James Groves (1780 - 1856)

Born 22 Mar 1780 in North Carolina, United States

Husband of Mary (Nash) Groves — married about 1810 in Natchitoches, Louisiana

Descendants

Died 12 Jul 1856 at age 76 in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Chere Lee [send private message], Gary Gray [send private message], and Jane McManus [send private message]

Biography

Pvt James Groves served in the Louisiana Militia in the War of 1812
Service started: 28 Sep 1814
Unit(s): Capt. James K. Goff's Company of Col. DeClouet's Regmt. of LA Militia
Service ended: 31 Mar 1815

James Groves, Sr., was born 22 March 1780 NC, and died 12 July 1856 at the age of 76 (Rapides), Louisiana. He married Mary "Polly" Nash, probably in Mississippi ca. 1800, and only two children were located on various records. Mary was born 6 June 1781 MS, daughter of Thomas Nash and Emily Slater, and she died 14 September 1855 at the age of 74 (Rapides), Louisiana. James and Mary (Nash) Groves are buried in the Glass Window Cemetery Find A Grave: Memorial #21420727, Hicks (Vernon), Louisiana.

There is much controversy over the parentage and possible heritage of James Groves, Sr., however, no definite proof of either has been found as of this writing. It is possible that James Groves, Sr., may be of Indian descent as is handed down in family tradition stories. He has been linked with Charles Groves in North Carolina, and Charles was a well-known Indian trader. It is possible that Charles married an Indian; however, if the marriage took place in North Carolina where James Groves was born, there will be no record. It was illegal for any mixed marriage in North Carolina after a law was passed in 1741.

There is also much controversy over the parentage and possible heritage of Mary Nash. After compiling mountains of official records, we have determined that the greater preponderance of evidence indicates that Mary Nash born 1780 MS was a sister of Thomas Nash (younger) who married in St. Landry Parish, LA, in 1829. Thomas Nash and Emily Slater were listed as parents of the younger Thomas Nash (1829); therefore, we know who Mary's parents are.

James and Mary (Nash) Groves were living in Natchitoches Parish in 1810 and listed on the census record with one child in the household. In October of that same year, James involved in an incident which was recorded in the Natchitoches Parish Court Records (Case #408, Soulange Boosier vs. James Groves, "Damages for killing property"). "To the sheriff of the parish of Natchitoches, respectively, Whereas it has been duly proven before me on the oath of Soulange Bossier that he is in (unreadable) of receiving some great injury in his person or property from a certain James Groves, who has frequently said that he wants to whip this (unreadable). You are therefore commanded to take the said James Groves and bring him forthwith before me or (unreadable) magistrates for this parish to answer the said (unreadable) and to be dealth with according to Law.

Given under my hand this 10 Oct 1810

John D. Connor

Continued till 25th"

On 2 Jan 1815, James Groves was a witness to the legitimization of children of Keziah Nash and Philip Goin (case #4415 and #364). James was also a witness on Elizabeth Nash and John Gardner marriage (case #4416 Natchitoches, LA). Elizabeth and Keziah were sisters of James' wife Mary (Nash) Groves.

During the War of 1812, James Groves, Sr., enlisted as a private from Natchitoches Parish in Capt. James K. Goff's Company of Col. DeClouet's Regmt. of LA Militia from 28 Sep 1814 - 31 Mar 1815. He served at English Turn on the Mississippi River, at a Camp near the Crescent City (New Orleans), and participated in the famous Battle of New Orleans. The Daughters of 1812 have dedicated a historical marker at his grave site to commemorate his service.

After the war, James and Mary Groves moved to Big Woods Community near Lake Charles, Louisiana. In 1820, they appeared on the St. Landry Parish Census (#108), with one female and one male child in the household.

