 1874 - 1940 (65 years)
-
| Name |
Charles Meek Grinstead |
| Birth |
7 Nov 1874 |
Chilhowie, Smyth County, Virginia  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
30 Oct 1940 |
Marion, Smyth County, Virginia |
| Notes |
- Charles Meek Grinstead was born on 7 NOV 1874 in Chilhowie, Virginia. He married Minnie Tarter Williams on 11 JAN 1898 in Riverside, Virginia. Together they had fourteen children:
1.William Newton Grinstead
Born 28 DEC 1899 in Riverside, Virginia
Married Lee Esther Knight on 11 AUG 1919 in Roanoke, Virginia
Had children: Jack Odel, William Charles, James, Anna Ruth and David Porter
Died AUG, 1952 in North Carolina
2.Mary Ann Grinstead
Born 22 SEPT 1901 in Riverside, Virginia
Married Clarence Ray Sturgill 27 JUN 1925 in Bristol, Tennessee
Had children: Twylene Holmes, Clarence Ray, Jr., Charles Edward, Glenna Mae and Billy Mitchell
3.Ellis Baker (“John”) Grinstead
Born 4 MAY 1903 in Riverside, Virginia
Married Lillian Schultz on 7 JUL 1922.
Married Rachel May Bingham on 10 OCT 1926 in Bellingham, Washington
Had children: Charmie Fern, John David, James Richard, Robert Lawrence, Raymond Charles, William Adelbert, Virginia Lea and Donald Edward
Died 18 SEPT 1970 in Bellingham, Washington
4.Alice May Grinstead
Born 8 SEPT 1904
Died 5 MAY 1907
5.Charmie Lee Grinstead
Born 6 APR 1906 in Riverside, Virginia
Married James Carl Neitch on 27 MAR 1924 in Bristol, Tennessee
Had children: Mary Ann Katherine, Helen Lee, James Harold and David Carl
Died APR 1983 in Marion, Virginia
6.Arthur McDonald Grinstead
Born 6 OCT 1907 in Riverside, Virginia
Married Helen Peacock14 SEPT 1929 in North Carolina
Had children: Kenneth Charles and Arthur McDonald
Died 13 OCT 1949 in Marion, Virginia
7.Pauline Beattie Grinstead
Born 5 JAN 1909 in Marion, Virginia
Married Jesse Lundy Sturgill 3 MAR 1929 in Marion, Virginia
Had children: James Thomas, Mildred Tarter and Isom Meek
Died MAY 1984 in Marion, Virginia
8.Theodore Roosevelt Grinstead
Born 25 MAR 1910 in Riverside, Virginia
Marred Hassie Anderson
Had children: Shirley Joyce, Bonnie Sue and William Dale
Died JAN 1980
9.Hattie Virginia Grinstead
Born 25 AUG 1912 in Riverside, Virginia
Married Fred Pipes on 3 SEPT 1930
Had children: Buddy Rogers, Betty Sue and Harold Lee
10.Edith Katherine Grinstead
Born 3 DEC 1914
Died 20 AUG 1917
11.Porter Wright Grinstead
Born 25 JUN 1916 in Riverside, Virginia
Married Earnestine Johnson on 26 SEPT 1942 in Elkton, Maryland
Had children: Dorothy Lee
12.Frances Marie Grinstead
Born 27 APR 1918 in Riverside, Virginia
Married Charles Barr
13.Grace Louise Grinstead
Born 12 NOV 1919 in Riverside, Virginia
14.Charles Meek Grinstead, Jr.
Born 11 AUG 1921 in Holston Mills, Virginia
Married Myrtle Garrett 13 SEPT 1952
Had children: Barry, Minnie Jan and William Charles
Died JAN 1984 in Pulaski, Virginia
Charles Meek Grinstead operated the Holstein Roller Mill in Seven Mile Ford, Va. His death certificate lists his occupation as ‘Miller”. His parents were listed as being Jasper Newton Grinstead and Sarah Ann Eads both of whom were allegedly born in Smyth County, Virginia. His wife was listed as being Minnie Williams, who was residing in Marion, Virginia at the time she provided the vital information to the local registrar. He was buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Chilhowie, Smyth County, Virginia on November 1, 1940. The cause of death listed was that of carcinoma of the prostate, a disease he had suffered from since 1939.
