What's New? Latest Changes and Additions (and an Overall Website Outline)

	This website continues to be added to and updated, especially as more information becomes available from other researchers.
	A webpage has been set up for those who have visited the site previously to determine what has been changed or added since their last visit.
	A webpage with an overall outline is also provided as a roadmap of the website.

Grimshaw Origins: An Introduction

	The Grimshaw family originated in Lancashire in the northwest part of England around 1000 A.D. There are no records of family lines, however, for the first 200-250 years.
	The earliest recorded family was apparently started by Walter de Grimshaw about 1250 A.D. at the Grimshaw location, about three miles southeast of central Blackburn in Eccleshill Township.
	The Grimshaw location in Eccleshill is shown below (center of photo). The site is now occupied by an envelope factory and a closed-down paper mill.
	The Grimshaw name may have even earlier connections to Grimsargh, which is about 10 miles northwest of Blackburn and four miles northeast of Preston.

The Viking Derivation of the Grimshaw Surname

	The Grimshaw name is apparently derived from a location where descendants of Viking invaders to Lancashire believed that their chief God, Odin, came to the earth to be among people. When Odin came, he wore a mask to hide his identity and was known as the Grimr.
	If the location was Grimshaw in Eccleshill, the location was in a wood ("shaw"); if it was Grimsargh, it was a pasture ("argh").

The Earliest Recorded Grimshaw Family in Eccleshill and Clayton-le-Moors

	As noted, the earliest recorded Grimshaw was Walter, who was living about 1250 A.D.
	Walter's descendants (male heirs) lived at the Grimshaw location in Eccleshill until about 1350, when his great-great-grandson, Adam, married Cecily Clayton.
	Celicy was the co-heiress of the Clayton-le-Moors estate, so the Grimshaws moved there. It is located about five miles northeast of central Blackburn (six miles northeast of the Grimshaw location in Eccleshill).
	This Grimshaw family remained at Clayton Hall for 11 generations, until 1715, when the male heirs ran out.
	The family had a rich history during their 350+ years at Clayton-le-Moors. They retained their Roman Catholic faith in spite of often severe anti-Catholic  sentiment and actions after King Henry VIII.
	Many Grimshaw family lines branched off this earliest line, giving rise to a large number of interesting family histories, both in England and North America.

Grimshaw Coat of Arms

	The coat of arms of the earliest Grimshaw family line consists of a black griffin on a white or silver background; the crest is a pair of back-to-back lions' heads. A rendition is shown below. The image of the coat of arms as presented in the Harleian Manuscripts is included at the top of this page.

The "Grimshaw Serpent"

	The Grimshaw family kept their land holdings in Eccleshill after they relocated to Clayton-le-Moors in the mid-1300s.
	According to a 1742 publication by Charles Owen, a Grimshaw living at Clayton Hall was traveling to the family's holdings in Eccleshill when he performed a valuable community service by killing a large snake in Ooze Castle Wood, about a mile southeast of the Grimshaw location.
	A good candidate for "Griom's Ark", the purported den of the snake, has been located in Ooze Castle Wood.
	Ooze Castle Wood and the candidate for Griom's Ark are shown in the photos below.
	Owen made a connection between this snake and the griffin on the Grimshaw coat of arms, but the exact nature of the connection was vague in the extreme.
	The snake-killing event, perhaps at least partly a legend, would have happened between 1350, when the Grimshaws moved to Clayton Hall, and 1613, when the arms were sanctioned by the kings' herald. Thus the griffin preceded the snake in Grimshaw history by at least 300 years.

Important Grimshaw Family Lines and Individuals in England, Ireland and Elsewhere

	As many as 35 family lines may have "spun out" of Walter's family line. No Grimshaws are known whose family came from other lines besides Walter's.
	The Oakenshaw Line of Grimshaws started from the 6th generation of the Clayton line when John Grimshaw married Elizabeth Aspden and they lived at Oakenshaw, about a mile southwest of Clayton Hall in Clayton-le-Moors around 1400.
	The Pendle Forest Line started from the 11th generation when Nicholas moved to Heyhouses, on Pendle Hill, in 1588. The Preston Guardian in 1877 published a series of four articles summarizing the history of this important Grimshaw family line. Christopher Telfer has prepared a website that contains information of several derivative lines of the Pendle Forest Line.
	The Grimshaw family in Crowtrees and elsewhere in Barrowford, Lancashire is one of the many lines of the Pendle Forest Grimshaws. This line apparently began when Thomas Grimshaw married Grace Gibson and the couple was subsequently invited to move to Crowtrees by Grace's two aging bachelor uncles who were living there.
	An "Irish" Line began from the Pendle Forest Line when Nicholas (five generations after the Nicholas who went to Pendle Hill) emigrated and started the cotton textile industry in Ireland.
	Edward and Dorytye/Dorothy (Raner) Grimshaw started a family line in Rawdon, Yorkshire early in Grimshaw family history; their line includes many branche, both in England and America.
	The Shuttleworths of Gawthorpe, Descendants of a Grimshaw Woman The Shuttleworth family was based at Gawthorpe Hall, which is in Padiham, about 4 miles northeast of Clayton Hall.  An early ancestor of this family is Anne Grimshaw, wife of Hugh Shuttleworth, and daughter (fifth child) of Thomas Grimshaw and Margaret Harrington Grimshaw in the 10th generation of the original Grimshaw family tree. Gawthorpe Hall was built by Lawrence Shuttleworth, son of Hugh and Anne (Grimshaw) Shuttleworth, using plans prepared by his older brother, Richard.  The Shuttleworth family included members who gained considerable status in English society.

