Erastus Grant

Erastus Grant was born 28 July 1774 in Westfield, Massachusetts. He was the son of Alexander Grant and his second wife, Miriam Sexton Bliss Grant. Grant's mother was from Enfield, Connecticut, and his father had come to Westfield from East Windsor, Connecticut. Erastus Grant married Eunice Sackett of Westfield in May 1801, and they had eight children. He died in Westfield in 1865, at the age of 91.

Based on stylistic evidence and construction techniques, it is likely that Grant was probably trained in the Hartford, Connecticut, shop of Aaron Chapin (1753-1838). Grant was one of at least three known cabinetmakers working in Hartford in the 1790s, all of whom used the same unusual construction in their furniture. After completing his training in Hartford, Grant moved to Massachusetts to begin his cabinetmaking career.