Jesse Root Grant
Jesse Root Grant was an American farmer, tanner and successful leather merchant who owned tanneries and leather goods shops in several different states throughout his adult life. He was the father of Ulysses S. Grant and the one who introduced Ulysses to military life at West Point. Jesse was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and was one of seven children. He was a self-made man who rose from poverty to become a wealthy merchant.
At age five, Jesse moved to Ohio with his family, who settled in the Ohio River Valley. Unable to support all his children Jesse's father arranged for his apprenticeship at farms and tanneries during his youth. Jesse married Hannah Simpson Grant and they became the parents of three boys and three girls, with Ulysses being their oldest. Raised in a poor family that was forced to split up and having to work at an early age, Jesse persistently encouraged his sons in the ways of education, industry and hard work, his methods sometimes testing his father-son relationship with Ulysses. As a young man he worked for and came to know Owen Brown and soon acquired strong abolitionist sympathies. Jesse was known to be outspoken, had strong opinions about politics and often boasted about his son, often referring to him as "my Ulysses".
Originally a Jacksonian, Jesse eventually broke with the Democrats as he developed anti-slavery leanings, and for a time wrote a number of controversial editorials in support of abolition and other issues. He became involved in local politics and was elected mayor in Georgetown and later, Bethel, both in Ohio. During the American Civil War Jesse and two business partners became involved in cotton speculation and imposed on his son, Ulysses, to use his authority to secure early access to a portion of occupied territory. The effort proved unsuccessful, and soon both Jesse and his business partners were sent north. Jesse stood next to his son while Ulysses was sworn in as president, thereafter becoming a frequent visitor to the White House. He lived out his final years in Covington, Kentucky. Much has been learned about the earlier years of Ulysses Grant from letters between father and son, as well as other source material relating to Jesse's background and business.
Grant family
Jesse's paternal ancestor, Matthew Grant, and wife Priscilla and their infant daughter, embarked from Plymouth,England, aboard the Mary and John with a party of 140 emigrants who had been gathered chiefly from South West England. This Pilgrim party was one of many of the Puritan movement that fled England to escape religious persecution. After a 70-day journey the party arrived at Massachusetts Bay Colony in Nantasket, on May 30, 1630, and soon moved to and settled in Windsor, Connecticut. Matthew, referred to by the town folk as Honest Matthew Grant, was a highly trusted member of the community and became a surveyor and the town clerk. Later generations of the extended Grant family migrated westward into Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky. Jesse's grandfather Noah Grant, and his brother Solomon, fought and died in the French and Indian War, and his son, also named Noah, served in the American Revolution, including the Battle of Bunker Hill, soon advancing to the rank of captain.
Early life
Jesse's father, Noah D. Grant III, was married to his first wife, Anna Richardson, who became the parents of two children, Solomon and Peter Grant. Upon Noah's return from service in 1787 Anna died. On March 4, 1792, at Greensburg, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Noah married his second wife, Rachael Kelly, who became Jesse's mother with the birth of her second child and first born son on January 23, 1794. Noah named Jesse after the Honorable Jesse Root, Chief Justice of the Superior Court of Connecticut. In 1799, when Jesse was age five, Noah moved his family to East Liverpool, and again in 1804, to Deerfield, both in Ohio. Noah worked in a shoe shop, earning a modest wage in Greensburg. In 1805, at age 9, Jesse's mother died, in Deerfield.With little income and unable to provide enough for all his children, Noah Grant had the eleven year old Jesse apprenticed out to various families. Beginning in 1805, from 11 to 14 years old, Jesse worked in Ohio at undesignated farms earning his keep and making little extra money. He didn't receive a formal education in his youth and later through years of apprenticeship became self-taught in the ways of general education and business. Placing great value on the merits of education he vowed that his sons would not have to endure the same disadvantage. With no public schools in most of Ohio in the early 1800s, Jesse would later send his son Ulysses to private schools.
In 1808 Jesse's father arranged for his apprenticeship with a judge, George Tod, of Youngstown, Ohio. Jesse, age 14, lived there with his oldest sibling, Susan, while he worked under an apprenticeship that lasted four years. At the Tod residence the young Grants were treated like one of the family, where they grew to love and respect George, his wife and family. Jesse was sent to school three months a year, for two years. Among Jesse's playmates was the young David Tod, who would later become Governor of Ohio during the Civil War. Later in life Jesse often spoke of them in terms of affection and admiration. Working for the judge the uneducated Jesse soon learned to read and write and acquired an interest in politics, and later after he married, would even study grammar. A year after his commencement into apprenticeship Jesse's father Noah died, leaving him an orphan and the family very poor.
