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Below is a family biography included in The History of Fayette County, Tennessee published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1887.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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James H. Granbery, of Fayette County, was born in Bertie County, N. C., June 6, 1827, and is a son of John and Jane (Frasier) Granbery, both natives of North Carolina. The father’s ancestors came from England, and the mother was of Scotch descent. The father was born in 1800 and died in Fayette County in 1873. The mother was born in 1802 and died in the same county in 1846. They married in North Carolina in 1819, and in 1835 moved to Fayette County and settled where Macon now stands, twelve miles southwest of Somerville. They are buried side by side in the family graveyard at Macon. The father was a farmer, and in politics a Whig. Our subject was the fifth of nine children. He secured a good education, then gave his attention to farming. April 19, 1866, he was married to Miss Lou Brown, who was born in Memphis, Tenn., December 4, 1842. She was a niece of the distinguished Dr. E. A. Brown, who was one of the first settlers of Macon and a first cousin to Senator Isham G. Harris, and third cousin to Gen. E. Kirby Smith. Three sons born to this marriage are living: John W. Granbery, born July 8, 1870; Robert D., born November 28, 1873, and Langly, born November 23, 1882. In 1863 Mr. Granbery went into the Confederate service, enlisting in Company B., Twelfth Tennessee Cavalry, and joined Forrest. He was in the battles of Yazoo and Harrisburg, Miss., and Athens and Trussville, Ala. On account of ill health he returned home in the winter of 1865 and did not again join the army. In early life his father gave him a few hundred acres of land. He has increased it to 1,100 acres, and it is part of the most productive land in the county, and is cultivated by tenants, this bringing him a handsome income annually. Mr. Granbery is a true Democrat. He does not belong to any church, but prefers the Presbyterian Church. He is one of the leading citizens of the county, and active in every measure that will advance its interests.

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This family biography is one of 77 biographies included in The History of Fayette County, Tennessee published in 1887 by Goodspeed.  The History of Fayette County was included within The History of Fayette and Hardeman Counties of Tennessee. For the complete description, click here: History of Fayette and Hardeman Counties, Tennessee

View additional Fayette County, Tennessee family biographies here: Fayette County, Tennessee

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