John Graves of Northamptonshire, Revisted
By Robert L. Atteberry and Carmen J. Rosado
Last updated February 2011
All copyright retained by the authors
Introduction
This article on the ancestry of "John Graves
of Northamptonshire" has been prepared as an adjunct to the authors'
investigation of their own ancestor, Richard Bostick (b. 14Sep1758 Onslow Co.
NC, d. 5Feb1831 Beaufort Dist. SC).
Through the authors' research it has been established that Richard
Bostick was a son of Valentine Bostick and Mary Graves. Through the further research of these
authors it has been established that Mary Graves was very likely an older
daughter of Thomas Graves2, son of John Graves1 of
Stratton Marjor Parish, King and Queen County, Virginia. This research into the possible
ancestry of John Graves1 was performed for the purpose of further
strengthening the connection between Mary Graves, wife of Valentine Bostick, as
a daughter of Thomas Graves2, and to try to establish the origins of
Mary's grandfather, John Graves1. Buried within this article on John Graves1, the
reader will find numerous references to associations with the Davenport, Arnold
and Bostick families. This has
occurred because the primary audience of this research was intended to be
persons with specific interest in Bostick genealogy. However, it occurred to the authors that persons interested
in Graves family genealogy may also derive value from this work. Consequently, it is being offered to
the Graves Family Association for publication for its own readers.
Valentine BostickÕs father-in-law is believed to have been Thomas
Graves. The assumed kinship
between Valentine Bostick and Thomas Graves is predicated on a deed recorded in
Orange County, Virginia on 18Jul1744 in which Charles Powell conveyed land to
Thomas Graves, and which showed Valentine Bostick as surety and stated that
ÒBaustic [sic] was son of GravesÓ [1]. This chapter endeavors to
discover the ancestry of Thomas Graves, father-in-law of Valentine
Bostick. Let it be said at the
outset that there has been a great deal of writing published by various and
sundry researchers on the many branches of the Graves family in colonial
Virginia, the most noteworthy of which was Mrs. P. W. Hiden. A large part of those writings profer
the notion that all of the Graves families of colonial Virginia originated from
a single progenitor, Captain Thomas Graves, who died at Accomack between Nov1635
and Jan1636.
Perhaps the most exhaustive research compiled on the possible descendants of Captain Thomas Graves is found on the Internet at ÒGraves Family AssociationÓ, hereinafter, GFA.[2] The GFA site has utilized DNA testing in an effort to sort out the possible kinship of descendants of the several Graves families originating from colonial Virginia. The present results of the GFA DNA project has determined that most of the strands previously attributed to Captain Thomas Graves are in fact of other ancestral origins. However, the GFA site has compiled genealogies for most of these disparate strands, and wherever possible, has made links to other Graves immigrants, or to Graves/Greaves families in England.
A perusal of the various Graves family strands existing in colonial Virginia during the 17th and 18th centuries provides only one likely match for Valentine BostickÕs father-in-law, that being Thomas Graves, son of John Graves of Northamptonshire as described in Genealogy No. 270 on the GFA website.[3] The following is an excerpt from Genealogy No. 270, which provides documentation for placing John Graves in King William and King and Queen Counties as early as 1704 when he was identified as being of King and Queen County and purchasing land in King William County:
ÒJohn Graves(1) was
born about 1665 and died after 1737.
His wife's name is not known.
It is believed that he was an immigrant to Virginia from
Northamptonshire, England (based on DNA testing, and the Bible record of
Solomon Graves in the Appendix), and his surname may have been spelled
Greaves in England (since all other proven relatives of his in England spelled
their name as Greaves). It was
previously thought that this John was a son of Thomas and Elizabeth Graves
(descended from Capt. Thomas Graves of VA, genealogy 169), since the ages were
right, and there were no other known Graves of the right age to be the father
of this John. He is obviously too
old to be one of the Johns of the Abingdon Parish Register [Gloucester County]. Francis (genealogy 220, previously
thought to be youngest son of Capt. Thomas Graves of gen. 169) may possibly
have had a son John by a first marriage, but this John died in Essex Co. in
1720. He was also in Essex Co. at
the same time that John Sr. (#1) was in King and Queen and King William
Counties. Two John Graves are in
the 1704 Quit Rent Rolls, one in King and Queen Co. and one in King William
Co. The one in King and Queen Co.
might be the John bapt. 1677, Abingdon Parish, but it is also quite possible
that both Johns are one and the same person. As deeds show, John Sr. (#1) was of King and Queen Co. in
1704 when he purchased land in King William Co. Therefore, it is quite possible that he is listed for both
areas. The Quit Rent Rolls are
obviously incomplete, as only seven Graves appear on them: Thomas and John in King William Co.,
John and Robert in King and Queen Co., Thomas and Jeffery of Gloucester Co.,
and James of James City Co. There
should be many more.
There are several
deeds that are crucial to establishing this line. They substantiate the birth dates of John Sr. (#1) and his
son John Jr., and show that this is the same family that later settled in
Spotsylvania Co. King William Co.,
Deed Book 1, pp. 195-7: John Clayton (or Clayborne) of St. John's Parish, King
William Co., sells 100 acres on the north side of the Pamunkey River to John
Graves of Stratton Major (Manor) Parish, King and Queen Co., 6 May 1704.
King William Co.,
Deed Book 1, p. 342: John Graves assigns over all rights, etc., to the above
100 acres on the Pamunkey to his son John, 20 March 1706/7.
Spotsylvania Co.
Deed Book A, May 24, 1729. Thomas
Gambrill of St. Margaret's Parish, King William Co. In consideration of 100 acres of land, a tract of land
containing 200 acres in Spotsylvania Co. (one of the witnesses to this deed was
Thomas Graves).
This deed does not
describe the bounds of the 100 acres which John Jr. traded off in King William
Co., but inasmuch as he was described as being of King and Queen and owning 100
acres in King William, it must be the same 100 acres assigned to him as a Deed
of Gift by his father John Graves Sr.
There are no other records showing the disposal of the 100 acres or of
any other John Graves owning 100 acres in this section.
Spotsylvania Co.
Deed Book F, p. 563, May 31, 1765. John and Frances Graves made a Deed of Gift
to their son, Joseph Graves, specifically mentioning the 200 acres content and
that it was purchased by them in 1729 from Thomas Gambrill.
Journal of the
House of Burgess, 1717-1726, p. 56:
William Smith of King William Co. petitions for a bill to make good the
title on entailed land he sold to John Graves Jr., 16 Nov. 1713.
It is obvious John
Graves Jr. was of age by 1713 and most likely either of age or very close in
1706/7 when given the land on Pamunkey by his father. Therefore, John Jr. was probably born 1685-90 and was the oldest
of John Sr.'s known sons. By this
same reasoning, John Sr. must have been born by 1670 and more likely by 1665.
Although there is
no record of John Sr. moving to Spotsylvania Co., Va., it is likely that he
moved with his sons. In
Spotsylvania Co. Order Book, 1735-38, p. 501, 7 June 1737, John Graves is set
free of any county levies, he being very ancient and unable to labor. There is no other John in the area to
who this description would apply.
It is also more appropriate for a man born 1665 than the John who was
probably baptized 1677. John
Graves Sr. died sometime after 1737.
Thomas Graves, in
his will of 1768, specifically mentions Joseph Graves (son of John Graves, Jr.
of Spotsylvania Co.) as his nephew and makes him executor of his will. This proves beyond contention that John
Graves, Jr. and Thomas Graves, both of Spotsylvania Co., were brothers and the
sons of John Graves Sr. of King and Queen Co.
The evidence for
Joseph Graves as a son is discussed in the section on Joseph and his family.
Miss Louise Graves,
in her book referenced at the end of this paragraph, has an excellent
discussion of the ancestry of this John Graves. On pages 47-50 of her book, she points out the errors in the
lineage of this line in the publications of Mrs. Hiden and John Card
Graves. She quotes Mr. John
Frederick Dorman as stating, "The John Graves of King and Queen Co. who
deeded 100 acres in King William Co. to his son is the only logical John Graves
to be the father of Thomas and John Jr.... The deed of 1706/7 appears to be an adult John Jr., and if
that is so we must put his birth as ca. 1685 and the father's birth back before
1665. This would make the father a
contemporary of John Graves of St. Ann's Parish, Essex Co. (will 1719-20) who
was of age when he purchased 200 acres there. Neither of these John Graves is identified in Adventurers of Purse and Person although
they fall within the generations covered in that book. They must be either sons of Thomas
Graves, Jr., or Francis Graves, or grandsons of John Graves, the eldest son of
old Captain Thomas."
We now know (as a
result of DNA testing) that this John Graves was not descended from Capt.
Thomas Graves of VA. That
conclusion is also supported by the Bible record of Solomon Graves in the Appendix
to this genealogy. (R‑14, R‑901)
Children -
Graves
+2. John
Graves, Jr., b.c. 1685, m. Frances ‑‑‑‑‑‑,
c. 1715, d. after 1772.
