Robert Grier
Birth: Mar. 9, 1780
Taliaferro County
Georgia, USA
Death: May 4, 1848
Butts County
Georgia, USA
Robert Grier, the astronomer, was the son of Aaron Grier and Jean [Jane] Gibson. According to "The History of Butts County, Georgia 1825-1976," Robert was born in Columbia County, Georgia. His birthplace, after changes in counties and county boundaries, is located in what is now Taliaferro County. He had the following siblings:
* sister, Elizabeth Grier, who never married;
* sister, Margaret Grier, who married Andrew Baskin Stephens and who was the mother of Alexander Hamilton Stephens, vice-president of the Confederacy and later Governor of Georgia;
* sister, Mary Grier, who married her cousin Aaron Grier, the son of Robert and Margaret (Livingston) Grier;
* sister, Katherine Grier, who married Samuel Findley;
* brother, Aaron Grier, Jr., who married Elizabeth Perry and who fought in the War of 1812, the Indian War and the Mexican-American War and rose to the rank of brigadier-general;
* brother, Thomas Grier, who married Margaret Torrence.
Robert Grier first studied astronomy with his uncle Andrew Burns, a Greensboro, Georgia teacher. Robert proved to be quite a good student with exceptional intelligence. Robert was also gifted in mathematics and his knowledge and aptitude in both of these subjects aided him greatly in the calculations he later made for his almanac.
Robert married his cousin Elizabeth Grier, the daughter of Robert and Margaret (Livingston) Grier, in Greene County, Georgia, April 2, 1805. They lived first in Washington [now Taliaferro] County where Robert taught school. They lived for a while in Wilkes County [now Taliaferro County] where three of their children are buried: Margaret, Demarius, and Elizabeth. By 1830, the family moved to Butts County and hoped that the sulphur water of Indian Springs would improve the health of their son Algernon Sidney Grier. Butts County is where the family settled and remained; it is the location of the Robert Grier home, a landmark residence of the county.
Grier first published his almanac, originally called the "Georgia and South-Carolina Almanack," in 1807. Once referred to as a "Bible of the southern antebellum farmer," it was the guide for farmers who planted their crops and raised their livestock--practically all agricultural activity--by its calculations and calendars. After Grier's death in 1848, the publication was renamed "Grier's Almanac." Still published today with the same name over 200 years later, the annual reference work has a circulation of about 3,000,000 [as of 2005]. The "New Georgia Encyclopedia" [2005] states that a modern issue of the almanac, one of Georgia's longest running publications, "contains a complete gardening calendar, zodiac information, tips for anglers, heirloom recipes, a chronological listing of historic events, and sections devoted to health and religion."
According to family tradition, Grier told his nephew, Alexander H. Stephens that there was a real need for better weather forecasting than was possible with his almanac. Presumably at the urging of Grier, Stephens, who later became a member of the House of Representatives, introduced the bill which established the U.S. Weather Bureau.
Robert and Elizabeth Grier had six children: Margaret Grier [1806-1823], Jane Grier [1809-1840], Algernon Sidney Grier [1812-1864], Demarius Grier [1815-1815], Aaron Grier [1818-1837], and Elizabeth Grier [1820-1821].
The memorial plaque that is seen in approaching the Robert Grier home in Butts County bears the following text:
**********
"GEORGIA
1776
HOME OF ROBERT GRIER
One Mi.[to the right]
Robert Grier, astronomer and founder of 'Grier's Almanac,' and his family lived about one mile from here and are buried in a family cemetery near the home.
Robert Grier was born in 1780 at his father's home in Taliaferro Co. He attended old Union Academy in Greene Co., studying mathematics and astronomy under his uncle.
"Grier's Almanac" was first published in 1807 as 'The Georgia and South Carolina Almanack.' Published continuously since its founding, it became 'Grier's Almanac' soon after Robert Grier's death May 4, 1848. Circulation is almost 2 1/2 million copies annually.
Georgia Historical Commission 1962"
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=63676164
