John "Jack" Grinstead
Sex: M
Individual Information
Birth Date: Abt 1756 - Henrico Co., Virginia
Christening:
Death: 3 Aug 1840 - Jennings Co., Indiana 2
Burial: in Jennings Co., Indiana near Otter Creek Cemetery
Cause of Death:
Parents
Father: John Grinstead (1718-1791)
Mother: Elizabeth ( -Bef 1791)
Spouses and Children
1. *Mary Mildred Walton (Abt 1770 - Bef 1820)
Marriage: Abt 1786
Children:
1. Edward Walton Grinstead (Abt 1787-1850/1860)
2. William H. Grinstead (1787-1859)
3. John Thompson Grinstead (Abt 1790-1850)
4. Elizabeth Grinstead (Abt 1792-1850/1860)
5. Sarah Ann Grinstead (1795-1857)
6. Wesley Grinstead (Abt 1797- )
7. Richard Grinstead (Abt 1800-After 1860)
8. Sabrina Grinstead (Abt 1802-After 1880)
9. Jasper Henry Grinstead (1805-1888)
10. Jesse T. Grinstead (1810-1880)
11. Mildred "Millie" Grinstead (1813-1861)
2. Rachel Peacock (1750-1760 - 1840-1850)
Marriage: 14 Sep 1824 - Jennings Co., Indiana 7 8
Notes
General:
CENSUS:
<pre>1800 Louisa Co., Virginia
John Grinstead 32010 -- 20110; no slaves
male female
3 <10 2
2 10-15
16-25 1
1 26-44 1
>45 </pre>
The 1800 census is in "Louisa County Historical Magazine", Vol. 4, No. 1, June 1972.
<pre>1810 Albemarle Co., Va, Fredericksville; pg 6
John Grinstead 21101 -- 11210; no slaves
male female
2 <10 1
1 10-15 1
1 16-25 2
26-44 1
1 >45 </pre>
<pre>1820 Kanawha Co., Va; all surnames beginning with G in one place
John Grinstead 110101 --- 101; 3 in agriculture; no slaves
male female
1 <10 1
1 10-16
16-18
1 16-26 1
26-45
1 >45 </pre>
<pre>1830 Jennings Co., Indiana, Campbell Township; pg 144
John Grinsted, Sen. 0100100001 -- 0100000001
male female
< 5
1 5-10 1
10-15
15-20
1 20-30
30-40
40-50
50-60
60-70
1 70-80 1 </pre>
John Grinsted, Sen. is in the following sequence: Ichabod Rice, 2x, James Davis, Adison Davis, Jasper H. Grinsted, x, Alexander Ross, John Grinsted, Sen. Adison Davis and Alexander Ross are sons-in-law. Another son John T. Grinstead is on page 145.
In 1840 John Grinstead's second wife Rachel Peacock is probably living with her stepson Jesse T. Grinstead.
SUMMARY OF JOHN GRINSTEAD AND HIS CHILDREN:
John Grinstead was born about 1755 in Henrico Co., Virginia, as were all or most of his 9 siblings. He married Mildred Walton about 1786. She was the mother of all his children, and they lived in central Virginia. He was a soldier in the Virginia Line during the War of Independence. They are the grantors in 2 deeds in Louisa County, which were recorded in 1793 and in 1798 respectively. In his father's will written in Henrico Co. in 1791 John is mentioned only once in the list of sons. All his other brothers are mentioned at least once more. This suggests that by 1791 John and Mildred had left Henrico Co. and had moved to Louisa Co. At some point before 1810 they moved to Albemarle County where their eldest daughter Elizabeth married Alexander Ross in 1815 and their next eldest daughter Sarah married Samuel McCauley in 1813. John's brother James wrote his will June 1, 1818 and instructed his executor to collect $25 from John Grinstead of Albemarle Co., Virginia, so John remained in Albemarle Co. until at least 1818. From Henrico to Louisa to Albemarle represents a slight migration westward. We will see that the history of the family is a history of westward migration in varying degrees. No one remained in central Virginia.
John's 3 eldest children were males, and before 1810 one of the two eldest, Edward Walton, had moved to Washington County in southwestern Virginia where he married Catharine Donovan in 1810. They lived there all their lives. As we will see, he was the only child who remained in what is now Virginia.
