Grimshaw Listings in the AGBI
(American Genealogical-Biographical Index)
The AGBI1 is one of the standard references for genealogical and biographical information in America. Volume 68 of the AGBI contains 30 Grimshaw listings. Some of these listings comprise more than one reference to the same individual. This webpage presents the references containing the 30 Grimshaw entries and, where possible, makes connections to Grimshaw immigrants and their family lines. Please contact the website author (see homepage for contact information) if you have additional information on any of these Grimshaws!
Contents
Description of the AGBI
As noted, the AGBI is one of the most important genealogical references for the U.S. The Source2 (p. 41) describes the AGBI as follows:
The largest and most comprehensive index to family histories is … AGBI. This work is also known as Riders Index. An ongoing project, it will contain references to more than 12 million individuals in articles, books, and brief biographies when complete. An average of four to six volumes are published each year. Volume 181 ends with the surname Tups. [Author’s Note: The series appears to have been completed with publication of volume 206 in 2000]
The AGBI is an extensive personal-name index that excludes only persons mentioned incidentally or those unrelated to the subjects being indexed, such as witnesses and authors. The primary emphasis is on family genealogies to 1950, but other valuable genealogical collections are included, such as the Boston Transcript (a genealogical column with a wide circulation), the complete United States 1790 census, and published revolutionary war records from most of the colonies.
Each entry contains the subjects complete name, year and state of birth (if known), abbreviated biographical data, and the book and page citation. Every volume contains an explanation of the index. Full bibliographical citations for the sources indexed are in volumes 1, 10, 34, and 54; a supplement is in volume 70. More than 850 sources are being indexed. A similar work in forty-eight volumes appeared as series I and can be used for the remainder of the alphabet because it indexes most of the same family histories. Series 1, however, does not include many of the additional sources that are in series 2. Both Series are available at major genealogical libraries as well as public and university libraries with large genealogy collections.
Printed Sources3 (p. 210) provides the following description:
Many compiled genealogies (family histories) are well indexed, but some are only partially indexed or are not indexed at all. The most comprehensive index to family histories and to some other sources — such as the published 1790 U.S. census Pennsylvania Archives, Boston Transcript a newspaper genealogy column), and other sources — is The American Genealogical – Biographical Index, new series (Middletown, Conn.: Godfrey Memorial Library, 1952 —). Formerly known as Riders Index, the first series, edited by Fremont Rider, was published from 1942 to 1952. Known as AGBI, the new series is more comprehensive (although several volumes covering the end of the alphabet have not yet been published; they are being published annually by Godfrey Memorial Library). This reference work is a unique every-name collective index alphabetically arranged by surname and given name to the titles included. Although only selected family history titles are indexed in it, AGBI should be consulted as a finding aid by all American genealogists, especially those doing pre-1900 research and those doing New England research.
List of Grimshaws
The 30 Grimshaw listings in the AGBI4 (Series 2, v 68) include four variants of spelling: Grimshaw (27), Grimshew (1), Grimshire (1) and Grinshaw (1). The listings are enumerated as shown below, with date and place of birth.
