James V. Grider is a native of Franklin County. He was born November 3, 1840, and moved with his father’s family into Williamson County in 1844 and into Marion in 1849.
In the 1850 census, James was 10 and living with his father and siblings. His father’s name was William M. Grider and listed himself as a house carpenter.
By the 1860 census, James was 19 and living alone inside Marion, he gave no occupation on the census
James enlisted in the Civil War as a Sergeant on September 26, 1862, and served for three years and until Lee’s surrender. He first went into the 128th Illinois Infantry, Company F, but was afterwards transferred to the 31st Illinois Infantry on April 1, 1863. He took part in the grand march with Sherman “from Atlanta to the Sea,” and was with his regiment only fifteen miles away from Rolla, N. C, when Gen. Joseph E. Johnson surrendered to Sherman. He was mustered out in July of 1865.
He was married November 24, 1867, to Amanda Davis, by whom he had eight children.
He never had the benefit of much schooling, but always had a hand in politics, holding minor offices almost continually since 1869, when he was first elected Constable. Apparently, Grider was still holding the position of Constable in 1875 due to this statement found in the book Bloody Vendetta by Milo Erwin,” I wrote out the writs for their arrest; but it was near daylight when the posse comitatus, headed by Constable J.V. Grider, surrounded the residence of Jefferson Russell.”
In the 1870 census, James was living with the F.M. Westbrook family in East Marion. Westbrook was a tobacconist and Marion merchant. James listed his occupation as constable, it is uncertain why he is not living with his wife and children at this point.
In 1872 he served as Williamson County Assessor.
During the Bloody Vendetta era of the county, on the 19th of September, 1875, the Governor sent the Sheriff of Williamson County 100 rifles by express. Two companies of militia were then formed, one at Marion and the other at Carbondale.
The Marion Guard was organized in October, 1875, with fifty men. The first officers were Captain James V. Grider and Lieutenants William Hendrickson and D. A. Davis, The Company was reorganized under the present militia law of the State to become Company F, 11th Illinois National Guard in August, 1877, with the same number of men. Captain James V. Grider and Lieutenants William H. Bundy and George W. Bock as the officers thereof.
When the Benevolent Encampment, No. 171, of I. O. 0. F. was chartered October 10, 1876, George W. Young, W.H. Eubanks, D.A. Davis, J.V. Grider and others served as charter members.
In the 1880 census, James now aged 39 and his wife Amanda are living in Marion with four children present. Their children were Frank B. Grider, 11, Ada Grider, 9, Gussie Grider, 7, and Harvey Grider 5. James listed himself as a day laborer.
On September 28, 1883, Grider applied for an invalid pension, presumably for a wound or injury resulting from his Civil War service.
J.V. Grider served as Marion City Alderman in the years 1884, 1885, 1892,1893 and 1894. He also served as City Marshall under Mayor Jackson, Holland and Denison.
James’s wife, Amanda Davis Grider, passed away in 1891 and was buried in Marion cemetery.
The 1900 federal census found James living in a home that he owned, but no addresses were given in that census. James was then 50 and widowed; he had four children living at home. The children were Hattie P. Grider, 19, Hugh Grider, 17, and a day laborer, George, 15, and Roy aged 13. James listed no occupation but it is fairly certain that he was City Marshall during this period. His neighbor on the census was Martin L. Baker who was known to live at 204 N. Buchanan Street.
James remarried a second time on December 19, 1903 to Miss Martha Philips.
A listing in a 1907 Marion city street directory listed Grider as living at 306 N. Buchanan with his wife Martha and a son Leroy who was a salesman.
On December 19, 1907, James changed his will to leave everything to his wife Martha, including property described as Lot 3, Block 2 of N.B. Calvert’s 3rd addition to Marion, probably the house on Buchanan Street. He named the following people as his executors, Frank Grider, Martha A. Grider, and W.L. Taylor.
On March 19, 1908, Grider passed away and was buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Marion.
He was a Past Grand Master of Williamson Lodge 392 I. O. O. F. and a member of the M. E. Church South, on S. Market Street (now Aldersgate).
On May 4, 1908, Martha Grider applied for James’s Civil War pension. She died in 1933.
Sam’s Notes: There is a related Grider buried in the family plot in Odd Fellow’s Cemetery in Marion with no first name. The death occurred in 1898 and is likely either Hattie, Hubert or George Grider listed below.
Frank B. Grider was born in September 1868 and died on January 17, 1914. He married a female named Annie. One child named Frank B. Grider born in 1905.
Ada Grider Lathen was born in 1871. She married James Lathen and they had a son named Lawrence Leon Lathen born July 16, 1890.
Gussie Grider was born April 20, 1873. She married Harvey Chitty in Marion on March 1, 1893. She later married Albert Hays Burroughs on May 28, 1901. She died in the Christian Welfare Hospital in E. St. Louis, Illinois on January 30, 1949 after a six weeks illness.
William Harvey Grider was born March 7, 1875. He married Iva Belle Andrews (1875-1932) in St. Louis, Mo. on July 3, 1906. Harvey was a papermaker. They lived and had two children in E. St. Louis. Their children were James Edgar Grider, born May 4, 1907, who died on February 27, 1993 in Albuquerque, N.M. and Harvey Leroy Grider, born September 17, 1909, who died on January 17, 1998 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Hattie P. Grider was born September 1880, death unknown.
Hubert Grider was born in May 1883, death unknown.
George Grider was born in February 1885, death unknown.
Leroy Grider was born in 1889. He married Anna Belle Norman (1886-1958) in 1907. Leroy passed away in E. St. Louis, Illinois on April 14, 1950. They had one child named Robert Lee Grider born on July 10, 1914 and who died on July 15, 1992 in Jerseyville, N.J.
(Data extracted from Goodspeed’s History, 1895; Bloody Vendetta, Milo Erwin, 1875; 1905 Souvenir History, WCHS; Federal Census Records; Marion City Cemetery Records; Marion City Directories; compiled by Sam Lattuca on 10/03/2013)