Sometime between 1818 and 1820 John and his younger children along with the other of his two eldest sons, William, moved significantly further west to Kanawha County, which is now in West Virginia. They are both in the 1820 census in Kanawha County. William already had 4 children by 1820 and probably married before his two sisters, Elizabeth and Sarah. He may have left central Virginia and migrated westward before his father, or they may have moved simultaneously. In 1820 the 3 youngest sons and the 2 youngest daughters are still in their father's household.
Before 1815 the third eldest son John Thompson had gone even further west to the southeastern corner of Indiana, where he married in Jefferson County in 1815. Maybe John did not like Kanawha County, or maybe he was greatly impressed by what his son said about Indiana. In any event about 1823 he moved his family again --- to Indiana, specifically, to the eastern part of Jennings County, which adjoins Jefferson County. By 1820 John Thompson had settled in Jennings County; in the 1820 census his is the only Grinstead household in Indiana and he already has 2 children. One of John's sons, Richard, remained in Kanawha County with his older brother, and lived there all his life. He married about 1828 and had 11 children. A daughter, Sabrina, also remained in Kanawha County, where she married Thompson Hudnall and had lots of children. They were still living there is 1880. So only the 3 youngest children made the journey with their father to Jennings County. They all married there and all their children were born there. Moreover the 2 older daughters Elizabeth and Sarah moved to Jennings County with their husbands and probably some in-laws. Thus 6 (3 sons, 3 daughters) of John Grinstead's 10 children wound up in Jennings Co., Indiana. In the 1850 census there are 34 people named Grinstead in Jennings Co., 4 in Jefferson Co. (which adjoings Jennings) and none in the rest of the state. John's children settled in the eastern part of the county around the towns of Butlerville and Nebraska not far from Ripley County, especially in Campbell Township. There was another group of Grinsteads in the county. They came from Kentucky and lived mostly in Vernon Township. They were descendants of John's nephew Richard Grinstead, son of John's brother Richard Grinstead.
John's wife Mildred Walton and the mother of all his children died sometime before 1820. In Jennings County John married a widow, Mrs. Rachel Peacock, in 1824. He died there in 1840 and is buried near Otter Creek and near the town of Nebraska on the family homestead.
WGFA:
The William Grinstead Family in America (Gorrell Shumaker and John L. N. Grinstead, April 1974):
pgs 12, 125 and Supplement S-21: "John Grinstead II (1755 -- 8/3/1840) married (1) Mary Walton in VA. She is the mother of his children. She died in VA before John, with some of his younger children, moved to Indiana in 1823. After the move to Indiana, John married (2) Mrs. Rachel Peacock, but there were no additional children born to this union. The wedding was performed by John Burns, JP in Jennings County, IN September 14, 1824.
According to War Pension File No. 35988, John II served in the Revolutionary War in battles near Savannah and in the siege of Yorktown. A government marker was erected over his Jennings County grave in 1939.
Names of the children have been taken from the Silas C. Grinstead chart, but we have varied the order a bit in keeping with what we now believe may have been the order of birth. They are Richard, Wesley, Edward Walton, William, John Thompson, Sarah, Jasper Henry, Elizabeth, Jesse T., Millie, Sabrina Grinstead."
MARRIAGES:
Note the following marriages in Jennings County of the youngest 3 children:
7 Feb 1825: Jasper H. (b. 1805, Va) m. Elizabeth Davis (b. 1803, Ky)
8 Jan 1833: Jesse T. (b. 1810, Va) m. Polly Davis (b. 1808, Ky)
14 Jul 1829: Millie (b. 1813, Va) m. Addison Davis (b. 1810, Ky)
It seems likely that siblings married siblings.
