This week we again continue with the story of “Soldier John Grigsby”, great-grandfather of Confederate Brigadier General Elisha “Bull” Paxton who was killed in 1863, during the War of the Rebellion. If you remember “Bull” was the son of Margaret Paxton, who was a first cousin to Ann Glasgow, who along with her husband, Joseph, settled near Tranquility in Adams County in 1806.
As the Revolutionary War continued so did life. In 1777, James Grigsby, Soldier John’s oldest son had relocated from Culpepper County to the Natural Bridge area two years earlier and had begun the purchase and development of several tracts of land. On Nov 1, 1779, Soldier John bought 460 acres of land from his eldest son James. Soldier John moved his family from Grange County, Virginia to Rockbridge County, Virginia. Soldier John built a beautiful home on this land and named it Fruit Hill. His youngest son, Reuben, was born here on June 6, 1780. The Fruit Hill farm or plantation is located just a few miles south of Lexington bordering Buffalo Creek. The house itself was a Republic style home. Its two stories were built of brick with a double porch. It also contained attic rooms and a huge cellar. The wide front door opened into a center hall containing a curved stairs to the second floor. The main floor contained a sitting room, parlor, dining room and library.
The second-floor rooms were separated by a solid wall. One set of rooms could be reached by the front stairs, the other set was accessible by stairs from what may have been the first-floor master bedroom. Buildings which housed the kitchen, etc. are no longer standing but each large farm had its own smokehouse, lye hopper, turkey pen, henhouse, barns, pig pens, office, carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, kitchen, granary, corn cribs, springhouse, root cellar, loom house, stable, privies and servant quarters. The work at the plantation was conducted by slave labor with the major crop being tobacco. The land was fertile and was able to support other crops such as wheat and hemp. While visiting Natural Bridge in 1783, the French Major General Marquis Chastellux recorded that he was a guest at the Fruit Hill Plantation.
Soldier John and his entire family attended the Falling Springs Presbyterian Church located south of Lexington. Falling Springs church was named after a small waterfall off Buffalo Creek. In the 1730’s, early settlers of the Presbyterian faith would gather in a frontier cabin for religious fellowship. In 1748, a small group south of Lexington formed such a meeting house which were the roots of the Falling Springs church. In 1793, the congregation built a more substantial church of stone. After many years it fell into disrepair and a Gothic Revival style church was constructed of slave made bricks during the Civil War. This same church remains in use today.
Soldier John is listed as member #42 on the Falling Springs Church register. Soldier John died at his Fruit Hill home on April 7, 1794, at the age of 73. Upon his death his oldest son, James became the recipient of his father’s church pew. Soldier John was the first person buried in the Falling Springs cemetery. The following epitaph is etched on his tombstone. “Pause, Reader, here and look with solemn dread upon the last lone dwelling of the dead; The num’rous graves appear on every hand, This was the first of all the silent band.” Elizabeth died in 1807, and is buried beside her husband.