A large
number of Grayson descendants have been able to trace their ancestry to a
Grayson family that migrated from Wilkes Co., NC to various counties in
The puzzle begins in Wilkes
Co., NC which was formed from Surry Co., NC in 1777. A Benjamin Grayson entered
400 acres of land adjoining Edmond Tilly in 1779 on
Kings Creek on the border with Burke Co., NC. This is the first known mention of a
Grayson in Wilkes Co., NC. Shortly thereafter additional Graysons appear in Wilkes Co., NC and various counties in
TN. These Graysons include William, John, Benjamin
Jr., Joseph, Wren, Nancy and Jesse. Later descendants can be attributed to one
of these but none have been traced further back. It seems likely that some and
perhaps all of these other Graysons were Benjamin’s
children. To begin with we have used census and poll tax records to determine
the probable ages of these early NC/TN Graysons. Originally, individuals between the ages
of 21 and 55 paid poll tax in TN. This law was changed in 1801 such that free
males over 50 were exempted. The
likely ages deduced from poll tax and census data are as
follows:
Benjamin Grayson Sr. (on
poll tax list 1797&99 -with 1
poll in 1797 and 0 poll in
1799
No record exists for 1798)
Born between 1742-1744
William Grayson
(1850 Census, Monroe Co.,TN)
Born 1767
John Grayson- (first pd poll tax 1789 Wilkes
Joseph Grayson-(first pd poll tax 1794 Wilkes
Jessee Grayson-(first pd. poll tax
1797 Wilkes
Benjamin Grayson, Jr.(first on poll tax-list-1799)
Born June 1777-June 1778
Wren Grayson (1850 census- Decatur Co., IN)
Born 1782
Nancy Grayson Crouch (1850
census-IN)
Born 1782
Recently, Orvan Edmonson has located the graves of John Grayson and
his wife Nancy in a Yarnall cemetery in Knox Co.,
TN. The marker indicates he was
born on May 2, 1766. This is in decent agreement with what is argued above and
therefore suggests that the other estimates are likely reasonable as well.
Benjamin Grayson, Sr. is on all available Wilkes Co., TN poll tax lists from
1785 to 1798 with one poll. There is no list available for 1798 and the maximum
age was changed was still 55 in 1797 (it was changed to 50 in 1801), hence the
minor ambiguity in his deduced birth year. He is old enough to be the father of
all the others but there is no guarantee that this is the case. William, John,
Joseph and Benjamin Jr. are all closely associated with Benjamin and emerge into
manhood from his household in Wilkes as one would expect if they were his sons.
Letters passed down to Myna Grayson and brought to genealogical attention by the
efforts of Dr. Richard R. Grayson prove that Joseph and Wren were brothers.
Further evidence for this is provided by a document brought to our attention by
Donald Hooper. In this court statement relating to application for bounty land,
Wren informs Justice of the Peace Joseph Merryman of
Decatur Co., IN on November 2, 1850 that he gave his discharge papers to his
brother Joseph Grayson. Jesse signed the 1822-23 will of Joseph and therefore
they are very likely closely related as well. Given their birth dates he is most
likely another brother of Joseph. Nevertheless, the age differences between
William and John compared to the others is suspicious and, especially in the
case of William, there is uncertainty as to his true relation to
Benjamin.
In the first Wilkes Co., NC census in 1787, Benjamin is listed with 1
male 21-60, 5 males under 21 (most logically John, Joseph, Jesse, Benjamin Jr.
