John ‘Immigrant John’ Grigsby

John Grigsby

• BIRTH 8 Aug 1624 - Maidstone, Maidstone Borough, Kent, England
• DEATH 11 Oct 1730 (aged 106) - King George County, Virginia, USA
• BURIAL Burial Details Unknown
• MEMORIAL ID 65487989 · View Source

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65487989/john-grigsby

Virginia Historical Genealogies By John Bennett Boddie. “Grigsby of Stafford.” GoogleBooks

Family

Spouse: Sarah Jane Prosser, b. 1645, St. Mary's Parish, Old Rappahannock County, Virginia d. 30 May 1728, St. Paul's Parish, Stafford County, Virginia

• 1. Mary Anne Grigsby, b. 1675, St. Paul's Parish, Stafford County, Virginia d. 20 Apr 1747, Stafford County, Virginia F(Age 72 years) [natural]
• 2. John Grigsby, b. 1680, St. Paul's Parish, Stafford County, Virginia d. 18 Jan 1756, Stafford County, Virginiage 76 years) [natural]
• 3. James Grigsby, b. 1682, Stafford County, Virginia d. 11 Apr 1752, Overwharton Parish, Stafford, County, Virginia (Age 70 years) [natural]
• 4. Thomas Grigsby, b. 1684, Stafford County, Virginia d. 11 Nov 1745, St. Paul's Parish, Stafford County, Virginia - Probate (Age 61 years) [natural]
• 5. Charles Grigsby, b. 1686, Stafford County, Virginia d. 11 Nov 1740, St. Paul's Parish, Stafford County, Virginia - Probate
• 6. William Grigsby, b. 1688, St. Paul's Parish, Stafford County, Virginia

Narrative

Our family has been traced back to Kent, England. Situated in the historic village of Smarden, in the heart of Kent between Ashford and Tunbridge Wells, the house still stands although it is no longer owned by any of the family. Locally, the house and farm is still called the "Grigsby farm."

John Grigsby (known as "Immigrant John" to distinguish him from his son, John, and grandson, John, whom we call "Soldier John). Immigrant John was born in Smarden, England in I623 and immigrated to America, settling in Stafford County, Va. in 1660. Immigrant John married Sarah Jane Rosser, also from England, and they had five (5) sons and one (1) daughter. They were Thomas, James, John, William, Mary Ann and Charles. When Immigrant John died on October 1 1,1730, he was buried in St. Paul's Parish Church, Stafford Co., Va. This is now part of King George County, Owens, Va.

Immigrant John's will left his 997 acre estate to his 5 sons and 1 daughter.

- SOURCE: Eleanor Carson's book "The Family and Decendants of Samuel Richardson Martin and Emma Louis Walton Martin from 1660 through 2006"

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John GRIGSBY I was born about 1623 in Maidstone, Kent, England. He died on 11 Oct 1730 in St.Pauls Parish, Stafford Co., Va. He was christened. !Source: St. Pauls Parish Register, Stafford Co., VA. Additional source: National Grigsby Family Society. 17th Century New England Register lists him as married to Sarah Rosser, which assumption may be incorrrect. He was married to Jane ROSSER about 1660.

- SOURCE: Johnson family of Missouri GEDCOM

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WILL OF JOHN GRIGSBY
John Grigsby's Will,1730, Book M, pages 17-18

In the name of God Amen, I John Grigsby of the Parish of St. Paul in the county of Stafford being in good health of body, sound, perfect and disposing mind and memory, thanks be returned to God for same, yet being sensible of the uncertainty of this mortal life, do make, publish, and ordain this my last will and Testament in manner & form following (that is to say) first and principally I recommend my soul into hands of Almighty God, hoping through the meritorius death & passion of my Blessed Saviour and Redeemer Jesus Christ to receive full & free pardon and remition of my sins and to inherit everlasting salvation, and my body I commit to the earth to be decently interred at the discretion of my executors hereafter mentioned as touching the disposition of such temporall estate as it hath pleased Almighty God to bestow upon me, I give and dispose thereof as followeth (viz) Item I give unto my son John Grigsby & his heirs part of tract of land I bought of Nicholas Battain from his spring branch to uper corner tree by Wm. Smith's old field and likewise I give him three Negros, Sambo, ____, & Dick. Item I give unto my son Charles Grigsby all that parcell of land from the swamp to Mr. Chandler Fowke's line whereon he now lives, it being in the pattain I bought of Nick Battain and likewise I give unto him two Negros, Bobin & James, and to him and & his heirs the land & Negros. Item I give unto my daughter Mary Ann four Negros, Jenny, Will, Joney & and Bess, to her and her heirs. Item I gave unto my son James Grigsby and his heirs all that parsall of land whereon he now lives from Jones Branch up his own spring branch and to across to his brother John' spring branch, and likewise I give him three Negros, Jack, Ben, Dall and her increase forever to him & and his heirs. Item I give unto my son Wm. Grigsby, and his heirs all that parcell of land whereon he now lives, it being part of that patten I bought of Nicholas Battain from James' spring branch up Jones Branch to my head line and so along the line to his brother John's land, and likewise I give him three Negros, Allow, Jane & Grace, their increase to him and his heirs forever. Item I give unto my son Thomas Grigsby all the remainer part of that pattain. I bought of Battain from the end of Wolf Pit Point up Jones Branch to my head line on the east side of branch; also I give him the said tract of land whereon now I live to him and his heirs and likewise I give him three Negros, Nan, Genny, Mary, and their increase to him & his heirs forever and likewise I give unto my son Thomas Grigsby all my hoggs belonging to me and likewise I give him half my cattle and the other half of Cattle to be divided between my other four sons and daughter and like- wise all my other part of my moveable estate to be equally divided between my six children and further I doe desire that my estate may not be brought to an appraisement, and further I doe appoint my two sons John and Thomas Grigsby to be my executors of this my last will & testament to see that everything equally divided between themselves revoking all former wills as witness my hand and seals this 17th March, 1728/9. -- Jn. Grigsby (seal)

