William married Sarah Ann Oakley on 17th August 1879 in Portsea County of Hants. Sarah was the daughter of George Oakley  a ships corporal. Sarah was 21 years of age and William 23. She was living at 39 Toronto Rd Portsea Island and William was serving on the Excellent.  Sarah would have been 3 months pregnant at the time. She gave birth to Eva Alice Grinton my nanna at 137 Lake Rd Portsea Island on the leap year day of 29th February 1880.  Sarah died 1 month and 21 days after giving birth from complications , a pelvic abscess which would have caused blood poisoning. Her story is in the Oakleys page. She died on 19th April 1880 at her parents home at 39 Toronto Rd. Go to the Oakleys page to read about that line of descent. Eva and William do not appear to have had much to do with the Oakley's from there as far as we can tell from documentation and the photos and documents Eva left on her death.

William married Elena Doorey  [ also referenced in some documents as Rachael Elena] on 20th July 1884 at Portsea island. Elena was the daughter of William Doorey [ ref: marriage certificate as geneanet lists him as Stephen George] a fish salesman and Ann Snowden. Elena and William had 6 children and their lives can be read in the document attached to the button The Lives of William and Elena's children . The life of Eva Alice Grinton Smith has its own page. 

The children were:

2. William John Grinton married Mary Jane Price. Nanna was close to him as she was a witness at their wedding.
3. George Grinton married Jessie Florence Maud Carter
4. Rachael Maria E Grinton
5. Minnie Grinton married Charles Powell
6. Henry Grinton  married Gertrude Seccombe
7. May Mary Grinton married Walter George Keeble.

There is a photo left by Eva Alice which we believe is Elena her step mother and May just before Eva Alice emigrated to Australia in 1913.

Whilst William was at sea Elena raised the children. The census allow us to get a feeling for their lives:

1891 Census: Elena /Eleanor and William are boarders at 3 Station Rd Harwich. He is listed as a mariner aged 35 yrs she is 25 yrs. Eva, William Jnr, George and Rachael are not listed as living with them nor are they with their grandmother Rachael. Minnie is born in Sheerness in 1891 so presumably the census was taken before then. Williams naval record has him serving on a tug Hearty in 1891. This description of the Hearty might explain things:

The ship underwent builders sea trials from June 1886, with acceptance trials completed in August that year, and sailing from Dundee to Chatham Dockyard on 5 September 1885. The ship was renamed to HMS Hearty on 7 December 1885.[3] She was commissioned in September 1886, serving as a Special Service Vessel, employed on Fishery Protection duties in the North Sea and as a tug,[3] and later was employed for harbour service at Chatham and Sheerness.[5] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Hearty_(1885)].

Harwich is at Chatham Dock and the family would have moved with the Hearty to Sheerness where Minnie was born as William served here until his retirement in 1893.

The children were in fact living at 37 Richmond St Minster Sheppey in 1891. The household is Eva, William,George and Rachael. Perhaps William and Elena were boarding temporarily at Harwich / Chatham. Eva was 11 /12 years of age and possibly at the time of the census in charge of the other children.

There is a court case which shines some light on them at the time. It was reported in The Sheerness Times and General Advertiser August 15th 1891 in a very bad copy. The date of the offence was  July 28th 1891 in Sheerness. In short William Jnr brought a case for assault against a retired baker Mr Henry Johnson who was building houses in Richmond St next to where the family was living had some bricks stolen. His son Frederick Johnsons jumped the fence and threatened the to get the police onto the boys. Eva was a witness at the trial and said her brothers William and George were simply playing with the bricks. Eva is described as 12 years of age and William as half that. It seems Frederick hit the boys who started crying which brought out Mr Johnson who also beat them. Eva reported that she had seen her brothers throw the bricks to the ground and she heard her mother [Elena] tell the boys they would be beaten by Mr Johnson if they did that again. Elena was absent from the home when the offence was committed. Elena gave evidence that when she complained to Mr Johnson a 'warm' conversation was had ie when Mr Johnson swore at her she swore back in self defence. Elena was cross examined trying to show she was a nuisance to the neighbourhood and she was cross with Mr Johnson because she would not let a house to a friend of hers. Elena emphatically denied this and she dined telling Mr Johnson to beat the children as she could do nothing with them. The court heard that Elena said to Mr Johnson that if he touched the boys again she would take a brick to him! Frederick aged 15 also gave evidence and denied beating the boys and said his father never beat them just shook them. Fred said the children laughed and called him old Father Johnson. Fred said he heard Elena say " I wish you would give the boys a thrashing, I can do nothing with them". He said Elena was a quiet woman but the boys were troublesome. Elena pronounced the statements untrue. His Worship said it was not suggested the boys were beaten hard and it seemed like they deserved  what they got. He dismissed the case and made each party pay their own costs. The court case was also reported in Sheerness Guardian and east Kent Advertiser and Sheerness Times Guardian on both 8th and 15th August. 

The 8th August newspaper reports throw further light on this. In the Police Court Elena confirms that Mr Johnson is their landlord and she is on weekly tenancy. Elena stated that Mr Johnson had given her a weeks eviction notice presumably after the 28th July incident and that she could not possibly comply with 5 children, having just recovered from an illness and with her husband absent. Elena said she could not afford to pay double rent. The judge said he could not help her if the eviction notice was legal but someone in the court informed her that she could not be evicted until the notice went through the County Court and that would take a month. 

1901 Census: The family are living at 11 Liffler Rd Plumstead [ see photos below] with William described as a skilled labourer-torpedo and George an errant boy [ ? errand]. With them are of course George, Rachel, Minnie and Henry and a boarder Henry Butler who is a tinsmith born in Hants.  William and Eva Alice have left the family home.

1911 Census: The family are at 9 Health rd Chatham with William described as a navy pensioner. All children except their youngest May are  have left the family home. May is 9 years old and at school.

1939 Register: William is living with May and her family at 45 Lynmere Rd  Bexley, Kent. William is the first listed so the head of the household with his son in law Walter G Keeble listed as a porter (R.A.C.S) , May [ Mary] undertaking unpaid domestic duties and their daughter Barbara aged 8 yrs. Elena had died at this address on 3rd January 1936.

William lived until 10th June 1953 when he died aged 97 years at 106 High Street, Welling [ Ref: Phil Grinton for address and following detail]. He died in the sub district of Bexley, Sidcup. His occupation is listed as formerly skilled labourer, Royal Arsenal.  The cause of death was listed as old age and the informant was W. G. Keeble, son-in-law (husband of May Grinton (RN=1905)), who was also living at 106 High Street, Welling.  Williams probate record states he left effects of 212 pound 13 shillings and one pence to May.