John Randolph Grymes (December 14, 1786 – December 3, 1854) was a New Orleans attorney, member of the Louisiana state legislature, U.S. attorney for Louisiana district, and '' aide-de-camp'' to General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans.Hemard

Early life

Grymes was born on December 14, 1786, in Orange County, Virginia into several of the First Families of Virginia. He was a son of Benjamin Grymes (–1805) and Sarah Robinson (1755–1831). Among his siblings were

Philip Grymes Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...

, Thomas Grymes, Elizabeth Pope (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Grymes) Braxton and Peyton Grymes. His paternal grandparents were Mary (née

Randolph Randolph may refer to: Places In the United States * Randolph, Alabama, an unincorporated community * Randolph, Arizona, a populated place * Randolph, California, a village merged into the city of Brea * Randolph, Illinois, an unincorporated commun ...

) Grymes and Col. Philip Ludwell Grymes, a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. Like Thomas Jefferson and

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...

, Grymes was a descendant of William Randolph and Mary Isham, through his maternal grandmother's father, Sir John Randolph, the youngest son of William and Mary. His uncle and namesake, John Randolph Grymes, was a

loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

during the American Revolution who joined the British Army under the former Royal Governor of Virginia Lord Dunmore. His maternal grandparents were Sarah (née Lister) Robinson and Peter Robinson, who was educated at

Oriel College, Oxford Oriel College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in Oxford, England. Located in Oriel Square, the college has the distinction of being the oldest royal foundation in Oxford (a title formerly claimed by University College, wh ...

and was a member of the Virginia House Burgesses between 1758 and 1761. His uncle, Christopher Robinson, was a United Empire Loyalist and the father of Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, the

Chief Justice of Upper Canada The Court of Appeal for Ontario (frequently referred to as the Ontario Court of Appeal or ONCA) is the appellate court for the province of Ontario, Canada. The seat of the court is Osgoode Hall in downtown Toronto, also the seat of the Law ...

. Their ancestor, also named Christopher Robinson, came to Virginia about 1666 as secretary to Sir William Berkeley, Governor of Virginia. His grandfather was a brother of

John Robinson John Robinson may refer to: Academics *John Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882), Irish astronomer and physicist * John J. Robinson (1918–1996), historian and author of ''Born in Blood'' *John Talbot Robinson (1923–2001), paleontologist *John ...

, Speaker of the House of Burgesses, and Beverley Robinson, also a loyalist leader.

Career

In 1808, Grymes arrived in New Orleans. On May 4, 1811, Grymes was appointed to replace his deceased brother

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

as the U.S. attorney for Louisiana district, serving until December 1814, when he resigned his post to represent the pirate Jean Lafitte. During the War of 1812, Grymes served as '' aide-de-camp'' to General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans. As an attorney, he was law partners with Edward Livingston and was one of Jackson's lawyers in the case over the Second Bank of the United States, he opposed Daniel Webster in court against

Myra Clark Gaines Myra Clark Gaines (c. June 30, 1804January 9, 1885) was an American socialite and plaintiff in the longest-running lawsuit in the history of the United States court system. From 1834 to 1891, Gaines was at the center of a legal battle to recogniz ...

, and, reportedly, he earned $100,000 in the batture (or alluvial) land case against Edward Livingston. Grymes was a member of the "New Orleans Association" which included attorneys Edward Livingston and

Abner L. Duncan Abner Lawson Duncan (died 1823) was a prominent Louisiana attorney, businessman, politician and ''aide-de-camp'' to General Andrew Jackson during the Battle of New Orleans.The Saunders Family History Duncan was a member of the "New Orleans Ass ...

, merchant John K. West, smuggler

Pierre Laffite Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

, and pirate Jean Laffite. Grymes was also a founding member of The Boston Club, a private gentlemen's club in New Orleans.

Personal life

On December 1, 1822, Grymes married Cayetana Susana "Suzette" (née Bosque) Claiborne, widow of the first Louisiana Governor

William C. C. Claiborne William Charles Cole Claiborne ( 1773–1775 – November 23, 1817) was an American politician, best known as the first non-colonial governor of Louisiana. He also has the distinction of possibly being the youngest member of the United State ...

