Paul Grimball

Paul Grimball was a British-American politician and settler in the Province of Carolina during the seventeenth century. He organized resistance to the 1686 Spanish Invasion of South Carolina and was a prominent member of the low country gentry of the time.

Early life & Family Paul Grimball was born in Wales in 1640 to Thomas Grimball and Elizabeth Adams. He immigrated to what is today South Carolina around 1682 alongside his parents, and received vast landholdings which they turned into plantations. He married his wife Mary Stoney in 1662 and they would have five children together.

Political career Once arriving in the Province of Carolina, he almost immediately began holding positions in local colonial governance, including commissioner for land grants, assistant justice, deputy to the Grand Council of Carolina, deputy secretary and secretary of the province, and receiver general and escheator for the province. He is listed in several records of the time as being a senior member of local government, held in high regard by his peers.

1686 Spanish Invasion In late August 1686, a detachment of Spanish soldiers sailed from St. Augustine, Florida and raided what is today South Carolina. They sacked several plantations, including Grimball's, carrying away enslaved people, supplies, and goods, virtually looting the entirety of it. The Spanish advance was halted by a hurricane that caused them to retreat back to Spanish Florida. During this Grimball led and organized the local militia, helping organize other plantation homes.

Later life & Legacy Grimball died in 1696, leaving behind 5 children and a vast estate for them to inherit. His grandson was Paul Hamilton (representative) and his 2nd great-grandson was Paul Hamilton (politician). His ruined plantation home still stands as a park at the Paul Grimball House Ruins.