+3. Thomas
Graves, b. 1691, m(1) Mary Perkins, m(2) Ann Davenport, d. 1768.
+4. Joseph
Graves, b.c. 1715, m. Sarah ‑‑‑‑‑‑, d.
1774.Ó
From the foregoing excerpt, it has been documented that John Graves of King and Queen County and later of Spotsylvania County was born about 1665; had three sons: John Jr., Thomas and Joseph [although Joseph's connection is in dispute]; that through DNA testing he has been linked to a family named Greaves of Northamptonshire, England; and that he died in Spotsylvania County sometime after 1737.
It is John Graves Sr.Õs son, Thomas, whom the authors believe to have been Valentine BostickÕs father-in-law. Again, the following excerpt from Genealogy No. 270 provides a biographical sketch of Thomas Graves:
ÒThomas Graves (3)
was born in 1691 (based on a deposition, Caroline O.B. 1746-54, p. 362), and
died in 1768 in Spotsylvania Co., Va.
Mrs. Hiden states: "in the absence of documentary proof, we can
still feel confident that Thomas Graves was the son of a John Graves who had
lived in King and Queen Co. but was of the Gloucester Co. family, born about
1670, son of Thomas and Mary Graves, son of Thomas, son of Capt. Thomas."
Thomas Graves
consistently maintained his residence on the Pamunkey in Spotsylvania Co.,
Va. His wife Ann (or Anne or Sarah
Ann) has generally been thought to be a Davenport, daughter of William
Davenport and Anne Woodruff, but Mrs. Hiden thought she was more likely a
Clark, or of that family connection.
Mrs. Taylor says she was born before 1696. She lived until 1782, and during the Revolution she
furnished supplies to the Continental troops.
It now appears that
the wife of Thomas Graves was definitely Ann Davenport, and that she was a
daughter of Davis Davenport of Pamunkey Neck, Virginia. For further information, see the
website at http://www.pamunkeydavenport.com.
It appears that
Thomas Graves first married Mary Perkins by 1715, and had by this marriage only
three children, two daughters and one son. His wife then died and he remarried by no later than 1721. The son was John Graves and one of the
daughters was Eleanor Graves, based on Thomas KimbroughÕs will dated 20 Sept.
1777 in Caswell Co., NC[4][1]. The source for the former statement is
a record from the Bible of Solomon Graves, son of Rev. Barzillai Graves (who
died 1827). A copy of the Bible
record was made by the NC Archives in 1971. A detailed discussion of this is in the Appendix
of this book. A discussion of the
research for determining the ancestry of Thomas and his brothers is also in the
Appendix,
but it has now been determined that the conclusions were wrong, since all
researchers had made the incorrect assumption that this family was descended
from Capt. Thomas Graves (genealogy 169).
The will of Thomas
Graves (Spotsylvania Co. Rec. Will Book D, p. 318) was dated 17 Oct. 1767,
probated 6 June 1768, but final settlement was not until July 1802. Thomas is credited with a total of 16
children. However, the estate
settlement plainly states there were only 15 legatees. There were probably other children who
died before reaching adulthood.
There is some question about some of the following children, and
additional proof is needed. Mrs.
Ethel Taylor suggests that there may also have been another child named Sarah.
Children -
Graves, by Mary Perkins
+12. Eleanor Graves,
b. probably by 1712, m. Thomas Kimbrough, d. aft. Sept. 1781.
+13. John Graves, b.c.
1715, m(1) ‑‑‑‑‑‑ Herndon, m(2) Isabella
Lea, c. 1752, d. 18 Jan. 1792.
NOTE: The authors believe that the third child of Mary Perkins and Thomas Graves was, in fact, Mary Graves, wife of Valentine Bostick, probably born around 1716-20.
Children -
Graves, by Ann Davenport[5][2]
+14. Thomas Graves, b.
by 1721, m. Isabella Susan Bartlett, by 1751, d. 18 Nov. 1801.
+15. Solomon Graves,
b. by 1723, m. Sarah Winfield, c. 1746, d.c. 1785.
+16. William Graves,
b. 1720-30, m. Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑, d.c. 1791.
+17. Richard Graves,
b.c. 1725, m. Lucy Davenport, 1750, d. after 1788.
+18. Susanna Graves,
b. by 1740, m. William Pettus, 1759, d. by 1802.
+19. Rice Graves, b.c.
1729, m. Jane Young, 1751-2, d. 1814.
+20. David Graves,
b.c. 1730, m. Agnes Holloway, d. Jan. (or Feb.) 1808.
+21. Nancy Graves,
b.c. 1735, m. William Lea, d. by 1809.
+22. Rosanna Graves,
m. John Spencer.
+23. Louisa Graves, m.
Thomas Pulliam. He was son of
Thomas Pulliam Sr. who died testate, Spots. Co., 1758.
+24. Robert Graves,
b.c. 1735-40, m. Jean ‑‑‑‑‑‑.
+25. Jonathan Graves,
married, d. by 1768. He probably
married a Davenport, since a William Davenport was made guardian of his son
William.
+26. Mary Graves, m. ‑‑‑‑‑‑
Campbell (?). John Bostick signed
receipts for her in all disbursements from her father's estate.Ó
On 6May1704 John Claybourne of St.
Johns Parish, King William County sells to John Graves Sr.1 of
Stratton Major Parish, King and Queen County for 3500 lbs Tobacco 100 acres on
north side of Pamunkey River in King William County, adjacent to a place called
White Oake Landing and a corner Hickory standing near Robert CockeÕs
plantation. Wit: Francis Griggs,
Edward Guthrie and Henry Collison.
Recorded 1Jun1704.[6] The precise location and origin of this
100 acre tract is unknown, but given that John Claibourne was the previous
owner, it very likely was situated in the vicinity of Cohoke at the location
shown on Figure 4A-1. Although no
geographic feature could be located with the name of White Oak Landing, there
is a location identified as White Landing on current USGS topographic maps at
the general location shown on Figure 4A-2. A rectangle approximating an area of 500 acres has been
overlayed on the topographic map immediately downstream from White Landing to
suggest the possible location of the two tracts purchased by John Graves from
John Claibourne. Sweet Hall shown
on the topographic map was the ancestral home of Thomas Claibourne, son of
Colonel William Claibourne.
John Claibourne was the eldest son of John Claibourne Sr. and Jane [lnu]
probably born at or near his grandfatherÕs plantation of Romancoke in the lower
Pamunkey Neck in about 1665.
JohnÕs father, John Claibourne Sr. was born probably near Great Wicomoco
in Northumberland County or at Kecoughtan in Elizabeth City County in about
1641, being the eldest son of William Claibourne and Elizabeth Butler. On 10Nov1676 Colonel William Claibourne
ÒgiftÓ deeded the ÒCohoke TractÓ to his eldest son, John Claibourne Sr.[7]
Presumably that tract passed to
John Jr. at his fatherÕs death in about 1690.
On 24Dec1657 Colonel William Claiborne received a patent for three several
parcels of marsh and sunken land on north side of York River [aka Pamunkey],
containing 1600 acres, adjacent his plantation and divident of Ramongack. 600 acres at lower end of said divident lying above Colonel
WestÕ, adjacent south on neck where William Hodgson now lives and bounded by
the River and lands of John Austin, Francis Burnell and William Blackey; the
second parcel is all the marsh called Tococomans,
containing 500 acres, over against land lately George LydallÕs; and 500 acres
called Cohoke, for the transport of 32 persons.[8] It was a portion of these patented
lands which Col. Claibourne gifted to his son, John Claibourne Sr. Whether this gift deed included the
entire 1600 acres or only a portion thereof is unknown. However, it is presumed to have
included at least 600 acres, as there is record of John Claibourne Jr. having
sold three separate parcels between 1704 and 1706 consisting of 600 acres: (1)
100 acres to Richard Littlepage in 1704, (2) 100 acres to John Graves in 1704,
and (3) 400 acres to John Graves in 1706.
On 23Jan1705/6 John Claybourne planter of St. Johns Parish King William
County sells to John Graves of Stratton Major Parish King and Queen County, for
1000 lbs tobacco 400 acres of marsh land Òknown by the name of Cohoke Sunken
GroundÓ, in St. Johns Parish, King William County. Wit: John Graves Jr., John Holloway and Robert Napier. Rec. 20May1706.[9]
Because of the description of this
tract being within the ÒCohoke Sunken GroundÓ, it was unquestionably part of
the lands acquired by Col. William Claibourne in 1657 and later deeded to his
son John Claibourne Sr. in 1676.
It is probable that this tract abutted the 100 acres purchased by John
Graves Sr. in 1704, the combination of which probably comprised the 500 acres Òcalled
CohokeÓ patented by Col. William Claibourne on 24Dec1657. The fact that John Graves Jr. was
witness to this purchase by his father, and that both purchases (1704 and 1706)
were from John Claibourne, the John Graves of the two tracts north of the Pamunkey
were unquestionably the same person, namely John Graves Sr.1. With John Graves Jr. having been a
witness to this deed suggests that he had reached his majority before 23Jan1706
making his birth sometime before Jan1685.
