Welcome, Baby Henry Grierson

Our family is delighted to welcome a new baby in the family: Henry Grierson, son of William Grierson (Grier) and Susan.

Grier and Susan were married on April 9, 2005 at the Holy Family Church in South Pasadena, California. That is my cousin, Rich, serving as father and Best Man, to the right of Grier. Rich is the one who was chaperone to Heather and Jenn in Williamsburg~he also attended Heather's wedding there~he really gets around! Heather's daughter, Eliza, and Grier's son, Henry, are third cousins who live across the country from one another. They share a great-great grandmother, Minnie, the Girl From Williamsburg.

Baby Henry Grierson was born on December 20, 2008 at 12:03 p.m. in Pasadena, California. He weighed 7.79 lbs. and he was 21  1/4 in. long.

Since then Grier and Susan have been very busy taking care of Henry, entertaining visitors and enjoying Christmas celebrations!

Baby Henry was named after his great-great uncle, Gen. Benjamin Henry Grierson, who was born in 1826 and lived until 1911.

General Grierson was a career officer in the United States Army. He was a cavalry general in the volunteer Union Army during the American Civil War and later led troops in the American Old West. He is most noted for a daring 1863 expedition (Grierson's Raid) ordered by Grant through Confederate-held territory that severed enemy communication lines between Vicksburg, Mississippi, and Confederate commanders in the Eastern Theater.

On March 2, 1867, Grierson received a brevet promotion to the rank of Major general in the United States Army for his famous raid.

Colonel Grierson is a prominent figure in Turner Network's documentary, "Buffalo Soldiers." The part of Colonel Marlowe, played by John Wayne in the movie "The Horse Soldiers," is loosely based on Grierson.

It will be very interesting for our new baby cousin to learn about his great-great uncle as he

grows up!

General Benjamin Henry Grierson

July 8, 1826 ~ August 31, 1911 (aged 85)

Heather, David, and Eliza in Williamsburg

In response to my welcoming story about Baby Eliza, our cousin Rich wrote in with an amusing anecdote about his trip back to Williamsburg with his daughter, Jenn, and cousin Heather. All three were attending the annual get-together of the descendants of our Grandmother, Minnie, and her siblings. Here is Rich's story...

"I had been charged with 'chaperoning' the girls and was driving them everywhere and making sure they had breakfast, lunch and dinner. We ran off to Chownings Tavern one evening and the entertainers came by. I asked some very insightful questions about jigs vs. reels and the Scottish sound vs. the Irish sound, and I was quite certain that my clever repartee was what caused the entertainers to dwell on us so. They had us playing colonial games and pounding the tables to the music...we went there another night or two and on the last night, after the family dinner, the girls wanted to go back again.

I suggested they just walk down the street and I'd hang around Merchants Square. Everything was closed there, however, so I roamed down to Chownings, too. I looked in the window and the girls seemed to be having a good time~and I didn't think they needed an old man cramping their style~so I went back to the hotel. THAT'S when the minstrel struck. In my absence he slipped her his phone number...and after a few months of talking across the country, they were engaged."
Heather and David were married on May 5, 2007, and had a beautiful wedding and reception at Providence Hall in Williamsburg.

On October 30th, 2008, their daughter, Eliza Adalaide, was born, also in Williamsburg (please see my post on December 17th).

And this is a photo of Eliza's first visit with Santa Claus!