In the 1860 census, the Grimes family, Civil District 1, area A, in Hardin County. This seems to be inside the Shiloh Memorial Battlefield today. When you look carefully at the census, their neighbors are- AJ Thomas and family, possibly Mary/Polly’s brother, Morris McBride and family, then Wm. George and family. Reviewing the Shiloh memorial battlefield, you see they have maintained a cabin called “William Manse George’s cabin, the site where the wounded fled to and had as a stronghold.” This is very likely the same man as “Wm. George” on the same page of the census as the Grimes family, meaning they were very closeby. On the next page of the same census, you find their grandparents, J and Rebecca Grimes, but the interesting thing is Sam Chambers no longer has slaves this year. That makes sense as they are now free.
When you compare the 1870 to the 1860 census, yes, there are more children born, but you’ll notice the families around them are fewer. The pages of this specific district is only 16 pages long and none are black this time around. The freed slaves did not stay in this area. The Grimes family did not own any slaves, but they were exposed to slavery due to neighbors being owners themselves. The same neighbors that once owned slaves are coincidentally the same neighbors no longer living in Hardin County. I found this interesting. At this time, their post office was across the river in Savannah, TN whereas ten years earlier, the post office was in Shiloh, TN. I wonder if the battle of Shiloh destroyed the town of Shiloh as well, thus, no more post office in Shiloh, hmm? I wonder.
John Anderson Grimes moved to Arkansas after 1870 and before 1873. I know this because he appears on the census, but then shows up married in Arkansas in 1873. I haven’t found information on why he chose Arkansas, but John’s move to Arkansas is why the other Grimes children chose Arkansas. The other children stayed in Shiloh, Hardin County, Tennessee until their father’s death in 1877. Then several more of the Grimes moved to Arkansas as well. I am still pinning down which Grimes children went and which stayed behind with their mother in Shiloh, and I found the youngest son moved across the river to the county seat, Savannah, Tennessee. Perhaps lending evidence to the fact the infrastructure on the west side was destroyed by the war? John sent one of his sons, Luther Virginia Grimes, to live with Benjamin shortly after he remarried. Maybe Luther did not get along with his stepmother? It’s just interesting about the timing of that.
Their father Andy (Andrew Jackson Grimes) died in September 1877. There were problems with the pension for some reason and their mother couldn’t get the pension. So Inshaw Thomas seized the land their father owned in October, 1877. The Grimes family now was essentially homeless. Inshaw R. Thomas filed papers to evict them off the land and at first they went to James Grimes (the oldest) who lived in the actual town of Savannah, TN. Their mother stayed there and about half of the Grimes children went on to Arkansas near where John Anderson Grimes settled down with his new family. I am still working on pinning down which ones stayed put in Hardin County and which ones emigrated to Arkansas. My great great greatgrandfather, Benjamin Matthew Grimes, was one who went to Arkansas, so we’ll follow along with this group.
In 1879, Benjamin Matthew Grimes went to help his brother John Anderson Grimes on his farm, just across the Mississippi River opposite Memphis, in what is now called Marion, Arkansas. He appears on the census in 1880 in JA Grimes household, as brother, as BM Grimes. A levee broke in fall of 1880 and flooded the farmland bordering the Mississippi, but the river did not come all the way up to Marion. JA Grimes filed for losses and moved further inland, so based on this, I assume his farm was in this area.
We then find Benjamin Matthew Grimes applying for a marriage license on December 16, 1882 in Lawrence County, which has a county seat called Walnut Ridge. It is likely in this town that he got his license to officially marry Mary Josephine Webster on Christmas eve. He was 23 and she was 18.
Their first child, a boy, arrives 19 months later. Solomon Kendrick Grimes (named after his uncle Solomon Kendrick Grimes, so there are indeed two SK Grimes) was born March 30th, 1882 near Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. In 1886, they had another son, who unfortunately did not survive.
Two years later, their daughter, Arley Grimes arrived on December12, 1888 and at the time they still lived outside of Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. 11 months later came another girl, Ruby. Then the following year came Marla Grimes in November, 1890. Two years later came Cora Bell Grimes in December, 1892. Another daughter was born in April, 1894- Pearlie Mae Grimes.
The Grimes family moved to Hiram, Cleburne County, Arkansas along the Little Red River with excellent trout fishing. Two years later came a son, Isom Thomas Grimes, December 27, 1896. Then came Mike Minor Grimes February 18, 1899.
On the 1900 Census, they’re shown living in Pine Township, Cleburne County, Arkansas, but I believe this is still the same “Hiram” area along the Little Red River mentioned above. The youngest child, Muncy Grimes is born. Ruby died in 1909. Since Muncy appears on the census and in the family portrait, he was alive at least after 1910, but I have no more information on Muncy, he is another mystery brickwall.
On the 1910 Census, they are now living in White County, Arkansas, and two daughters are no longer listed- Ruby and Marla. I have not found any death information on them, only Ruby is listed in the cemetery abstract records. But Marla isn’t in there. As of 1910, Marla would have been 16… possibly married off already. Marla is yet another mystery. Another change is their nephew Luther Virginia Grimes is now living with them, being raised alongside them. Luther’s father married a new wife; Millie Dellie Holley in 1902, when Luther was 10. Perhaps Millie did not get along with Luther and John sent him to live with Benjamin and Jo Grimes. Luther, from age 10 on was raised alongside the other Grimes children, as a son to Benjamin and Jo Grimes.
