George Edwin Grimes (1868 - 1961)

Born 20 Nov 1868 in Prince George's, Maryland, United States

Ancestors

Died 19 Apr 1961 at age 92 in Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States

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Biography

George Edwin Grimes was born on 20 Nov 1868, the son of George Daniel Grimes and Katherine Baden. He was baptized on 21 Dec 1868 at St. John's Parish (Episcopal) in Prince George's County, Maryland.^[1]

George entered the Army at 18 and was trained in weather station maintenance.^[2] When he left the Army, he joined the Weather Service,^[3] which had been taken over by the Department of Commerce. George's obituary noted that he "took charge of the weather station in Nantucket in 1890 and held that post until he retired in 1938."^[4]

George married Anna Kent Pitman in Nantucket, Massachusetts on 9 September 1895.^[5] George was identified as a 26-year old resident of Nantucket, employed at the U.S. Weather Bureau. He was the son of George D. Grimes and Katherine Baden, born in Prince George's County, Maryland. Anna was identified as a 21-year old resident of Nantucket, whose occupation was listed as "at home." She was the daughter of Samuel P. Pitman and Abbi Tripp, born in New Bedford [Massachusetts].

At some point after retiring from the Weather Service, George was appointed Nantucket town assessor, a position he held at his death at age 93. His obituary noted that the Oxon Hill, Maryland native was locally believed to have been the "nation's oldest elected official."^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ "Maryland, Births and Christenings, 1650-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V2WP-C9G : accessed 22 Feb 2013); citing FHL microfilm 14303.
2. ↑ "George Grimes, 93, Oldest Elected Official in U.S.," The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts), 21 April 1961, p. 26, col. 2.
3. ↑ The U.S., Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, volume 1 (July 1887) included an entry for a George E. Grimes, born in Maryland and working in Washington, D.C., who was employed in the U.S. Signal Office as a Messenger. See: "U.S. Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863-1959" > 1887 > Volume 1, database and images, image 397 of 914, Ancestry.com; citing Official Register of the United States, Containing a List of the Officers and Employees in the Civil, Military, and Naval Service, vol. 1 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1887), p. 384.
4. ↑ "George Grimes, 93, Oldest Elected Official in U.S.," The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts), 21 April 1961, p. 26, col. 2.
5. ↑ Marriage: "Massachusetts, U.S., Marriage Records, 1840-1915"
   New England Historic Genealogical Society; Boston, Massachusetts; Massachusetts Vital Records, 1911–1915
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2511 #4518809 (accessed 29 December 2021)
   George E Grimes (26) marriage to Anna Kent Pitman on 9 Sep 1895 in Nantucket, Massachusetts, USA.
6. ↑ "George Grimes, 93, Oldest Elected Official in U.S.," The Boston Globe (Boston, Massachusetts), 21 April 1961, p. 26, col. 2.