Grimshaws in the Industrial Revolution

	The Industrial Revolution has both fueled the advance of Western (and world-wide) civilization in the modern era and brought mankind to the deepening realization of the limits of the earth as well as the need to re-define our relationship to the planet.  The Grimshaws were in the right place and time to be deeply involved in the origins and development of the Industrial Revolution. Many Grimshaw connections can be found in historical records, especially in textiles and coal mining, both of which became so prevalent in Lancashire.  The involvement of the Grimshaws in the Industrial Revolution took place at both of the two places of their earliest origins - Eccleshill and Clayton-le-Moors The Grimshaws were also connected to the inventors of some of the key textiles inventions and participated in the Industrial Revolution in other important ways.
	The Industrial Revolution at Eccleshill Because of its proximity to Blackburn, Darwen and other centers of industrial development during the early days of the Industrial Revolution, Eccleshill was deeply involved in, and impacted by, the development. Even the original Grimshaw location in Eccleshill was given over to an industrial site, starting as a water-powered cotton mill in 1782 and then as a paper mill from 1872 to 1999. The paper mill is now closed, but an adjacent envelope factory continues in operation. Eccleshill Township is underlain by coal-bearing strata of the Lancashire Coalfield, and coal has been mined in the township probably since not long after it was settled. Given their ancient holdings and economic interests in Eccleshill, it is not surprising that the Grimshaws were heavily involved in coal mining in the township. The Grimshaw connections to coal mining operations going back at least to the early 1600s.
	The Industrial Revolution at Clayton-le-Moors Clayton-le-Moors was very heavily involved in the early industrial development of Lancashire, with primary emphasis on textiles. No fewer than 16 textile-related sites have been identified in the Clayton-le-Moors area.  A major artifact of the Industrial Revolution in Clayton-le-Moors is the Leeds & Liverpool Canal which was opened from Burnley to Enfield (in Clayton-le-Moors) in 1801. It was apparently the major artery for the transport of cotton to the Blackburn area for spinning, weaving and other textile manufacturing activities. Coal mining has apparently been going on in and around Clayton-le-Moors going back at least to the 16th and 17th centuries.  The first recorded instances of coal being mined in Clayton-le-Moors and Altham was in 1641, when John Grimshaw let the coal seam at Clayton to Henry Towneley and Nicholas Towneley, of Royle for 18 years. An important event associated with coal mining at Clayton-le-Moors was the Moorfield Pit Disaster on November 7, 1883 in which 68 men and boys were killed (one victim was age 10, three were 11, and three were 12) by a coal mine explosion. The victims included two Grimshaws killed (Thomas, age 26, and John, age 20) and one injured (William.)
	Grimshaw Connections to Inventors of Key Textile Manufacturing Devices James Hargreaves invented one of the most important devices for advancement of the production of cotton textiles in Lancashire. The spinning jenny also exemplified the kind of inventiveness that made the Industrial Revolution possible. Hargreaves married Elizabeth Grimshaw on September 10, 1740 at nearby Church Kirk, and they had 11 children from 1744 to 1767. Richard Arkwright is credited with inventing the mechanical spinning machine and developing the factory system for deploying the machines. He was apparently assisted in the development of his invention by Nicholas Grimshaw, a prominent figure (mayor seven times) in Preston. Edmund Cartwright is credited with inventing the power loom and securing patents for it. Robert Grimshaw made a business arrangement with Cartwright to deploy 500 looms in a weaving mill near Manchester. Unfortunately, the factory was burned in 1790 (probably by an arsonist) not long after it went into operation, apparently the victim of the social unrest and reaction to the Industrial Revolution at the time.
	Other Important Grimshaw Connections to the Industrial Revolution Nicholas Grimshaw played a pivotal role in bringing the textile industry to Ireland during the same timeframe that members of the Grimshaw family were actively participating in the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution in England. Nicholas was from Blackburn and apparently emigrated to Ireland in about 1776. He initiated the textile industry when he opened the first cotton mill in 1784 at a location near Belfast. The social ills that accompanied the Industrial Revolution included high unemployment, low wages and the lack of a social "safety net" which led to great suffering, and even starvation, among the textile workers in Lancashire. Four days of rioting ("Power Loom Riots") occurred in 1826 during which more than 1000 power looms were destroyed by desperate persons. The first day of rioting (April 26) started at Clayton-le-Moors and included eight factories. Two Grimshaw women (Alice and Ellen) were implicated in the attack on White Ash factory in Ostwaldtwistle on the first day of rioting. Also, Phoebe Tomlinson, later the wife of John Grimshaw (soldier in the Coldstream Guards), was arrested and convicted for her involvement in the rioting. The Grimshaws were involved in the social unrest in other ways as well. For example, "Radical" John Grimshaw apparently was the author of two interesting poems that protested the treatment of the textile workers: "Hand Loom v Power Loom" and "The Hand Loom Weavers' Lament."

