Charles Granderson (bef. 1744 - 1810)

Born before 24 Mar 1744 in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Died 8 Feb 1810 after age 65 in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Wayne Tucker [send private message]

A note on names: Cuff(ee) v. Charles

Charles Granderson is a part of US Black heritage.

Cuffe(e) and Charles Granderson/Grandison appear to be the same person. He is not to be confused with his father, also named Cuffee, or his nephew, also named Charles. It seems that Charles is used in Granderson's military records and Cuffee is used in Scituate's records.

Brothers Charles and Simeon Granderson appear in Merrit's "Old Time Anecdotes of the North River and the South Shore," but Merrit apparently conflated the two men and attributes some of Simeon's biography to Cuffee. Merrit quotes that "Cuff Grandison died in 1810,"^[1] but Simeon's death record shows him dying in 1835.^[2] Therefore Charles must be Cuffee Granderson.

UPDATE 12 Feb 2023: I now believe that both Charles and Simeon were referred to as some version of Cuff/Cuffee in Scituate records and historians. - WT

Biography

Charles (Cuffee) Granderson was born between 1746 - 1750 to Cuffee and Flora Granderson, two African Americans who were enslaved by Deacon Joseph Clapp and Thomas Clapp, both of Scituate, respectively. Charles and his brother Simeon Granderson moved to Western Massachusetts settling in the New Providence section of Adams and eventually enlisting in the Revolutionary Army.

Charles and Simeon Granderson returned to Scituate,^[3] although it is unclear if they returned at the same time.

Revolutionary War Service

Below is Charles's entry in the "Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War". Notably, Charles was taken as a prisoner of war in 1779 and was held at Fort Chambly in Quebec. He was released via Lake Champlain in October of 1782, two years after he was to be discharged alongside his brother SImeon.

GRANDISON, CHARLES, New Providence (also given Adams). Private, Col. [Seth] Warner's regt.; Continental Army pay accounts for service from Feb. 14, 1777, to Sept. 2, 1779; residence, New Providence; reported taken prisoner Sept. 2, 1779; also, return dated Fort George, June 11, 1780, of officers and men belonging to Massachusetts in Col. Seth Warner's regt.; enlisted Feb. 14, 1777; enlistment, 3 years; also, Col. Warner's regt.; Continental Army pay accounts for service from Jan. 1, 1780, to Dec. 31, 1780; residence, Adams.^[4]

Death

"Cuff Grandison died in 1810," and records say that the “Widow Cuff’s Grandison [sic] died in 1825.”^[2][5][6]

Documentary

An independent documentary was made about how Charles's family was the inspiration for the names of two landmarks in town and provided many of the genealogical source leads for this profile: WATCH: The Cuffee Origin.

Sources

1. ↑ Merritt, J. Foster. (1928). "Old Time Anecdotes of the North River and the South Shore". Rockland, Mass.: Rockland Standard Pub. Co.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Scituate (Mass.: Town). (1909). "Vital Records of Scituate, Massachusetts: to the year 1850". Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, at the charge of the Eddy town-record fund.
3. ↑ United States. "Census, 1800", database with images, FamilySearch, Cuffe Grandison, Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States; citing p. 133, NARA microfilm publication M32, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 16; FHL microfilm 205,617.
4. ↑ Massachusetts. Office of the Secretary of State. (1896-1908). "Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War: A compilation from the archives, Vol 6". Boston: Wright and Potter Printing Co., State Printers.
5. ↑ Merritt, J. Foster. (1928). "Old Time Anecdotes of the North River and the South Shore". Rockland, Mass.: Rockland Standard Pub. Co.
6. ↑ "Samuel Deane record book, 1810-1834, in the Norwell, Mass. First Parish Church records, 1642-1908." James Library & Center for the Arts.

• FamilySearch: Sources. "Charles Granderson". familysearch.org.
• Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution. Chief Justice Cushing Chapter. (1921). "Old Scituate". [Scituate, Mass.]
• Norwell Historical Society, et. al. (2021). "Norwell History: The Cuffee Origin" [Video]. Vimeo.
• Raynor, E. M., Petitclerc, E. L. (1885). "History of the town of Cheshire, Berkshire County, Mass.".
• Samuel Deane record book, 1810-1834, in the Norwell, Mass. First Parish Church records, 1642-1908. James Library & Center for the Arts.
• Williams, John A. (John Andrew). (1988). "The Battle of Hubbardton: The American Rebels Stem the Tide". Vermont. Division for Historic Preservation
• Scituate (Mass.: Town). (1909). "Vital Records of Scituate, Massachusetts: to the year 1850". Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, at the charge of the Eddy town-record fund