Murry : photos : The Good Old Days : Dad wrote on the back of this photograph that it was made in about 1894 (2 years before Lida Alma married William Redman Grigsby). In the back row are (left to right): Lida Graves, George S. Graves and Charles Graves. In the front row are: Ezra Graves, Eva Hester Graves, Bruce Graves on Eva's lap, and Fred Graves. Charles is the son who was killed by lightening -- he was married and living in a farm house not too far from Williamsburg when the accident happened. Dad said the lightning hit a wire on a tree that was strung to the house. The lightening followed the wire and struck Charles who was standing on the porch watching the storm.- powered by SmugMug

This gallery traces the Grigsby family history from 1872 through family photos and information gathered together by William (Bill) Redman Grigsby for his Grandsons, Ryan and Jack. Photographs were cleaned up by Murry Grigsby, Bill's brother. Most of the photos came from Mom and Dad as did life itself. Other photographs were generously contributed by Phyllis and Martin Jones, Janie Root Eddy, Kathleen Staten Thompson, Donald Grigsby, Bud Miers, Terry Miers, Holly Kottenstette Fritz, Jim Miers, Norman Spring, Connie Hester, Lynnette Herring Fleming, Verna Mae Bechtel Staten, Rebecca Rombach Copple, Mrs. Emerson Carey II and Kiki Tomson. We hope you enjoy seeing and reading a small bit of the Grigsby history.

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Murry > 1872 James, Margaret Ellen Wilson and William Redman Grigsby: This 1872 tintype was taken near Leon, Iowa. James was our great grandfather and William (about one year old) was our grandfather. Ellen and James were married in 1866 near Agency, Iowa. Their first two children died as infants (the second, Charles W. died on April 1, 1871 and was buried in the Terra Haute Iowa Cemetery just months before William Redman was born).

Murry > This is a photo that dad provided of our great grandfather, George Selden Graves (dad had written his name on the back of the photo). The photograph also has the name of the photographer and the site in fancy script printing on the back. It says: L. W. Clark Photographer, Streator, ILL. George's wife was Eva Hester and their first born was our grandmother Lida Alma Graves Grigsby who was born in May 1878 in Streator, IL. The June 1, 1880 Illinois census shows George S. (age 25) and Eva (age 24) living in Bruce Township, LaSalle County, Illinois (which is the county where Streator is located) with Lida (age 2) and Beryl (age 3 months). This census also shows that George believed he, his mother and father had been born in Virginia. However, our father thought George had been born in Oldham, Graves County, Kentucky. However, Bill doesn't find a town of Oldham in Kentucky but there are counties named Oldham east of Louisville and Graves south of Paducah. In two later censuses, George indicated he was born in Kentucky and his partents were born in Ohio. Eva was born in Ohio and it is very interesting that the 1880 census says that Lida was born in Illinois but Beryl was born in Kansas (3 months before the 1880 Illinois census). Maybe the so-called Grigsby ears come from George S. and not necessarily the Grigsby genes? This photo may have been taken when George and Eva were married so he would have been about 22 in 1877.

Murry > This is the tintype image of Eva Hester Graves when she was about 23 in 1879. Bill's conclusion is that when Eva and George Graves had the next photo taken of their daughter, Lida Alma Graves, at one year old in 1879 (Eva's first born), the mother and grandmother, Amanda Phipps (Phibbs?) Hester had their photos made too? Eva, our great grandmother, was the second oldest child of John A. P. Hester and Amanda Phipps (or Phibbs). Blanche was their oldest child born in 1854. Eva would subsequently name her third daughter Blanch, born in 1885 but Blanch died in 1890. Eva's second daughter, Beryl, was born in 1880 and died in 1889. Our father thought both Beryl and Blanch had died because of scarlet fever and are both buried in Mt. Hope Cemetery near Williamsburg, Kansas.

Murry > This is the tintype of our Grandmother, Lida Alma Graves Grigsby, at about 1 year old in 1879 (as labeled by Dad).

Murry > This is a tin type photograph of our great great grandmother Amanda Phipps (or Phibbs according to Dad) Hester. Amanda was born in September 1833. Bill believes the photo was taken in about 1879 when our grandmother Lida Alma Graves Grigsby was 1 year old. Lida was born in Streator, Illinois. This photograph and the 2 preceeding tintypes were all provided by our father, James Grigsby. Pretty neat photos of our line of grandmothers!

Murry > 1880 Rebecca Staples Wilson: Portrait of Rebecca Staples Wilson was provided by Norman Spring. Rebecca (our great great grandmother) was born about 1816 to Nathaniel Staples and Rebecca Coons in Kentucky. She married Isaac Wilson January 12, 1837 in Scott County, Indiana. They appear in the 1850 and 1860 censuses in Agency Township, Wapello County, Iowa with a number of children including Margaret Ellen Wilson (born October 1844). Margaret Wilson married James Grigsby in 1866. William Redman Grigsby was born in June 1871 to James and Ellen. Norman believes that Rebecca died in 1885 and was buried in the Mount Hope Cemetery near Madrid, Iowa.

Murry > 1890 George Bechtel, AmyTroth and Amy's older sister: George Benton McClelland Bechtel (1873-1947). The young woman is Amy Irene Troth, George's first wife (the woman we called Grandma Bechtel was George's second wife). Amy was born 1871 and died 1904. Amy gave birth to Verna Mae Bechtel in 1893 somewhere in Missouri. The Bechtels lived close to the Statens around Killwinning, Missouri until George moved to Kansas and Verna Mae and Chalmer Staten followed in about December 1924 -- Mom would have been about 12.

Murry > 1891 John Ranshaw Spring. Photo, dated 1891, provided by Norman Spring. This is a photograph of John Ranshaw Spring Sr. who married our great grandmother, Margaret Ellen Wilson Grigsby in 1878 in Williamsburg, KS. Our great grandfather, James Grigsby, married Margaret Ellen Wilson, in 1866 in Iowa but James died in 1875 and Margaret Ellen took her son, our grandfather, William Redman, to Williamsburg where she met John Spring. John and Margaret Ellen Spring produced 5 children, Sue Anna, Albert, James, Charles and Harry (who died at 2) -- who were half sister and brothers to our Grandfather William Redman.

Murry > Dad wrote on the back of this photograph that it was made in about 1894 (2 years before Lida Alma married William Redman Grigsby). In the back row are (left to right): Lida Graves, George S. Graves and Charles Graves. In the front row are: Ezra Graves, Eva Hester Graves, Bruce Graves on Eva's lap, and Fred Graves. Charles is the son who was killed by lightening -- he was married and living in a farm house not too far from Williamsburg when the accident happened. Dad said the lightning hit a wire on a tree that was strung to the house. The lightening followed the wire and struck Charles who was standing on the porch watching the storm.

Dad wrote on the back of this photograph that it was made in about 1894 (2 years before Lida Alma married William Redman Grigsby). In the back row are (left to right): Lida Graves, George S. Graves and Charles Graves. In the front row are: Ezra Graves, Eva Hester Graves, Bruce Graves on Eva's lap, and Fred Graves. Charles is the son who was killed by lightening -- he was married and living in a farm house not too far from Williamsburg when the accident happened. Dad said the lightning hit a wire on a tree that was strung to the house. The lightening followed the wire and struck Charles who was standing on the porch watching the storm.