1. Alice Grimshaw, 1809, England, Mississippi
2. Anna P. Grimshaw
3. Annie Grimshaw, 187?, Wisconsin
4. Bayley Grimshaw, 183?, New York
5. Betsey (Lord) Grimshaw, 179?
6. Charles Delos Grimshaw, 184?, New York
7. Charlotte (Shaw) Grimshaw, 181?
8. Eli Grimshaw, 184?, Wisconsin
9. Emma (Sluman) Grimshaw, 186?
10. Frances Grimshaw
11. Frances Grimshaw, 189?, Washington
12. Frances Keziah (Oatman) Grimshaw, 184?
13. Hattie May Grimshaw, 1877, New York
14. Henry Grimshaw, 179?, Massachusets
15. Henry Grimshaw, 1820, England, Massachusets
16. John Grimshaw
17. John Grimshaw, 174?, Virginia, Illinois
18. John Grimshaw, 181?, Massachusets
19. John U. Grimshaw, 1796, Ireland, Illinois
20. Lloyd Grimshaw, 189?, Washington
21. Lucinda E. Grimshaw, 1835, Canada, Vermont
22. Martha Maria (Allen) Grimshaw, 1823
23. Mary (Murphy) Grimshaw, 184?
24. Miles Grimshaw, 186?, Washington
25. Oriole Grimshaw, 189?, Washington
26. Richard Grimshaw, 175?, Pennsylvania
27. William Grimshaw, 175?, New Hampshire
28. Richard Grimshew, 175?, Pennsylvania
29. John Grimshire, 174?, Virginia
30. John Grinshaw 174?, Virginia
These 30 Grimshaws are indexed from a total of 12 references (set forth in v. 54 of AGBI), which are shown in the References at the bottom of this webpage. Each of the 12 references containing Grimshaw entries was copied and reviewed for this webpage and is described in the following sections. In each case, the Grimshaws that are included in the reference are listed, with the individuals keyed to the above numbered list. Also in each case, the information included in the reference on the Grimshaws is summarized and, where possible, a hyperlink to the corresponding Grimshaw webpage is provided.
Series 1 of the AGBI (a.k.a. the Rider Index) was also reviewed for this webpage. The following four references, also included in Series 2 (and therefore on this webpage) were found in Series 1: Babcock Gen; Isham Fam; Stone, Gregory; and Woodstock Ct Gen.
Allen, Sam5, p. 32
The following four Grimshaws are listed in this reference:
5. Betsey (Lord)
14. Henry
15. Henry
22. Martha Maria (Allen)
Samuel Allen, from County of Essex in England, emigrated to Cambridge, MA in 1632. Martha Maria Allen, daughter of Isaiah and Deborah (Pease) Allen, was an 8th generation descendant of Samuel Allen. She was born on March 28, 1822 and married Henry Grimshaw on May 27, 1845 in Chicopee (CT?). They had two children and in about 1875 were residing in Worcester, MA.
Henry Grimshaw was the son of Henry and Betsey (Lord) Grimshaw who resided in Springfield, MA in about 1876. Henry (m. Martha Maria Allen) was born in New Church, Rosendale (sic), England on May 24, 1820.
It seems apparent that Henry and Betsey (Lord) Grimshaw immigrated to the U.S. (probably MA) between the time of the birth and marriage of their son, Henry (i.e., 1820 to 1845.) Neither the ancestors of Henry Grimshaw nor the descendants of this family line have not yet been found in research for this website.
Babcock Gen6, p. 289
Three Grimshaws are referenced in this source:
3. Annie
8. Eli
23. Mary (Murphy)
James Babcock settled in Portsmouth, RI in 1642. His 8th generation descendant, William Horace Babcock, was born in Norway Ridge (RI?) on September 15, 1874 to Joseph T and Harriet (Colvin) or Catherine (Hilts) Babcock. On December 24, 1900, William married Annie Grimshaw, daughter of Eli and Mary (Murphy) Grimshaw.
According to Terry Micks, Eli Grimshaw and his daughter Annie are descendants of the George and Charlotte (Menard) Grimshaw line. Eli was the son of Alexander Eli and Sarah Ann (Thompson) Grimshaw and the grandson of George and Charlotte (Menard) Grimshaw. Thanks to Terry for adding this information!
Heads Fam. N.H.7, p. 35
One Grimshaw is shown in this reference:
27. William
This William Grimshaw is the one who fought in the Revolutionary War and subsequently settled in New Hampshire. His Revolutionary War records, and his post-war life and descendants have been described on companion webpages. His children are believed to include Betsey, Zephaniah, George, Levi and (possibly) Edward Grimshaw. Descendants of Zephaniah and George include two of the earliest and largest Grimshaw lines in North America and are also described on companion webpages.
Isham Fam8, p. 266, 459, 552
This reference includes the following five Grimshaws:
4. Bailey
6. Charles Delos
12. Frances Keziah (Oatman)
13. Hattie May
21. Lucinda E.
John Isham, or his father before him, apparently migrated to the U.S. (probably MA) in the 1600s. Descendants of John Isham married two unrelated Grimshaw women — Ezra Isham (5th generation) and Frederick Isham (8th generation.)