To better understand the context of the foregoing transactions involving
John Graves Sr.1 and John Claybourne, it is helful to know some of
the history of the Claibourne family in colonial Virginia. The progenator of this family was
William Claibourne for whom the following extract provides a brief biographical
sketch:
William Claibourne
William
Claibourne was baptised 10Aug1600, second son of Thomas Claibourne and Sarah
(Smith) James of Crayford Parish, Kent County, England; matriculated to
Pembroke College, Cambridge on 31May1617; selected on 13Jun1621 by the Virginia
Company as the Surveyor of the Colony; arrived at Jamestown in Fall 1621 aboard
the George along with Governor, Sir
Francis Wyatt; appointed to the General Council on 30Mar1623, reappointed by
King on 26Aug1624; served as Secretary of Colony, 1625-35 and 1652-60; and
Treasurer, 1642-1660. As the
colonial surveyor for Virginia, William ClaibourneÕs name appears on many of
the early maps and land records in and around Jamestown. By 1630 he had received several patents
in James City, Warwick and Elizabeth City Counties. On 16May1631 he and associates [Clobery and Company, London]
received a license from King Charles I for trade of corn, furs or any other
commodities in all parts of the Americas not already covered by previous
patents of sole proprietorship. In
1632 Claibourne settled on Kent Island, located in upper Chesapeake Bay
opposite present day Annapolis, which he purchased from the Susquahannah Indians. Following a long and acrimonious
dispute with Lord Baltimore and the Calvert settlers of Maryland, extending
through the Cromwellian period of English revolt, Claibourne lost his battle to
retain Kent Island as part of Virginia in 1657.
He was a colonel, commanding
all colonial forces in the campaign against the Indians in 1644-45 during which
he established an encampment near Cohoke, on the Pamunkey Neck at the site
where he later filed a patent for 5000 acres. By 1651
William Claibourne had already turned his interests away from Kent Island when
he patented 5000 acres in Northumberland County near the Great Wicomoco River
and another 5000 acres on the Pamunkey Neck abutting the lands of Governor John
West in 1653. He continued to add
to his holdings on the Pamunkey, including the 1600 acres of low land acquired
on 24Dec1657. From about 1655
until his death in about 1679 William made his home on his plantation on the
Pamunkey, to which he gave the name Romancoke.[10] Refer to Figure 4A-1 for the
approximate location of Romancoke Plantation.
It is worth reporting that before his settlement
on Kent Island in the Chesapeake estuary he and his brother-in-law, Thomas
Butler, resided for a few years in Accomack County on the eastern shore. The following petitions from the
Accomack Court records are offered for the readerÕs enlightenment and amusement:
The reference to ÒcowpenÓ is believed to have been
for Cowpen Creek situated in Accomack.
It is interesting to note that JoanÕs punishment was to be meted out by
her confessing her wrongdoing before the congregation across the shore at
KingÕs Creek, also in Accomack.
It may well have been as Beverley Fleet would
have us believe, that these accusations back and forth between these parties
was nothing more than words.
Regardless, it certainly seems to bespeak some very deep seated dislike
between the Edwards and Butlers.
It has been reported that William Claibourne was
appointed a Justice and Quorum member at Accomack in February 1631/2, and a
Justice across the River at York in 1633.
This record would suggest that William Claibourne continued as a member
of the Accomack Quorum in Oct1634, when he served along side Captain Thomas
Graves, etal.
Examination of other grants to Thomas Harwood
showed his location to be in Charles River County (later York County), so it is
possible that the Joane Butler claimed as a headright in this patent may have
been the wife of Thomas Butler.
It should be noted that the Joan and Thomas Butler referenced in the
foregoing Court petitions were the brother and sister-in-law of William
ClaibourneÕs wife, Elizabeth Butler.
Thomas Butler was reported several times in Colonel ClaibourneÕs
accounts to Clobery and Company in the mid-1630Õs as a mariner and captain of a
pinnace. They are reported to have
returned to England sometime after 1638 where they are believed to have
remained. Their sons are recorded
immigrating to Westmoreland County on the south side of the Potomac River in
1650. . It should also be noted
that William Claibourne and Captain Thomas Graves both served on the Accomack
County Court during the same time period in the 1630Õs. Following his brief appearance in
Accomack in 1630Õs Colonel Claibourne appeared in numerous colonial records, some
of which are presented hereinafter:
It is interesting to note that William
Claibourne appears to be out of the area of Gloucester County, perhaps even out
of the Colony in 1648. It is known
that he returned to England at various times during his disputes with Lord
Baltimore to defend himself or plead his case before the Court. This may have been one of those
occasions. It would appear that he
had left his daughters, Mary and Jane (and perhaps his wife) in the Colony and
in the care of his cousin, Samuel Smith.
The Power of Attorney appears to grant Smith authority to reclaim
Colonel ClaibourneÕs assets at various locations along Chesapeake Bay, perhaps
including Kent Island.
These Butler men are believed to have been the sons of Thomas Butler and Joan
Christopher, the in-laws of Colonel William Claibourne and his wife, Elizabeth
Butler. It is reported that Thomas
Butler had returned to England sometime around 1640, presumably taking his
family with him. The location of
this tract is described as being at the Òhead of Canawoman CreekÓ, yet no such
place name could be found on maps.
Further research into the location of HollowesÕ holdings in Westmoreland
showed his main presence to be at ÒNomanyÓ. Nomany actually refers to Nomini Bay area which is situated
along the south side of the Potomac River in a relatively rural area at the
eastern terminus of State Route 622.
Flowing into Nomini Bay is a strean called Currioman Creek, which may
very well have been the stream identified in this patent as ÒCanawomanÓ
Creek. Later records suggest that
these Butler men established long-term residency along the south side of the
Potomac River. For example, Thomas
Butler Jr. married Jane Baldridge, daughter of James and Dorothy Baldridge,
former Marylanders who settled on the Northern Neck of Virginia in the
mid-1640Õs.
The Jo[hn] Hallowes recorded in this deposition is believed to have been
the same John Hollowes, who was granted 1600 acres in Northumberland County
(later Westmoreland County) on 30Sep1650 for the transport of the Butler
brothers, etal. The fact that this
event occurred at Colonel Claybournes suggests that Col. William Claybourne had
an established residence in Northumberland County before he began procuring his
lands on the Pamunkey Neck. This
connection between John Hollowes and Colonel Clairbourne in Northumberland
further supports the notion that these Butler men were in fact William
ClaibourneÕs nephews. There is
documentary evidence which suggests that Col. William Claibourne established
his residency in the Wicomoco River area of Northumberland County as early as
1642, following his explusion from Kent Island and being summond to England by
Lord Baltimore.
This patent is believed to have been in the same vicinity as earlier
residency established by Colonel Claibourne in Northumberland County. Col. Claibourne transferred a large
part of this patent to his daughter and son-in-law, Jane and Thomas Brereton.
This was the first of several large land acquisitions by Col. William
Claibourne situated on the Pamunkey Neck.
It is possible that the transportees, John Butler and Phillip West were
kinsmen of William Claibourne and John West Jr.
There was a John Butler, who received a patent for 470 acres in York County
[later New Kent County] on Pamunkey Neck adjacent to the lands of William
Claibourne, Joseph Croshaw and John West described hereinbelow. He may have been the same John Bulter
used as a headright by Col. Claibourne in Item No. 12, above. The authors have not been able to
establish the ancestry of this John Butler with any degree of certainty, but it
is possible that he was descended from Elizabeth ButlerÕs family, possibly the
son of Thomas and Joan Butler, who immigrated to Westmoreland County before
1650.
Whatever the identity of this John Butler, it is fairly certain that he was
not Col. ClaibourneÕs brother-in-law.
That John Butler performed great service to William Claibourne during
his settlement on Kent Island as a Lieutenant under the command of Captain
Thomas Smith. Both Captain Smith
and John Butler had warrants issued for their arrest in 1637 under direction
from Governor Calvert and the newly formed Maryland Council. They were arrested and taken prisoner
on Kent Island in the summer of 1637 and returned to St. MaryÕs City to stand
trial. Captain Smith was convicted
of treason and hanged by the neck.
John Bulter seems to have avoided a similar fate by swearing allegiance
to Lord Baltimore. As a result
John Butler was later granted Crayford Plantation, William ClaibourneÕs estate
on Kent Island, where he died without issue. Many of the Kent Islanders, who were loyal to William
Claibourne, settled in Virginia along the south bank of the Potomac River after
the island was finally ceded to Maryland.
