Fact: James Griggs married Ruth Gover on 20 February 1795 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.

Fact: James Griggs was the son of John Griggs, who died in late 1818 or early 1819, leaving a will, in Pittsylvania County, Virginia and John Gover, father of Ruth Gover, died in early 1819, also leaving a will. Both Mrs. Griggs and Mrs. Gover predeceased their husbands.

These two facts place James and Ruth squarely in their fathers’ families and identify their siblings.

However, James’ and Ruth’s own family is much more difficult to piece together. Without the estate administration of Ichabod Griggs in the late 1850s and early 1860’s, it would have been almost impossible.

This research began when a reader asked me who the parents were of Nancy Griggs who married Shepherd Mahon on 9 December 1832 in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. There are many Mahon descendants in this line, but it seems no one has ever shared online any research into Nancy’s parents.

I like a challenge and I’ve worked a lot in Pittsylvania County records because of my Mahon research, so off I went.

Since brides typically married in their own county of residence, I checked the 1830 census of Pittsylvania County, Virginia and found several Griggs households. However, only two of them – Martha Griggs and James Griggs were old enough to have a daughter almost ready to marry and each had a female at home in the age range of Nancy (Griggs) Mahon.

I still don’t know who Martha Griggs’ husband was. She was widowed by 1816 when she (1) is on the Pittsylvania County personal property tax list and (2) gave permission, as “Marthy Grigg” for her daughter Maryan Grigg to marry William Marricks on 8 October 1816.

Other research proved she had at least one son, Pleasant William Grigg, born c1810, and at least one daughter, Louisa, born c1816.

Martha’s maiden name is unknown, but she was born c1775 and likely married in the late 1790s. The census shows her as Griggs, but a court record where she signed her own name is spelled Grigg and Pleasant also appears as Grigg.

Whether Martha is closely related to James Griggs is not known at this time.

Although James Griggs married in Pittsylvania County, he has been much more difficult to trace. The only land transaction found for him is in 1819. He and Ruth sold the portion of her father’s land that she inherited as soon as they could so land was not important to James.

I have no idea about his occupation or how the family lived.

I suspect that the 1796 Pittsylvania County tax list that includes one “Elizabeth Gover + Griggs” may well be newlywed James and wife living with one of his Gover in-laws.

However, James Griggs doesn’t appears on his own until 1810, which begs the question of where he went. Knowing that there were many Griggs people next door in Henry County, which was set off from Pittsylvania County in 1777, I looked there.

In 1794. John Griggs Sr. and John Jr. was both on the Henry County personal property tax list and John Sr. had three males at home – himself and 2 others who were taxable and 21 years or older.

In 1795, we find John Sr., now with 2 taxables 21 or over, John Jr. and James Griggs on the Henry County roll.

James is gone in 1796, supporting my theory that he and wife Ruth were living with/helping out widowed Elizabeth Gover.

By 1797, James is back on the Henry conty tax roll and remains there yearly through 1803.

Where he lived between 1804-1809 hasn’t yet been determined, but the first decade of the 1800s brought thousands of settlers into Tennessee. It’s possible he lived there for several eyars before deciding he liked Virginia more.

Between 1810 and 1821, James appears on the Pittsylvania County personal property tax lists, with the exception of 1816 and 1819.

James then disappears once again from the records until the 1830 census, when he is enumerated as 50-59 years of age. His last appearance in government records, at least that I believe is him, is James Griggs on the 1833 Pittsylvania County personal property tax rolls.

There is no probate found for him and the only land found was the 1819 sale of his father-in-law’s land that Ruth inherited.

However, knowing some of Martha’s children’s names and knowing that she and James were the only 2 in the 1830 census of an age to have a marriageable daughter, I believe that an estate administration from the late 1850s into the early 1860s identifies James’s children – at least those living at that time.

Ichabod Griggs first appears on the Pittsylvania County personal property tax list in 1830. Later census records place his birth either just before or just after 1810, which fits if he was 21 years old in 1830 and born c1809.

Ichabod had a sad life story and death. He had a marriage license taken out for himself and a young lady and was to marry on 22 December 1856. For an unknown reason (not wanting to marry?), Ichabod hung himself from a tree the day before on 21 December 1856 near Danville, Virginia.

This is the AI transcription created on FamilySearch full text search. I haven’t edited it so if you haven’t ever tried this option, it is obvious that there are some imperfections. This handwriting isn’t the greatest sample either. What I noticed was “one equal fifth part to have Mahon”, but when reading it for myself, the heir is “Nancy Mahon.” This is just a warning that humans still need to read for themselves and verify the information contained in a document.

His estate administration identified his siblings (not in birth order in the court file) who would inherit:

1. William D., born c1800; died October 1849 and whose children were identified in the estate papers as James, Ruth M, wife of Jones W. Allen, Eleanor Ann, wife of John Wallace and Elizabeth C., wife of Henry W. Eanes. The fact that William named his only son James lends support to the theory that James Griggs was his father.
2. Elizabeth, born c1805, Virginia; died between 1860-1870; married Daniel Ragan, 4 August 1821, Pittsylvania County, VA
3. Nancy, born c1807, Virginia; died 1863, Osage County, Missouri; married Shepherd Mahon, 9 December 1832, Pittsylvania County, VA. Nancy named one of her daughters Rutha Jane, which supports the idea that her mother was Ruth (Gover) Griggs.
4. [Ichabod] born c1809, Virginia; died 21 December 1856, Danville, Virginia; unmarried
5. Samuel, born c1818; died 1868, Pittsylvania County, VA: married Mary Ann Earle, 16 December 1844, Pittsylvania County, VA
6. Rebecca, born c1820, Virginia; died between 1880-1900; married John W. Davis, 16 November 1844, Pittsylvania County, VA
7. Mary?, born c1822, Virginia; died between 1851-1860; married Francis Pace, 8 May 1851. She is placed as a daughter of James and Ruth because she [Mary Griggs]was living with sister Rebecca Davis in 1850. Francis was much older than Mary, born c1799. However, Francis removed to St. Clair County ,Missouri and is at home with his youngest daughter, Eliza, in 1860. Mary likely died before Ichabod’s estate administration.

There are some gaps in the birth years, but it’s possible that some siblings died unmarried in childhood or young adulthood.

Next, let’s move back a generation to the father of James Griggs, who was helpful enough to leave a will.