Ezra Isham
Ezra Isham, 5th generation descendant of John, was born on January 14, 1803 at St. George, VT and died at Williston, VT on August 7, 1877. He married his second wife, Lucinda E. Grimshaw (born in Quebec about 1835) on November 29, 1881. The following notation is provided in the reference:
142. Ezra Isham (Jehiel, Isaac, Isaac, John), born at St. George, Vt. Jan. 14, 1803; died at Williston, Vt. Aug 7, 1877; married first, Dec. 6, 1826, Aurelia Downer, born in Williston, Vt. Aug. 29, 1802, died there Aug. 25, 1857, daughter of John and Eliizabeth (Willoughby) Downer of Williston; married second, in Clinton, N.Y., Lucinda E. Grimshaw, born in the Province of Quebec, Canada, about 1835, living at Williston, Vt. Nov. 29, 1881, sister of Bailey Grimshaw of Clinton, Clinton county, N.Y. in 1882.
Ezra Isham was a farmer, residing at Williston, Vt.
Lucinda was the daughter of Zephaniah Grimshaw and Asentha Noakes; Zepheniahs family lines are described on a companion webpage. Bailey Grimshaw, indicated above as Lucindas brother, has not previously been identified in this family line. It may be that the reference is to Lucindas older brother Barzillai (possibly a nickname for such an unusual name as Barzillai?)
There were five children from the marriage of Ezra and Lucinda (Grimshaw) Isham:
365. Rush S. Isham, b. Aug 27, 1858; m. Sept. 24, 1877, Wells J. Connors.
366. Ella E. Isham, b. March 3, 1862; m. Aug. 5, 1876, Robert Fenwick.
367. Mabel A. Isham, b. Dec. 2, 1860; m. Aug. 25, 1878, John L. Tyndall.
368. Lida L., b. Mar. 14, 1863; m. Aug 25, 1878, Dr. John Labelle.
369. Sheridan, b. ___; m. ___ West
According to Bill OHallorans website,* Lucinda married a second time, to Benjamin Covey, in 1882.
(*http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/o/h/a/William-F-Ohalloran)
There were 13 children from Ezras first marriage, to Aurelia Downer, for a total of 18 with both wives, spanning the period from 1827 to 1864.
Frederick Isham
Frederick Eldon Isham, 8th generation descendant of John Isham, was born at Rodman, NY on December 18, 1872 to George and M. (Kellog) Isham. On September 14, 1898, at Lorraine, NY, Frederick married Hattie May Grimshaw, the daughter of Charles DeLos and Frances Keziah (Oatman) Grimshaw. Hattie May was born at Lorraine, NY on October 19, 1877. Fred and Hattie May had two children, both born at Rodman, NY:
Edna Marion Isham, b. April 15, 1902
George Charles Isham, b. September 6, 1904
Charles DeLos and Frances (Fanny) Grimshaw are described on a companion webpage. Charles is in the Joseph and Elizabeth (Booth Mitchell-Hadden) Grimshaw family line, which in turn is descended from the “Yorkshire” line of Grimshaws with Edward and Dorothy (Raner) Grimshaw as the earliest known progenitors.
Pa. Archives, v. 29, Series 5, v. 2, p. 1099
One Grimshaw appears in this reference:
26. Richard Grimshaw
According to this record, Richard fought in the Revolutionary War in Captain B. Fishbournes Company of the Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment between January 1, 1777 and November 3, 1783. Aside from the next record (see below), no other traces of this Richard Grimshaw have yet been found in research for this website.
Pa. Archives, v. 410, Series 5, v. 4, p. 214
Another Richard (undoubtedly the same one) appears in this reference:
28. Richard Grimshew
This record appears to be another indication of the Revolutionary War service of Richard Grimshaw (spelled Grimshew in this entry.) According to this record, he was a private who received depreciation pay, as indicated by cancelled certificates on file in the Division of Public Records of the Pennsylvania State Library. As noted in the preceding record, other traces of Richard have not yet been found in research for this website.