In Dec of 1828 (St. Landry), James Groves gave his permission for his ward, Elizabeth Burgess, to marry Leonard Covington Sweat. He stated that the child was an orphan since the age of three months, and was his brother-in-law's child. Later in Jan of 1829, (Avoyelles), LA, he made that same statement adding that Anna Perkins had raised the child. "Mr. Judge King you will pleaz to grant lisens to Covinton Swet to marry with Elisabeth bergess a orphent girl that Ihave rased from the age of three months of age a dauter of my brother in law I myself have the job management of her both (unreadable) and present these fiew linz will sirtify that I gave consent this 22 Day of December 1828

s/s James Groves

Gudian Swet (his X mark)

s/s Isaac Vetionier"

Apparently the marriage did not take place in St. Landry Parish as the minister's acknowledgement was not returned. However, one month later in January, Rev. Joseph Willis did perform the ceremony in Avoyelles Parish, bond and permission was also filed in Avoyelles with slightly different wording. "State of Louisiana Parish of Avoyelles to the Right Honerable Judge Barber Sir you will please to grant lisance to mary Elizabeth Burgess to Lenord Covington Sweat the said Elizabeth Burgess was razed by James Groves from a child of three months of age the said James Groves put hir under the protection of Anna Pirkins which they Both agree that the said Elizabeth Burgess shall mary the said Lenoard Co Sweat Sir by so doeing you will much oblige yours Withe the gratest Respect Anna Pirkins (her mark) s/s Saml Small s/s Gideon Swet s/s James Groves"

When the 1830 census was taken, the Groveses were living in Rapides Parish with one male child and two female children living in their household (#95). Although James Groves was a guardian for Elizabeth Burgess from three months of age, she was already married by this time as was James' daughter, Emily; therefore, the identity of these two girls is unknown.

In the 1840 Rapides Census (#206), the Groves family included James and Mary (Nash) , both over 50 years of age. James Jr. and his wife, Mary Perkins were living with them. and were the male and female age 24-36. Once again, an unidentified female, aged 10-24, and a second male over 50 years of age was in the household.

About this time, the Groves family settled in Rapides Parish (now Vernon Parish) 13 miles northwest of Leesville on Burton's Creek near Walnut Hill, where they remained until their death.

The property later was passed to James Groves, Jr. and was listed in the succession of that son. The Glass Window Cemetery is located on this property.

In 1850, James and Mary were listed in the Rapides Parish census (#531/531), and James Groves, Jr., and his family were living in the household.

There have been many stories handed down about James Groves. He was reported in the Leesville Leader (Leesville, Vernon Parish LA) as being "a mighty man of stature, being well over six feet tall and weighing close to 300 pounds." His feet were so big, his dog slept in his shoes at night. Although he loved to drink and gamble, he was gentle and compassionate toward his family and friends. James Groves was extremely interested in education as is evidenced by his desire to have a school.

When he built his home in Rapides Parish, he also cleared land for a race track, one of the first in the state. His home was a showplace with many plants and flowers. Some of those plants are still surviving today, although the race track and house are gone. A newspaper article of interest is printed here: THE RAWHIDE FIGHT by Curry Ford (Leesville Leader, 1955):

"The reason I say the Rawhide Fight took place in 1850 is that 'Uncle' Lenn Sweat, confederate veteran who died in 1931 at the age of 96, well remembered the fight as taking place in 1850.

James Groves migrated overland from North Carolina to a point in Louisiana near Opelousas. Later he settled about 13 miles northeast of Leesville on Burton Creek near Walnut Hill. He was a man over 6 feet, weighing nearly 300 lbs. That he was a man of means, could not be denied, as he brought with him farming equipment, slaves, glass windows for his new home, and a string of race horses.

The glass windows were probably the first glass windows to be used in this section of the country. And the little cemetery near the Groves home got to be known as the 'Glass Window Cemetery.' One of the first things Groves did after establishing his home was to build a race track nearby. To do this he had to cut through the virgin pine forest. The clearing in the timber was noticeable until it was cut in 1926.

Near the Groves home was a trading post owned by Hawkins and Burton of New Orleans. The locality became quite prominent and in time a stage line made scheduled stops on its way from Boyce, Louisiana, on Red River into Texas by way of Burr's Ferry. The trading post grew with the community and one of its biggest businesses was the buying of dry hides.

The community needed a school house and one was built of logs and held together with wooden pins. The desks and seats were of pine logs split in half and smoothed down. Holes were bored in the rounded half, and pieces of wood driven in to make the legs.

A school professor came along one day and announced he was available to teach a session of school -- a session normally lasting three months.

Excitement ran high in the community with the announcement. Word was passed out through the country that school would begin on Monday. James Groves and others living within a few miles of the school announced that they would board a certain number of students from areas too far to ride by horseback daily.

The joy of having a session of school soon turned and as a result one of the greatest calamities ever to happen to the community occurred. The school house burned to the ground a few nights before school opened.

