Elyria Black Legacy Connection traces Elyria family's roots to before West Virginia's statehood

Editor's note: The Chronicle-Telegram is partnering with the Elyria Black Legacy Connection to publish stories researched by the group throughout Black History Month. The Grantham family's roots predate West Virginia's statehood. Kirkland Grantham II, a 1968 graduate of Elyria High School, was drafted into the U.S. Army and received a Purple Heart. He married his wife, Sharon, in 1970 and, after his military service, worked at the Grafton Correctional Institution. He retired as a sergeant in 1999 after 18 years there. Kirkland has five children, 14 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. "It's clear that the Grantham bloodline's journey will continue to carry on," Elyria Black Legacy Connection founder Ethan West wrote. Long before Grantham II, James Grantham was born in what would become Jefferson County, West Virginia, in 1840. At the time, the area was still part of Virginia. Eventually, James Grantham met and married a young woman, Lucy. In nearby Berkeley County in 1855, John Schley was born — also predating West Virginia's statehood. West Virginia became a state in 1863. Schley married Isabella Ford in 1883. In 1882, James and Lucy Grantham had a son, Daniel. Two years later, the Schleys had a son, Charles Henson. Daniel Grantham married Mary Brown. Charles Henson married Ella Manning. The Granthams' son, Wilber Moses, born in 1901, married the Schleys' daughter, Gertrude, born in 1909. Wilber and Gertrude had several children, including Kirkland, born in 1926 in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. In his late teens, Kirkland enlisted in the military. He served in the U.S. Army from 1944 to 1947 in the Pacific Theater, according to his obituary. After his service, Kirkland moved to Elyria and married Minnie Thompson. He served as a superintendent in the city's sanitation department, retiring after 36 years. In 1950, Kirkland and Minnie had a daughter, Brenda Lee. Soon after, they had a son, Kirkland Grantham II. Kirkland Sr. and Minnie divorced. Kirkland Sr. remarried Martha Colbert in 1954. The couple had four children, Dawn, Denise, Sylvia and William. Kirkland Sr., 86, died in 2012. The Elyria Black Legacy Connection researches Elyria residents' personal histories, tracing them through public records, online ancestry databases and local interviews.