On 20
Mar1706/7 John Graves Sr.1 assigned 100 acres in King William County
on the Pamunkey to his son, John Graves Jr.[15] This tract was the same parcel
purchased by John Graves Sr. from John Claibourne on 6May1704, described as
being north of the Pamunkey adjacent to White Oak Landing. It is believed that John Graves Sr. and
his family continued to live in King and Queen County until at least 1729. John Graves was reported on the 1704
Quit Rent Roll with 150 acres in King and Queen County, and 100 acres in King
William County. The authors
believe these two John Graves to have been the same person, namely, John Graves
Sr.1. It is conceivable
that the location of John Graves Sr.Õs1 land in King and Queen
County was near the location of the Graves plantation shown on the
Frye-Jefferson map of 1744 (see Figure 4A-1) on the east side of the Mattapony-York
River a couple of miles below West Point.
An earlier
record from King William County suggests the presence of a John Graves in the
vicinity of West Point in 1703. On 8Oct1703 a power of attorney was recorded in King William County wherein
Francis Wells, London Mariner authorized Captain George Braxton, Virginia
Merchant to collect his debts, which was witnessed by John West, John Graves
and Henry Fox, recorded on 20Dec1703.[16] The identity of this John Graves is not
known with certainty, but it is probable that he may have been John Graves Sr.1. King William County was formed in 1702,
when it was partitioned from King and Queen County. From the 1704 deed it has been established that John Graves
Sr.1 was living in King and Queen County. Although John Graves Sr.1 is not known to have
owned land in King William County prior to the purchase of 100 acres in 1704,
it is conceivable that he may have had business transactions extending into the
Pamunkey Neck area.
The fact that this power of attorney (POA) was also witnessed by John West
and Henry Fox provides further evidence of interests centered around West Point
and the lower Pamunkey Neck.
Members of the West, Fox, Croshaw and Claibourne families had
intermarriages. The earliest known
intermarriage in these families was between Governor John West Sr. and Anne
Claibourne in about 1613 at Hampshire, England. Then there was Unity Croshaw, daughter of Joseph Croshaw, and
Colonel John West Jr., son of Governor John West in about 1664. The next such intermarriage was between
Anne West, daughter of John West Jr. and Unity Croshaw, and Henry Fox in about
1683. Anne Fox, daughter of Henry
Fox and Anne West, married Thomas Claibourne, son of Captain Thomas Claibourne
and Sarah Fenn in about 1703. Henry
Fox Jr., son of Henry Fox and Anne West, married 2nd Mary
Claibourne, daughter of William Claibourne Jr. and Elizabeth Ludman in about
1722. The John West, who witnessed
this POA was probably John West III, son of John West Jr. and Unity Croshaw, as
John West Jr. died about 1691. The
Henry Fox, who witnessed this POA, may have been either Henry Sr. or Henry Jr.,
as both were adults living near West Point in 1703. The West and Fox families were indirectly connected through
intermarriages with members of the Claibourne family. It was John Claibourne Jr., first cousin of Mary Claibourne
and Thomas Claibourne, who sold two tracts on the Pamunkey to John Graves Sr.1.
John West I
ÒJohn West I
was born in Hampshire, England and was the son of Thomas West, 2nd
Lord Delaware. He was also brother
of Nathaniel West, Francis West and Thomas West, Virginia Governor and 3rd
Lord Delaware. John West I
graduated Magdalene College, Oxford on 1Dec1613 with a Bachelor of Arts
degree. He was an investor in the
Virginia Company and in 1618 immigrated to the Colony along with his brother,
Thomas West, the 3rd Lord Delaware, where he established a
plantation known as Westover on the
James River below James Town. Two
people were killed at Westover during
the 22Mar1622 Indian uprising.
After the attack John West led a company of men on a retaliatory raid
against Tanx Powhatan. One of John
WestÕs debtors was George Thorpe, headman at Berkeley Hundred, who died during
the Indian attack. On 16 Feb1624,
West was living on the lower side of the James River, within the corporation of
James City and east of Grays Creek.
He shared his home briefly with his nephew, Nathaniel West II, and his
sister-in-law, Frances [nee Grevill, married 2. Samuel Mathews], the widow of
his brother, Nathaniel West I. On
13Jan1627, Captain John West, as a councilor, was assigned one of the defunct
Virginia Company tenants. He
apparently continued to live on his plantation east of GrayÕs Creek, for on
7Mar1629, he was placed in command of the settlements between Paces Paines and
Hog Island, and he also represented that area as a burgess. In Oct1630, when a decision was made to
extend settlement northward to Chiskiack [along York River], Colonel John West
I was among the first to patent land there. His York River property was seated by 1632 and called the Indian Field plantation, though
eventually it became known as Bellfield. In 1631 West returned to the Council of
State and held office until his death in 1659. In 1634 he became a justice for York County. When Governor John Harvey was thrust
from office in May1635, John West (as senior council member) was elected
governor. After Governor Harvey
was reinstated, he had West arrested on a charge of mutiny and sent him to
England, where he was detained until he could be placed on trial. In WestÕs absence, Governor Harvey
seized his property. When John
West returned to Virginia, his confiscated belongings were restored and he was
designated muster-master. In 1652
he received a patent for 3000 acres at the tip of Pamunkey Neck, where the
Mattaponi and Pamunkey Rivers join to form the York River, later being
designated as West Point or de la Ware.
John West died in the colony in 1659. His son and heir, John West II was born around 1632.Ó[17]
John West I married Ann Claibourne in about 1613
at Hampshire, England, and they had a son, John West II and possibly another
son, Anthony and daughter, Alice. In
addition to the earlier land acquisitions described in the above excerpted biography
at Westover in James City County and
at Indian Field at Kisiacke in York
County, John West I began filing patents in the lower Pamunkey Neck in the
1650Õs discussed as follows:
On the various patent records compiled for John
West, etal on Pamunkey Neck, there are several different spellings for
Matadequin Creek, including Mattadequin, Maddaquin, Mattadaquin, Maddaquine and
Maddicon. Based on the references
to abutting property owners and their proximity to the south side of the
Mattapony River, there is little doubt that these variously spelled references
were all for the same stream. All
efforts to locate this stream on any maps, past or present were unsuccessful,
but it is believed to have joined the Mattapony from the southwest about six
miles above the confluence of the Mattapony and Pamunkey Rivers at West Point.
It is interesting to note that West used himself,
his wife, and his son for the required tally of 31 headrights, including four
separate voyages for himself and two for his wife, but only one for his son,
John West Jr. A thorough search of
earlier patent records did not include any previous usage of these family
members as headrights. This
suggests that the crossings counted in this patent may have been the complete
tally of crossings for these three members of the West family. If so, this suggests that John West Jr.
may have been born in England, and was immigrating to Virginia for the first
time. Similarly, it might suggest
that Ann West had come to the Colony on an earlier voyage, possibly before John
West Sr. was summoned back to England under orders of the Governor, Sir John Harvey
in 1637. Since John West Sr.
reclaimed his properties on his return to the Colony (sometime around 1642) he
probably had no need to utilize his families accumulated headrights until he
filed this patent in 1650 on the Pamunkey Neck.
This 1200 acre tract which Diggs had purchased from Captain John West and
his wife, Ann in 1650 was located on the west side of the York River in Hampton
Parish which included the Kiskyache area.
No patent record could be found for the initial grant to John West, but
it is presumed to have been acquired sometime in the 1630Õs when the Governing
Council decided to expand settlement into that region along the upper York
River. It would appear that John
West sold this tract to Diggs only a few months after taking out the first
patent on Pamunkey Neck.
This tract is believed to have been southerly of
the 1550 acres acquired on 6May1650, nearer to West Point.
This tract included the 850 acre patent in Item
No. 3 above. This combined acreage
of 3000 acres is believed to have been situated within a couple miles to the north of present
day West Point.
This 5000 acre tract was immediately to the west
of Captain John WestÕs 3000 acre tract patented in Item No. 4 above. Note that on the renewal filing the
tract was described as being abutted to the west by Cohoake [Cohoke]
Creek. It is conceivable that one
of the headrights, Phillip West, was a kinsman of John West Sr. It is also interesting to note that
William Claibourne reported a Phillipp West, perhaps in May1637, as one of the
men who came to Kent Island with Captain Evelyn. Whether that Phillipp West was the same person as this
headright is not known. It is also
important to note that John West Sr.Õs wife was named Anne Claibourne of
unknown ancestry. Given the fact
that William Claibourne chose a tract abutting John West Sr. on Pamunkey Neck,
and that there were later intermarriages between the Claibourne and West
families in Virginia, it seems highly likely that John WestÕs wife was a kinsperson
of William Claibourne. It is also
possible that Phillipp West was a kinsman of John West Sr.
Based on the description of the tract patented by
Major William Lewis described in Item No. 9, hereinafter, as including 775
acres (moiety) of the 1550 acres Colonel John West patented on 6May1650 and
being known as Chymahocans [Cheemockin?], it is very likely that this 1750 acre
tract patented to Joseph Croshaw also abutted Captain John WestÕs land on the
Mattadequin to the north and west.
This 1000 acre tract was situated on the northeast side of the Mattapony
River in Gloucester County, probably across the river and upstream from
Mattadequin Creek. This land would
fall within New Kent County when it was partitioned from Gloucester County
later that year (1654).
