He was a hero, a president, a general and he has a connection with South Windsor. More commonly, he is known as Ulysses S. Grant. The 18th President of the United States and commanding general of the Union who lead the victory over the Confederacy in the American Civil War.
General Grant knew much about his ancestors. As he explains it, “Her [Grant’s mother] family took no interest in genealogy….On the other side, my father took a great interest in the subject” and through his father, Grant learned a lot, much of which he explains in the first chapter of his personal memoir.
It all started in 1630 when Mathew Grant reached Massachusetts from England and two years later, moved to what is now known as Windsor. Mathew’s eldest son, Samuel Grant later took lands on the east side of the CT River, also known as South Windsor. Six generations of the Grant family lived in South Windsor until Noah Grant. As an adult, Noah went with the Connecticut company to join the continental army and served through the entire revolutionary war. Afterward, he emigrated to Pennsylvania where he married a Miss Kelly in 1799 and once again emigrated. This time, to the western reserve area of Ohio, which was sometimes referred to as New Connecticut, since it had once been owned by CT. With Miss Kelly, Noah had 4 more children. The eldest of which was Jesse R. Grant, also known as General Grant’s father. On April 27, 1822, Hiram Ulysses Grant entered the world.
Not only are Ulysses S. Grant’s ancestors from South Windsor, but it is rumored that he himself once stayed at a home in Main Street. Still on this street to this day, is a house built for Ebenezer Grant in 1757. Ebenezer is the brother of Ulysses S. Grant’s great-great-grandfather.
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