JESSE GRIGG FAMILY GRAVEYARD This family cemetery is located in No. 9 Township, Cleveland County, N.C. a quarter of a mile northeast of Lawndale on a high hill overlooking First Broad River and in plain view of the industrial town of Lawndale, N.C. It is situated on a high hill and surrounded by cultivation except on the north which has a patch of woods. It is oval shaped and about 20 x 60 feet. Owner of Cemetery: No given Approximate number of marked graves: 2 Unmarked graves: 20 Earliest marked grave: Sarah Charlotte O'Neal, d. July 2, 1830 General condition of cemetery: Grown up in shrubbery and small trees. Date of survey; Dec. 13, 1939 Workers: Forrest B. Williams and Anson G. Melton Inscriptions: Grigg, Jesse Pvt. Thomas' Co. 6 Va. Mil. War 1812 O'Neal, Sarah Charlotte, d. July 2, 1830 Aged: 13 mos., 24 ds. -------------- The Grigg Family in Cleveland County, North Carolina By P. Cleveland Gardner, Chapel Hill, N.C. January 3, 1940 The Grigg family may be listed among the oldest and most numerous of Cleveland County, N.C. This family has been thrifty, industrious, and progressive, active in civic affairs, leaders in religious work, and has contributed many men and women who have been leaders in the history of the county. The writer has devoted some time to collecting data on this worthy family and desires to record same in this Survey in order that it may be preserved for the use of further generations. Hence, the following sketch: In 1926, Walter S. Griggs of Norfolk, Virginia published a book entitled, "Genealogy of The Grigg Family", which book consists of 116 pages. The book gives a sketch of the Grigg family in England, Mass., Conn., N.Y., N.J., Ohio, Michigan, Ill., Minn, Kansas, Va., N.C., Ga., Fla., Texas, and Griggs in Military Service. He states that many of the Griggs of N.C. families immigrated from Virginia, but that the first Grigg of record in North Carolina was Samuel Grigg of Craven County, that he was from King's County in New York State. Other members of the Grigg family resided in counties of Halifax District, Northampton, Franklin, and Wake and William Grigg in the Morgan (Morganton) District; also, Griggs resided in the counties of Currituck, Sampson and Rowan. Examination of colonial records show that a majority of members of this family name resided in Currituck County, N.C., between 1783 and 1860. A number of men are listed who served in the Rev. War from Virginia and New England States, but none from North Carolina. Of those serving in the War of 1812, he lists two Griggs of the same name, Jesse or Jessie, as follows: "Jess Grigg, Pvt. in the Sixth Virginia Regt., commanded by Col. Archibald Richie, Capt. Wm. Thomas' Company. Jesse Griggs, Pvt. in Capt. Carter M. Braxton's Company, 111 Virginia Regt., commanded by Lieut. Col. Richard E. Parker." Dr. W. T. Grigg, M.D., of Lawndale, N.C., father of Prof. Horace Grigg, present Supt. of Public Schools of Cleveland County, N.C. says that the "Jesse Grigg" last above listed came to North Carolina and settled on the East side of First Broad River just opposite of present Lawndale Cotton Mill, about one-fourth mile North of said cotton mill, and was buried on his own plantation within a few yards of his home. Several years ago Dr. Grigg secured a Government marker and erected at the grave of this solder. Dr. Grigg says that this "Jesse Grigg" was the father of Frederick Grigg who lived near Palm Tree Methodist Church, who helped to build the first church there, etc. During the summer of 1939. Hal Schenck of Lawndale, who then owned the land on which said graveyard is situated, executed a deed conveying same to trustees of said Palm Tree Methodist Church. This pioneer settler, Jesse Grigg, according to Dr. Grigg, was progenitor of the Grigg family in