The son of Richard and Ann Grason, William Grason was born on March 11, 1788 in Queen Anne’s County, Md. He attended St. John ‘s College in Annapolis (c. 1801); enlisted in the U.S. Navy (1802) and later in 1813 served as a 3rd sergeant in the 38th Maryland Regiment under Colonel William H. Nicholson at the Battle of Queenstown, August 13, 1813 on the Chester River. He attained a commission as lieutenant on Sept. 12, 1813.
After the war he served in the Maryland House of Delegates (1828-29); Governor of Maryland (1839-1842); and as Maryland Senator (1852-1853). He died on July 2, 1868 at the age of 80 years and was buried on his estate “Wye River Farm” near Queenstown, Queen Anne’s County, Md.
Sources: Marylanders Who Served the Nation by Gerson G. Eisenberg (Annapolis: Maryland State Archives, 1992); The Sun, July 4, 1868.
Maryland in the War of 1812 