Descendants of John Gresham Generation No. 1 1. JOHN1 GRESHAM was born Abt. 1760 in North Carolina. He married AMANDA. Notes for JOHN GRESHAM: Source Gene M. Gresham Nikkel 212 Westdale Co. El Cajon, CA 92020-2246 "John Gresham/Grissom, may have had five daughters; the 1818 census indicates that possibility. Also, on December 23, 1818 a Sally Gressum married James Finney in Bond County, Illinois. On June 20, 1803, the Barren County, Kentucky Court stated: "John Gresham is entitled to 200 acres as per entry filed." (Certificate no. 591)--This was on Hungary Creek. In 1806 John assigned this acreage to Alsey Dean. John had lived on this property for one year prior to 1803; the certificate mentioned Gresham's improvement and spring, and the improvement meant cabin or crop. Dean used the certificate to have his survey made, and the Grant was then issured in his name. In Old Surveys, Barren County, Kentucky 1799-1835, it shows that on April 19, 1805 Ambrose Mannon was allowed 96 acres, Cert. no. 716, on the west side of Long Creek, John Grissom, Director; this was in the Allen County, Kentucky area. (Confirmed by the Land Office Division, State Capitol, Frankfort Germany.) John Grissom was on the Barren County Tax List in 1810: 1 male over 45; 5 males 0-10, 1 female 25-45, 1 female 10-16. Also: Hannah Grissom was on the same tax list: 1 female 25-45, 1 male 0-10, and 2 slaves We are perplexed about this: Was Hannah a sister in law of John Gresham/Grisham/Grissom? Or how were they related? The records indicate that a number of Barren County, Kentucky residents, or their descendants removed to southern Illinois. Our John Gresham/Grisham/Grissom was apparently a friend of Joel Johnston, as well as the other Johnstons; also, Richard McGinness, both were in Southern Barren County, and later in Southern Illinois counties. Our John Gresham was on the 1816 Personal Propery Tax List for Pope County, Illinois; he had two horses. The area of his residence was Waters of the Bay, the same as Joel Johnston, who had four horses. In is likely that John Gresham's oldest son, Jeremiah must have been with him, possibly to clear the area and build a cabin. The 1818 State Census for Johnson County, Illinois, taken between April 1 and June, 1818 lists "John Gressham; 1 free white male 21 & up, and eleven other inhabitants. The 1820 Federal Census for Johnson County, Illinois lists our John as John Grishum, 7 white males under 21, one 21 & up, 5 white females under 21, and 1 21 & up. At the Johnson County, Illinois July Court, 1818 the Court appointed Adam Harvick, Joel Johnson, and John Grisham to view a road from the new seat of justice (Vienna) to Golconda, as far as the county line of Pope. On November 19 1818 John Gissom bought eighty acres in Section 5, Township 13 South, Range 4 East, in Johnson County, close to the county border with Pope. On Monday, December 21, 1818 the Pope County Court ordered the sheriff to pay John Grisham $6.00 for three wolf scalps. The Court records show that a number of other settlers had had to contend with wolves during the last part of 1818. (In August our other ancestor, John Whiteside received $2.00 for one wolf scalp.) John Gresham/Grisham/Grissom served as a grad juror at the Johnson Voluntary, Illinois County Court meetings in October and November, 1819. In October 1820 John encountered an unfortunate domestic problem. Elizabeth (apparently his second wife) eloped, and John inserted a notice in the Illinois Intelligencer to forewarn parties concerned against her. Then on June 13, 1821, our John Gresham transferred all his land to Samuel Stanton Simpson. Biograpical Review states on page 176-178 that John Gresham/Grisham/Grissom departed for Tennessee with his son Jeremiah. Apparntly ther was no correspondence between John and his numerous descendants in southern Illinois. It seems logical that Jeremiah settled in Henderson County, Tenn. & maintained a shoemaker shop form 1830 to 1870. Since he was a tanner in Johnson County, Illinois, & Biographical Review had stated that his uncle, Warren had become skilled at shoemakeing in his early days, and no doubt had inspired Jeremiah to take up this trade. A John Grissom is named in several petitions in the Henderson County records, but we lack the proof that he is ours. Most of the Henderson County Court Records were destroyed by a fire occurred in 1863,when the Third Michigan