Charles Meek Grinstead died on 30 OCT 1940 in Marion, Virginia.
John David Grinstead sent a letter to Michael A. McKenzie in June, 1999 and recalled some of his fond memories about the children of Charles Meek Grinstead. They would have been Dave's Aunts and Uncles. Dave's recount follows:
Hi Mike; Some information for you on Dad and his thirteen siblings. They were all born to Charles Meek Grinstead and Minnie Tarter Williams Grinstead, who were married January 11, 1898 by Taylor Rouse in his house in the Riverside, Virginia Community. I will start with the oldest, Bill and work down to the youngest, Cricket.
WILLIAM NEWTON 'BILL' GRINSTEAD was born 12/28/1899 in Riverside, Virginia. He was, to my knowledge, the only one of the family to graduate from college. Bill married Lee Esther Knight 8/11/1919 in Roanoke, Virginia. They had five children: Jack Odel, William Charles, James ?, Anna Ruth and David Porter. Bill stopped off in Bellingham in May of 1962 to visit Dad (Ed. Note: Ellis Baker) and family while on a business trip to Los Angeles. He and Dad then saw each other for the first time in 36 years. Bill was president of a gas company in Ohio. A couple of things Nita, my wife, remembers about Bill are the fact that he paid more in taxes that year than her and my income for the year and he got a little curt when I volunteered to pay the tip at a restaurant. He said if I wanted to take care of the bill too, go ahead. By the way, I did not! Bill died 8/2/1952, just three months after he visited dad. A brain hemorrhage I believe. I am sure Bill knew that death was near when he when he came to Bellingham. Bill was buried in Ohio. Charmie may know which town as she used to correspond with Anna Ruth.
MARY ANN GRINSTEAD was born 9/22/1901 in Riverside, Virginia. She married Clarence Ray Sturgill 6/27/1925 in Bristol Virginia-Tennessee. They had five children: Twyleene Holmes, Clarence Ray Jr. ( C.R. ), Charles Edward (Whitey), Glenna Mae and Billy Mitchel. Billy died just short of his 5th birthday. I stayed with Mary and family when I took the bus to Marion, Virginia in the spring of 1947. Mary was one lovely person. She had to be as she put up with me for about five of the eighteen months I lived in the Marion, Virginia area. Mary's son Whitey and I were pretty close friends. We did a lot of coon hunting, moonshine drinking and girl chasing during those eighteen months. Mary normally just said " well" in her southern drawl when you told her something. She told Nita that she loved to hear her talk with her accent. ha! of course we thought Mary had the accent. When I got a wart on my finger while staying at Mary’s she gave me a dishcloth to take out in the back yard and bury to get rid of the wart. It didn't work. Mary's children are all very nice people and I got to know them well. Mary died 3/16/1977 and was buried in Marion.
JOHN (ELLIS BAKER) GRINSTEAD- More stories to come later.
ALICE MAY GRINSTEAD was born 9/8/1904 in Riverside, Virginia. I was told that she was one sharp little gal and many of the family have told me the following story; " On the way home from church about a week before Alice died the family was riding by the local cemetery in their horse and buggy and the not quite three year old Alice, told her mother Minnie, that the graveyard would be her home next week. Alice died 5/5/1907, shortly after that Sunday prediction and was buried in the cemetery she said was soon to
be her home.