This tract was also patented on 27May1654 and in
the same area on the northeast side of the Mattapony. The identity of Toby West is unknown, but given the matching
dates and locations, it is likely that Toby West was a kinsman of Colonel John
West Sr. On 8Jun1659 Major Joseph
Croshaw filed a patent for this same 500 acres, abutting Thomas Saunders. However, in the Croshaw patent the land
was described as being on the southeast side of the Mettapony [sic]. Sometime between 27May1654 and 8Jun1659
Toby West assigned this tract to Joseph Croshaw, who filed a patent due for the
transport of ten persons, incluing Cuthbert Chroshaw [sic] and Noy
Chroshaw. Presumably, these
Chroshaws were kinsmen of Joseph Croshaw.
There is record of an intermarriage between members of the Croshaw and
Noy families in England, from whom Noy Croshaw presumably descended.
This patent of 2600 acres by Major William Lewis included 775 acres (a
moiety) purchased from John West, which was one-half of the 1550 acres tract
patented by West on 6May1650. This
tract was situated on the Mattadequin in Pamunkey Neck adjacent to John West
and Joseph Croshaw lands.
This tract also abutted Captain John West Sr. and Joseph Croshaw lands.
The so-called mountains in this patent were merely the bluff of the high
river banks running along the ridge or watershed between the Mattapony and
Pamunkey Rivers.
This land abutted Captain John WestÕs land and included the 1750 acres
granted to Joseph Croshaw, which Croshaw assigned to George Lydall on
25Nov1654. Note that this tract
abutted lands of Anthony Arnold, who is believed to have been the great grandfather
of William Arnold who married Elizabeth Bostick, presumed sister or first
cousin of Valentine Bostick.
Anthony Arnold became embroiled in BaconÕs Rebellion and was convicted
of treason and hanged in chains at West Point in 1676. All of Anthony ArnoldÕs property was
forfieted to the Crown.
It is also important to note that George Braxton, to whom the subject POA
was granted, was reported as having been a Justice of the Peace of King and
Queen County in 1702. Similarly,
William Claibourne, Henry Fox and John West were reported as Justices of the
Peace for the newly formed King William County in 1702. Also, in 1701/2, the year before the
formation of King and Queen County, Henry Fox and Thomas Claibourne were
Justices of the Peace for King and Queen County. Further, in 1699 Henry Fox and William Claibourne were
J.P.Õs for King and Queen.
There was also an interesting and applicable series of petitions filed
between 1704 and perhaps 1706 in which Henry Fox and the heirs of Colonel John
West, namely John West III, Thomas West, Henry Fox [husband of Anne West] and
Nathaniel West claimed rights to 4000 acres in King William County.[18] According to these petitions,
entitlement to these 4000 acres had come into question as the original patent,
ostensibly issued to Colonel John West Sr. in 1654 had become lost from the
records of King and Queen County.
The petitioners had succeeded to this land as heirs, being grandsons and
grandson-in-law of the original patentee, John West Sr. They were petitioning the court for
Òquiet titleÓ, based on occupancy and improvement of the said land over many
years. The outcome of these
petitions is unclear, but presumably the heirs of Colonel John West Sr.
ultimately prevailed in this endeavor.
The 4000 acres that was the subject of these petitions is believed to
have been the combination of the 3000 acres granted on 6Mar1653 and the 1000
acres granted on 27May1654. It is
conceivable that title to this land became clouded by the participation of John
West Jr. in BaconÕs Rebellion.
Even though he was charged with sedition and treason, he was not
punished for his actions. It is
possible that he may have forfeited rights to propterty.
Henry Fox, Sr.
Henry Fox Sr. is believed to have been
the son of John Fox. John Fox was
transported to the Colony by John Talbott and Elias Downes, who on 18Dec1667
received a patent for 1600 acres situated in New Kent County on the south side
of the Mattapony River a little below the sunken ground to the forks of Fawnes
branch to the land of Edward Holmes for the transport of 32 persons, including
William Claibourne. Also, on
5Oct1672 Colonel Thomas Goodrich was granted 2200 acres in New Kent County on
north side of Indian Path from Mattapony Towne that was at head of Piscataway
Creek unto new town planted on Mattapony River adjacent Captain [Thomas]
Brewerton [Brereton] [son-in-law of William Claibourne Sr.] for transport of 44
persons, including same 32 persons (John Fox and William Claibourne inclusive)
as were used in Talbott and Downes patent on 18Dec1667 hereinabove. Several patents were located which seem
to establish a plantation for John Fox somewhere between Poropotank Creek and
Pepetico Creek along the north side of the York River in New Kent County, later
King and Queen County discussed as follows:
This tract was situated between Poropotank Creek and Pepetico Creek generally
as illustrated on Figure 4A-3. It
is believed that John Fox had received a patent or purchased a tract sometime
around 1665 or 1666 adjacent to this patent being filed by John Lewis. It is believed that this John Fox was
the same person claimed as a headright on the John Talbott and Elias Downes
patent on 18Dec1667, as well as on the Thomas Goodrich patent on 5Oct1672, it
should be kept in mind that the claiming of headrights were transferrable, and
that the patent filing dates were oftentimes years, if not more than a decade
after the date of immigration.
Consequently, it is possible that John Fox may have been in Virginia for
many years prior to his first appearance in the Talbott and Downes patent filed
in 1667. Given the later claim of
headright by Goodrich, it is probable that he had purchased these headrights, or
had been assigned the initial 1600 acre patent from Talbott and Downes.
This reference to Captain John FoxÕs plantation is believed to have been
the same tract in possesion of John Fox and referenced in John LewisÕ patent in
Item No. 1, above. Note that
Poropotank Creek was the southern boundary of Stratton Major Parish, and that
this area fell within King and Queen County upon its partition from New Kent
County in 1691.
This was the earliest record located for Henry Fox, who is believed to have
been the son of John Fox, born about 1650 in England and married to Anne West
about 1673. Again, this tract is
believed situated between Poropotank Creek and Pepetico Creek.
This is believed to be the same Henry Fox referenced in Item No. 3,
above. He is described as son and
heir of John Fox, who presumably was dead before the filing of the patent in
Item No. 3. Note that this filing
included 200 acres inherited by Henry Fox from his father, who had purchased
from Thomas Hankes, plus 100 acres of new land for transport of two
persons. These adjacent land
owners in the area between Poropotank Creek and Pepetico Creek will be shown
later in this chapter to have possible relevance to John Graves Sr.1.
The purpose of presenting these familial connections is to demonstrate that
the Fox, West and Claibourne families were closely related and living in close
proximity to West Point at the time this POA was recorded. By extension, it can be inferred that
the John Graves, who witnessed this POA, probably also shared a close
relationship and geographic proximity to these families. There was no other John Graves, save
John Graves Sr.1, known to be living in the immediate vicinity of
West Point in 1703. Therefore,
there is a high degree of probability that the John Graves, who witnessed this
POA, was John Graves Sr.1.
Since the records for King and Queen County have been destroyed, it is
unknown just where within the County John Graves may have lived. But there are some extant records that
provide some limited information on John GravesÕ existence during these early
years of his residency in the Colony.
For example, the 1704 Quit Rent Rolls which survived both within the
colony and in England provide the following information regarding relevent
families within King and Queen and King William Counties:
á King and Queen County
o
John Graves - 150 acres (Note:
There were two identical records for John Graves found in the English record,
whereas, there was only one entry found for John Graves in King and Queen Couny
in the colonial quit rent record.
This begs the question as to whether there were actually two separate
John Graves, or whether the English records were a duplicate record for the
same person.)
o
John Graves - 150 acres
o
Robert Graves - 150 acres
á King William County
o
John Graves - 100 acres
o
Thomas Graves - 100 acres
o
John Claibourne - 50 acres
o
Col William Claibourne - 3000 acres
o
Capt Thomas Claibourne - 1000
acres
Based on the
DNA testing compiled by the GFA, it has been established that John Graves Sr.1
was not related to either Captain Thomas Graves, ancient planter, or any other
of the disparate Graves lines living in colonial Virginia in the 17th
and 18th Centuries.
This then begs the question from whence did John Graves Sr.1
originate and how did he come to be residing in King and Queen County in 1703? A review of published genealogical
research on the Virginia Graves families, including that which is posted on the
GFA website, would have us believe that the earliest record of John Graves Sr.1
was when he purchased 100 acres in King William County from John
Claibourne on 6May1704. Yet the
POA on 8Oct1703 clearly places John Graves Sr.1 in
King and Queen County eight months earlier. Additionally the 1704 Quit Rent roll gleaned from
records in England showed two separate entries for John Graves in King and
Queen County in possession of 150 acres each. The earliest record found for John Graves Jr.2
was as a witness on the deed in Jan1706 wherein his father purchased 400 acres
from John Claibourne. Since there
were two listings for John Graves on the English Quit Rent Roll in King and
Queen County, it raises the question as to whether these were duplicate entries
for John Graves Sr. or were they for John Graves Sr. and John Graves Jr. Regardless, it is a fair assumption
that John Graves Sr. may have been in King and Queen County for at least three
years prior to Oct1703 in order to have procured land in that County.