what is now Cleveland County, N.C. In conclusion it may be stated that the book of said Walter s. Grigg, above mentioned, gives but little data on the Grigg family in North Carolina, other than members of the clan in Eastern North Carolina. The Cleveland Star, dated October the 12, 1915, carried an article written by Daniel R. Grigg of Greenville, Illinois, who was a native of the Cleveland Mills section of Cleveland County, concerning the history of the Grigg family. The following is an abstract of that interesting letter: "I have a cousin, Geo. W. Grigg, in Bond County, who takes quite an interest in or old ancestry and he wrote to Washington, D.C., to Philadelphia, and other places, to get incidents of the Grigg family. He told me that my great grandfather's name was JESSE GRIGG. He had five sons who came from Ireland to America. One son located in Pennsylvania; one son, Wood Grigg, in Georgia; three sons in Cleveland County, N.C., (then Rutherford Co.); these three sons were Lewis Grigg who lived just east of Gardner's Ford about one mile, and his sons were Armsted or Armstead, James, Yorb, and Lewis, and there were four or five daughters. The second son of said Jesse Grigg was Frederick Grigg, who lived about one mile west of Gardner's Ford, and his sons that I have hears of were Col. Paschal T. Grigg, Berry, Spencer, Alfred, Hilliard and Thomas Goods. I have not the history of the Grigg daughters. The third son of said Jesse Grigg was Burwell Grigg who lived in the bend of the river about one mile North of Gardner's Ford, his wife was Sabra Elam, and they had sixteen or seventeen children, of whom ten sons and four daughters lived to have families, and whose names are as follows: Banister, Abner, Burrell, Daniel, Bolin, Jesse, Edward, Frederick, Richardson and Samuel, the three former died in North Carolina, the seven latter died in Illinois. Bolin lived to be near Ninety-one years of age, Samuel near Ninety-three. Of the daughters, Elizabeth married first Joseph Willis, and second husband was Moses Balch; Pheobe married Allen Crowder and they had Nineteen children; Pheobe died in North Carolina; Jane was first married to Edward Jay, and her second husband was James Rutherford; Jane died in Kansas; Nancy Willis Balch and Elizabeth Elam died in Illinois. Of the later generation of Griggs you probably know as much as I. I regret that I can't be with you at this reunion and wishing you all great pleasure, long life and happiness, I am, Sincerely yours, D. R. Grigg." In the first part of the above mentioned letter, not included in this abstract, Grigg says: "My people came from near Norfolk, Virginia, and previously from Ireland." Dr. Grigg says that Jesse Grigg was the father of Frederick Grigg and was a soldier in the War of 1812. Therefore, Jesse Grigg was a married man at the time he served as soldier in War of 1812, and was probably some forty or fifty years old. The name of the father of said Jesse Grigg is not known, but since Jesse Grigg came from Norfolk, Virginia, to North Carolina, it is probable that his father resided in Virginia, and that he served as a soldier in the Rev. War while a resident of Virginia, and that his record and other data may be obtained in that State. Following is a list of names of Grigg family, with date of birth, and place of birth, as taken from U.S. Census of 1850 for Cleveland County, North Carolina: Frederick Grigg, born 1776, in North Carolina Banister Grigg, born in 1785, in Virginia (His son, Burrell, born 1831) Burrell Grigg, born 1798, in Virginia Yorb (Yarbrough) Grigg, born in 1800, North Carolina Edward Grigg, born 1802, in North Carolina Paschael T. Grigg, born 1804, North Carolina Spencer Grigg, born 1809, in North Carolina Armstead Grigg, born 1816, North Carolina