CHARMIE LEE GRINSTEAD was born 4/6/1906 in Riverside, Virginia. She married James " Carl " Neitch 3/27/1924 in Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee. They had four children: Mary Anne Katherine who died at the age of 48 in 1974, Helen Lee " Honey ", James Harold who died in 1998 and David Carl. I stayed with Charmie for a while also. She was a very nice person and one of the best cooks in the family. Charmie liked jokes and funny stories and liked to play jokes on others. When I took Dad to Marion in October of 1962, Charmie had most of the family over for dinner and she arranged to have just enough room on the table for the plates and serving dishes. She then brought one more in from the kitchen and started it going around the table so that I would be the last one to get it. When I got my helping from it and started to put it down I found no place to put it and no one else would take it. I held it for a couple minutes unaware that I was being teased then sat it on the floor. Everyone started laughing then. I guess they were all in on the joke. Honey was another of my close friends while I was living in the Marion area. We used to swim in the river where Dad swam as a boy. Charmie died 6/10/1983 and was buried in Marion.
ARTHER McDONALD GRINSTEAD "Don" was born 10/6/1907 in Riverside, Virginia. He married Helen Peacock 9/14/1929 in North Carolina. They had three children: Kenneth Charles (died), Arthur McDonald Jr. ( Mack ) and Betty Carol. I stayed with Don's family some while in the Marion area in 1947/8. Every Friday night Don would bring home hot dogs, buns and pop so even when I wasn't staying there I would often show up at his place on Friday afternoons. Don was a car salesman in Marion. I never got to know his family very well. He and his family always held prayer meetings on Wednesday nights with a lot of praying and gospel singing. It was also a good place to meet girls so I normally tried to show up for that activity. Don died 10/13/1949 at the age of 42. I think he is buried in the Marion area.
PAULINE BEATTIE GRINSTEAD was born 1/5/1909 in Riverside, Virginia. She married Jessie " Lundy " Sturgill ( no relation to Mary's husband Clarence Sturgill )3/3/1928 in Marion, Virginia. They had three children: James Thomas who died as an infant, Mildred Tarter and Isom Meek. Pauline and Lundy were like pioneers. They practically lived off their land. They grew tobacco and sold it at the auctions in North Carolina. They kept milk and beef cows, pigs and chickens as well as had a large garden. Pauline canned their winter supply of veggies, fruit and meat. A small orchard was next to the house with lots of fruit and nut trees in it. Lundy would butcher his stock, smoke and cure his hams and bacon. Of course they had a root cellar where Pauline would send me to get certain things for the meals. At those times I would remember Dad's stories about the copperhead and cottonmouth snakes! Pauline would churn her own butter unless I was there then I would do it for her . She also made her own sauerkraut and sour beans which I loved and Nita couldn't stand. When I stayed with them they had an outdoor toilet ( outhouse ) away from the house and a well with a hand pump not far from the kitchen door. We used to wash up and brush our teeth in all kinds of weather out by the pump. Maybe you can tell by now that Pauline was my favorite aunt to be with. Nita and I and the kids visited her as often as we could and we corresponded often. Pauline had colon cancer when she was about 50 years of age and the doctors took out her colon. She wore a bag on her side the rest of her life. About twenty-five years. Lundy built his barn out of lumber from the chestnut trees that were damaged by worms in the 1930's. After he retired he tore the barn down and made furniture out of the barn's wormy chestnut boards and they sold real good. We have a coffee table and two end tables that he made from the barn boards. Mildred and her second husband G. Jay Long, moved in with Pauline after Lundy died in 1977 took over the place and life wasn't the same for Pauline. Pauline died 5/1/1984 at 4:00 pm and was buried in Marion. She was a real southern peach of a woman.
THEODORE ROOSEVELT GRINSTEAD " Ted " was born 3/25/1910 in Riverside, Virginia. He married Hassie Anderson 7/2/1932 in Adwolfe, Virginia. They had three children: Shirley Joyce, Bonnie Sue and William Dale. Ted like Don was a car salesman in Marion. Never got to know Ted and family very well, but did take a few trips over the mountain to North Carolina with Ted when he went there to pick up a car he was going to sell in Marion at a profit he hoped. He needed a second driver and that was me. Never stayed with his family as Ted's wife Hassie was not as receptive to me as Dad's sisters and other in-laws were. ha! Ted died 1/7/1980 and was buried in Marion.
