Picture courtesy of wikipedia
Did you know that this man was a famous Civil War General and hero who also created the holiday JUNETEENTH which is the oldest known celebration of slavery’s demise in the country? This holiday is now celebrated in many places around the United States. Oh yeah…he was born and grew up in Joy, New York.
Read all about this fascinating man in the link below:
http://williamson.advantage-preservation.com/Viewer/?key=general%20gordon%20granger&fn=sun_and_record_usa_new_york_williamson_20050616_english_7&page=1&df=1&dt=10&tc=108&cnt=United%20States%20of%20America&sn=New%20York&cn=Williamson&pn=Sun%20And%20Record
Recently, his original General Order #3 was uncovered. Read about it here: https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/19/us/national-archives-finds-juneteenth-order/index.html
Here is one personal account found in the archives of the Wayne County Historian’s office. On May 23, 1967, Martha C. White presented a paper to the Wayne County Museum. In the paper was a sketch of his early civilian life (from Gamaliel Case that was written in the Phelps Citizen newspaper) and later military career (from the Launcelot Granger Genealogy, by James M. Granger). Use the + and – keys to zoom in and out as you read this amazing account here: Life of Gordon Granger
It is clear from this account that Gordon Granger was a man who overcame great adversity in his life which reads like a combination Shakespearean romance and tragedy.
Gordon Granger was born in November, 1821 in Joy, NY. As a small child, his mother died giving birth to his sister and he was raised by his grandfather Elihu Granger in Phelps, New York.