and Wren) and 3 females (his wife, Nancy and one other). In 1790 there were 3
males over 16 (John, Joseph, Jesse !?), 2 males under
16 (Benjamin Jr. and Wren) and 2 females (
By 1805/6 many of the Graysons had left
A Benjamin Grayson witnessed wills for James McCarty in 1792 and Lantos
McCarter in Knox Co.,TN in
1793. A Benjamin Grayson is also
listed for jury duty in Knox Co., TN five times during Jan., Feb., and Mar. of
1793. A Benjamin Grayson was in
court 1797 with William Pruitt in Knox Co., TN. Was
this the Wilkes Co., NC Benjamin? Co-incident with these Grayson entries in Knox
Co., there were no Graysons on the 1792 tax list in
Wilkes Co., NC. However, district 11 where Benjamin was usually found is not
available for 1792 and he is on both the 1791 and 1793 tax lists. It seems certain that the Benjamin of
Wilkes Co., NC stayed in Wilkes until at least 1801 and his presumed son
Benjamin Jr. did not come of age until 1798. The data thus strongly suggests
that there were actually three Benjamin Graysons in NC
and TN in the 1790's. Who was this
additional Knox Co., TN Benjamin?
A Benjamin Grayson continued to be listed on the tax list for Knox Co.,
TN in 1802, 1806 &1807. He paid poll tax in 1802 & 1806 but not in 1807.
This Benjamin Grayson likely did not pay poll tax in 1807 because he had reached
50 years of age. If so, he was born between June 1756 and June 1757 which
distinguishes him quite clearly from the Benjamin Graysons of Wilkes Co., NC. Benjamin Sr and Jr both disappear from Wilkes records after their
purchases from the Ann Wisdom estate, which were recorded in November of 1801.
Beginning in 1802 a new Benjamin Grayson is found in Roane Co., TN. The last
record of a Benjamin in
From their outpost in the Knox Co., TN area, many of these Graysons apparently moved further South to Bledsoe Co., TN
in 1807: (Bledsoe Co., TN is just South of Roane Co., TN) where they were joined
by brother Wren. A Benjamin, Sr., Benjamin, Jr ,
Joseph, Wren and another Grayson (probably Jesse- signature is partially
blotched) all signed a petition to the Tennessee General Assembly dated 26
Feb.1809 in Bledsoe Co. "This petition showed citizens who settled in the Indian
boundary line before it was run and who left their improvements asking that some
provision be made to restore their property when the Indian title is
extinguished”. Wren is known to have previously been in Scott Co., KY as he
states in an January 3, 1853 affidavit relating to a Revolutionary War pension
claim of the widow of Harraway Owens that “John Owen
and Wren Grayson in said county, ages 69 and 72 respectively, state they were
well acquainted with Harraway Owens and Elizabeth
Owens his widow; they were both present in Scott Co., KY when they were married;
1802 or 1803". Later census records show that Wren stayed in
Two of the Graysons did not go to Bledsoe Co.,
TN. Nancy Grayson is believed to
have married John Crouch Jr. and gone to the Scott Co./Harrison Co. region of
Kentucky before 1800 and apparently never left, though at least several of her
children went on to Indiana and Iowa. It is possible that Wren and his wife may
have traveled to Scott Co. with them.
We have been unable to locate definitive evidence for this Grayson/Crouch
marriage but the Crouch family historians we have encountered accept it. One of
these, Laura McCoy, has provided us with a transcript of a Clinton County, Iowa
biography of Richard J. Crouch in which it is stated that “Our subject’s
paternal grandmother was a Grayson, and came of the old Scotch stock..”
