|
a.
|
Note: uried on a feather bed in his dancing shoes. The tomb was made of brick carted from a kiln in Fla, by slaves. The burial site and now family cemetary is just a few feet from the dance hall Grancer loved. Famous for the parties that lasted for weeks,Grancer is still said to be heard calling dances out in the still of the evening. Note: Grancers grave has been blown up and robbed manytimes, the legend is that he burried a box or coffeepot of gold at the site.
William Harrison "Grancer", son of William Henry and Martha Harrison, was born around 1789 in Edgefield, Old 96th District, SC. He lived in Georgia and moved to Coffee Co., Ala (then Conecuh Co.), 1830. He is on the 1830 and 1840 Dale Co., Ala. Census. Grancer married Nancy Justice, daughter of Moses Justice and Sarah Goodson. Nancy was b. in SC about 1795.
He died May 1860. He and Nancy are buried at Harrison Cemetery in Kinston, Coffee Co., Ala. Nancy died before May 1867 in Alabama. She is buried in a vault in Harrison Cemetery next to her husband, Grancer. Grancer's grave had been vandalized several times over the years by those looking for the "treasure" believed to be buried with him.
Grancer loved to dance and had a dance hall built on his property. Before he died he sent his grandson and a slave to Florida to get bricks to built his tomb. It was above ground and very large. He was buried in his feather bed. His tomb was built near his dance hall so he could hear the music. Not long after Grancer died the dance hall was tore down. Harrison Cemetery is now in this location. Local legend say that Grancer haunts the cemetery and he is called the dancing ghost. It is said that at night you can hear the singing and dancing coming from the cemetery. Grancer's grave has been vandalized several times but people looking for the treasure that Grancer was supposed to have been buried with.
Grancer is said to have had many children by several women other than his wife. One woman was supposed to have been Mary Brock or Brooks. He is also said to have had a lot of slaves, but according to the below slave reports he did not. In fact it looks like he had one black slave woman. The black slave male was probably her son. The rest are her children that she had by a white man (Grancer?). It is said that Grancer named his black slaves with the surname Lane and that the black cemetery was next to the Harrison cemetery. It is now a plowed field. 1850 Slave Report Coffee County, Alabama
William (Grancer) Harrison owned 5 slaves:
1 28 year old female (black)
1 9 year old male (black)
1 7 year old male (mulatto)
1 3 year old male (mulatto)
1 1 year old male (mulatto)
1860 Slave Report, Coffee County, Alabama
(taken after Grancer d.) his wife Nancy owned:
1 39 year old female (black)
1 20 year old male (black)
1 15 year old male (mulatto)
1 11 year old male (mulatto)
1 9 year old female (mulatto)
1 7 year old female (mulatto)
We know the names of Grancer's children by a court case filed by his daughter Elizabeth. In 1867, Coffee County, Alabama, William's daughters, Elizabeth Hall, Mary Weeks, Sarah Adams, Charlotte Harrison, Frances Fleming, and Martha Paul, sued John Paul to sell land which had belonged to William Harrison. They were also suing on behalf of William's grandchildren because William and all four of his sons were dead. All of his sons died around 1864 in the Civil War. May 27, 1867: Elizabeth Hall, vs John Paul - This day came the said Elizabeth Hall et als and filed their application in writing, signed by them, setting forth among other matters that they reside in this county and are of full age. That they Elizabeth Hall, Charlotta Harrison, Francis Fleming, Mary Weeks, Sarah Adams, Martha Paul, William Harrison, James M. Harrison, John Harrison and Moses Harrison are the joint owners of certain real and personal property in t
Note: "Grancer" is the famous Dancin' Ghost. Famous for his love of dancing he was b
|