Rev. War Recds. Va11, p. 329
Three Grimshaws are indicated in this record, all named John, as having served in the Revolutionary War:
17. John Grimshaw
29. John Grimshire
30. John Grinshaw
It is highly likely that these three entries are, in fact, the same individual with different spellings of the Grimshaw surname. The first two are indicated as having served in the same unit – Clarks Illinois Regiment. The third entry indicates that John was a Pvt and that his records are located at the War Departnment.
Records of Johns Revolutionary War service were also encountered during research on William Grimshaw, who served in Hazens Regiment (see entry above on William, Heads Fam.) The record for John Grimshaw is shown on the webpage for William. Aside from these three entries, and the record shown on William’s webpage, no additional records of John Grimshaw, or any of his ancestors (or descendants) have yet been identified in research for this website.
Stone, Gregory12, p. 737
Two Grimshaws are recorded in this reference:
10. Frances
16. John
James Edwin Stone, 9th generation descendant of Gregory Stone, was born on October 27, 1850 at Weathersfield, VT to Charles Hubbard and Mary (Rumhill) Stone. On December 31, 1875, James married Mrs. Frances (Grimshaw) Slattery, who was born in Newburyport, MA on December 4, 1851, the daughter of John and Jane (Seavey) Grimshaw. James and Frances Stone had four children:
Edith Louise, b. in Weathersfield, Vt., 11 Dec. 1879; m. at Springfield, Vt., 29 June 1904, Rev. George Linnaeus Thompson, b. in Stafford, Conn., 16 Oct. 1870, son of George and Emily Jeanette (Colburn) Thompson.
Frank Hubbard, b. in Weathersfield, Vt., 27 Nov. 1881; lived in Spring field and Bellows Falls, Vt., until abt. 1910 when he removed to Laconia, N.H., where he is a cost estimator for the Laconia Car Company and has held the office of selectman
Gertrude Annie, b. in Springfield, Vt., 12 Apr. 1885; graduated from Boston University in 1909, and is a high school teacher in her native town.
Vivia Irene, b. in Springfield, Vt., 7 Dec. 1888; graduated from Middlebury College in 1912, and is a high school teacher in Concord, N.H.
Deborah Lundbech has provided information that has made a companion webpage possible on John and Jane (Seavey) Grimshaw.
A photo of Jane (Seavey) Grimshaw’s headstone has been found on the following website:
The picture is shown below, followed by a description of the cemetery where it is located.
The Old North Cemetery is on Maplewood Avenue in Portsmouth next to the train yard and across from the Portsmouth Herald building. It was established in 1753 on land purchased from John Hart and is the second oldest burying ground in the city. Many historically significant people for the state of New Hampshire and the Revolutionary War rest here including General William Whipple (a friend of George Washington and General during the Revolutionary War), Hall Jackson, Prince Whipple, and Governor John Langdon. There are currently 468 entries for this cemetery.
Taylor, Jasper13, p. 199
This reference includes information on the following five Grimshaws;
9. Emma (Sluman)
11. Frances
20. Lloyd
24. Miles
25. Oriole
Jasper Taylor was born in 1794. One of his descendants, Olive Jane Gee, was born on July 7, 1828 in NY and married Arnold Sluman. They resided first at Cape Vincent in Jefferson County, NY (opposite Wolfe Island) and later moved to Vancouver, WA. Their seventh child (of 10 children) was Emma Sluman, who married Miles Grimshaw and had three children: Oriole, Lloyd and Frances Grimshaw.
Miles Grimshaw was the son of Thomas and Anna (Lathrop) Grimshaw and the grandson of William and Mary Ann (Blair) Grimshaw, whose family is described on a companion webpage. This webpage shows that Miles marriage to Emma Sluman was a second marriage; the first was to Frances Abbott. It is interesting to note that one of the children of Miles and Emma may have been named for Miles first wife. Alternatively, research by Barbara Bonner has shown that Emma may have had a sister or aunt Frances Gee for whom she (Emma) named her daughter.