Unfortunately,
the colonial records for King and Queen County have been destroyed, and only
remnants of the whole record have been pieced together giving a spotty glimpse
at what might have been. Perhaps
the most complete record for this period is found in the land patents, and even
that record does not show anyone named John Graves receiving land in either New
Kent County or King and Queen County between 1654 and 1700. The territory which became King and
Queen County in 1691 had previously been a part of New Kent County from
1654. Try as they might the
authors were unable to locate any bills of sale or grants to John Graves,
Thomas Graves or Robert Graves in King and Queen County or in New Kent
County.
The first
clue as to the possible location of John Graves1Õ property in King
and Queen County was found on the 1744 Frye and Jefferson map of Virginia and
Maryland, which shows the name of ÒGravessÓ on the north side of the York River
diagonally opposite from West Point.
Following this clue the authors were led to the discovery of a newspaper
article from the Williamsburg Gazette dated 10Jun1739 excerpted as follows:
ÒThe
Ferry commonly called GravesÕ Ferry over York River near West Point, formerly
kept by Robert Willis, is now kept by the subscriberÉ John Waller.Ó[19]
This
reference to ÒGravesÕ FerryÓ then led to the discovery of a brief discussion of
a ferry which operated for more than a century over the York and Pamunkey
Rivers near West Point excerpted as follows:
ÒDudleyÕs
Ferry - Across the Mattapony from West Point is the site of the
Dudley Ferry Plantation, now called BrookshireÉ The earliest record of this tract along the east end of the
Mattapony River is mentioned in the patent to Edward Guthry dated 25Oct1695, to
753 acres of land, the bounds of which are conclusive and may be followed to
this day. ÒÉon main swamp of
Pepetico CreekÉby ferry roadÉto the Mattapony and York RiversÉto mouth of
Pepetico CreekÉ300 acres formerly Richard Major granted 17Jan1649É300 acres to Edward Simpson by
patent on 4Dec1654ÉÓ. Edward
Guthry was owner of land whereon the ferry called Gutteries, which crossed the
Mattapony and Pamunkey from the upper side of the Mattapony River to Brickhouse
below the Pamunkey River. This
ferry was established by an Act of the General Assembly in 1702ÉIt is not known
when the Guthrys sold their lands on the Mattapony, but it appears that the
ferry had changed its name to Graves, and one Robert Willis was living here in
1737ÉOn17Mar1737/8 the house of Robert Willis at Graves Ferry in King and Queen
County was set fireÉ30Mar1739. ÒThe
Ferry, commonly called Graves Ferry over York River near West Point, formerly
kept by Robert Willis is now kept by me the Subscriber. John WallerÓÉThe ferry continued to
cross the three rivers, plying its tedious way to deliver passengers at one of
the three landings: the Brickhouse, West Point and above the Mattapony
River. In 1748, the ferries
mentioned in the Acts of Assembly were: Brickhouse to West Point, and
Brickhouse to DudleyÕs.Ó[20]
ÒThe ferry which crossed the Pamunkey was an
important link in the route from the north to Williamsburg, besides it served
the people living in that part of the County [New Kent] above the York and
Mattapony Rivers and those on the Pamunkey Neck who were compelled to cross the
river to attend to their legal affairs at the County Court [at Brick House].Ó[21]
ÒBy an act passed at the same session [1705],
entitled, "An act for the regulation and settlement of Ferries; and for the
dispatch of public expresses," a ferry was established across York River
from the Brick House to Graves's, " the price for a man one shilling, for
a man and horse two and twenty pence halfpenny," and from West Point to
Graves's, " the price for a man six pence, for a man and horse one
shilling." (III. Hen. St. at Large, pp. 471, 472.)Ó[22]
ÒBy an Act passed at the Oct1748 General Assembly a
statue was adopted which set Ferry Crossings and Rates, including the
following: From Brick House to
West point, or West Point to Brick House (2d.). From Brick House to Dudley's, or Dudley's to Brick House
(1p. for a man; 10 1/2 d. for a horse). From West Point to Dudley's, or Dudley's to West Point
(6d.).Ó[23]
The foregoing citations regarding DudleyÕs Ferry
clearly indicate the presence of someone named ÒGravesÓ as early as 1705 in the
vicinity of the eastern shore of the York River immediately downstream of the
confluence of the Mattapony River near the general location of ÒGravessÓ shown
on the 1744 Fry and Jefferson Map.
These records suggest that the Ferry was owned and operated by someone
named Graves from about 1704 to about 1730. Also, that this Ferry was at various times during most of
the 18th Century in the ownership of Edward Guthry, Unknown Graves,
Robert Willis, John Waller and William Dudley. It is likely that John Graves Sr.1 took over the
operation of the Ferry in an interval between mssrs. Guthry and Willis, and may
have operated the Ferry until the Graves families removal to Spotsylvania
County in about 1730. Refer to
Figure 4A-3 for a general location of the Ferry landing on the eastern shore of
the York River and the approximate routes it plied between GravesÕ Landing,
West Point and the Brick House.
Just when
John Graves Sr. came into possession of Graves Ferry is unknown, but the
authors have reason to believe that it occurred between 1702 and 1705, possibly
as early as 1703. Edward Guthry
acquired the 300 acre tract, from which the ferry operated, on 25Oct1695. This deed made reference to Òthe ferry
pathÓ which traversed this property, suggesting that a ferry had been in
operation at this location earlier than 1695.
In Apr 1702
the General Council heard a petition from Jane King which complained against
Daniel Guthry and John Bailie for interfering with her ferryÕs landing of
passengers on the north side of the York River.[24] This complaint is clear evidence that
the Guthrys were operating this ferry in 1702, and had probably been operating
it since acquiring the land in 1695.
The General Council in 1705 adopted an act entitled: "An act for the regulation and settlement of
Ferries; and for the dispatch of public expresses". In this act the fare was established
for the Ferry crossing the York River between Brick House, West Point and
GravesÕs [sic].[25] This act clearly establishes that
someone named Graves had taken over operation of the ferry sometime between
1702 and 1705. In an announcement
printed in the Williamsburg Gazette dated 10Jun1739, John Waller made reference
to Òthe Ferry commonly known as GravesÕ Ferry over the York River near West
PointÉÓ. The fact that this ferry
continued to be publicly referred to as ÒGravesÕ FerryÓ in 1739, and was
referenced on the Frye and Jefferson map in 1744 suggests that its operation by
the Graves family was of long duration.
Hence, the authors believe that John Graves Sr.1 continuously
operated this ferry until the family began relocating to Spotsylvania sometime
after 1729, since John Graves Sr.Õs whereabouts are unknown until 1737.
Having established
John Graves Sr.1 as the probable operator of the Graves Ferry
between about 1703 and 1730 it is reasonable to assume that he did not suddenly
appear on the eastern shore of the York River, but that he must have had a
presence in that area of some long standing. The fact that Edward Guthrie witnessed the deed when on
6May1704 John Graves purchased 100 acres from John Claibourne, suggests an
acquaintance of several years.
Edward Guthrie was found to have witnessed only one other public
document, so it is clear that he was not in the habit of witnessing legal
documents on a regular basis. The
singularity of an act by Edward Guthry as a witness lends strong weight to the
likelihood of John Graves Sr.1 having been the person who took over
the ferry operation from Edward Guthry.
Given that there were two (perhaps three) separate reports of land
ownership in King and Queen County in the 1704 Quit Rents for someone named
Graves at 150 acres each, it seems possible that the combined total of 300
[perhaps 450] acres was for the Edward Guthry ferry landing previously owned by
Edward Simpson. It is also
possible that the double entries for John Graves were not for the same person,
but rather for John Graves Sr. and John Graves Jr. It is also possible that John Graves and Robert Graves were
kinsmen, possibly John Graves Sr.1 having been the father of Robert
Graves.
The only recorded
existence of someone possibly named Graves in the vicinity of Graves Landing
prior to 1703 was in a reference to ÒGrayes PlantationÓ found on a few patent
records in the 1680Õs near Pepetico Creek. It is conceivable that this may have been a transcription
error, and may have in fact been a reference to ÒGraves PlantationÓ. Given this as a possibility the authors
have undertaken an analysis of the relevant land records in an effort to
pinpoint the location of this tract in relationship to Graves Landing. First, the patent documents which
included the ÒGrayes PlantationÓ references are as follows:
This patent
and the ones in Items No. 2 and 3, below, were adjacent to Mr. Grayes
plantation. By their descriptions these
tracts are known to be in the same vicinity near the head of Pepetico Creek.
By virtue of
this tract abutting George Major, Mr. Coale and Grayes Plantation, it is
clearly in the same vicinity as the tract in Item No. 1, above.
There was
still the reference to Mr. Grayes plantation abutting this property in 1697.