HATTIE VIRGINIA GRINSTEAD was born 8/25/1912. She married Fred Pipes 9/3/1930 in Bristol, Virginia-Tennessee. They had three children: Buddy Rogers who later received his Ph.D. in the Ministry, Betty Sue and Harold Lee. Hattie was a great cook and Nita got some of her great cooking talent and recipes from being around Hattie. They still live on the same large farm outside of Baltimore in Sykesville, Maryland that they had when I was there in 1947/8. They built a new house to live in but the old white 14 room farm house they had in the 1940's is still there and rented out. Hattie like Pauline had her root cellar for storing canned goods, etc. The cellar also served as a place to hide when tornadoes were near. The life of a dairy farmer and his family does not provide them with much free time. When I stayed there off and on in 1947/8 we did a lot of haying plus milking a lot of cows and cleaning out the barn, etc, etc and that is when I decided that a farmers life was not for me. Hattie would cook a full meal for lunch for all the crew during the haying on their own 160 acres plus another 100 acres they rented. Being from the north I was surprised when the colored people had to eat in the kitchen while we ate in the dining room. The haying crew was rather large and kept Hattie at the kitchen stove for many hours during the haying season. Hattie really likes jokes and enjoys telling them. Fred and her have bowled once a week for many, many years until Fred's stroke last year. I think she enjoyed going to the bowling alley for the jokes and stories as much as she did the bowling. Hattie has had a number of " little " strokes over the past few years. Hattie is one real sweet person and one of the two of Dad's sibling still alive. We like to visit her and Fred.
EDITH KATHERINE GRINSTEAD was born 12/3/1914 in Riverside, Virginia and died there 8/20/1917. I heard very little about Edith except that she was a victim of the " two girl curse "where when two girls were born in sequence to this family one would die young or have a serious problem. First Alice May, then Edith.
PORTER WRIGHT GRINSTEAD was born 6/25/1916 in Riverside, Virginia. He married Ernestine Johnson " Ern " 9/26/1942 in Elkton, Maryland. They had two girls: Dorothy Lee and Cathy Jean. Porter spent a long time fighting his way across Germany while in the army during World War ll. Porter is the other one of Dad's siblings still alive. He and Ern live in Colora, Maryland. Porter likes to kid people and do things that make them laugh. When Porter was a little younger he and Ern used to drive to Marion to visit the family. While there, he always made it a point to tease Pauline. When they would drive up to Pauline's Porter would wait till she came out to the front porch then he would go from bush to bush sniffing and lifting his leg to each of the ten or so bushes. Pauline would yell at Porter to quit that but he never did. Of course it was all in fun and pretense and they would laugh about it afterwards. Sometimes people who knew Pauline would drive by and slow down to watch Porter. Nita and I still visit Porter and Ern when ever we can. They are nice people.
Dave Grinstead sent the following e-mail to Michael A. McKenzie on January 29, 2000.
Hi Mike:
Here's a bit more info on memories from Dad's siblings.
When Porter was young his folks had a plow horse named "Tob" that was very much a kid's horse. He would let as many kids as could sit or hang on to him ride and if one fell off he would stop and wait till they got back on. Porter said he counted as many as 10 kids on the horse at one time. Tob would not go fast or go into areas of danger with the kids on him.
One day when Porter and Francis (the sister Dad never saw) were youngsters they were sitting in the barn talking like kids do and Francis asked Porter if straw burned like tobacco did. Porter said he would find out and got a handful of straw and lit it and said, "I guess so". It got hot and he tossed it aside. It caught the stacks of hay and straw afire. Before he could find his Dad the fire was too far along to put out. He burned the barn down and his Dad built a new one. Of course, Porter got his whipping with the leather strop.