Transcript14, 1932: May 6, 1932, no. 3639
The Boston Transcript for many years (1906 to 1941) carried a genealogical column in which researchers placed requests for information on their forebears. The May 6, 1932 edition included such a request for information (no. 3639) for the following:
7. Charlotte (Shaw)
19. John U.
The request reads as follows:
(3639.) GRIMSHAW. I am searching for the family line of John U. Grimshaw who came to America in 1832. His father was Thomas Grimshaw of Whitehouse, near Belfast. I have been told that the family comes from the line of Walter de Grimshaw, but the crest of our branch of the family as it is shown on the old silver, is of a griffin segreant clasping a rose in its dexter claw, while the other Grimshaw line seems to have only the Griffin segreant. The family is, I am quite sure, descended from Thomas Grimshaw who died 1539, whose wife was Elizabeth Harrington. John Usher Grimshaw was born 1796 at Whitehouse, near Belfast, died in Pike Co., Ill., 1849, married Charlotte Shaw daughter of Henry Shaw of Ballygally, County Antrim, Ireland, who died 1851, in Pittsfield, Ill. I should be very, very glad to have any information that other Transcript readers can give me regarding this branch of the family, or to know to whom I should apply for information. H.G.B.A.
It is not known who the submitter (H.G.B.A.) was.
John Usher Grimshaw is in the “Irish” line of Grimshaws, which is described on a companion webpage.
The family line of John Usher Grimshaw is currently being researched by Mr. and Mrs. Bill Grote. It appears that John and Charlotte (Shaw) Grimshaw immigrated to the U.S. and joined other Grimshaw relatives living in western Illinois. William Grimshaw (the subject of a companion webpage) was an attorney in Pike County, IL, who had migrated there in the early 1830s after receiving his law degree in Philadelphia.
It is interesting to note that Margaret Grimshaw, daughter of John Usher and Charlotte Grimshaw, became the second wife of William Grimshaw. It is hoped that additional information on John and Charlotte Grimshaw will be available from the Grotes in the future.
As a side note, the submitter (H.G.B.A.) apparently erred in making the connection of the “Irish” Grimshaw line back to the Clayton-le-Moors and Eccleshill line. This connection is discussed on a companion webpage. The family of John Usher Grimshaw descended not from Thomas Grimshaw (m. Elizabeth Harrington), but from Thomass uncle, Nicholas (living 1481.) Also, Thomas apparently married Margaret, daughter of Elizabeth Harrington, rather than Elizabeth.
Transcript15, 1935: August 7, 1935, p. 707
The August 7, 1935 edition of the Boston Transcript included an entry (no. 707) that has the following Grimshaws:
1. Alice
18. John
The full entry appears as follows:
(707.) Any information in regard to the following families would be appreciated:
- HUNTER, MURIE, MUIR. George Hunter, born March 30, 1828, Devonshire Clakmannan, Scotland, married Elizabeth Murie, born July 3, 1851, Iowa. She was the daughter of David and Mary ___ (?) Murie and was born Oct. 28, 1831. Mary was the daughter of Walt Muir (they changed the spelling of name to Murie) and Ellen Beverage. The George Hunter above was a son of James Hunter, born 1784, Scotland and Mary Snadon born 1789, at Coalyland, Clakmannon, Scotland.
- GRIMSHAW, DUCKWORTH. Lawrence Grimshaw, born Oct. 6, 1871, Lancashire, England, son of Thomas Grimshaw and wife Mary ___ (?). He married Mary Duckworth, born April 4, 1786, Lancashire, England, the daughter of Lawrence Duckworth and Elizabeth ___ (?)
- WHITTAKER. Alice Whittaker, born Dec. 28, 1809, Lancashire, England, died Nov. 30, 1876; married John Grimshaw about 1836. She came to America about 1812. She was the daughter of Lawrence Whittaker and Mary ___ (?)
- MOYES, PEARCE, EASTCOTT. William Moyes, born June 25, 1817, Othoham, Cornwall, England, son of William and Mary (Pearce) Moyes. He married 1840, Mary Eastcott, born April 23, 1817, at Jacobstowe, Cornwall, England. She was the daughter of William Eastcott and Elizabeth Vandell. A.G.
The identity of the submitter is signified only by the initials A.G. and is unknown.
