Pueblo County, Colorado
Wilbur E. Grant

Contributed by Jean Greisan

Wilbur E. Grant was born on May 22, 1888, the son of Robert and Sarah J. (Waggoner) Grant. Wilbur Grant was born in Pueblo, Colorado. The Grant family was one of the early pioneering families in Pueblo County, Colorado. Wilbur was one of the youngest children from a large family, including eleven children. His father was a farmer and had also organized the first slaughter house and butcher shop in Pueblo.

Wilbur attended school in Pueblo. After completing high school, he started work as a bookkeeper for the Mercantile National Bank in Pueblo, and worked there for about five years. At the end of that time, he started ranching and became very successful in this field. He built modern facilities for the period and used progressive methods in his farming. By the late 1910s, he owned eighty acres of land near Avondale, of which fifty five of them were being farmed. He also had a partnership with one of his brothers where he had six hundred acres devoted to raising cattle. He had improved his land very much so that his land became one of the valuable properties in the area.

On May 15, 1913, Wilbur married Roene Porter in Pueblo. She was born on May 29, 1891 in Missouri, the daughter of Sherman H. Porter and Minnie C. Porter. She was one of two children, and their only child who lived into adulthood. They moved from Sedalia, Pettis County, Missouri to Pueblo County sometime in her adolescent years. Wilbur and Roene never had any children. I

n his political affiliations, Wilbur Grant was a Republican and belonged to the Elks of Pueblo. He was fond of outdoor life, his favorite pastime being hunting. By developing his interests, he not only attained individual prosperity but also largely contributed to the development of the Arkansas Valley. He was said to have been a “public-spirited citizen, ever ready to give his support to movements undertaken for the betterment and uplift of the people.” He had many friends in Pueblo County, and all who knew him thought him to be a man of high qualities of character.

A book, “History of Colorado,” by Judge Wilbur Fisk Stone, was published in 1918. The following article about Wilbur Grant appeared in this book:

“WILBUR E. GRANT.
Among the younger agriculturists of Pueblo county is Wilbur E. Grant, who a member of an old pioneer family of his section of the state. He now owns a tract of eighty acres, near Avondale, of which fifty-five are in a high state of cultivation, and he also has six hundred acres in partnership with a brother, this land being devoted to the raising of cattle.

A native of Pueblo, Colorado, Wilbur E. Grant is a truly western man, imbued with the aggressive spirit of enterprise characteristic of all Coloradoans. He was born May 22, 1888, and is a son of Robert and Sarah J. (Waggoner) Grant. The family removed to this state in 1864, first locating near Boone, but later going to Pueblo. The father was engaged in agricultural pursuits and also organized the first slaughter house and butcher shop in Pueblo, which he conducted successfully for many years. His early labors have resulted in gratifying financial returns and he is now able to live retired, making his home in Pueblo and also in California.

Wilbur E. Grant enjoyed a good education, being a graduate of the graded and high schools of Pueblo. After having completed his schooling he entered the service of the Mercantile National Bank of that city and continued with that bank for about five years. At the end of that time he turned his attention to ranching and has been very successful in this line. He has installed modern facilities and in his agricultural labors follows progressive methods. He has put up suitable, buildings, and in many ways has so improved the property that it is today considered one of the valuable farms of the neighborhood.

On May 15, 1913, Mr. Grant was united in marriage to Miss Roene Porter, the ceremony being performed in Pueblo. In his political affiliations Mr. Grant is a republican and fraternally belongs to the Elks of Pueblo. He is fond of outdoor life, his favorite pastime being hunting. By developing his interests he has not only attained individual prosperity but has largely contributed to the development of the Arkansas valley and is a public-spirited citizen, ever ready to give his support to movements undertaken for the betterment and uplift of the people. He has many friends in Pueblo county and all who know him esteem in him a man of high qualities of character.”

In 1920, Wilbur and Roene were living on a farm in Pueblo County, and he was farming. By 1930, they had moved into the city of Pueblo, and they were living with Roene’s parents, Sherman and Minnie Porter. He was an assistant cashier at a wholesale grocery. Shortly afterward, he served as an accountant there and also at the R. W. T. Garage. He ran, unsuccessfully, for city commissioner in Pueblo in about 1932.

Wilbur Grant died at the young age of 44 on January 24, 1933. According to his obituary, he died of “acute indigestion.” He was survived by his wife, three brothers, and four sisters. Several news articles of his death follow:

“Wilbur Grant Dies Of Sudden Illness.
Wilbur Grant, 44, well-known Pueblo accountant and one-time candidate for city commissioner, died suddenly at his home, 2225 Grand avenue, last night. Death was said to have followed an attack of acute indigestion.
Grant was a member of one of the best-known and most highly regarded families in Pueblo. He was a son of the late Robert Grant, one of the city’s pioneers.
Active in politics and civic affairs for many years, Grant was a candidate for election as city commissioner at the last city election.
His business career had been varied, and he had served in the capacity of bookkeeper for the Mercantile National bank, the Colorado Supply company and at the time of his death was employed in the same capacity at the R. W. T. garage.
Surviving him are his wife, Roene; three brothers, Edward, Lawrence C., and Wallace, all of Pueblo, and four sisters, Mrs. James Jex, Mrs. Cecil Schilling, Mrs. Margaret Patterson and Mrs. William Bloomer, all of Los Angeles, Calif.
Funeral arrangements are to be announced later from the mortuary of T. G. McCarthy & Sons.”
Pueblo Chieftain, January 25, 1933

“A City Mourns.
Wilbur Grant, one of Pueblo’s most popular young business men and political aspirant whose sudden death Tuesday night has plunged the city into sorrow. Apparently in excellent health, he was stricken after a sudden attack of acute indigestion. Services will be held Friday at 2:30 p.m. in the T. G. McCarthy Funeral chapel.”
Pueblo Chieftain, January 26, 1933

Roene Grant continued to live in Pueblo. She died on September 26, 1967 at age 76 in Pueblo. She was buried in Roselawn Cemetery next to her husband, Wilbur Grant.

SOURCES:
1. Federal census records from 1880, 1900, 1910, 1920, and 1930 from Pueblo County, Colorado.
2. Federal census records from 1900 from Sedalia, Pettis County, Missouri.
3. “Wilbur E. Grant,” “History of Colorado,” Volume II, page 427, edited by Wilbur Fisk Stone, published by the S. J. Clarke Publishing Company in 1918.
4. “Wilbur Grant Dies Of Sudden Illness,” Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo County, Colorado, January 25, 1933.
5. “A City Mourns,” Pueblo Chieftain, Pueblo County, Colorado, January 26, 1933.
6. Burial records from Roselawn Cemetery, Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado, provided online at www.roselawnpueblo.com/genealogy/.
7. Social Security Death Index (SSDI) entry for Roene Grant, provided online at http://ssdi.rootsweb.com/.


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