Grimshaws Today

	Today there are apparently about 18,000 living persons with the Grimshaw surname.
	About 13,350 are in Great Britain, 2400 are in the U.S., 1200 are in Australia and New Zealand, 750 are in Canada, and the remainder are scattered in 10 to 12 other countries.
	Apparently most, if not all, of these families are descended from Walter Grimshaw and his descendants from Eccleshill in Lancashire.

Records of Grimshaw Immigrations to North America

Grimshaws have been apparently been coming to America since the mid-1600s, less than 50 years after the founding of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia.

It appears that more than 130 Grimshaw immigrants entered the U.S. (and the preceding colonies) between 1651 and 1880. The earliest Grimshaw immigrants (the first dozen or so) came during the colonial period and early history of the country and appear in records related to the Virginia and Maryland colonies. They appear as owners (or at least tenants) of land, as an indentured servant (in one case), and as convicts that were deported to Virginia or Maryland. One couple is also recorded as coming to the Georgia colony. After the Revolutionary War, the immigration pattern changed dramatically and shifted northward, with the majority of records showing connections with New York, particularly as immigrants through the port of New York. Strong connections in Pennsylvania are also indicated, especially in naturalization records.

Early Census Records for Grimshaws in the U.S.

	For this website, an initial survey was conducted for Grimshaw entries in readily available (published) census indexes. The period covered in the census survey was from before 1790 to 1860.
	The total number of Grimshaws included in the census data increased from 2 before 1790 to 118 in 1860.
	Grimshaws were found in 32 states over the 90-year period.
	The following table summarizes the number of Grimshaws found in each census: Pre-1790 2 1830 22 1790 3 1840 26 1800 2 1850 67 1810 14 1860 118 1820 11
	Almost 400 indexes were examined, of which 94 were found to contain Grimshaw entries.

Grimshaws in the 1870 U.S. Census

	The indexes for the 1870 U.S. Census for 49 states were reviewed for Grimshaw entries for this survey (SD was not available).
	A total of about 165 Grimshaws were enumerated in the 1870 census.
	Not only does the census provide the name and location of the head of the household, but it also provides the names and relationship to the head, of the other residents of the household.
	Also included are the occupation, country of birth, and birth country of parents of all the individuals in the household.

Grimshaws in the 1880 U.S. Census

	The 1880 Census is an outstanding resource for researching family lines of earlier immigrants to this country.
	Not only does the census provide the name and location of the head of the household, but it also provides the names and relationship to the head, of the other residents of the household. Also included are the occupation, country of birth, and birth country of parents of all the individuals in the household.
	A search of an electronic database of the census yields a total of about 600 Grimshaws living in the U.S. in 1880. Approximately 120 families are represented.