Cavalry were quartered in the Masonic Hall which served as the Courthouse. The brief summary on the basic known facts on John Gresham points out the problem we have encountered on our search. Your help on this would be greatly appreciated. Source Gene M. Gresham Nikkel 212 Westdale Co. El Cajon, CA 92020-2246 Notes for AMANDA: Source Gene M. Gresham Nikkel 212 Westdale Co. El Cajon, CA 92020-2246 Children of JOHN GRESHAM and AMANDA are: 2. i. JAMES2 GRISSOM, b. March 04, 1804, North Carolina or Kentucky; d. December 24, 1877, Johnson County, Illinois/buried in Grissom Cem. Grantsburg Township, Johnson Co.. ii. JEREMIAH GRISSOM, b. October 07, 1795. iii. WARREN GRISSOM, b. 1806, Kentucky; d. 1867, Johnson Co. Illinois; m. MIRANDA FINNEY. Notes for WARREN GRISSOM: Source Gene M. Gresham Nikkel 212 Westdale Co. El Cajon, CA 92020-2246 Notes for MIRANDA FINNEY: Source Gene M. Gresham Nikkel 212 Westdale Co. El Cajon, CA 92020-2246 iv. HARDEN G. GRISSOM. v. JACK GRISSOM. Generation No. 2 2. JAMES2 GRISSOM (JOHN1 GRESHAM) was born March 04, 1804 in North Carolina or Kentucky, and died December 24, 1877 in Johnson County, Illinois/buried in Grissom Cem. Grantsburg Township, Johnson Co.. He married MARY ROSE December 01, 1825 in Pope County, Illinois. Notes for JAMES GRISSOM: Source for dates Wyoma W. Riley in a letter to Pearl Huffman Booth dated Sept 5 1962 Notes for MARY ROSE: Source for dates Wyoma W. Riley in a letter to Pearl Huffman Booth dated Sept 5 1962 Children of JAMES GRISSOM and MARY ROSE are: 3. i. JAMES ARMSTRONG3 GRISSOM, b. October 10, 1826; d. October 20, 1869, buried in Grissom Cem. Grantsburg Township, Johnson Co. IL. 4. ii. WARREN R. GRISSOM, b. April 21, 1828; d. August 10, 1874, buried in Grissom Cem. Grantsburg Township, Johnson Co. IL. iii. PLEASANT GREEN GRISSOM, b. March 30, 1836; d. April 17, 1868, buried in Grissom Cem. Grantsburg Illinois; m. ELIZABETH SIMPSON. Notes for PLEASANT GREEN GRISSOM: Source for dates Wyoma W. Riley in a letter to Pearl Huffman Booth dated Sept 5 1962 In the Grissom Cem. in Grantsburg township Johnson Co. IL there is a tombstone for Pleasant G., consort of Mary H. Grissom, d. Apr 17, 1868, age 38 yrs., 1 mo 19 days. Sgt., Co. J, 120th Reg., Inf. Ill. Vol. In Andersonville and Florence Prisons 9 months."---is this this Pleasant????? From Echos from Elivira; Pleasant Green Grissom, born March 30, 1836, the son of James and Mary (Rose) Grissom, Sgt. Company I, enlisted 13 August 1862 at Camp Butler, Illinois; mustered out June 8, 1865 at Davis Island, New York; died April 17, 1868, age 38 years. Notes for ELIZABETH SIMPSON: A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY ILLINOIS p. 433 by PT Chapman pub. 1925Marriage: A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY ILLINOIS by P. T. Chapman pg. 433 Another Source for marriage Wyoma W. Riley in a letter to Pearl Huffman Booth dated Sept 5 1962 iv. WILLIAM 'HARDEN' GRISSOM, b. 1840; d. June 02, 1863, Memphis, Tennessee/ during the Civil War. Notes for WILLIAM 'HARDEN' GRISSOM: Source for dates and names Wyoma W. Riley in a letter to Pearl Huffman Booth dated Sept 5 1962 Echoes from Elivira Johnson County Hist. and Gen. Soc. Publ.; William H. Grissom, known as Harden, born 1840, also the son of James and Mary Rose Gissom, Private Company I, enrolled Aug 13, 1862; died at Memphis, Tennessee 2 June 1863. His father, james Grissom went to Tennessee and conveyed William's casket back for burial n Grissom Cemetery. v. JOHN H. GRISSOM, d. July 26, 1869, Vienna/buried in Grissom Cem. Grantsburg Township, Johnson Co. IL. Notes for JOHN H. GRISSOM: Source for dates and names Wyoma W. Riley in a letter to Pearl Huffman Booth dated Sept 5 1962 His tombstone says "age 26 yrs, 2 mo., 29 days" vi. ELBERT WESLEY GRISSOM. Notes for ELBERT WESLEY GRISSOM: Source for dates and names Wyoma W. Riley in a letter to Pearl Huffman Booth dated Sept 5 1962 " from Grissom Cem records--Grantsburg township, Johnson Co IL---Udora A. dau. of E. W. and M. F. Grissom di. Feb. 21, 1868, age 2 years" 5. vii. MARY ANN GRISSOM. viii. SARAH JANE GRISSOM, m. STEPHEN B. BURRIS. Notes for SARAH JANE GRISSOM: Source for dates and names Wyoma W. Riley in a letter to Pearl Huffman Booth dated Sept 5 1962 6. ix. INDIA GRISSOM. x. SIDNEY GRISSOM. Notes for SIDNEY GRISSOM: Source for dates and names Wyoma W. Riley in a letter to Pearl Huffman Booth dated Sept 5 1962