CENSUS COMPARISON:
<pre>
1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850
<10 (0) <10 (10) 20-30 (20) 20-30 (30x) Jesse T. (40)
<10 (5) 10-16 (15) 20-30 (25x) 30-40 (35x) Jasper (45)
<10 (2) 10-15 (12) 16-26 (22) 30-40 (30x) 30-40 (40x) Richard (50)
<10 (3) Charles Wesley [53]
<10 (10) 26-45 (30x) 40-50 (40x) 50-60 (50x) John T. (60)
10-15 (13) 16-25 (23) 26-45 (33x) 40-50 (43x) 50-60 (53x) Edward Walton (63)
10-15 (13) 26-45 (33x) 40-50 (43x) 50-60 (53x) William (63)
26-44 (44) >45 (54) >45 (64) 70-80 (74) John [94]
<10 (7) 15-20 (17x) 20-30 (27x) Mildred (37)
<10 (8) 16-26 (18) Sabrina (48)
<10 (5) 10-15 (15) Sarah (55)
<10 (8) 16-25 (18) 30-40 (38x) 40-50 (48x) Elizabeth (58)
16-25 16-25
26-44 (30) 26-44 (40) Mary [80] </pre>
The number in parentheses in the last column is the age of the person in 1850. Brackets indicate that the person died before 1850, and the number is how old he would be if he were still alive. The parenthsized numbers in previous columns represent real ages to be compared with the age categories that appear in the census. An 'x' after the age of a child indicates that he no longer lives in the household of the parents.
The matches are very good. The unfilled female slots in 1800 and in 1810 might represent an older daughter who married before 1820, or they might represent someone else who happened to be in the household.
DESCENDENTS OF JOHN GRINSTEAD AND MARY WALTON:
In the early 1980's (probably 1982) I found the telephone number of Katheryne Grinstead in the directory for Richmond, Kentucky (Madison Co.), which was in a collection of telephone directories in the Houston Public Library. I called her. She didn't know a lot about her family history, but it was clear that we were related. A few weeks later she sent me copies of 3 documents. I wrote her a letter thanking her for them, but lamentably I did not inquire about their provenance. One of them contains a summary of the children of John Grinstead and Mary Walton taken from something written by Silas C. Grinstead and also contains some other names. It is handwritten and appears to have been created by a grandchild of Benjamin Franklin Grinstead. The second is typewritten and contains specific information about Mathew D. Grinstead, his wife, and children. The typewriter badly needs adjustment. It was probably prepared about 1923 by A. W. Grinstead, a grandson of Mathew D. and the father of Katheryne. In an associated document on a different typewriter A. W. Grinstead describes his immediate family.
The third is handwritten on 3 pages and shows diagramatically, by means of boxes and lines, the interrelationships among the descendents of John Grinstead and Mary Walton. In most cases the handwriting is clearly legible. It contains mostly the descendants of Edward Walton Grinstead and Catharine Donovan. The extensive information about the descendents of Benjamin Franklin Grinstead suggest that it was prepared by one of them. It was done sometime after 1914, because it mentions that Verlie S. Grinstead, who married Edward Watson, had 4 children, and the census says that the youngest of her 4 children was born in 1914. It appears to be based on personal knowledge and on written sources. I am sure that it is not based on the census, to which the preparer would have had no access. Some of the information about the children of Edward Walton is wrong. One finds the same mistakes in the book by Shumaker and Grinstead, which suggests that they had a copy of the document and used it as a source. Despite the mistakes, it is very useful and contains information that I have not found anywhere else.
What follows is a transcription of the third document. Next to the entry "Mathew Donovan wife not known" someone has subsequently added "Born Feb 4 1814 Eliza H. Amerine Feb 2 1815" A line pointing to Edward, a son of Mathew Donovan, indicates the additon of "Alexander W. Grinstead", "Elizabeth G.", and "Ed. Grover G." Those 3 persons are in fact the children of Edward Orr Grinstead, a son of Mathew D., and suggest strongly that the additions were made by the A. W. Grinstead (father of Katheryne) previously mentioned. The "Lxxxxx" in the third line from the end is mostly illegible and may have been added. "Dorohray" in the last line may be "Dorohtay".
H. Neal Parker, March 29, 2006
5019 Floyd, Houston, Texas 77007
(713)8697865
nparker@airmail.net
The numbers in the next line indicate generations from the immigrant and correspond to subsequent numbering. John Grinstead is of the 5th generation in the New World, and his children are in the 6th.