, and daughter of Felicidad Fangui and Bartolomé Bosque, a wealthy Spanish merchant and ship owner. From her first marriage, she was the mother of two: Sophronia Louise Claiborne (the wife of

Antoine James de Marigny Antoine Jacques Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville (1811–1890), (also known as Antoine James de Marigny and Mandeville de Marigny), was the son of Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville and Anna Mathilde Morales, and the son-in-law of William C. C ...

, the son of

Bernard de Marigny Jean-Bernard Xavier Philippe de Marigny de Mandeville (1785–1868), known as Bernard de Marigny, was a French- Creole American nobleman, playboy, planter, politician, duelist, writer, horse breeder, land developer, and President of the Louisia ...

) and Charles W. W. Claiborne, the Clerk of the U.S. Court in New Orleans. Together, they lived at 612 Royal Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and were the parents of four children, including: * Marie Angeline "Medora" Grymes (1824–1867), who married Samuel Ward in 1843. He was widowed from Emily Astor, eldest daughter of

William Backhouse Astor Sr. William Backhouse Astor Sr. (September 19, 1792 – November 24, 1875) was an American business magnate who inherited most of his father John Jacob Astor's fortune. He worked as a partner in his father's successful export business. His massive in ...

Both of their sons died in the 1860s. * John Randolph Grymes III (b. 1826) * Charles Alfred Grymes (1829–1905), a physician who married Emma Stebbins (1837–1865), a daughter of U.S. Representative

Henry George Stebbins Col. Henry George Stebbins (September 15, 1811 – December 9, 1881) was a U.S. Representative from New York during the latter half of the American Civil War. Early life Stebbins was born in Ridgefield, Connecticut, to Mary Largin (1783–18 ...

, in 1858. After her death, he married Mary Helen James (1840–1881), a daughter of John Barber James and Mary Helen (née Vanderburgh) James (a daughter of

Federal Vanderburgh Federal Vanderburgh (May 11, 1788 – January 23, 1868) was an American doctor, researcher and a pioneer in the field of homeopathy during the early-to mid 19th century. One of the pupils of Dr. Hans Burch Gram, Vanderburgh contributed a number ...

), in 1868. Mary, a niece of

Henry James Sr. Henry James Sr. (June 3, 1811December 18, 1882) was an American theologian, father of the philosopher William James, the novelist Henry James, and the diarist Alice James. Following a dramatic moment of spiritual enlightenment, he became deepl ...

, was a cousin of psychologist William James, author Henry James, and diarist Alice James. * Athenais Grymes (1832–1897), who married New York banker, Louis A. von Hoffman, one of the founders of the Knickerbocker Club. Grymes died in New Orleans on December 3, 1854. His widow survived him by over a quarter century before her death in Paris August 6, 1881.

Descendants

Through his son Alfred, he was a grandfather of John Randolph Grymes (1859–1929), who married his half first cousin once removed, Sophronie Coale Thomas, and Mabel Grymes Heneberger (1861–1883), who married Lucien Guy Heneberger, a U.S. Naval Surgeon who served as head of the Naval Hospital at Annapolis. Mabel died after giving birth to their first child, and Heneberger built the Mabel Memorial Chapel and Mabel Memorial Schoolhouse in

Harrisonburg, Virginia Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is also the county seat of the surrounding Rockingham County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. At the 2 ...

in her honor. Through his daughter Athenais, he was a grandfather of Medora von Hoffmann (1856–1921), who married

Marquis de Mores A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

, a French-born nobleman who was a

frontier A frontier is the political and geographical area near or beyond a boundary. A frontier can also be referred to as a "front". The term came from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"—the region of a country that fronts o ...

ranchman in the Badlands of Dakota Territory; he was assassinated in Algeria in 1896. and He was also the grandfather of Pauline Grymes (1858–1950), who married the wealthy German industrialist Baron Ferdinand von Stumm whose family owned the Neunkirchen Iron and Steelworks in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1878.

Legacy

Grymes Hill, Staten Island, is named after Suzette Grymes, who settled there in 1836 with her children. She built a mansion on the hill there known as "Capo di Monte" ("Top of the Mountain").

Ancestry

References

Notes Sources