Grimshaw Family Lines in North America

	A clear and consistent picture of the family lines of Grimshaws in North America is only just barely emerging
	One of the main purposes of this website is to provide a focus for obtaining (and posting) Grimshaw family lines to help the Grimshaw research effort.
	The American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI), one of the standard references for genealogical and biographical information in America, contains 30 Grimshaw listings. These 30 Grimshaws are indexed from a total of 12 references. Each of the 12 references containing Grimshaw entries was reviewed, and (where known) a connection has been made to Grimshaw immigrants and their family lines.
	The Edwin A Grimshaw Collection of American Grimshaw Family Lines -- about 20 years ago Ed purchased a book of Grimshaw family information offered by Beatrice Bayley. In an effort to trace his family history, Ed sent inquiries to all of the nearly 600 Grimshaws listed in the book and received about 75 responses. His collection of responses, received in 1979 and 1980, comprise a valuable record of Grimshaw immigrants to the U.S. and their descendants.
	Some of the most significant Grimshaw lines identified so far are described below. William Grimshaw fought in the American Revolutionary War on the side of the Colonials. He was a member of Hazen’s Regiment, which was initiated in Canada by Moses Hazen near the beginning of the conflict. Apparently William’s service began in January 1782 and continued until the regiment was disbanded* in June 1783, a period of about 18 months.  Records indicate that William was a fifer and that he served in (Clement or Louis) Captain Gosselin’s Company. He caused a casualty in February 1782 – a man named Musick or Musiak.  After the war he received bounty land for his service, receiving Bounty Land Warrant No. 13129, dated March 25, 1790. He was counted in the New Hampshire (Grafton County) censuses of 1790, 1800 and 1810. A copy of a Bounty Land Warrant issued to William for his Revolutionary War service is shown below. Following his service in the Revolutionary War, William settled in New Hampshire, where he apparently had a family and remained for more than 20 years. During that time he left at least 15 direct (and two indirect) records, including land transactions, census tallies, road petitions, marriages and intentions to marry, and inventory and tax records.  The records discovered so far cover William's life in New Hampshire from about 1788 to around 1812. Indirect evidence indicates that William's wife was Elizabeth Lepninah or Zephaniah, and his nine children (five girls and four boys) included Betsey, Zephaniah, George, and Levi. Zephaniah Grimshaw, believed to be the oldest son of William and Elizabeth, lived in the area of southwestern Quebec and northern New York state in the early 1800s. He was one of the most prolific Grimshaws, fathering nearly 20 children, apparently by three women -- Jerusha Hunter, Asentha Noakes and Adaline Covey. The town of Grimshaw, Alberta, Canada is named for Matthew Grimshaw, a physician who was apparently a descendant of Zephaniah. Two Grimshaw families lived on Wolfe Island, Ontario, which is located near Kingston at the head of the St. Lawrence River at Lake Ontario. The first Grimshaws to settle on Wolfe Island were apparently William and Mary Ann (Blair) Grimshaw, who acquired several parcels of land in the western half of the island. William is believed to have been the oldest son of Zephaniah. The second family to live on Wolfe Island was that of George and Charlotte (Menard) Grimshaw. George is believed to be the second son of William and Elizabeth Grimshaw. George and Charlotte apparently had about 8 children. Many of their descendants are in the U.S., since three of their sons moved to Wisconsin. A webpage has been prepared for one of their sons, John James Grimshaw (see below.) John James and Mary Ann (Mahoney) Grimshaw apparently met and married on Wolfe Island. John was the third child (oldest son) of George and Charlotte (Menard) Grimshaw. Mary Ann came from Ireland during the potato famine. After most or all of their children were born, they emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Richland Center, Wisconsin. Webpages have been prepared on three of their sons, George Thomas, William Alexander and Michael Henry Grimshaw (see below.) George Thomas and Aris (Ladd) Grimshaw met and married in Wisconsin and migrated westward, eventually settling in South Dakota, where they lived out their lives. George was the oldest son of John and Mary Ann Grimshaw and was born on Wolfe Island. Aris was from New York. George and Aris are the great-grandparents of the author of this website. William Alexander and Jane (Turner) Grimshaw were both born in 1854, William in New York and Jane Turner in Muncie, Indiana. Both of their families migrated to Richland Center, Wisconsin, where the couple married on December 26, 1872. Later they moved to Beloit, where they lived out their lives. William was