Mary and Walter Grigg are the-parents of Guy Grigg of Lawndale, Policeman Fred
Grigg of Shelby,; and SGvoral others,- 'vvhose n?jr.es I do not know, Mary Matmey, the
olhor sister, married Andy London, They are the grandparents of Walter, Andrew and
the other Leo sisters and brothers of Lawndale,
Now we come to niy great grandfather Isaac. There is so much about him IM like
to teDJL, that I hardly know v.'here to begin. He was a big handsome man vdth white hair
and a white beard, and the merriest blue eyes I ever saw. He had a v;onderxul sense
of humor, and in all the years I knew hiin I never once saw him angry, X used to, sit
enchanted for hours, listening to his storips of the War between the States,
He Volunteered when ho was eif:hteen years old and fought in the battle of Gain's
Mill, where his entire company, v;ith the ejjception of a few, v/ere killede He was in
the battle of Harper's Ferry, and y/as, wounded in the battle of Chancelorsville, Virg
inia, He used to tell of the hardships the Southern soldiei’s had to endure - he told
of the only time he was ever tempted to desert. He was on guard duty in a freezing
rain - they vjere ragged, cold and very near starvation. He said as he walked, he
thought of his mother's warm feather bed - then.he thought of the good viarm food she
would eagerly set before him. Tormented by these thoughts,.he:began to shed big tears
which immediately froze on his beard. He said he began^to pray for courage to stick
it out, for he knew if he became a deserter, it v/ould break his family’s heart, .
Grandpa Isaac was always courageous, even if he did falter on that occasion,
I*ve heard him tell of the time, when he vjas a boy of twelve, his mother sent him
down near the Kings Mountain Battleground to. a dress niaker who lived near there. The
■ country was about all forest then, with very few roads ~ he went on horse back through
deep wooded areas, where the houses were few and. far between.
While Grandfather was av/ay in battle his family kept his fine racing mare'hidden
under" a hill by a- stream. The enemy evidently iwas watching/ for Tvhcn old John, the
slave, r;cht to feed her, they followed and took the animal away.
All ihe Mauneys are;groat pranksters, they, love a'good Joke whether it is-on
them or someone else. Grandfather Isaac was no different —.aft^r Grandma died, and
he was getting along in years a certain attractive widow would often visit in
the family. When her visits v;ere- over, he would take her as far on her way home as
Lii'mdale, Afraid of being teased, she vrauld get out of the buggy before they got in
to town, and walk the remainder of, the >vay„ On'this particular occasion he whipped
old "Belle" up and made her trot all dver t'^\7n/, with the • widow as mad as a wet hen.
Grandpa Isaac married Mary Peeler. To .them v;as born the following children:
My grandfather, Horace, who-married,Hattie Williams(5n, My father is their only child:
Tom, who married'Lucy Grigg, still,lives at the old home place: ■ Ottie, who married
Dr, Griffin Gold, lives at Polkville: Vertie, married John Dan Lattimore of Polkville;
Marvin, deceased, who lived in Columbia, S, C, and Blanch, also deceased, who was the
first wife of "V/alt" Lee. •
The Mooneys, or Mauneys (as you prefer it)' are a hardy race :of people who "ail"
a lot, but live to be old. In our immediate family there are four living generations.
When Laxton was a child, ho was the fifth living generation. My dau^ter, Carolyn,
was also a fifth living generation. In fact, she was fortunate enough to have seen ■
four of her grandparents, six great grandparents and three great,' great grandparents,
also one step ^eat grandparent, making a total of fourteen living'grandparents,
I could tell you loads of stuff on njy brother and two sisters, such as what happ
ened to Laxtoh dovm behind the com crib. Then'I could tell you about -the time Rosa
mond- .nnd Ann Lee put a certain garment on a dog, then turned it loose in school. I
could also tell you what mother put on Ruth’s tbimb to stop her from sucking it after
she started to school. Not to-mention a .few, other choice morsels. If I tell all on
them they ^are liable, to open up with both barrels and tell something - on me that I
vrouldn’t care to have the public know,
* •»«- * -5S- . * ; ^
Breathes there a man with soul so dead.
Who has never turned around and said,
Hmr-nwn^ — not badl l