Son of George A. Grigsby and Rebecca James Grigsby. born in Maryville, Blount, Tennessee Mar 3, 1806, one of about ten children.
Capt. Grigsby fought in the Civil War.
In 1825 he married Nancy Weir Wilson in Blount, Tennessee. The marriage were blessed with the following children: Franklin Temple Grigsby 1829- 1893, Granvile white Grigsby 1829 - 1880, Teresa Angeline Grigsby 1830- 1893, Calvin Calibus Grigsby 1833, Franklin F. Grigsby 1834, Mary Jane Grigsby 1836 -1905, Jefferson Sylvester Wilaon Grigsby 1838 - 1912, Wiley Grigsby 1839.
Nancy died Oct 12, 1841 in Laciede, Missouri.
In 1842 he married Mahala Shahan Shields in Pulaski County, Missouri. She was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Shields and Mary Shahan Shields. Her great uncle was on the Lewis and Clark trip and known as the ten Smokey Mountain Brothers.
James and John Shahan Shields were two of her brothers who came West also to the Napa, area.
Capt Grigsby and Mahala prepared for their wagon trip west and she became the stepmother to the youngest Grigsby children. A daughter, Nancy Ann Grigsby was born 1843 while theuy were still in Missouri. The first son of their union, John Tyler Grigsby was born in the covered wagon near the Fort stopover in Wyoming on the route West.They were in the Grigsby/Ide wagon train group which made it over the Sierra's a couple of weeks before the heavy storms ahead of the Donner party. John directed the men to cut logs and lay them over large boulder areas, the wagon were unloaded and the oxen slide them over the logs. Then the goods were reloaded till the next boulder area. They arrive at Johnson's Crossing near present day Wheatland, Ca. on Oct 17, 1845.
When they arrive at Sutter's Fort, they were the first wagon train to make it in with their wagons and belongings in history. They went on to the Napa area.
By the 1850 census in the new California they held the land just north of Yountville. Capt Grigsby held a large dairy herd plus fields.
In later years in Napa, Mahala divorced John for a short period, then remarried him before she died.
After his wife Mahala died, he sold his land and returned to Illinois and other family interest.
He died Mar 28, 1876 in Moselle, Franklin, Missouri.
A strong man who achieved guite a trail of history in his life time.
∼"Grigsby, Capt. John, died Mar., 1876 in Moselle Franklin Co., Missouri (lived on East side of the Napa Valley, West side of the river just West of Napa Soda Springs.)" He is listed in an old GCY cemetery ledger as being buried there,
however, per Glen Garner, there is no grave at this cemetery and he states the following: "John Grigsby is not buried in the George C Yount Cemetery. You will find him in the Grigsby Cemetery, Moselle, Franklin Co., Missouri"
(Find A Grave # 38159313)
Glen E. Garner Mar 14, 2013

Captain John Grigsby and his wife Mahala were friends of George Yount's from Missouri. They moved to Napa County and created a homestead. They plowed their land with oxen where it is said that the wild oats grew taller than a man's head.
The Grigsbys' bought their land from Salvador Vallejo (660 acres) and became the first landowners in what was to become Sebastopol. Mahala was one of the women who helped make the first California Bear Flag.

Research by Marjorie Mohler, Yountville historian.