another son of John and Mary Ann Grimshaw. Michael Henry and Maria (Norris) Grimshaw also migrated west and settled in Minnesota, where Maria died, at the young age of 32, and is buried. Michael subsequently remarried and lived in North Dakota, where he died and is buried. Lawrence and Mary (Duckworth) Grimshaw apparently lived during the early 1800s in Accrington, Lancashire, near Clayton-le-Moors, the home of the original Grimshaw family line. They had nine children, four of whom immigrated to America. Four of their grandchildren similarly emigrated, for a total of no fewer than eight Grimshaw emigrants for this family. All but one converted to Mormonism in England. Duckworth Grimshaw, son of Lawrence and Mary, converted to Mormonism in England and emigrated to Utah in about 1862. There he met his first wife, Mary Jane Moyes, and had 13 children. A noteworthy feature of Duckworth's life was his polygamous second marriage, to Ellen Muir Smith, for which he spent a year in the Utah penitentiary. The one child from the second marriage apparently left no descendants. Duckworth and Bridget (Monahan) Grimshaw, of Killingly, Connecticut. Duckworth Grimshaw was born in Lancashire in 1822 and apparently married and had a family there. Then, when his sisters sailed for America as Mormon emigrants, he secretly joined the sailing party. Sometime after arriving in America, Duckworth apparently married again, to Bridget Monahan, and had a second family. He also changed his name, adding "Francis" as his first name. William Robinson Grimshaw was born in New York City and led an adventurous life, including time at sea on sailing vessels, and was in on the "ground floor" of the California Gold Rush of about 1848. His adventures are chronicled in a book based on his recollections entitled "Grimshaw's Narrative." He married Sarah Pierce Rhoads and had 12 children, although many of them died young. Eleanor Grimshaw, daughter of John and Mary Jane (Hutton) Grimshaw, married twice, to George Dixon and Harry Shenfield. She lived mostly in western Canada, where many of her descendants still reside. An interesting poem about the Grimshaws and other ancestors of Eleanor's parents was written at about the time of their marriage Joseph Grimshaw, son of Abraham and Ellen (or Eleanor) (Whalley) Grimshaw, married twice, to Margaret Wetherold and Elizabeth Mitchell-Hadden. He apparently lived in New York in the early 1800s and had 11 children, 8 with Margaret and 3 with Elizabeth. Thomas and Helen (Brettargh) Grimshawe apparently migrated to Colbourg, Ontario and subsequently to North Carolina. Thomas visited the U.S. and Western Canada in 1850, during which he kept a detailed and very interesting diary which is still in existence. He then returned to England and the family subsequently emigrated to Ontario in 1852. They had six children. Later the family moved again, this time to western North Carolina. William Grimshaw, Noted Historical Author was a descendant of the "Irish" Grimshaw line (described above). He immigrated to the U.S. in 1815 from Ireland and lived mostly in Philadelphia, where he became a noteworthy author of many historical textbooks and other works. William married twice and was the father of at least three other Grimshaws who established good reputations in the U.S. - William Arthur, a lawyer who moved to Illinois during the pioneering days of the 1830s; Arthur Harper, who fought on the Union side in the Civil War after raising his own regiment in Delaware; and Robert, who authored numerous engineering and other technical works and was a co-founder of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. William Arthur Grimshaw was the oldest son of William Grimshaw, the historical author, and his first wife, Harriet Elizabeth Milligan. William was born in Philadelphia and was educated as a lawyer. He migrated to Illinois on the frontier of the American West in the 1830s. William was apparently a successful lawyer in Illinois and served in the state legislature and as President of the State Board of Charities.  Arthur Harper Grimshaw was the youngest son of William the author and his first wife. During the American Civil War, Arthur raised "his own" regiment for the Union side in Delaware and commanded it (with the rank of Colonel) through the course of the war.  