At age 16 Jesse moved to Maysville, Kentucky in 1812 to work for his half brother Peter in a tannery. Under his guidance, Jesse learned the tanning and leather goods trade. After completion of his training and honoring his commitment to Peter, he moved back to his boyhood town of Deerfield, Ohio, in 1815 and established his own tannery with little money, frugality and constant effort.
By 1814 Jesse found employment at a tannery 15 miles away in Ravenna, Ohio, owned by the wealthy Owen Brown. Owen was a cattle breeder and land speculator who operated a successful tannery in Hudson, Ohio. Owen was a stout and outspoken abolitionist and Jesse often listened to his public orations against slavery, where he became familiar with and supportive of the cause. During this time Jesse lived under the same roof as John Brown, became friends and came to know his abolitionist philosophy. Later in life Jesse would describe John Brown as "a man of great purity of character, of high moral and physical courage, but a fanatic and extremist in whatever he advocated."
In 1817 Jesse, and a John F. Wells, were offered work in a large tannery in Ravenna, now owned and managed by Mrs. Mary Mason, the widow of Jared Mason. She later married Wells and sold the tannery to Jesse who became the sole owner. Jesse sold and shipped much of his leather to a merchant in Point Pleasant, which would become his future home in 1820. During this time Jesse took up lodging at an inn across the street from the tannery. Within two years he managed to save some $1500. Jesse's father Noah Grant died in Maysville, Kentucky, on February 14, 1819. That year, at age 25, Jesse became ill and was sent to Kentucky to recover from malaria, while his affliction sickness lasted more than a year. Unable to work and with creditors pressing he lost most of his savings. In 1820, when he was partially recovered and able to travel short distances, he moved to Maysville and lived with relatives for several weeks. After recovering he returned to Ohio and the tannery business.
Family and community life
Jesse Grant's greater family was large, residing in both Ohio and in the slave state of Kentucky. In 1820, he found work for a brief period at a tannery in Bethel, Ohio. Later that year, as an experienced tanner, he moved to Point Pleasant on the Ohio River and gained the position of foreman in a new tannery owned by Thomas Page. He soon met his future wife, Hannah Simpson, whose grandfather had arrived at Philadelphia in 1762. On June 24, 1821, at age 27, Jesse Grant married Hannah Simpson and settled in Point Pleasant. Their marriage brought six children. Their son Ulysses, Hiram Ulysses Grant, was the oldest, born April 27, 1822. A second son, Samuel Simpson, was born September 23, 1825, and later became a successful merchant in Galena. Their first daughter, Clara B., was born December 11, 1828, followed by a second daughter, Virginia Paine, born February 20, 1832. Their third son, Orvil Lynch, was born May 15, 1835. Their third daughter and youngest child was Mary Frances, born July 30, 1839. By October 1823, Jesse had managed to save about $1100 to start his own tannery in Georgetown and moved the family there to start his new business. Upon arrival to Georgetown Jesse contacted the county Justice of the Peace, Thomas L. Hamer, on August 12, 1823, paid $50 and secured the deed to a lot not far from Georgetown Square. Here he built a two-story brick house where Ulysses, still an only child, and future brothers and sisters would be raised for the next sixteen years. On the same street he set up his tannery, a half block south from his house. Jesse also cultivated 30 acres of land while managing 50 acres of forest. With a successful business Jesse was able to pay off the deed within one year. When his second son, Samuel Simpson, was born Jesse built one of several additions to the home, eventually doubling the size of the house.Father
Less than a year after Jesse and Hannah were married they became the parents of their first son, whose name would become Hiram Ulysses Grant. Jesse's first born son was met with much expectation and family fanfare. Family tradition as the Grant family observed it held that the naming of a first born son was a significant undertaking and something that was given much consideration. Members among the immediate Grant and Simpson families were all hoping for their own personal favorite names for the infant son. Subsequently, several weeks after the child's birth Jesse and Hannah still had not settled on a name. After mounting inquiries from friends and neighbors about the name for the boy, members of the Grant and Simpson family finally gathered at the Simpson family home to decide on a name. The prospective names were placed in a hat, a process which Hannah expressed reservation for, deeming it uncivilized. However, faced with the prospect of returning home without a name for the baby she finally consented. Jesse and Grandmother Simpson cast ballots for Ulysses, which was taken from a novel in François Fénelon's novel, Telemachus, lent to her by Jesse, and poem. Grandfather Simpson, out of respect for an honored ancestor, also cast a ballot for Hiram. Six ballots in all were cast, where the name 'Ulysses', was drawn by Hannah's youngest sister, Anne. Wanting also to honor the Simpson family, Jesse at this time declared that his son's name would be Hiram Ulysses Grant, which the infant was Christened with and became his formal and legal name. Jesse, however, would always refer to his son as Ulysses, often referring to him as "my Ulysses". It is generally accepted among historians that Hannah and Jesse loved and took much pride in their children and their accomplishments.Jesse placed his eldest son, 'Hiram Ulysses', in a local one room school house in Georgetown. Later he would send Ulysses to boarding school across the river in Maysville, Kentucky, and to another in Ripley, Ohio, but to Jesse's disappointment these prospects never materialized into anything that justified his investment.
