1840 in Stephenson County Illinois; it was the fourth recorded marriage in that County. This is the County where I grew up and spent many years of my life. 2. Their son, John L. DeGraff, born 1849, married Roxie Allen. 3. Their daughter, Carrie Belle DeGraff, born 1875, married Joseph Jogerst. 4. Their son, Ralph DeGraff Jogerst, born 1898, married Rose Hildebrandt. 5. Their son, Bruce has been married to Nyla Bessert for 41 years. Bruce and Nyla met in High School; Nyla is my Best Friend and Counselor. 6. Bruce and Nyla have 4 grown children, 9 grandchildren ranging in age from 2 to 18 years of age. They are scattered around the country from all of our corporate moves.
Bruce is an Air Force Veteran; last assignment was in Newfoundland and is a member of the American Legion. Bruce worked 38 years in various positions in Engineering, Marketing and Field Sales at Honeywell. During the Honeywell years we lived in Freeport, Illinois; Orlando, Florida; Houston, Texas; Dallas, Texas and then returned to Freeport, Illi- nois. Bruce retired in 1999 as Director of Automotive Sales and we moved to Lake Mary, Florida in 2001.
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Do You Know Whose Crypt This Is?
This photograph was found on the Internet by Nyla Jogerst. It was taken by Peggy S. Hooper in 2000 who likes taking pictures of unique tombstones. It is the burial location of a Lewis & Emma Grigsby and is located in Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California.
After a review of the online data- base, it is believed that it is the gravesite of Lewis Eugene Grigsby (b. 1867, d. 1932) and Emma A. Miller (d. 1930).
Grigsby Gazette 8 ’ News From The Research Genealogist: By Matthew Beard
Gloria Wright Russell Many of you have probably heard by now that (Mrs. Oran W. Russell, Jr.) I have taken over the research genealogist 7022 Neff St portion of what Lutha used to do and Gloria Houston, TX 77074-4828 ’
Grigsby Gazette 9 NATIONAL GRIGSBY FAMILY SOCIETY OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS
OFFICERS DIRECTORS Judy Doughty (Administrator) Jack Painter President 4418 Kiowa St. P O Box 8872 Bruce Jogerst Pasadena, TX 77504 Corpus Christi TX 78468 1058 Kersfield Cr Lake Mary FL 32746 Ben Grigsby, M. D. Frank Roberts 136 E Woodhaven Rd 4287 N Arbor Shore Tr Vice President Ruston LA 71270 Hernando FL 34442 Janis Franklin 116 Hilton Head Dr. Brian Grigsby Frances Prevo Benton, LA 71006 26 Danube River Dr 1532 Birdell St. Cocoa Beach FL 32931 Pocahontas, AR 72455
Secretary / Database Manager L W Grigsby LaVern Shaw Gloria Russell Rt. 1, Box 91Z-55 128 W Gold 7022 Neff St Maud TX 75567 Hobbs NM 88240 Houston TX 77074 Thomas Grigsby Treasurer 4521 Arendale Sq Immediate Past President Stanley Grigsby Alexandria VA 22309 Lindle Grigsby, Ed.D 7638 Kingsbury Rd 3404 Gatwick Pl Eldon Lawson Farmers Branch TX 75234 Alexandria VA 22315 23942 Wolf Rd. Bay Village, OH 44140 All of the Officers listed above also NGFS Web Site: serve as Directors. www.grigsby.org
NATIONAL GRIGSBY FAMILY SOCIETY c/o Judy Doughty 4418 Kiowa St. Pasadena, TX 77504
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
FIRST CLASS MAIL
Grigsby Gazette 10 NATIONAL GRIGSBY FAMILY SOCIETY Membership Renewal
It is time to renew your membership for 2003. We know you will want to continue receiving your NGFS Newsletter, with news about research and members.
ANNUAL DUES: $15.00 CONTRIBUTING MEMBER: $25.00 and over HONORARY MEMBERS - not required to pay dues. Those age 80 and over, with [H] beside the name on the mail label
Please , include your membership number on your renewal form. It is the 4-digit number that begins with zero on your mail label on the left, just above your name. The “ ” “ ”
NATIONAL GRIGSBY FAMILY SOCIETY Membership Renewal 2003
Name:______Membership #_____
Address:______
City:______State:______Zip Code:______
Phone:(____)______E-mail:______
Amount enclosed: $______Check #:______Life:_____
Send to: Judy C. Doughty NGFS Administrator 4418 Kiowa St. Pasadena, TX 77504-3544
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