Robert E. Grimshaw was the youngest son of William the author; he was born to William's second wife, Maria Caroline De la Croix. Robert built a distinguished reputation as a mechanical engineer in the U.S. and authored many engineering and other technical publications. Jonathan Grimshaw was born in 1818 at Yeadon, near Leeds, Yorkshire, England. He and Eliza Topham were married in 1839 and converted to Mormonism in 1849. The family emigrated to the U.S. in 1851, settling first in St. Louis and then Jefferson City, Missouri. They apparently made it to Salt Lake City, but for some reason later returned to Missouri. The "Texas" Line of Grimshaws started when James Grimshaw traveled by boat from Boston to Texas before the Civil War. Family lore has it that he fought in the war and "got his horse shot from under him in Louisiana." One of James' sons, Amos, participated in a Texas oil boom in Young County in the 1920s. John &  Margaret (Hartley) Grimshaw were Quaker immigrants from Leeds, Yorkshire. They emigrated to the U.S. in 1803 and settled in Dutchess County, New York, where John was engaged in woolen manufacture. Subsequently they moved to Henderson County, Ohio. Grimshaw, Bulloch County, Georgia is an extinct community named for Harry B. Grimshaw. The community apparently started as a railroad station in the early 1900s and was named for Harry because he was an executive of the railroad company that built the track between Savannah and Statesboro. Jonathan and Elizabeth (Pratt) Grimshaw were not immigrants to North America themselves, but several of their descendants were, including at least two children (Benjamin and John) and four grandchildren. They lived in Yorkshire, probably in Leeds. Jonathan was descended from the Edward and Dorothy (Raner) Grimshaw line (6th generation.) Most, if not all, of their immigrant descendants settled in Erie County, Pennsylvania. Many were involved in the woolen business - a mill was acquired by Benjamin in North East township and was later operated by his son-in-law, William Aaron Grimshaw. A drawing is shown below. Zacharia and Nellie (Wilde) Grimshaw apparently emigrated from England to Alberta, where they died in Strathmore. Their son, George Grimshaw, immigrated to the U.S. and was married in Minnesota.  Henry Grimshaw immigrated to Genessee, Wisconsin in the spring of 1843 and was followed by his wife Mary (Mann) Grimshaw and son (John) in the fall of the same year. They settled on a farm and apparently had a second son, Henry, after arriving in Wisconsin. Henry and Mary were born in Yorkshire, where Henry was apparently a woolen manufacturer before emigrating to America. Joseph Grimshaw apparently immigrated to Nova Scotia from England in about 1843. He and Marinda Ostrander were married in Canada on an unknown date and moved to Michigan in 1865. They apparently subsequently lived for a time in Ontario and then returned to Michigan. George and Mary (Barnes) Grimshaw were the parents of four brothers (James, John, George and David) who immigrated to Paterson, New Jersey in 1868 and started a large silk mill in 1872. It is possible that the family immigrated together and the father participated in the business also, as both George and Mary died in the U.S.  John and Mary Grimshaw immigrated to Philadelphia where they apparently lived out their lives and had several children who have contributed many descendants to this family line. Not much is known (yet) about this family line, except that John is shown as a "weaver" in the 1880 U.S. Census. Hugh and Elizabeth (Burroughs) Grimshaw apparently immigrated to the U.S. from Manchester, England in 1811 or 1812. They arrived through the port of Philadelphia and settled in Salem County in southern New Jersey, south of Philadelphia. They had at least three children. Rebecca Mary (Grimshaw) and William P. Smith were Mormon Immigrants from Bury, Lancashire. They lived in Union, Utah, south of Salt Lake City. George Grimshaw was born between 1790 and 1800 in Great Britain. He immigrated to the U.S. in 1817. George and Rachel Graves were married on June 29, 1826 in Hinds County, Mississippi. George was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in that county in 1829. After several children were born in Mississippi, the family moved to Caldwell Parish, Louisiana, where they bought Waverly Plantation on November 25, 1836. Ann (Grimshaw) Jackson was a Mormon Immigrant to Nephi, Utah who came with her daughter from England many years after her husband had emigrated to Utah. William Grimshaw was born in England in 1782 and apparently immigrated to Philadelphia before 1816 because he and Barbara Farrier were married there in that year. Little information on William and Barbara has been found, but much is known about their son, Robert Elwood Grimshaw, his wife Mary Page Nicholson, and several of their children. Robert and Mary Grimshaw moved their family from their birthplace in Philadelphia to Minnesota when it was still a frontier area. William and Barbara's grandson, Robert Elwood Grimshaw, Jr. was involved in the manufacture of carriages in Minneapolis until 1876, when he left to join the Black Hills gold rush. Thomas S. Grimshaw was born in Manchester, England in 1852. After receiving his education in private schools, and in an apprenticeship to a locomotive manufacturing company, Thomas went to South America, where he worked as a master railroad car builder in Argentina and Chile. In 1876 he came to the U.S. and out his life in southern California. He married Emma Mary Kraemer, and the couple had one child, Mary Alice, who apparently did not marry and left no descendants.
	Records exist for other lines of Grimshaws in North America; these lines will be added to this website as information becomes available.