When Porter was about eleven his Dad (Grandpa) sent Porter to the local store a mile or so away to get a plug of chewing tobacco. Porter climbed up on Tob and rode to the store. Grandpa & Grandma had a charge account at the store so Porter needed no money. He got the tobacco & climbed back up on Tob and headed home. He decided he was going to try a "chew" of his Dad's tobacco and he chewed and swallowed a lot on the slow ride home. When he got to the house he was very sick to his stomach. He doubled up and fell off the horse. His Mother asked him what was the matter & he said he had eaten a few green apples. Later when his Dad started to take a chew from the new plug of tobacco, he found out why Porter's stomach hurt him so bad. He whipped Porter once more with the leather trop used for sharpening his straight razor. Porter got whipped a lot with that strop when he was a youngster.
Porter spent his time in the army in Europe during WW11. He landed in Normandy and fought his way across Europe for many months. His outfit was far ahead of the rations supply outfit and they ran out of food a number of times. He told me that his outfit once found a turnip field while out of rations and that is all they ate for two weeks. They did find a number of wine cellars, at other times of "no rations", in houses where they kicked the German civilians out and ate what food was there and drank the wine. One time, after a number of days with little or no rations, he and a couple others found a house with a small family in it and lots of food with a chicken coop behind it. They put the family in the chicken coop and they stayed in the house and ate and drank for a couple days before they moved on to fight some more. They never killed any civilians -- only ate their food and drank their wine.
Helen (Honey) Baumgarner, the daughter of Dad's sister, Charmie, told me about the time she and her older sister, Ann, sang to, prayed over and baptized their folks laying hens. The singing and praying were OK, but when they held the hens under water for the baptizing the hens drowned! The family ended up with a lot of chicken & dumplings but the folks had to buy another flock of laying hens.
Porter & Fred (husband of Dad's sister Hattie) told me about one Halloween when they were young married couples. They lived in the apartments of the "Round House" in Atwood near Thomas Bridge. They wanted to scare the women and children also living there so they got a sack of spuds and late at night they started to slowly roll the spuds down the steps on the inside stairway. It was very quiet - except for the thump, thump, thump down the stairs as the spuds went rolling down from step to step. The GUYS thought it was hilarious!
FRANCIS MARIE GRINSTEAD was born 4/27/1918 in Riverside, Virginia. She married Charles " Ray " Barr. They had no children. Francis had cancer a number of years before she died and suffered a lot. When I was in Marion in 1947/8 she told me she was ready for her Lord to take her. She never doubted that she was going to heaven so she was not afraid to die. Frances was 29 when she told me that and she died at age 40. She had to wait another 11 years to meet her God and many of those years were full of pain. I liked her a lot. She had a large feather bed when Nita and I stayed at her place one time and we slept in it. We sunk sunk down so far that we could hardly see each other. Francis died 10/2/1958. She is buried in Riverside, Virginia.
GRACE LOUISE GRINSTEAD was born 12/12/1919 in Holston Mills, Virginia She never married. Grace had a serious accident when she was very young that resulted in a nail being driven into one of her eyes. She wore a glass eye. Grace lived with her mother until Minnie died in 1953. A couple of the family members bought the house that she and her mother were living in and let her stay there the rest of her life. Grace was a hard worker, took care of all the cleaning at her church as well as her house and worked part time. Also, she went to church on a regular basis like the rest of Dad's sisters. Nita and I and the kids were visiting Grace in 1960 on the way home from my assignment on Long Island, New York when Larry kept excusing himself during dinner to go to the toilet. After his third trip back from the toilet I started to say something to him when Grace asked him if he was feeling OK. Larry said "sure, you just have the keenest toilet." It was an outhouse built over the creek behind her place where everything went right down into the creek. She had indoor plumbing the next time we were there. Grace died 4/23/1982 and is buried in Marion, Virginia.
