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Robert Grier Georgia's First Astronomer By Tina Simms An intriguing and little known figure in Georgia’s early history is Robert Grier, an astronomer and mathe matician, founder of Grier’s Almanac, and uncle of Alex ander Hamilton Stephens. Practically every Georgian, especially if reared in a rural area, has seen the familiar almanac with its homely advice, gardening tips, zodiac and weather information. The adver tisements stick in one’s mind. Over the years, since 1807, the almanac founded by Robert Grier has promoted down-home remedies for everything from croup to female weakness. Back in the old days the almanac advertised some real zingers. Search Grandma’s attic and maybe you’ll turn up a bottle of Mexican Mustang Liniment for Man and Beast. If you do, for goodness sakes, don’t throw it away. Old patent remedy bottles are now collector’s items. Robert Grier was born, the son of Aaron W. and Jean Gibson Grier, in 1780, in what was formerly Wilkes County. “Near Augusta” seems to be the most useful designation today. Governor Wright in 1773 had purchased from the Indians a large tract of land north of Little River and stretching westward to the Ogeechee, known thereafter as the “ceded lands.” It was in this area that the early Georgia Griers had settled. Asa youth, Robert Grier attended old Union Academy in Green County, where he studied mathematics and astronomy under his uncle, Mr. Burns. One of Robert’s sisters, Margaret, married Andrew B. Stephens and became the mother of Alexander Hamilton Stephens, the dis tinguished “Little Aleck,” Vice-President of the Confed eracy. Robert Grier’s brother, another Aaron, was a Major General in the War of 1812. Little Aleck for a time lived with General Aaron Grier’s family. It is not known in what year Robert Grier moved from the place of his birth to Butts County. However, his family home still stands in the Stark Community, near Jackson. Supported mainly by entangled vines, it would seem, the old Robert Grier home presents a rustic sight to the modern eye. The wide, hand-hewn planks are truly a remnant of the past. Grier, who died in 1848, is buried in a family plot hidden in the woods near the house. The large rock on which he is reputed to have sat and made his astronomical observations is too overgrown by vines to be readily located. The Grier house is privately owned. In the past a historical marker stood at the crossroads in Stark Com- #ofltflnmcwi Openings From a Great American Carpet Dealer by permission of THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE 1848: The golden years. What luck! Just as a weakened Mexico turns over California to us, one of Captain Sutter’s men finds a few pieces of gold in the sand along the Sacramento River. The men don’t stop looking. They find more gold and cross their fingers while it’s being tested. It’s.gold, all right. In such rich deposits that a prospector could gather SSOO worth in just a few hours. The word spreads. Doctors, lawyers, farmers, merchants, even servants leave their jobs and rush for the gold fields. Some sail around Cape Horn. Others risk their lives to plod their "prairie schooners” across deserts and mountains. By the end of 1850, San Francisco is transformed from a sleepy Spanish village to a city of 15,000. By 1853, California boasts 250,000 people. All looking for the rich life.g CLEVELAND CARPETS JENKINSBURG— HWY. 42 GRIFFIN-141 N. EXPRESSWAY THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARCUS, JACKSON, GEORGIA C' \ . ■ % The old Grier home in Butts County munity, about one mile from the house, but it is no longer standing. Almanacs have played an important part in the history of publishing and journalism in our country. A cherished piece of our national mythology is that Benjamin Franklin “invented” the almanac in this country. Actually the first American almanac was printed by the Harvard College press, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1639, almost a hundred years before Poor Richard’s Almanac made its appearance. During the eighteenth and nineteenth cen turies, close to 2000 different almanacs many short-lived - were published in the United States. They were a popular advertising medium and, having a different fold from newspapers, were the forerunners of today’s magazines. The almana’c, with its wise sayings and useful information, was highly valued by our thrifty and pious ancestors. Grier’s Almanac, founded in Georgia, was first published in 1807 as The Georgia and South Carolina Almanack and printed by the Augusta firm of Holly and Bunch. A copy of that first edition is preserved at the University of Georgia, a part of the Deßenne collection. Subsequent to Grier’s death, the almanac continued under various editors and publishers. Now published by an Atlanta firm, Grier’s Almanac hasn’t missed an issue for 168 years. Back in the .early nineteenth century, Robert Grier predicted for his fellow Southerners the dates of eclipses, the lengths of days and nights, and— so important to farmers the weather prospects for the year. Was he Georgia’s first astronomer? He seems a likely candidate indeed. This story on Robert Grier was reproduced from the Winter, 1975 edition of Georgia Magazine with the permission of Mrs. Ann Lewis, Editor. The