So, here we
have three separate references to a tract of land somewhere near the head of
Pepetico Creek in the ownership of someone named Grayes, or possibly
Graves. Before attempting to
isolate the location of this tract, there was another ownership anomaly in the
same general vicinity that required attention, namely a tract owned by Joseph Hayes. In fact, initially the authors thought that
the references to Grayes plantation may have had reference to Joseph HayesÕ
tract, since they each had abutting ownerships in common, namely Ashwell Batten
and Richard Major. This
possibility became all the more compelling since it was Richard Major who was
the original patentee of the tract that ultimately became Graves Landing, and
Ashwell Batten was the abutting land owner just inland from Graves Landing. Joseph Hayes patent is abstracted as
follows:
Ordinarily
the authors would not be inclined to make a connection between the names of
Grayes and Hayes, except for the discovery of a reference located in connection
with the Taliaferro family. First,
make note of the fact that the Hockley Plantation, located only five miles
downstream from Graves Landing was the ancestral home of the Taliaferro
family. Ashwell Batten received a
grant of 1000 acres along the northwest side of Perrins Creek, later known as
Hockley Creek, on 30Apr 1651.[30] By 1735 William Taliaferro was in
possession of Ashwell BattenÕs tract which became the ancestral seat of the
Taliaferro family through three consecutive generations, and which is known
today as Hockley Plantation.[31] In an item that appeared in the
Taliaferro Family newsletter it was suggested that their family researchers
have struggled with the apparent intermingling of an ancestor variously using
the names of Gray and Hay:
ÒJoyce Browning
(jbrown7169@aol.com) An online correspondent (part of my MOORE NEWS group) is
an outstanding researcher of English information. Knowing that I was curious about the Taliaferro-Hay-Gray
question, and other Taliaferro- related families, he sent the below information
which is certainly interesting in that it shows us how the Gray/Hay may have
become linked in England. Could this be why John Gray of Whitehaven,
Cumberland, England, changed his name and became John Hay in Virginia? Bill Moore has evidently discovered how
this change may have been more logical.
The dimension of the Gray-Hay question is one of the most fascinating we
have. Somehow, weÕre going to have
to discover more about the Taliaferro marriages in England to Gray (Joane
Taliaferro, widow of Bartholomew and Anne, daughter of Francis) and Hay/Haie
(Francis Taliaferro).Ó [32]
Having found this rather arcane reference to the possible intermingling
of the surnames of Hayes and Grayes, the authors were compelled to also isolate
the grant to Joseph Hayes, in order to ascertain whether the references to
Grayes plantation may have actually been in reference to the Joseph Hayes
grant. A series of patents were
compiled which were linked either to Edward Simpsons [Richard Majors]
properties at Graves Landing, to Grayes Plantation or to Joseph Hayes patent,
which resulted in the assemblage of property owners shown in Figure 4A-4. The details of each of the patents will
not be presented herein, but the methodology utilized in the preparation of
Figure 4A-4 is discussed.
Since no patent could be located for Grayes Plantation, its location and
approximate size was inferred by assembling the adjacent properties. A plat for each adjacent property was
created and overlaid onto a USGS Topographic map base. The size of each plat was scaled to the
approximate acreage of each parcel.
The shape of the actual plat was unknown, so in most instances an
initially square plat was reshaped to fit within known geographic landmarks
such as streams or swamps while attempting to maintain the same scalar area
(acres). The positioning of each
plat on the map base was guided by the directional references contained in the
patent descriptions, i.e., ÒN.N.W. of land of Ashwell BattenÓ. This map reconstruction effort
commenced with the 300 acre grant to Richard Major in 1649, which was known to
have been located on the York River between FentonÕs Creek and Pepetico
Swamp. Then each abutting plat was
added in sequence easterly along Pepetico Creek to its headwaters where the
Grayes Plantation was presumed to be situated. Similarly the placement of John KingÕs 500 acre tract on the
York River near the mouth of Poropotank Creek was placed on the map as a
beginning point for locating Joseph Hayes tract.
As a result
of this grant map reconstruction effort, it was possible to demonstrate that
the Grayes Plantation and Joseph Hayes tracts were two distinctly different
tracts separated from each other by about five miles distance. Thusly, it has been shown that the
Grayes Plantation Tract had no connection to Joseph Hayes.
There was no
record found for anyone named Gray or Graves receiving land in New Kent,
Gloucester or King and Queen County prior to 1704 along the eastern side of the
York and Mattapony Rivers.
However, there were 1704 quit rent records for John Graves with 150
acres, John Graves with 150 acres, Robert Graves with 150 acres, Joseph Gray
with 200 acres and Samuel Gray with 40 acres. From these facts it can be established that there were
Grayes living in King and Queen County prior to 1704 who could have been the
owners of the land identified as Grayes Plantation. It can also be established that the combined acreage
reported for John Graves, John Graves and Robert Graves was 300 acres (or 450
acres), the same amount of land contained in the original grant to Richard
Major, which was later assigned to Edward Simpson, who assigned to Edward
Guthry, and which presumably came to be known as Graves Landing.
From the foregoing it might be deduced that the Grayes Plantation may
have been owned by Joseph Gray. It
might also be concluded that the references to Grayes Plantation was an error
in transcription, and actually was a reference to a Graves Plantation. How might this distinction be
significant in the search for the identity and origin of John Graves Sr.1? If this were in fact Graves Plantation,
it would be an indication that John Graves may have been present in New Kent
County prior to 1683. If John
Graves were present in New Kent County prior to 1683, this would add another
dimension to the search for his origins.
It occurs to the authors that there are several possible scenarios as to
how John Graves came to be in King and Queen County in 1703:
2.1 John Graves was an original immigrant.
2.2 John Graves was born in the
colony, son of an original immigrant.
Assuming each
of the scenarios, the authors set about trying to identify potential candidates
for John Graves or his father using the headrights listed on patent and grant
records from NugentÕs ÒCavaliers and PioneersÓ between about 1645 and 1700.
Scenario 1
- Assuming John Graves to have been at least fourteen years of age at
time of immigration and to have been born no earlier than 1650, this search was
limited to persons named John Graves or close variation who were listed as a
headright between 1665 and 1700.
Because of the time window of this search it was limited to NugentÕs
Volumes I, II and III.
This John Graves has potential, but date of patent could put
immigration date back to about 1663, which might push his birth year back to 1650
or earlier assuming age of fourteen.
Assuming a death year of around 1738, this would place his age at death
at around 88 years. Not
impossible, but unlikely.
Using the
same rationale as in Item No. 1, this could place this John GravesÕ age at
death to around 85 years. This
seems more plausible/possible, so he must be considered a candidate. One other factor that might be
considered is the patentee, William Waller. John Waller, who acquired Graves Ferry sometime around 1739,
may have been John Waller, the immigrant, or his son, John Waller Jr. as both
were alive in 1739. John Waller,
the immigrant is believed to have had an uncle named William Waller, as well as
a brother named William. William
Waller, the patentee, would have been too old to have been John WallerÕs
brother, but could have been his uncle.
William
Waller and Richard Fossaker were reported in 1692 in Stafford County in
possession of 400 and 800 acres, presumably including the land granted by this
patent. Consequently, it would
appear that William Waller established residency in Virginia and improved this
patent or that Richard Fossaker may have acted as his agent in the Colony. No other records could be located for
this William Waller so no connection could be establish to John Waller.
While there are only a few instances in the records of members of the
Graves family having interaction with members of the Waller family, they did
reside contemporaneously in the immediate vicinity of one another in both King
and Queen/King William Counties and later in Spotsylvania County.
Colonel John Waller, the progenitor of the Waller family in Virginia
received a patent of 800 acres in 1699 on Pamunkey Neck adjacent to Joseph
Croshaw and John West. He was
appointed Sheriff of King and Queen County in 1699. These close and contemporaneous residencies of the two
families during the life of John Graves Sr.1 and his sons does not
necessarily signify any direct connections, but is worthy of notice.
It is also worth noting that John Graves Sr.1 has been
genetically linked to the Greaves family of Northamptonshire and
Buckinghamshire. The Waller Family
from which John Waller and William Waller are presumed to descend is believed
to have their origins in Buckinghamshire.
Again, this is a geographic connection between the Waller and Greaves
[Graves] families worth noting.
Probably no
connection to John Graves.
Ditto.
It must be
considered a possibility that the surnames of Gray and Graves could be
erroneously transcribed.
Consequently, because of the timing and relatively close geographic
proximity, this John Gray could be considered a candidate.
By the same
reasoning as the previous item, this John Gray might be considered a
candidate.
Might be a
candidate, but because of spelling and distance must be considered very low
probability.
Ditto.
Name spelling
is good fit, but distance from King and Queen not likely.
This would
appear to be same John Graves as preceding item. His having taken out a patent in Lower Norfolk would not
favor his relocating to King and Queen County.
This could
have been the same John Gray who was a headright in Item No. 6, above. If so, it seems very unlikely that he
would have taken out a patent at the head of Pepetico Creek prior to 1680.