Signed & Sealed in the Present of us & Delivered: Hen. Lopdell Eliz. Q. Eaton [her mark]

At a Court held for Stafford County the 11th day of November 1730 this Will was presented into Court by John Grigsby and Thomas Grigsby, executors therein named, who made oath thereto and the same being further proved by the oath of Elizabeth Eaton, one of the witnesses thereto, who also made oath that she saw Henry Lopdell, another witness, subscribed, sign the same it is admitted to record and on the motion of the said executors, certificate is granted them for obtaining a probate thereof in due form. Test: Catesby Cook, Clerk A Copy Teste: S. L. Alexander, Clerk Recorded in Will Book M, pages 17 & 18.

• (Deed Book 1, p. 501) Stafford County reveals a contract made on March 11, 1727, between John Grigsby, blacksmith, of Stafford County, and Charles Hardy, by which the latter is to serve apprenticeship to Grigsby for a "full time of six years. "Old John" would at that time have been too feeble to enter into such an active agreement. His son John, must have been the author of the instrument.

- SOURCE: Nancy T. Green's Genealogy Page Source References

References

• Virginia Historical Genealogies By John Bennett Boddie Page 70 GoogleBooks
• The Family and Decendants of Samuel Richardson Martin and Emma Louis Walton Martin from 1660 through 2006 [S0109]
• Johnson family of Missouri GEDCOM [S0132]
• Nancy T. Green’s Genealogy Page [S0127]
• Barbara Miroslaw’s GEDCOM @ RootsWeb.com [S0046]

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Colonial Families of the United States" page 471 John Grigsby, of England: came to Virginia about 1660, with brother James: both soldiers under Cromwell; m. Jane Rosser, who came over on the same vessell. ----page 479--George Hales King, of Prince William County, Virginia, Revolutionary soldier and supposed to have been in Colonial service; son of John King and Mary Hales, dau. of John hales, who d. 1728, Westmoreland County, Virginia, William Grigsby, b. 1760, son of Nathaniel Grigsby, Loudoun County, Virginia, d. 1801, Kentucky, and Elizabeth Butler, dau. of William Butler and Anne (?) Mason. Nathaniel Grigsby, son of James Redmond Grigsby, will 1752, and Susannah of Stafford county, son of John Grigsby, I, of Stafford, d. 1729, son of John Grigsby and Jane Rosser of England and Virginia.
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From a book written by Henrietta Hamilton:

"Many American families, particularly Virginians, trace their descent from John Grigsby whose ancestors were unquestionably of Welch origin, and who settled in this Country at a very early day, and were a potent factor in the social and intellectual development of the Communities in which they lived. As a people, they have been noted for their refined tastes, gracious manners, broadminindedness and liberality, and entire absense of anything like narrow clannishness, in religion or political matters, and for their unswerving devotion to the interests of higher education. The members of this family with which the present records deal, were two brothers, James and John, who emigrated to America about 1660, and settled in Stafford County Virginia."
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He was a soldier in Cromwell's army, and when Charles II returned to the throne, John decided to leave England for the new world. He first arrived as an indentured person who worked for about 6 years. On his return in 1660 he had land in Virginia, and was a friend of Patawomeak Chief Wampanacha, who gave him land near by. John was alone in Virginia from 1660-about 1680 when he married Sarah Jane Rosser. No proof, but speculation is he may have had a relationship with the chief's daughter, sister to Pokahauntas.

Peter Ashton was the captain of the boat that John arrives on in 1660, and he has land transactions with the family

Nothing is known at this time of first wife TJ Grigsby. From: Grigsby compendium of American Genealogy V4, Grigsby of Stafford, Grigsby Petagree, "Night Owl Tribe" by Bill Deyo, History of Grigsby Family in America pp 259-260, Grigsby Grigbie Grigby by Camella T Denys, Seedings of William Foster Book 1, p.43, National Grigsby Family Society, Genealogy of Grigsby Family in Colonial Families of USA, Virginia Historical Genealogies.

John Grigsby Immigrated to Virginia in 1660, He married Sarah Jane Rosser, He was a planter/ Farmer who received land for bringing others over. He had been in virginia previously as an indentured person escaping the wrath of the King after the English Civil War. There is some speculation that he may have had a relationship with Chief Wamponachoes' daughter, because there is a land grant from the chief to John of land abutting the chief. John had many children including Charles W (6GGF all Grigsby line) and William. ( also 6 GGF, but Foster-Monday-Grigsby line). He fought in the Revolutionary war, and his line, on my side of the family, has fought in every war up to Viet Nam

• https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I2527...