author, Tina Simms, a graduate of Mercer University, holds a Master’s Degree From Stephen F. Austin State U., and is currently employed by the Gwinnett County Board of Education as a teacher of gifted high school students. Fine Attractions For Jackson Chautauqua Automobile Parade A Feature Everything About Completed for Great Gala Week Program Consists of Many Excellent Features That Are Attracting Wide Attention With an automobile race, minus prizes, a sham battle, Bishop Candler, Hoke Smith, in addition to the regular num bers, insures Jackson of one of the best chantauquas in the history of the state. The program has been received and is given below: Sunday June 12, sermon by Bishop Warren A. Candler. Monday the 13,10 a.m. music by DeKoven Male Quartet and Alkahest band and orchestra, concert by the Apollo Concert Company, of Chicago; 8 p.m. grand concert by the orchestra and quartet. Tuesday the 14, Home-Com ing Day; 8 p.m. the usual musical preludes by the quartet and orchestra, concert by the Apollos. Wednesday the 15, Military Day, 11 a.m. music by the quartet and orchestra, lecture by Dr. Thos. McClary; 8 p.m. the usual musical preludes, entertainment by Walden the magician, assisted by Prof. Heverly the handcuff king. Thursday the 16, Automobile Day, 11 a.m. music by the orchestra and quartet, lecture by Dr. Thomas McClary; 8 p.m. grand concert by all the musical talent. Friday the 17, 11 a.m. musical preludes, lecture by Dr. Henry Clark; 8 p.m. musical preludes by the Alkahest band and orchestra; entertainment by Edwin R. Weeks, assisted by his wife. Many letters of acceptance are being received from people in different portions of the state. The different commit- THURSDAY, JULY I, 1976 Plans Accepted For New Baptist Church Baptists to Erect Handsome Edifice TO COST ABOUT $25,000 At the meeting of the Baptist church Sunday morning the plans for anew church building were accepted and steps were taken to further the movement for anew church. The plans accepted were drawn by architects Sayre & Baldwin, of South Carolina, and were selected from a number submitted. The build ing, as planned, will be of white pressed brick, of Grecian - Doric architecture, and will be one of the prettiest and most modern church edifices in the entire state. It will be modern in all the appointments, costing about $25,000. The new building will have a swimming pool, gymnasium and a pipe organ to cost about $2,000, half of which will be given by Mr. Andrew Carnegie, and other attractive features. Anew Sunday school room will be added and altogether the new church will be a very handsome one. It will be next spring, it is stated, before work is started on the building. A good many details in connection with the church remain to be worked out. These are in the hands of a building committee composed of Messrs. F. S. Etheridge, J. H. Carmichael, R. J. Carmi chael, S. O. Ham, W. J. Wood. Work on the new building is not to begin until the full amount is subscribed, it is declared. --Butts County Progress, Nov. 15, 1912. tees are at work in rounding up the final details of the Chautauqua. The outlook for a successful chautauqua are growing brighter all the time. The advertising and automo bile committees had a meeting Tuesday night in furthering their plans and got through with a good deal of important work. -- Butts County Progress, May 20, 1910. From a Great American Variety Store by permission of THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE 1781: The end of a very long war. Lord Cornwallis has been joined by Benedict Arnold, who is most unhappy about not advancing fast enough in our army. Their objective: to conquer Virginia. They see it as a weak link, protected only by Marquis de Lafayette and his meager force. Cornwallis waits in Yorktown for his reenforcements, but the French navy gets there first. And so does General Washington, who’s always at the right place at tl a right time. We surround Cornwallis and his troops. He has no choice. On October 19th, he surrenders his sword, and his army becomes our prisoners of war. We march them to Lancaster, to Cornwallis’s chagrin. To the King’s chagrin, many a Britisher thinks we’ve done a topnotch job. Years later, even Cornwallis admits he agrees. $ BECKHAM'S #catl!!mt(injfpp9S From a Great American Grocery Store by permission of THE BETTMANN ARCHIVE 1836: The high price of Texas. We’ve always been a restless people. More room, more free dom, more opportunity, that’s what we want We’ve settled °u r ! 0U^ Weste AA boun dary with Spain, and agreed to stop short of Texas. Meanwhile, Mexico has joined the ranks of Spanish-American colonies to gain its independence. That means trouble. Mexico has been welcoming us into Texas territory for years. But by now, so many of us have become Texans, we ve become a threat. We’re forbidden to continue to emigrate to Texas They’re sending troops and even a warship to keep us down. We declare our independence against the cruel Mexican president, Santa Anna. And we fight for it at a mission called the Alamo We’re brutallv exterminated All 166 of us from Davy Crockett to the sick m the hospital ward But we ll get back at them in a month General Sam Houston and 750 volunteers will rout the Mexican army at San Jacinto, take Santa Anna prisoner, Etna tree Igxhs. m STEPHENS . GROCERY