At an early age Jesse prevailed on his son to work at his tannery, but it wasn't long before Ulysses expressed a strong dislike for the practice. Not wanting to force his son into such labor Jesse instead gave the young Ulysses other responsibilities, driving and transporting wagon loads of bark, supplies and goods to and from the tannery. As Ulysses showed a great ability to ride and manage horses, Jesse put this talent to use and one day offered Ulysses the job of driving a wagon and team of horses, 40 miles away to Cincinnati, picking up passengers and returning home. Before long he would often send his son on other business related journeys, transporting goods and people, on a regular basis.
Jesse became very proud of his eldest son and his ability as he came of age, often telling stories about and referring to him as "my Ulysses". As the independent minded Ulysses became of age, however, their paternal relationship would be put through various trials. In 1838 Jesse enrolled Ulysses in abolitionist John Rankin's academy during the winter period. Always striving to secure good education for his sons, Jesse made arrangements for Ulysses to be nominated and enrolled in the U.S. military academy at West Point without Ulysses' knowledge. Through his political associations Jesse was referred to a former friend, Thomas Hamer, who was also a prominent lawyer and was being considered by the Democrats as a possible candidate for the Presidency, asking him to nominate Ulysses. However, because of Jesse's past indifference with Hamer over Jacksonian politics, he attempted to bypass him and instead wrote to Thomas Morris, senator from Ohio, asking that he nominate Ulysses. Morris wrote back on February 19, 1839, explaining that Hamer was the only one authorized to submit a nomination from Brown County Here Jesse found himself in an awkward position, as a few years earlier he had criticized Hamer in the Castigator over a disagreement involving Andrew Jackson, use of public funds and a U.S. bank. To Jesse's surprise, Hamer honored his request and gave the nomination to Ulysses, asking "why didn't you apply to me sooner?", and in so doing, restored their friendship. When Hamer submitted the nomination he incorrectly entered the name "Ulysses S. Grant", which became the formal name and would stay with Ulysses throughout his adult life.
Ulysses had no particular inclination to military life at that time and at first declined to go, expressing little appreciation for the efforts of his father and friends. After a brief discussion, however, Jesse was able to convince Ulysses to enroll in the academy. As Ulysses was eager to set out into a world he had seen little of, he now saw the prospect as an opportunity to do so with the hopes of becoming successful on his own. Upon word of his acceptance to West Point, Ulysses departed for New York on May 15, 1839. In 1847 Jesse sold his Georgetown home to Marshall Jenning for $2600.
When Ulysses was stationed on the West coast of California at Fort Humboldt in 1854 he had at that point been away from his wife and family two years. Longing to return home, and also prompted by rumors of excessive drinking, Ulysses tendered his resignation. Shocked by the news, Jesse intervened, feeling Ulysses was making a terrible mistake, and urged Congressmen Andrew Ellison, and old friend of Jesse's, to get the War Department to order Grant home on recruitment duty instead, or otherwise grant him a six-month leave. Ellison presented the request to Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, but the request was denied. This would prove to be one more example of Jesse's involvement with his son's affairs.