<pre>
6 7 8 9 10 11
John Grinstead m. Mary Walton
1) Wesley died young
2) William
3) John T. m. Katherine Wagoner
4) Richard
5) Jasper H. m. Betsy Davis
6) Jessie T. m. a) Mary Davis, b) Edna Malaby
7) Sarah m. Samuel McCauley
8) Elizabeth m. Alexander Ross
9) Milly m. Addison Davis
10) Subriney m. John Hundell
11) Edward Walton m. Katie Donovan
1) Parker m. Miss -- Callie
1) Sarah M.
2) Smith
3) Maggie
4) Julia
5) George L.
6) Kate G.
7) Bertie L.
8) Mollie H.
9) James C.
2) Wm. Alexander m. Reginal Vaught
1) Elihu G. m. Mary Henderson
1) Maryamie G. m. John Hicks
1) Harry
2) Grace
3) Annie m. Joe Stevens
1) Eldon
2) Vernon
4) Emma
2) Annie E. m. John W. Flat
3) John W. m. Nettie Valentine
1) Lowell
2) Marle
3) Mark
4) Josephine
4) Robert Ulysses m. Flossie Whittaker
1) Robert
2) Vera
2) Mary Elizabeth m. Jas. E. Wood
3) Parker S.
4) Winfield Scott
5) James Wm.
6) Thomas R.
7) Mathew Mitchell
3) Mathew Donovan wife not known
1) Wesley
2) Elizabeth m. ____ Keen
3) George
4) John
5) Annie L.
6) Latta A.
7) Edward
8) Clarence H.
9) William
10) Valentine
4) Orr m. Margaret Hutton
5) Samuel Kelly m. Sarah Jane Pickle
1) Charlie Benton m. Jennie _____
1) Ruthie P.
2) Sarah Cordelia
3) William Meek
4) Mary Bell m. W. J. Williams
5) Lillian
6) Artie Roosevelt
2) Thomas J.
3) S. V. Rosabelle
4) Joseph wife not known
5) William m. Mary E. Pickle
6) James F.
7) John P.
6) Jasper (Jack) m. Sarah A.
1) Charlie M. m. Minnie ______
1) Willie N.
2) Mary A.
3) Ellis B.
4) Allice M.
5) Charmie L.
6) Arthur M.
7) Pauline B.
8) Teddie T.
9) Hentie V.
7) Lydia J. m. _____ Syria
1) Clabe
2) Live
3) Callie Tilly
8) Nancy m. ______ Smith
1) John
2) Jennie m. ______ Deboard
1) Mattie
2) Nellie
3) Rusk
9) Betsy m. ______ Thomas
1) Charlie
2) Edward
3) Kate
4) Lizzie
5) Dacy
10) Sallie m. ______ McCormack
1) Orr
2) James
3) 7 others
11) Benjamin Franklin m. Katie Anne Ingram
1) Andrew m. wife
1) Emery
2) Sampson T.
3) Newton
4) Alice
5) Lela
2) Minerva C. died young
3) Jacob Valentine m. Matilda Hazelwood
1) Lilian Maud
2) Lulu May m. J. Lloyd Teaford
3) Bessie Anne
4) Kate Corcoran
4) Sallie died young
5) Edward Walton m. Lou Wallace
1) Maud Wilder
2) Lenard Manley m. Mabel Simmes
3) Emma May (died)
4) Wilbert Walton
5) Beulah m. George Neel
6) Mason
7) Harry
6) Dorcas died
7) Parker S. m. Bertie C. Cassell
1) Lena m. ______
1) Bertie Mae
2) Byron m. Lillie Elliott
1) Juinata
3) Carl C. m. Lena Thompson
1) 4 children
4) Maggie M. m. Walter Cofield
5) Verlie S. m. Edward Watson
1) 4 children
6) Billie
7) Charlie C.
8) Elmer C.
8) William M. died young
9) Jasper Newton m. Minnie Griffith
1) Annie
2) Lizzie
10) Thomas O. m. Nola Stookey
1) Allen Everett (married)
2) Benjamin F.