According to the 1828 will of John Crouch Sr., John Jr. was already deceased
which is consistent with the fact that
There is likewise no
evidence that William joined in the migration to Bledsoe Co., TN. He is in fact
consistently in the records of Wilkes Co., NC until approximately 1821 and other
younger Graysons that are in the Wilkes records during
that period are presumed to be his children. William’s wife Emily is shown by an 1828
will to be a daughter of John Crouch Sr. who died in Wilkes Co., NC. William is
subsequently found in
What is the evidence that Benjamin of Knox Co. TN, went on to Montgomery
Co., AL? The essential lead here is
a marriage record of a Benjamin Grissom who is listed as having married on
November 6, 1788 a Mary Privett in Greene Co.,
TN. In addition, Catherine Grissom
married John Dotson on November 7, 1788 and a Sarah Grissom married a Robert
Mansfield on October 16, 1788. These marriages were also in Greene Co., TN and
this coupled with the timing suggest that Benjamin, Catherine and Sarah were
siblings. Was this Benjamin actually a Grayson? This seems almost certain. A Benjamin Grayson and Mary Ann Pruit were on the 1809 tax list in Madison Co.,
Although we have outlined a reasonable migration history for the various
Graysons associated with Benjamin of Wilkes we are not
much closer to understanding his origins. In this regard, our NC/TN research has
uncovered an intriguing clue in a historical sketch of a Levi Laxton, born 1768, which was published in the Lenoir News
and obtained from the Caldwell Co., N.C. library. Caldwell Co., NC now
encompasses the King's Creek region of
Another possibility is that Joseph Grayson of Rutherford Co., NC and
Benjamin Grayson of Wilkes Co., NC may have been brothers. Joseph, who was born in approximately
1754, entered 100 acres of land in Burke Co., NC on the Little Broad River on
December 31, 1778. This land was issued on October 28, 1782. Benjamin entered his land grant on Kings
Creek in 1779, which was, then on the border between Wilkes Co., NC and Burke
Co., NC. These two properties are approximately sixty miles apart. However, it
has previously been overlooked that in March of 1779 a Benjamin Grason purchased 100 acres on Lower Creek next to Sam Allen
(a possible relative of Aranias Allen of Kings
Creek!?) In Burke Co., NC. This property is much nearer
Joseph’s property. Joseph’s descendants also believe he was from
Since it is generally believed that the NC/TN Graysons originated in
Lewis Ellzey states in his will that his daughter Stacy Grayson
had received what was intended to be her part of his estate when she married
Burgess Berkeley. Burgess died
before May 20, 1755 when the administration of his estate was granted to Statia. In 1762 an entry in the
Loudin Co., VA Clerk’s fee book mentions “Benjamin
Grayson and Stacy his wife Admrs. of
Important information can be deduced about these Benjamin Graysons by monitoring the extant lists of Tithables for Loudin Co, VA from
1758-1786. In 1749 a Ben Grayson quarter (meaning he is not resident) is on the
1749
In contrast to the continued ownership of property in Loudin Co., VA by Benjamin Grayson Gentleman’s line, there
is briefly a second Benjamin Grayson in Loudin Co.,
VA. He first appears in 1760 on Fielding Turner’s list with a Thomas Hayes and
Negroes Lennon and Hannah. The data is very incomplete for 1758 and 1759, so his
absence in those years is uninformative. The entry on Joseph Hamilton’s 1761
list and
Because of Stacy's misfortune, Lewis Ellzey
left a new estate to her in his will of October 1, 1785. Shortly thereafter,
Stacy's health apparently declined as Lewis added an amendment to his will on
October 1, 1786 which clarified that Stacy's share was for as long as she lived
and thence to be divided between “her four youngest children (not youngest
Grayson children as some have reported) namely Benjamin Grayson, Susanna
Grayson, Sarah Grayson and Anne Grayson”.
Benjamin Grayson, son of Ambrose & Alice James nee Sharp may have
married Stacy Ellzey as early as 1755. They apparently
lived with her until at least 1762 when they are listed together on the court
record relating to the Burgess Berkeley estate, having at least four children,
one being another Benjamin. By
1764, Stacy’s husband, Benjamin son of Ambrose, was likely in Essex Co.,
VA.
