Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Descendants of Benjamin Andrew Grant

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Descendants of Benjamin Andrew Grant

Generation No. 1

1. BENJAMIN ANDREW³ GRANT (BENJAMIN², JAMES¹) was born June 16, 1815 in Chester County, South Carolina, and died July 12, 1893 in Bascom, Florida. He married SARAH "SALLY" RAY MCANULTY 1839 in Chester County, South Carolina. She was born March 03, 1816 in Chester County, South Carolina, and died March 04, 1899 in Bascom, Florida.

Notes for BENJAMIN ANDREW GRANT:

THE GRANT FAMILY by Mrs. Amzi Neely Grant August 1, 1935

The first authentic information we have about the Grant family in this part of South Carolina is that James and John Grant, probably brothers, came before the Revolutionary War, to what is now Chester County, from Virginia. From court house records in 1798, we find James Grant sold land on the Sandy River and bought land on Jewell's Fork of Sandy River. This man's wife was named "Dorcus". They had two sons; James II and Benjamin, and four daughters; Polly, Pheobe, Sarah and Tabitha. We have not yet been able to trace the descendants of James II.

As close as we can figure, Benjamin was born between 1790 and 1800. He married Lavina Williams, a sister of Jesse Williams. To them were born six sons and three daughters; (Capt) Benjamin Andrew, James Henry, Caroline, Neely Marion, Jasper Newton, Gains, Calhoun McDuffie (Mack), Cynthia and Sarah. There are three headstones in Armenia cemetery made by Benjamin. They are rough rocks with the letters "B.G., L.G., died 1870; M.C.G., died 1845". The first stone lay under his house for several years and was placed at the grave after his death. The date was never cut on it. On the old Walker Mill Pond Road, which goes from Mr. John Pressley's Store on the Wilksburg Road to the road at Sam Grant's, that goes past Armenia Church, there were two houses. The first was Benjamin's. It stood 500 yards below and on the same side of the road as Walter Simpson's gin house. The second one was James R. (Rock) Grant's, who married Benjamin's sister Tabitha. This house is about 500 yards below and on the same side of the road, and is still standing. It is now owned by Mr. J.J. Dodds. The way I distinguish these branches of the family is, the first belonged to the Tribe of Benjamin and the second was found on a Rock.
Benjamin's oldest son was Benjamin Andrew, born June 16, 1815. He married Sarah McAnulty. They had three sons and three daughters; Francis Marion, of Malone, Florida, now 94 years old; Callie, and Newton. The daughter's names I do not know. This family went to Western Alabama in 1858. I received this information in a letter last week. James Henry, born 1818, married Elizabeth H. Pressley. They had seven sons, one dying in infancy; Benjamin Andrew, James Wesley, Leander Harrison, Lafayette Taylor, Amzi Neely, and Thomas Henry (Dock). They lived in a two-story log house below the present sight of Mr. Sam Dove's house. In the early 1850's, they built a new house in which Sam Dove now lives and where, eighty years ago today, Mr. Amzi Neely Grant was born. Neely Marion, born 1826, married Caroline Pressley. They lived where Mr. Ainsley Grant formerly lived, and Mr. Henry Wilson now lives. To them were born three sons and three daughters; Ann, Emily, and Ainsley (twins), Edward, Martha and Pierce. His second wife was Mary Hohen. They had two daughters; Jo and Ledgie. Jasper Newton, born 18__, married Frances Pressley and lived on Walker Mill Creek below his brother, Neely's. They had three sons and three daughters; Washington Wallace, Thomas Newton, Jasper Terry, Etta, Phronie and Alphon (Tid). These three Grant brothers married the three Pressley sisters.

Caroline, born 1820, married John Estes, and lived on Jewel's Fork, and later on the Walker Mill Road, just above Mr. John Pressley's house. They had two daughters and two sons; Martha, Rhoda, Neely and William. Sarah, born 1822, married John Grant, one of Rock's sons. She did not live long. Cynthia, born 1824, was never married.

Gains married and moved to Georgia. There were no children in this family. Calhoun McDuffie married Sarah Johnsey. They moved to Georgia, and had seven sons and two daughters. Benjamin, Andrew, Quitman, George, Morgan, Albert, Alonzo, Zellie and Ollie. This is the original tribe of Benjamin.

Rock Grant and his wife, Tabitha, had five sons and six daughter; Jason, John, Alex, James (Jimpsey), Ben, Serenna (Rene), Catherine, Mary, Caroline, Betsy and Sally. Ben, Betsy and Sally never married. John, Alex, Jimpsey, Catherine and Caroline each had several children. Jason and Mary each had one son.