3) Williard (married)
11) Robert Lee m. _____ Simon
1) Willia
2) Aurora Collier
12) Maggie Anne m. _____ Overby
1) Ollie Davis
2) Sallie Swan
3) Carnie Irvin
4) Frank
5) Harvy
6) Bertram
13) Hannah Virginia 1st husband died 2nd ____ Byars
14) Charlie Meek m. Kate Harmon
1) Lola Lxxxxx m. ______ Lutsch
1) Kate Grinstead
2) Dorohray</pre>
WAR of INDEPENDENCE:
The following is a summary of pension application S35988 for John Grinstead:
On November 2, 1818 in Albemarle Co., Virginia John Grinstead, a resident of the county aged 62 years, appeared in court and declared under oath that he enlisted in Henrico Co., Virginia about 1781 in the company commanded by Captain Woodson of the 17th Regiment commanded by Col. Posey and that he continued to serve in that corps or in the service of the United States until the war ended when he was discharged in Cumberland Co., Virginia. He declared that he was in the battles of the siege of York and in a battle near Savannah, Georgia. He further declared that he is now in reduced circumstances and in need of the assistance of his country for support and that he has no other evidence in his possession as to his service in the Revolutionary War. The court ordered that the Secretary of War be notified that it was satisfied that the said John Grinstead did serve in the Revolutionary War as stated in his declaration and that he is in reduced circumstances and in need of assistance.
John Grinstead's pension file describes him as being of Albemarle Co., Virginia and says that he was a private in the regiment commanded by Col. Posey of the Virginia line for the term of 2 years. He was inscribed on the Roll of Virginia at the rate of $8/month to commence on November 2, 1818. His Certificate of Pension was issued June 12, 1819 and was sent to the Hon. Hugh Nelson at Milton, Virginia. It appears that the pension was payable semi-annually on March 4 and September 4. The arrears to March 4, 1819 (from November 2, 1818) amounted to $32.76 and the amount for March 4 to September 4 was $48, so that on June 12, 1819 John Grinstead was entitled to a payment of $80.76.
On February 24, 1823 John Grinstead was 67 and a resident of Jennings Co., Indiana. He declared in open court under oath that he had served in the Revolutionary War, the details being somewhat different from those of his previous declaration. He stated that he received Pension Certificate 11.741 which entitled him to $8/month and that the first payment was to be made September 4, 1819. He further described his meager possessions and the meager support that he was receiving from his children.
* * * *
District of Indiana ___. On this 24th day of February Eighteen hundred & Twenty three Personally appeared in Open Court It being the Jennings Circuit Court in the second Judicial District of the State of Indiana and a Court of Record in said State John Greenstead aged Sixty seven years Resident in said County of Jennings who being first duly sworn according to Law doth on his oath declare that he served in the Revolutionry war as follows that he enlisted under Capt. Coverly in Col. Scott's Regt. of the Virginia line and afterwards was attached to Genl. Waynes Brigade and that I am the Identical John Greenstead who Received a Pension Certificate No. 11.741 _______ me to Eight Dollars pr. month payable simi annually at Richmond Va. at the Branch Bank of the United States the first payment to be made the 4th day of Sept. 1819 I do solemnly swear that I have not since that time by Gift Sale or in any manner Disposed of my property or any part thereof with an Intent thereby so as to bring myself within the provisions of an act of Congress to provide for certain persons engaged in the land and naval Services of the United States in the Revolutionary war passed on the 18th day of March 1818 nor that I have not nor has any person in Trust for me any property or Securities Contracts or Debts Due to me nor have I any Income other than what is contained in the Schedule hereunto annexed and by me subscribed (I have no Real Estate I have two small beds & bedding -- Good Necessary clothing I have not I am by Occupation a Laborer which I am not able to follow I have no wife three small children the oldest is seventeen years old & not very able to work the next is a boy 13 years old and very weakly of his age the youngest is a girl 8 years old and of no support to me Sworn to and Declared on this 24th day of Feby 1823
John Grinstead
BURIAL:
The photograph of John Grinstead's tombstone at Find-a-Grave reads "JOHN -- GRINSTEAD -- CORP. POSEY'S BN -- REV WAR -- AUGUST 1840". This tombstone is not original. A clipping at Find-a-Grave reads "Veteran's Grave is Marked -- Seventh generation descendants of John Grinstead, Virginia-born Revolutionary War veteran, assisted in services at the unveiling of a Government marker at his grave near North Vernon, Ind.". It is further commented that the individual is actually buried in a farm field near the cemetery.