This statement also implies Stacy had at least one child by Burgess
Berkeley but an alternative explanation is that there may have been an older
Grayson child that was already taken care of. Suggesting this is an uncertain,
but clearly special, connection between Thomazin Ellzey (son of Lewis) and an Ambrose Grayson of uncertain
parentage. Perhaps this Ambrose was unofficially “adopted” by Thomazin after the departure of Ambrose’s father. This
Ambrose named a son Thomazin Ellzey Grayson and his wife received an inheritance from
Thomazin after Ambrose’s death. Most of Ambrose’s records are in
Hampshire Co., VA (now
What does seem reasonable is that following his sale of the inheritance
(witnessed by Ambrose) to Marmaduck Brokenburrow Beckwith, Benjamin may have left VA (there is
in fact no further record of him there) and moved to TN where he would then be
the Benjamin “Grissom” that married Mary Privett in
Greene Co., TN in November of 1788. Their first child might then have been named
Stacy, after his recently deceased mother, which would make her approximately 16
when she married in 1805. Other
researchers have speculated that Stacy is the “missing” daughter of Benjamin of
Wilkes but the year of the marriage is not consistent with her departure from
the Wilkes household. In any event,
Benjamin and Mary were apparently living next to John Grayson in Knox Co., NC
from 1802-1807. The poll tax data suggests this Benjamin was born between 1757-1758, which is entirely consistent with the likely date
of birth deduced from the VA history (1755-1762). We have thus amassed
considerable evidence that it is Benjamin, son of Stacy Ellzey, that is our mystery
Knox Benjamin who moved to Montgomery Co., AL between 1807 and 1809. Does this outline fit all the facts?
Unfortunately it may not. If Stacy’s Benjamin and Benjamin Grissom are the same person then it is unlikely that Catherine and
Sarah Grissom could be his sisters.
The marriage records of Stacy's three known daughters by Benjamin Grayson
are well established by the land transactions wherein they liquidate their
shares of the Ellzey inheritance in VA. They were not
in TN. It is remotely possible, that the other two "Grissoms" were nevertheless half sisters, e.g. actually
daughters of Burgess Berkley or daughters of Benjamin by an earlier marriage.
Alternatively, perhaps Benjamin was erroneously recorded as a Grissom because of
the existence of a Grissom family in Greene Co., NC. Perhaps the name was simply
erroneously recorded in the abstracts (we have not seen copies of the original
marriage records).
Who then is Benjamin of Wilkes?
One hypothesis is that he is the son of Ambrose and husband of Stacy
Ellzey. In this view, Stacy's son perhaps went to TN
to reunite with his half brothers following her death. This would explain the
proximity of the Benjamin in
Clearly a better hypothesis is that Benjamin Grayson of Wilkes is simply
not one of the known Virginia Benjamin Graysons. There
are certainly several lines stemming from Ambrose that could account for an
additional Benjamin, e.g. none of the children of Thomas have been identified
with certainty. The Douglas Register records Goochland Parish
This is in fact an important component of a popular hypothesis that was
originally put forward By Capt. Edward R. Dittmer, USN in the Wilkes Co., NC
heritage book. He argues that Benjamin may have been born in Orange Co., to
either John Grayson, the eldest son of Ambrose, or alternatively, John’s brother
William. This John was married in about 1745, and is known to have had two sons
before 1748. He died in early 1755 and consistent with the dates developed here,
possibly had additional children, e.g. Benjamin in 1749 or 1750 and Joseph of
Rutherford Co., NC in 1754.
According to Capt. Dittmer, John’s brother William also was likely living
in Orange Co., VA during this period. At this point we don’t believe there is
convincing evidence either for or against the Dittmer hypothesis.
In the end, considerable
progress has been made in sorting out the early Grayson records of Wilkes Co.,
NC and east TN. We have established a migration pattern consistent with
essentially all the facts. We have
provided a probable identification for the previously mysterious Benjamin
Grayson found in Knox Co., TN in the 1790's and early 1800's and have succeeded
in tracing his ancestry to Ambrose of Spotsylvania Co., VA. The origin of
Benjamin Grayson of Wilkes Co., NC nevertheless remains
uncertain.
This manuscript was prepared from joint research and discussion by James
Grayson , 312 Seven Oaks Trail,