Tracing generations is very interesting, but to listen to the reading of names and dates is very tiresome, so we have prepared a chart, showing the Grant generations, as far as possible, from the two brothers from Virginia to the present day. To my knowledge the latest ones are James Melvin Grant, born July 22, 1935, a great-great-grandson of James H. Grant, and a son of Olin and Ada Grant, and Ainsley Smith, born July 24, 1835, a great-grandson of Neely M. Grant, and son of Weldon and Lucille Grant. We have 795 names on the chart and wish to add to it from time to time. If there are any old family Bible records available, please look them up and give us the information.

These people were industrious, honest and neighborly, working through and through in harvest time. Jasper, Neely and James Henry, who lived close together, went to their father, Benjamin's very often. Their boys liked to go with them as Granny always had sweet cakes and Granddaddy would have, in the fall of the year, in the big wide fireplace, plenty of juicy sweet potatoes. The young boys were taught to work, but had plenty of fun from all I've been told. They went to Chester about once a year, and that was when the Circus came to town. Uncle Neely (Big Neely) would bring all the boys, Ainsley, Ed and Pierce, Terry, Washie and Tom, Harris and "T", Neely and Dock in the wagon to see the parade and the sights, but they never went inside the tents. It was a wonderful trip and talked about for months afterwards.

There were very few school when these boys were "coming up". Each family paid so much towards a teacher's salary. The school term varied in length, but the children stayed from early morning until late afternoon. There was a log school house at the Bonnet Rock. Just one room with a big fireplace and no windows. So the door stood open to give light. The benches were made of slabs and there was one big desk where the children did their writing. Uncle Jimmy Carson, Miss Betsy Killian, who is still living, and Mr. Harrison Grant, great Uncle of Mr. J. Martin Grant, were some of the teachers. Just across the road from the school was a blacksmith shop, belonging to Bill Grant, a son of Pheobe Grant and nephew of Benjamin Grant. Bill and his son, Jim, would make and lay plows, make horse shoes, etc. Little Neely and Ainsley would look through the cracks between the logs of the school house and see the sparks fly as the smiths beat the hot iron on the anvil. The beats seemed to say, "Bill, Jim, Bill Jim, Bill Jim, Bill, Bill, Bill" to those boys who grew tired of the hard benches and long lists of words in the old "blue-back speller" and longed to be out of doors. The next school was held in the preacher's tent on the old camp ground. Here Mr. Buchanan, first editor of The Chester Reporter, and "Humpy-back" Jim Sanders taught.

The first Armenia school was built between 1876 and 1880. Mr. John Grant, whose house still stands just below Mrs. Ainsley Grant's on the Chester Road, gave the land. Mr. Taylor Grant superintended the building of it and Mr. Neely Grant and Mr. Zach Roof built the chimney. The next generations went to this school. Misses Molly Lackey, Catty Lucas, Mary Traywick and Mattie Mills, each taught several years, and boarded with Mr. & Mrs. Neely Grant at the cross roads. The late Austin Wilks and Miss Lizzie Lowry also taught here. The lives of these people were so closely associated with the church that we can not speak of one without the other. The first record we have of a church or a preacher in this community was in 1832, when the Chester circuit extended from near Columbia to four miles northwest of Chester. The preacher was J.H. Robinson, a circuit rider. Preaching was held whenever the circuit rider came, regardless of the day of the week.

The first church was organized and built at Armenia in 1843, by one, James Grant. The land was given by Jesse Johnsey and his wife, Mary. The preacher was Rev. John Watts. Mr. Thomas Pressley, grand-father of James H., Neely M. and Jasper's children was the first class leader. He carried a walking stick with a curved handle and when the boys were mischievous he hooked it around their necks and gave it a twist. In 1859, the circuit was divided and east Chester included New Hope, Armenia and Capers Chapel. Sometime during the existence of this church, the Bonnet Rock Camp Ground Arbor was built. There were 30 acres in the grounds. The arbor was good size. There were two aisles, crossing in the center, and seats were made of slabs. Behind the pulpit there were seats for the colored people. Fresh wheat straw was spread around the alter. The arbor was lighted by candles, one large chandelier, holding about fifteen candles, was suspended from the center of the roof. Single candles burned on each post at the edge of the arbor and the grounds outside were lighted by pine knots. Four stobs were driven in the ground, a plank laid on them and then a shovel of dirt. On this the lighted knots were placed. Each family had a rude cabin or tent. The fathers, mothers, and children would "pack up" and come in wagons and stay a week while the meeting was going on. Some members of the family would go home each day to tend to the stock. Not only the families from the immediate neighborhood, but also people from miles away attended the meeting. Oh! what glorious services were held there in "lay-by" time. At night the younger children were put to bed and the other went to service. I have been told the grand old hymns and fervent prayers of those devout worshipers have never been forgotten. I do not know when the arbor was built, but it was torn down sometime between 1875-80, shortly after the second church was built.

