Paul Grimball
Paul Grimball | |
|---|---|
Grimball family coat of arms | |
| Secretary of the Province of Carolina | |
| In office 1695–1696 | |
| In office 1684–1692 | |
| Receiver General and Escheator of the Province of Carolina | |
| In office 1687–1696 | |
| Deputy Secretary of the Province of Carolina | |
| In office 1683–1684 | |
| Lord Proprietors' Deputy on the Grand Council of Carolina | |
| In office 1683–1696 | |
| Assistant Justice of Berkeley District | |
| In office 1682–1683 | |
| Province of Carolina Commissioner for Land Grants | |
| In office 1682–1686 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1640 |
| Died | 20 February 1696 (aged 55–56) |
| Spouse | Mary Stoney |
| Children | 5 |
| Occupation | |
| Military service | |
| Battles/wars | 1686 Spanish Invasion of South Carolina |
Paul Grimball was a British-American politician and settler in the Province of Carolina during the seventeenth century. He organized resistance to the 1686 Spanish Invasion of South Carolina and was a prominent member of the low country gentry of the time.
Early life & Family
Paul Grimball was born in Wales in 1640 to Thomas Grimball and Elizabeth Adams. He immigrated to what is today South Carolina around 1682 alongside his parents, and received vast landholdings which they turned into plantations. He married his wife Mary Stoney in 1662 and they would have five children together.[1]
Political career
Once arriving in the Province of Carolina, he almost immediately began holding positions in local colonial governance, including commissioner for land grants, assistant justice, deputy to the Grand Council of Carolina, deputy secretary and secretary of the province, and receiver general and escheator for the province. He is listed in several records of the time as being a senior member of local government, held in high regard by his peers.[2]
1686 Spanish Invasion
In late August 1686, a detachment of Spanish soldiers sailed from St. Augustine, Florida and raided what is today South Carolina. They sacked several plantations, including Grimball's, carrying away enslaved people, supplies, and goods, virtually looting the entirety of it.[3] The Spanish advance was halted by a hurricane that caused them to retreat back to Spanish Florida. During this Grimball led and organized the local militia, helping organize other plantation homes.[4]
Later life & Legacy
Grimball died in 1696, leaving behind 5 children and a vast estate for them to inherit. His grandson was Paul Hamilton (representative) and his 2nd great-grandson was Paul Hamilton (politician). His ruined plantation home still stands as a park at the Paul Grimball House Ruins.
References
- ^ Lyons, Charlton H. "The Grimball Family". Lyonsbook.com. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
Outlines Paul Grimball's arrival in South Carolina (1682), settlement on Edisto Island, leadership in colonial government, and death prior to February 20, 1696.
- ^ "Records of the Court of Ordinary of the Province of South Carolina (1692–1700)". Genealogy Trails. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
Will of Paul Grimball, made December 13, 1695 and proved February 20, 1696, detailing his estate and family.
- ^ "Point of Pines Plantation". Charleston Museum Archives. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
Paul Grimball was a wealthy English merchant who moved to Edisto Island in 1682 and whose house was destroyed by Spanish troops in 1686.
- ^ "National Register Properties in South Carolina: Paul Grimball House Ruins". South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
Describes Grimball as an early English settler who came in 1682 and built a tabby house later attacked by Spanish forces.