Miscellaneous Grimshaw Information and Anecdotes

	The Sinking of the Caleb Grimshaw, Emigrant Ship, in 1849 One of the lines of Grimshaws located in Liverpool and became involved in transatlantic shipping during the first half of the 19th century. Caleb Grimshaw apparently lived in Liverpool and operated "packet ships" between there and New York City as part of the "Black Star" line of packets. In 1849, one of his ships, apparently named for him, caught fire during the initial stages of its voyage from Liverpool to New York with 457 people on board. After several days, the Caleb Grimshaw sank near the Azores with the loss of 90 lives. Most of the others were rescued by another ship, the Sarah, that fortunately appeared on the fourth day of the fire and transported all the passengers it could hold to Flores in the Azores.
	William Grimshaw of Haworth, Noted Evangelist of the Mid-1700s One of the best known Grimshaw descendants is William Grimshaw, who was deeply involved in the evangelical movement in England in the mid-1700s. He was educated for ministry in the Church of England. During his tenure as head of the church in Haworth, he became a strong evangelist and worked closely with the Wesley brothers during the era when the Methodist church was founded.  William did not sever his ties with the Church of England, but he preached in many parishes outside his own and gained a significant reputation for the power of his sermons and the large number of conversions to evangelical Christianity for which he was responsible. He was born in Brindle in Lancashire County (southeast of Preston and about 10 miles west of Grimshaw in Eccleshill).  Apparently, his family has not yet been "connected" to the original Grimshaw family tree.  At least four books have been written about William's  life, the most recent published in 1997.
	The Grimshaw Line at Audenshaw in England In 1906, Francis John Angus Skeet published a history of several families that included a line of Grimshaws from Audenshaw. The original Grimshaw family line from Whitaker is also presented in summary form to provide context.  This reference usually emerges for Grimshaw researchers who are just getting started because of the presence of the Grimshaw name in the title. However, very little information beyond the Audenshaw family line is provided on the Grimshaws, and there is no connection made of the line back to the original family line.
	Moses Grimshaw, a Fictional "Idealized" Lancastrian Norman Poulton published a novel in 1896 entitled "Moses Grimshaw – a Story of Lancashire Life". His apparent purpose in the book was to expound upon his social and ethical values and theories as he saw them in the context of late Victorian England at the peak of the Industrial Revolution.  What is perhaps most significant to Grimshaw family researchers is Poulton's choice of the surname "Grimshaw" as being representative or emblematic of Lancashire for his exposition.
	The Griffin, Privateer Brig The Griffin operated out of Liverpool in the 1770s under the command of a Captain Grimshaw. In 1779, the ship was recorded in Lloyd’s Register, a book of information on ships calling at English ports.  Records indicate that the Griffin, acting as a privateer, successfully captured a ship, the Le Count St. Germaine, in February 1779.  Another record fourteen years earlier (1764), indicates that a Grimshaw was involved in the maritime slave trade. It is not known if he is the same person as the Griffin's captain. Is it safe to assume that Griffin's Captain Grimshaw named his ship for the Grimshaw family icon? The griffin has been associated with the Grimshaw family (on its coat of arms) going back at least to the early 1600s, and possibly as early as the 1300s.
	John Grimshaw, Coldstream Guards Soldier and Lancashire Weaver John is an interesting representative of the Grimshaws of Lancashire from two standpoints. First, his army career in the Coldstream Guards, one of the most distinguished military units in England Second, his participation in the textile industry before and after his 12-year military career.  Lancashire-born Anne Grimshaw (now living elsewhere in England) has researched John's life extensively, as well as several aspects of the context of his life.
	Beatrice Ethel Grimshaw, South Pacific Adventurer and Author Beatrice Ethel Grimshaw achieved considerable prominence in the first half of the 1900s for her travels in the South Pacific, her non-fictional travel books on that area, and her novels set in exotic tropical locations. Beatrice was the great-granddaughter of Nicholas and Mary (Wrigley) Grimshaw, the progenitors of the "Irish" line of Grimshaws. She was born in Cloona, County Antrim, Ireland on February 3, 1870 and began her South Pacific sojourns in 1904. She died on June 30, 1953 at Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia.
	Thomas Wrigley Grimshaw, Physician and Public Health Servant of Dublin Thomas Wrigley Grimshaw was educated as a physician in Dublin and practiced in that city until 1879, when he was appointed as Registrar-General for Ireland.  During his years of medical practice, he investigated the causes and distribution of water-borne diseases in Dublin and authored a pioneering public health paper in 1872.
	Roland "Roly" Grimshaw, Indian Cavalry Officer and Diarist, World War I Roland William Wrigley ("Roly") Grimshaw was an officer in the Indian Army Corps of the British forces during World War I.  From August 1914 to June 1915 he kept a detailed diary of his wartime experiences. The diary was subsequently published.
	Thomas Shuttleworth Grimshaw, Clergyman, Author, Scholar Thomas was one of the more accomplished members of the Pendle Forest line of Grimshaws.  He held two positions simultaneously in the Church of England. Thomas was also the author of several works, including two notable literary pieces – Memoirs of the Rev. Legh Richmond and The Works of William Cowper.