P. H. Grigg, born 1821, in North Carolina Banister T. Grigg, born 1826, in Virginia There are numerous Griggs listed in Census of 1850 in Cleveland County, but the above includes names of all those born prior to 1826. Griffin's History of Old Tryon and Rutherford Counties list the following members of the Grigg family, and others in what is now Cleveland County, as soldiers in the War of 1812. Page 160: Rutherford County; Second Regiment Abram Irvin, Captain Jesse Grigg, Pvt. Banister Grigg, Pvt. Thomas Garner, Pvt. Henry Grigg, Pvt. William Newton, Pvt. Martin Beam, Pvt. William Dedmon, Pvt. Page 161: Third Regiment: Andrew Thompson, Pvt. Samuel Thompson, Pvt. Wm. Thompson, Pvt. (Also, soldier in U.S. Army) Page 213: Cherokee Indian Removal of 1838: Capt. Albert C. Irvine, mustered into service May 24, 1838, and Mustered out of service July 5, 1838, following men: Thomas F. Elliott, Pvt. Banister Grigg, Pvt. Milton A. McCombs [no rank shown] Benjamin Newton, Pvt. Geo. Goods, Pvt. Wm. Green, Pvt. John C. Hardin, Pvt. Richard Hardin, Pvt. John Harrill, Pvt. (Grandfather of Atty. Ector A. Harrill.) Daniel Hawkins, Pvt. Hamlin Horn, Pvt. Wm. Hoyle, Pvt. Henry Hoyle, Pvt. Abram S. Irvin, Pvt. Evans Suttle, Pvt. ----------- Marriage Records of Tryon and Lincoln Counties list the following members of the Grigg family: Abner Grigg to Honsur Oneal, July 14, 1819 B. F. Grigg to Mary J. McCoy, Jan. 1, 1863 Berry P., Grigg to Jane Spratt, Sept. 21, 1839 Burrel Grigg to Malinda Oneal, Jan. 4, 1820 Edward Grigg to Susanna Carpenter, April 10, 1828 Jesse Grigg to Susanah Taylor, Nov. 4, 1817 Wesley Grigg to Sarah Davis, Oct. 11, 1838 ---------- North Carolina State Records, Vol. 22, page 67, list Charles Grigg as pensioner in Rev. War. North Carolina State Records, in Census of 1790 for North Carolina, list Griggs in the following counties of N.C.: Moses Grigg, Stokes County Geo. Grigg, Currituck County James Grigg, in Franklin County John Grigg, Northampton County John Grigg, Sampson County Minus Grigg, Rowan County Patience Grigg, Northampton County Rodeyan Grigg, Wake County Wm. Grigg, Wake County Charles Grigg, Currituck County John Grigg, Beaufort County ----------- Col. Pascal Grigg was first married to Nancy Elliott, a daughter of Martin Elliott who was a soldier in the Rev. War. A daughter of Col. Pascal T. Grigg, Roxanah A. D. Grigg, was the first wife of Dr. Oliver P. Gardner, and by this marriage several children were born, only two of which reached the age of maturity, to-wit, Jasper Gardner, who died a young man in Texas, and Hessie Gardner who became he second wife of Jessie McMurry of Shelby, Dr. Gardner's second wife was Margaret Young, who was the mother of O. Max Gardner and Bessie Gardner Hoey. For full data see sketch under Index "Col. P. T. Grigg & Dr. O. P. Gardner Cemetery." Col. Pascal T. Grigg was buried by the side of his first wife, Nancy Elliott, in the cemetery herein indexed as "Col. Pascal T. Grigg & Dr. O. P. Gardner Cemetery," situated on a high hill overlooking the town of Lawndale, in edge of Lawndale, on West side of First Broad River, in Number Nine Township, Cleveland County. P. Cleveland Gardner * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * This cemetery is among the many Cleveland cemeteries included on the Cleveland Count WPA Cemeteries CD, copyrighted 2008, by Ann K. Propst and Derick S. Hartshorn. All listings and cemeteries listings were made prior to 1940 and represent the conditions of that time. All information has been donated to the NCGenWeb Project but authors retain copyright protection under law. It may be referenced and briefly exerpted under the universal fair use doctrine. For a copy of the complete Cleveland County WPA Cemetery Survey CD, see http://www.hartshorn.us/CWPA.htm