CHARLES MEEK GRINSTEAD JR. (“Cricket”) was born 8/11/1921 Holston Mills, Virginia. He married Myrtle Garrett 9/3/1952. They had two children: Minniejan and William Charles. Myrtle had another son, Barry, from a previous marriage who lived with them. Cricket, like Porter was in World War ll, but I don't know when or where. After the war he went to work driving a semi for Pepsi Cola and spent a lot of time on the road until he left Pepsi and bought a house with some land and built a small mobile home park Pulaski, Virginia. Cricket watched out for me when I was in Marion, Virginia in 1947/8 and helped me get a job. He made sure I got to meet all the Grinstead's and the Williams'; his mother's family. Cricket and Dad really hit it off when Dad and I were in Marion in 1962. They both liked a drink " now and then " and the two of them went to see Francis's husband Ray Barr tosample some moonshine. I am sure that they must have had a good visit. Cricket had a stroke and not long after that had an operation to remove a tumor behind one of his ears. Then not long after that had another stroke which left him paralyzed from the neck down and could not talk. Cricket died 1/1/1984 and is buried in Dublin, Virginia.
That's all for now, Dave
|
| Person ID |
I00222 |
McKenzie Genealogy |
| Last Modified |
29 Oct 2021 |
| Father |
Jasper Newton Grinstead, b. 26 Mar 1832, Smyth, Washington County, Virginia d. 20 Jul 1914, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia (Age 82 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Mother |
Sarah Ann Eads, b. 6 Jun 1845, Smyth County, Virginia d. 25 May 1898, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia (Age 52 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Marriage |
16 Aug 1866 |
Smyth County, VA |
| Family ID |
F00212 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Minnie Tarter Williams, b. 12 Feb 1881, Chilhowie, Smyth County, Virginia d. 1 Jan 1953, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia (Age 71 years) |
| Marriage |
11 Jan 1898 |
Riverside, VA |
| Children |
| | 1. William Newton (Bill) Grinstead, b. 28 Dec 1899, Riverside, Roanoke County Virginia d. 2 Aug 1952, North Carolina (Age 52 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 2. Mary Ann Grinstead, b. 22 Sep 1901, Riverside, Roanoke County Virginia d. 16 Mar 1977, Chilhowie, Smyth County, Virginia (Age 75 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 3. Ellis Baker (John) Grinstead, b. 4 May 1903, Riverside, Roanoke County Virginia d. 18 Sep 1970, Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington (Age 67 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 4. Alice May Grinstead, b. 8 Sep 1904, Riverside, Roanoke County, Virginia d. 5 May 1907, Riverside, Roanoke County, Virginia (Age 2 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 5. Charmie Lee Grinstead, b. 6 Apr 1906, Riverside, Roanoke County Virginia d. 28 Apr 1983, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia (Age 77 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 6. Arthur McDonald (Don) Grinstead, b. 6 Oct 1907, Riverside, Roanoke County Virginia d. 13 Oct 1949, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia (Age 42 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 7. Pauline Beattie Grinstead, b. 5 Jan 1909, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia d. 1 May 1984, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia (Age 75 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 8. Theodore Roosevelt (Ted) Grinstead, b. 25 Mar 1910, Riverside, Roanoke County Virginia d. 7 Jan 1980, Riverside, Roanoke County, Virginia (Age 69 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 9. Hattie Virginia Grinstead, b. 25 Aug 1912, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia d. 29 Jul 2003, Sykesville, Carroll County, Maryland (Age 90 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 10. Edith Katherine Grinstead, b. 3 Dec 1914, Riverside, Roanoke County, Virginia d. 20 Aug 1917, Riverside, Roanoke County, Virginia (Age 2 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 11. Porter Wright Grinstead, b. 25 Jun 1916, Riverside, Roanoke County Virginia d. 8 Mar 2003, Colora, Cecil County, Maryland (Age 86 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 12. Frances Marie Grinstead, b. 27 Apr 1918, Riverside, Roanoke County Virginia d. 2 Oct 1958, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia (Age 40 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 13. Grace Louise Grinstead, b. 12 Nov 1919, Holston Mills, Smyth County, Virginia d. 23 Apr 1982, Marion, Smyth County, Virginia (Age 62 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 14. Charles Meek Grinstead, Jr., b. 11 Aug 1921, Smyth County, Virginia d. 9 Jan 1984, Pulaski, Pulaski County, Virginia (Age 62 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
|
| Family ID |
F00042 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
29 Oct 2021 |
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