James Griggs and Ruth Gover aren’t direct ancestors of my husband. In fact, they are a collateral line of a collateral line and, normally, I wouldn’t be venturing this far down a rabbit hole.
However, because it seems no one has pieced together this family and shared it online AND because Ruth’s father, John Gover, is a proven Patriot of the American Revolution, James’ and Ruth’s descendants are eligible to join lineage societies, e.g. NSDAR, NSSAR, GSAR and N.S.C.A.R.
Therefore, I am sharing further information about their descendants.
James and Ruth were the parents of William D., Elizabeth, Nancy, Ichabod, Samuel, Rebecca and Mary. Ichabod didn’t marry and his siblings were his heirs and Mary married at age 29 to a much older man and appears to have died by 1857, when Ichabod’s estate was administered and definitely before 1860 when her husband was at home with only his youngest daughter by his first marriage.
That leaves, in birth order, William D., Elizabeth, Nancy, Samuel and Rebecca with descendants.
Let’s get started with William Griggs, sometimes called William D. Griggs. William died in October 1849, Pittsylvania County, Virginia, so an exact birth year is lacking for him. His parents married in 1795 and the oldest male at home in 1820 was born 1795-1804.
William married Martha Dailey on 22 September 1822, Rockingham County, North Carolina. Estimating his birth year as c1800 is reasonable, even though he might have been a few years older.
Martha was likely born c1801, if 21 when she married, and is last found named in records in December 1838 when she and William sold land in Pittsylvania County.
Ichabod Griggs’ estate papers name William’s surviving children:
- Elizabeth C., born c1823; died between 1880-1900, probably Pittsylvania County, Virginia; married Henry Woodson Eanes, 22 January 1845, Pittsylvania County, Virginia. They were the parents of one daughter, Harriet Elizabeth Eanes, born 19 September 1861, Pittsylvania County, Virginia; died 20 December 1847, Roanoke, Virginia; married Arthur W. Eanes, c1882.
- William C., born c1830; died 12 November 1867, Pittsylvania County, Virginia; married Frances Stephens, 23 August 1854, Pittsylvania County, Virginia. They were the parents of one daughter, Susan Ann, born 18 October 1859; died 29 May 1918, Danville, Pittsylvania, Virginia. She married Samuel Davis, 11 May 1876, Henry County, Virginia.
- Ruth Matilda, born September 1832; died after 1900, probably Henry County, Virginia; married Jones Allen, 25 October 1847, Pittsylvania County, Virginia. They were the parents of nine children – Virginia, Martha, Elizabeth, Matilda, William Henry, James Coleman, Perkins Parrish and Laura (Lula).
- James, born c1834; died after 1857. What became of him is unknown and it appears he has been conflated with other James Griggs in Virginia. He may have died in the Civil War.
- Eleanor Ann (Nancy), born May 1835; died after 1910, probably Pittsylvania County, Virginia; married John Peyton Wallace, 22 May 1865, Pittsylvania County, Virginia. They were the parents of eight children – George (died young), Martha Elizabeth, William W., Sallie Ann, Simon Peyton, John James, Nathaniel Valentine and Reuben R. Wallace.
Next, we will look at the descendants of James’s and Ruth’s daughter, Elizabeth, who married Daniel Ragan.