The loss of the school building was the cause of much conversation and consternation in the community. Soon the finger of suspicion was pointed at a certain citizen in the community. However, this citizen had friends and the area was thrown into turmoil and slit into two factions with about an equal number on both sides.

The cooler heads in the community saw that trouble was in teh making, something they didn't want. So a meeting was called for all interested school patrons to meet at the trading post. History is not clear as to whether the meeting was held at the Burton and Hawkins store or at the home of James Groves, but it probably was at the Groves home.

Fearing serious trouble at the meeting, every patron asked to attend was told to leave his guns at home or don't come. The agreement seemed to have been well taken. But one thing was forgotten; nothing was mentioned about knives and clubs. Although the meeting was planned as a peaceful one, both sides mistrusted the other.

The meeting got underway and was represented by most every household in the community. One of the leaders, a Mr. Jenkins made a fiery speech in which he was very abusive. He was followed by others who tried to smooth matters over.

One gentlemen evidently not caring for speeches announced in a loud voice, 'I thought we came here to fight.'

Hardly had the words fallen from the speaker's lips when two men clinched. From then on it was a free-for-all, knives and clubs, no holds barred. Before the fight ended six men had been killed and no one ever knew how many wounded. Uncle Penny Sweat, now 85 years of age and living in Mora, Louisiana, has in his possession a club used by his grandfather, L.C. Sweat, Sr., in this fight.

Of those killed only five whose names are known today. They are Charles Weeks, a Mr. Harrison, Mr. Hawkins who operated the store, a Mr. Hardcastle, and a Mr. Simon.

Mr. Weeks was buried in a cemetery near the W.R. Turner place, 10 miles north of Leesville. He had a brother B.F. Weeks, Sr. His widow was the former Elizabeth Garland.

Mr. Simon left two daughters, Malissa, who married Benjamin Netherland and Missouri, who married John Greer for many years a resident of Leesville.

After the fight, there was not enough sheets or quilts nearby to place the dead on so dry cow hides were used and from this the fight became known as the 'Rawhide Fight.'

L.C. Sweat, Sr., was wounded in the fight. After the fight, and because of the feeling aroused, a treveno (Indian style, a rig made by stretching a big hide across two poles and a horse then hitched between the poles as motive power, the other ends of the pole dragging on the round) was made on which Mr. Sweat was placed. He was carried to the home of a Mr. LaCaze, living in Natchitoches Parish. He was placed in a room that had been used by the deceased wife of Mr. LaCaze.

It was not long before a search party arrived at the LaCaze home looking for Mr. Sweat with murder as their objective. Mr. LaCaze told members of the party they could search his premises with the exception of the room used by his deceased wife as it contained her clothing and no one was allowed to make use of the room.

The premises were searched but not the room where Mr. Sweat lay badly injured.

When Mr. Sweat recuperated enough to travel, he left Louisiana and went west to Texas where he lived until his death. He was buried near Jasper, Texas.

Many stories have been told over the years as to who burned the school. One story, probably legend, is that a youth in his late teens was getting set to marry a neighboring girl and starting out on his own. His father hearing that a session of school was about to start, sternly announced that the wedding had to be postponed and his son would go to Mr. Groves to board and attend school. The youth, not to be outdone, slipped away one night and fired the school building.

Today, the little Glass Window Cemetery, one acre in area, bears mute evidence to what might have grown, prospered and become the parish seat of Vernon Parish had it not been for the "Rawhide Fight."

Nearby flows the little clear running stream called Burton Creek named for one of the owners of the trading post.

Burial

Glass Window Cemetery, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/21420727/james-groves: accessed 03 December 2023), memorial page for James Groves Sr. (22 Mar 1780–12 Jul 1856), Find A Grave: Memorial #21420727, citing Glass Window Cemetery, Vernon Parish, Louisiana, USA; Maintained by G.L.Gray (contributor 47239341).

• "United States Census, 1810", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH2C-C5Z : Thu Oct 05 00:35:21 UTC 2023), Entry for James Groves, 1810.

• "United States Census, 1820", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLP-V27 : Thu Oct 05 14:55:28 UTC 2023), Entry for James Groves, 1820.

• "United States Census, 1840", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHTM-VG3 : Wed Oct 04 20:47:53 UTC 2023), Entry for James Groves, 1840.

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCJD-MC2 : accessed 7 July 2015), James Grove Sr, Rapides parish, Rapides, Louisiana, United States; citing family 531, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).