In these early years most people walked to church. Some went in wagons and some rode horseback and the old "upping block" still stands across the road from the original site of the second church. The first buggy in the community, a two wheeled gig, was owned by grandfather Thomas Pressley.

The second church was built in 1872-73. Every family did their share in cutting and hauling log to the mill and bringing the lumber to the church grounds. The church was built by Mr. Alexander, from North Carolina, and was a two story structure. The upstairs was used by the Masons and also for entertainments. This man also built the houses of Mr. Wesley carter and Mr. Jesse Hardin. In and around this church the religious life of mearly everyone who is now living or has lived in this community, centers. We have prepared a chart showing the history of the churches.

When the call to arms came in 1861, many Grant's enlisted and served. Neely M. and Jasper served four years. James Henry's son Andrew, went and Harris went first in his father's place and later in his own. Perhaps, there were others, but I am more familiar with those families. These soldiers were brave, indeed, but no more so than the women who stayed at home and kept things going. They did many heroic deeds when Sherman's Army came through the country. I could tell many things, enough to almost make a book, but must hurry on. When Columbia was burned and the soldiers raided Chester County, grandfather Pressley, who was then ninty years old, died from fright.

A new school and church have been built and the Grant's still public spirited and do their part in all these undertakings. In 1931, Mr. Harris Grant, then 86 years old, lifted the first shovel of dirt for the new church. I cannot say that any of them ever became famous, but they have been the backbone of the community and Chester County.

Some of my information I gathered from tombstones, some from the record books of Mr. Ainsley Grant, and some given by Mr. Neely Grant and Mrs. S.C. Carter. We are all sons and daughters of the American Revolution, as the first James and John were members of Captain Francis Kirkpatrick's company of volunteer horsemen.

The ever increasing and changing number of the Grant generation have watched and also taken part in the changes from covered wagons on Indian trails to motor truck on paved highways and aeroplanes in the sky, from Spinning wheels and hand looms to cotton mills with electric machinery, from pine knot lights to Mazda lamps, from rough log houses to mansions of stone and from the one room school to the spacious college. So, I am glad.

We have paused awhile and backward looked. On these sturdy men and their wives so true, Who farmed and labored and made their bread, Who spun their cotton into thread,
Who were patriots strong and brave, And for our freedom their lives they gave. Hark to the sound of the many feet As down through the years the families come, Of winsome daughters and stalwart sons, Who for schooling had not much show, But, when Sunday came, to church would go, Log rolling, quiltings and husking bees Were the simple pleasures that always pleased. When a good man's word held a bargain fast. Through the years of progress and also of change, May the Grant name be honored and never shamed, To it's high standards let us stay true blue, And be God-fearing men and women true.

Written by Mrs. Amzi Neely Grant

Children of BENJAMIN GRANT and SARAH MCANULTY are:

	i.	SARAH E.⁴ GRANT, b. September 22, 1839, Chester County, South Carolina; d. December 12, 1925, Chester County, South Carolina.
2.	ii.	FRANCIS MARION GRANT, b. August 1841, Chester County, South Carolina; d. 1935, Bascom, Florida.
	iii.	NEWTON GRANT, b. 1844, Chester County, South Carolina; d. Chester County, South Carolina.
	iv.	MARTHA "MATTIE" GRANT, b. 1848, Chester County, South Carolina; d. Chester County, South Carolina; m. (1) MCGEE; m. (2) MCDANIELS.
3.	v.	WALLACE CALHOUN "CALLIE" GRANT, b. November 12, 1850, Chester County South Carolina; d. July 18, 1893, Bascom,Florida.
	vi.	CHARLOTTE KAZIAH GRANT, b. January 16, 1855, Chester County, South Carolina; m. KELLY BAXTER.
	vii.	CARRIE GRANT, b. 1860; m. ANDREW KEITH.

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