This entry refers to the Duckworth Grimshaw family line, which is described on a companion webpage. Duckworth converted to Mormonism in 1860 and immigrated to America (UT) in 1862. He was followed by his parents [John and Alice (Whitaker) Grimshaw] and apparently also, at least one aunt.
Duckworth married, first, Mary Jane Moyes, and they had 13 children. A second, bigamist marriage was to Ellen Muir, and one child (Thomas Duckworth Grimshaw) was born to the second marriage. Duckworth spent a year in the state penitentiary for violation of Utahs laws against bigamy.
WoodstockCt Gen16, v. 6, p. 427
One Grimshaw appears in this reference:
2. Anna
The family of John Grow was described in volume 6 of the History of Woodstock, CT. A 7th generation descendant of John was William R. Grow, son of Oliver W. and Luthera Grow. William apparently lived in Lorraine, NY and married Anna P. Grimshaw, who was born in July 1853 and died on February 5, 1884.
Anna P. Grimshaw was apparently the adopted daughter (9th child; the first 8 were boys) of the Joseph and Mary Ann (Adsit) Grimshaw family (see companion webpage), who were living in Lorraine, NY at the time of Anna’s birth.
References
1Rider, Fremont, ed., 1952 — present, The American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI), Series 2: Middletown, CT, Godfry
Memorial Library, 206 volumes.
2Szucs, Loretto D., and Sandra H. Luebking, eds., 1997, The Source – a Guidebook of American Genealogy: Salt Lake City, UT, Ancestry, Inc., unk p.
3Meyerink, Kory L., ed., 1998, Printed Sources – a Guide to Published Genealogical Records: Salt Lake City, UT, Ancestry, Inc., unk p.
4Rider, Fremont, ed., 1969, The American Genealogical-Biographical Index to American Genealogical, Biographical and Local History Materials: Middleton, CT, The Godfrey Memorial Library, v. 68, unk. p.
5Allen, Willard S., 1876, Genealogy of Samuel Allen of Windsor, Ct. and Some of His Descendants: Boston, MA, 76 p.
6Babcock, Stephen, 1903, Isiah Babcock, Sr. and Des. (aka Babcock Genealogy): New York, NY, Eaton & Mains, 119 p. (or 640 p.)
7U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1907, Heads of Families at the First U.S. Census, NH: Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 146 p.
8Brainard, Homer W., 1938, Survey of the Ishams in England and America: Rutland, VT, The Tuttle Publishing Co., 672 p.
9Montgomery, Thomas L., ed., 1906, Pennsylvania Archives, Fifth Series, v. II: Harrisburg, PA, Harrisburg Publishing Co., 1103 p.
10Montgomery, Thomas L., ed., 1906, Pennsylvania Archives, Fifth Series, v. IV: Harrisburg, PA, Harrisburg Publishing Co., 848 p.
11Gwathmey, John H., ed., 1938, Historical Register of Virginians in the Revolution – Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, 1775-1783: Richmond, VA, Press Publishers, 872 p.
12Bartlett, J. Gardiner, 1918, Gregory Stone Genealogy – Ancestry and Descendants of Dea. Gregory Stone of Cambridge, Mass., 1320-1917: Boston, MA, privately published, 906 p.
13Taylor, Eva M. L., 1950, Jasper Taylor and His Descendants, with Genealogies of Related Families: Bethesda, MD, privately published (printed by Shenandoah Publishing House, Strasburg, VA), 233 p.
14Author Unknown, 1932, Gen. Column of the “Boston Transcript”, : Boston, MA, May 6, 1932, p. ?, #3639
15Author Unknown, 1935, Gen. Column of the “Boston Transcript”, 1906-1941: Boston, MA, August 7, 1936, p. ?, #707
16 Bowen, Clarence W., 1930-1943, History of Woodstock, Connecticut, v. 6, Genealogies of Woodstock Families: Norwood, MA, privately published (printed by The Plimpton Press, Norwood, MA), 960 p. (v 6 of 8 volumes)
Webpage History
Webpage posted February 2001, updated June 2001. Updated August 2006 with additions on Jane (Seavey) Grimshaw and Anna P Grimshaw.