Grieve
Family Background
The first known Grieve to arrive in Canada was John Grieve SR from Roxburghshire, Scotland.
At this time, there are a couple of scenarios that may help to establish who his father was. The first could be Elliott Grieve. Elliott and his wife Mary Scott had four children, Margaret, John and Margaret. According to data from the Latter Day Saints (LDS), there son was born on 17 May 1820 and christening 25 June 1820 in Peebles, Peebles, Scotland. However, records also show that Elliott and Mary were married January 28, 1820 so there may be an error in his birth date.
John Grieve SR was born June 18, 1821. This is calculated from his death registration in Fergus, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada.
The second person who fits the time frame is also John Grieve, born June 18, 1821. He is the son of Robert Grieve and Janet Farquhar. They had seven children, Jane and Margaret, born Lilliesleaf, Roxburgshire, John, Geoerge, Janet and Robert, born Falashiels, Selkshire and Simon, born Roxburshire. What makes this interesting is that there was a Simon living in Eramosa Township, the same area as John Grieve SR. It is quite possible that these are the same brothers. There is a further link that ties them together. John Grieves son, John Grieve Jr. and his wife Mary Haxton Millar were witnesses to the marriage of William Angus Grieve, grandson of Simon Grieve. William Angus Grieve married Margaret Isabel Aitken, sister to Sarah Cameron Aitken, who was married to John Alexander Grieve. More research is needed but this John Grieve is a much more likely candidate.
John and his wife, Ann Forsyth(e) emigrated to Canada in 1850, settling in Eramosa Township, Wellington County, Ontario. There he purchased 100 acres in concession 4. Having cleared and paid for that, he bought lot 23, concession 4, and later lot 24, increasing his holdings to 300 acres. As set forth in a record in the Wellington County Historical Atlas, published in 1906, he was remembered as a powerful man of great personal activity, imbued with perseverance assuring success in life. As a noted plowman, he won many prizes at agricultural fairs. He was famed as a stock fancier, raising purebred cattle with which he captured many prizes. He was a keen judge and lover of horses too. He had the honor of being the first farmer in Eramosa to buy a binder.
His son, John Alexander Grieve moved west to Saskatchewan and homesteaded near present day Lawson, Saskatchewan.