	T. Harold Grimshaw, Shetland Islands Missionary and Author Harold was born in Haslingden, Lancashire and entered the Methodist ministry. He served as a missionary in the Shetland Islands before moving to Australia and, finally, the U.S., where he retired in California. He was apparently deeply impressed by his experience in the Shetlands and authored three books on the islands: 1) A Sturdy Little Northland – a Tribute to the Shetlanders (1913); 2) Sunshine Sonniksen – an Idyl of the Shetland Islands (1954); and 3) Memories of the Shetland Islands, – the Delineation of an Afterglow (1955)
	Atkinson Grimshaw, Painter of Ethereal Scenes and Fairy Figures John Atkinson Grimshaw was a noted painter in the mid to late 1800s whose subject matter was primarily fairy figures, landscapes, and dockland areas, particularly at sunset and by moonlight.  He was born in Leeds in 1836 and began painting full-time about 1861; he dropped his first name by about 1867.  Atkinson Grimshaw is descended from the Edward and Dorothy (Raner) Grimshaw line of Yorkshire.
	Mary Grimsha, "Charwoman" to King Charles II on Jersey Island During the English Civil Wars in the 1600s, Charles II twice stayed in Elizabeth Castle on Jersey, one of the Channel Islands. On his second visit, and possibly also during the first visit, Charles received the services of Mary Grimsha as his “Necessary Woman” –- apparently she kept his quarters clean. Mary’s services were recorded in a small document that is still in existence; it is dated February 12, 1650 (current calendar convention.)
	Gary Grimshaw, Concert Poster Artist for Famous Rock Music Groups Gary Michael Grimshaw is a graphic artist specializing in the music business since his first concert poster design in 1966.  He was the primary poster and light show artist for Detroit's legendary Grande Ballroom through 1969. During this time he also created art for Detroit's notorious rock & roll band The MC5.  Currently an album cover design for the MC5's first album "Kick Out The Jams" painted in 1968 is on view at Cleveland's Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame & Museum.
	The Grimshawes of Errwood Hall, Goyt Valley, Derbyshire Errwood Hall is located in Goyt Valley, southeast of Manchester and not far from Buxton. The hall was built in the mid-1800s by a wealthy Grimshawe family from Manchester and was occupied by descendants of the family until 1930.  Samuel Grimshawe II (born 1811) built the hall, and the family enjoyed a rich and abundant life there (including extensive foreign travel in a family yacht).  However, there were no descendants of the family after Samuel’s grandchildren with the Grimshawe surname.  Errwood Hall was demolished in the 1960s in connection with construction of nearby Errwood Reservoir, but the remains have been preserved and are now a tourist attraction as well as a popular stop for hikers.
	Doctor Grimshawe's Secret, by Nathaniel Hawthorne  Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret in 1861, but he never considered the work finished and did not publish it before his death. It was published posthumously in 1883 by Hawthorne’s son, Julian. Doctor Grimshawe’s Secret, according to literature historians, contains more autobiographical material than any of Hawthorne's other writings. One of the principal topics is Hawthorne’s unresolved feelings about his childhood guardian, whose character is represented by Dr. Grimshaw, a spider-cultivating eccentric. The central motif (i.e., the "secret") of the book is an all-encompassing spider web. The Grimshawe name, probably learned when Hawthorne spent extensive time in England (he was the American consul in Liverpool for four years), was apparently picked because he felt that it fit the grim and foreboding character of the central character (i.e., Hawthorne’s guardian.)  Thus neither the name nor the novel appear to have anything to do with members of the Grimshaw family.
	In 1931, Ivan Grimshaw authored “When I Was a Boy in England” as one in a series of books entitled “Children of Other Lands Books.” Ivan’s book appears to be directed to a juvenile audience. Ivan was born in Shipley, Yorkshire in 1900. When he was still a boy, his father accepted a position in Akron, Ohio with one of the large American rubber companies. The family rode the train to Liverpool from Shipley, sailed to Boston on the Cunard Liner Ivernia, and traveled by train to Cleveland, eventually arriving in Akron.   Ivan and his parents lived there until he left for college.
	Archbishop Grimshaw School is located in the southeast outskirts of Birmingham and was apparently named after Francis Joseph Grimshaw, who served as Archbishop of Birmingham from 1954 to 1965.  According to the school website (address shown below), "Archbishop Grimshaw is a Roman Catholic School in Chelmsley Wood, Solihull, Midlands.  There are approximately 1300 students from 11 to 19 and over 70 staff. Courses on offer range from GCSE and A levels to GNVQ."
	Cecil Thomas Wrigley Grimshaw was born in Ireland and served in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers during the Boer War, during which time he kept a very interesting diary. This diary recounts his experiences as a prisoner of war in Pretoria at the same time as Winston Churchill.  Later, Cecil fought in World War I, again with the Royal Dublin fusiliers, in the Gallipoli campaign.  This campaign, fought on the Turkish peninsula on the north side of the Dardanelles (Gallipoli peninsula), was generally considered to be unsuccessful.  Cecil Grimshaw was killed in action there on April 26, 1915.

About This Website

	The main objective of this website is to spur greater interest and research effort into Grimshaw origins and family lines by supporting interested Grimshaw researchers. As you will see on the various pages on this website, I give credit for all contributions.
	If you have information on the Grimshaw family line, you are invited to send it, either by e-mail or through the postal system, for addition to this website. Please use the following e-mail or "snail-mail" addresses:

Other Websites of Interest to Grimshaw Researchers

	As noted above, there is a lot of interest in the Grimshaw family, and many have posted genealogical and family history information on the World Wide Web.
	Shown below are some of the websites that I know about; this list will be expanded as I learn about more of them.
	Please e-mail me (thomas.w@grimshaw.com) if you know of other significant sites.