In summary,
of all those potential candidates identified under Scenario 1, the John Graves
shown as a headright under candidate No. 2 would seem to have the greatest
potential for being John Graves Sr.1. The connection between the patentee, William Waller, and
John Waller and his descendants of King and Queen/King William Counties and
later in Spotsylvania County, as well as ancestral ties to Buckinghamshire all
auger in favor of this candidate.
The most significant negative is the potential age at death for this
candidate of 85 years. Although
the men in this Graves family tended toward longevity, this would seem an
extraordinary age even under an estimate based on the most favorable of
assumptions.
Scenario 2.1
- This scenario assumes that John Graves Sr.1 was the original
immigrant and owner of Grayes [Graves] Plantation. This scenario would place John Graves in New Kent County
near the head of Pepetico Creek with a patent before 1683. For this scenario it will be assumed
that John Graves was 90 years old at death, took out the patent for Grayes
Plantation in 1682 at the age of 21 years, served no period of indenture and
was fourteen years or older at time of immigration. These assumptions provide the widest possible window for
immigration at between 1663 and 1682.
This immigration window would include candidates No. 1 thru No. 7
presented under Scenario 1, above.
The same conclusion would result, that candidate No. 2 offers the
strongest potential for John Graves Sr.
Scenario 2.2
- This scenario assumes that John Graves Sr. was born in Virginia to a
heretofore unnamed Graves immigrant.
Assuming a more realistic birth year for John Graves Sr.1 at
around 1665 and his having been about 73 years old at death, and his fatherÕs
age at no more than 45 years at the time of JohnÕs birth, then his father would
have immigrated sometime between 1640 and 1665. Using this immigration window the following candidates for
JohnÕs father were identified:
Of this group
of thirteen candidates under Scenario 2.2, the most compelling prospect is
candidate No. 8, William Graves, who along with Ann Graves (presumably
WilliamÕs wife) were named as headrights under a patent issued to Peter Ford
and Edward Racle [Rackley] in 1658 for 640 acres in New Kent County on the
north side of the Mattapony River.
Peter Ford first appeared in colonial records in 1648 as a headright to
George Read, who was granted 2000 acres on the south side of Peanketanke
(Dragon) River and west side of Chiskyake Creek. Also included as headrights to George Read in 1648, were
Captain Nicholas Martin [Martiau] and his daughters, Jane and Elizabeth. Captain Nicholas Martiau was of French
Huguenot ancestry, having immigrated to Virginia sometime before the Indian
massacre of 1621/22 when he is recorded as leading a party up the James River
in pursuit of the Indians.
Elizabeth Martiau was the wife of George Read, their having married in
1641 at Elizabeth City. Captain
Martiau had been among the first to file patents along the upper York River
around 1639 when the General Assembly voted to open European settlement at
Chiskiake. The patent taken out by
George Read, Secretary of the Council, in 1648 was situated along the north
side of the Mattapony River, presumably near Walker Town in an area which
ultimately became King and Queen County.
John Fenton was also listed as a headright on ReadÕs patent. Note that it was Henry Fenton who filed
a patent for 1500 acres along the south side of Arraciaco Creek near Graves
Landing in 1649. Lastly, it is
noteworthy that another daughter of Nicholas Martiau named Sarah married
Captain William Fuller. Both
Nicholas Martiau and William Fuller became embroiled in the affairs of colonial
Maryland for which William Fuller was exiled to Barbados, leaving his wife and
children behind in Maryland. By
the late 1670Õs Captain Fuller had retrieved his family from Maryland and
settled along the banks of the Ashley River in South Carolina.
Peter Ford
appeared in connection with two other patents listed as follows:
By virtue of
this patent abutting the lands of Robert Abrall, Mr. Barnhouse and William
Wyatt, its location can be fixed as being between Heart Quake Creek and
Apostique (Mitchell Hill) Creek and about one to two miles downstream from the
future King and Queen Court House as illustrated in Figure XX. This tract was located in the same area
as the 1658 patent filing which included William and Ann Graves as
headrights. In the ensuing
analysis the authors attempt to establish connections which tend to support a
hypothesis that William and Ann Graves settled in the area that later became
King and Queen County. This
hypothesis is in part supported by the fact that other persons listed as
"headrights" by Peter Ford also settled in that same general
area:
This patent
is a repeat of Item No. 8 above from the list of candidates for Scenario
2.2. It is repeated here in the
chronological sequence of patents filed by Peter Ford, so that it might be
discussed in its proper context.
a.
Richard Drew was previously claimed as a headright by Capt. John West on
27May1654 for patent of 1,000 acres located on northeast side of Mattapony
River, suggesting that Richard Drew had also settled in this same area of New
Kent County which later became King and Queen County.
b.
Benjamin Houslworth. No
additional records could be found for Benjamin Houlsworth. However, on 21Oct1670 Major William
Wyatt filed a patent for 1,900 acres in New Kent County situated on north side
of Mattapony River abutting land of Richard Barnhouse for various rights,
including headrights for the transport of 21 persons including John Holsworth,
Ashwill Batten, Ann Batten, etal.
This patent was situated at the confluence of Apostique Creek and
including lands later granted for the Court House. It is probable that Benjamin Houlsworth and John Holsworth
were kinsmen as there was only one other male Holsworth recorded in Virginia
patents between 1650 and 1700.
Note that Ashwell Batten was later granted lands adjacent to Graves'
Ferry.
c.
This tract
was located nearby to the other two patents awarded Peter Ford and were in the
vicinity of the future location of King and Queen County Court House south of
Apostique Creek.
a. Major Thomas Walker on 26Feb1665 received a
patent for 2,350 acres called Fort Mattapony on north side of Mattapony River
at a small run named Potataweno, originally granted to Edward Diggs, Esq.
1Jun1653. This Thomas Walker is
believed to have been the same Thomas Walker claimed as a headright by Peter
Ford, and is believed to have been the progenitor of the Walker family which
sprang up in Stratton Major Parish, New Kent County (later King and Queen County). Col. John Walker, son of Thomas Walker,
married Rachel Croshaw, daughter of Richard Croshaw of York County. Col. Walker made his home at Locust
Grove on the Mattapony.
b. Edward Marlow: On 26Jan1674/5 George Curtis
received a patent for 800 acres in Gloucester County, Kingston Parish on south
side of Peanketank Creek near William Marloe's fence, purchased of Edward
Wyatt. It is probable that William
Marloe [Marlow] was a son of Edward Marlow, the person claimed as headright by
Peter Ford.
This Edmund
Jennings is believed to have been the same Edmund Jennings described herein below:
ÒJenings Edmund was
president of the council of Virginia and acting governor from June, 1706, to
August, 1710, was son of Sir Edmund Jenings, of Ripon, Yorkshire, England, and
his wife Margaret, daughter of Sir Edward Barkharn, lord mayor of London,
1621-22. He was born in 1659, and
died June 2, 1727. He came to
Virginia at an early age, and settled in York County. He was appointed attorney-general in 1680, and retained the
office till after 1692. He was
appointed to the council in 1701, and remained a member till his death. In 1704 he was appointed secretary of
state, and from June, 1706, till August 23, 1710, he was acting governor.
Later, after the death of Hugh Drysdale, he would have again become acting
governor, but was set aside on account of his feeble health. He married, Frances, daughter of Henry
Corbin, of Buckingham House.Ó
Peter Ford
was credited with a total of four tracts totaling 2380 acres, three of which
were situated along the north side of the Mattapony River between Apostique
Creek and Hartquack [Heart Quake] Creek near the Court House. Two of these tracts were in partnership
with Edward Rackley. The location
of the fourth tract granted by the Indians is uncertain, but may have been on
the south side of the Mattapony within the Pamunkey Neck, as Edmund Jennings is
known to have owned land in that area.
The record suggests that Ford sold his interest in two of these tracts
but continued ownership in the area that was to become lower St. StephenÕs
Parish, King and Queen County until his death.
Whether these
transportees, William Graves and Ann Graves, were ancestors of John Graves Sr.1
cannot be known with absolute certainty, but several factors analyzed later on
in this chapter are strongly suggestive of such connection. Even with the paucity of extant records
from the King and Queen County region, these Graves have emerged as the most
likely candidates for John Graves Sr.1Õs ancestors. They are a good fit for the time window
and geographic location established for scenario No. 2.2. On the assumption that William Graves
could have been the father of John Graves Sr., the authors offer the following
analysis.
In 1658 England
was in its final year of the reign of Oliver Cromwell and at the height of
disdain and dissatisfaction with his puritanical and oppressive rule. Cromwellian laws were particularly
harsh for women, and the enforcement of these laws could be arbitrary and
brutal. In spite of all his
promises for a democratic government, he established himself as Òprotectorate
for lifeÓ and ruled the countryside through his ÒgeneralsÓ. After ten years of Cromwellian
governance the citizens of England, Ireland and Scotland began to see little
difference between CromwellÕs brand of ÒdemocracyÓ and that of the monarchical
governance it had overthrown.
Emigration during CromwellÕs reign was driven by many motivations, most
of which had to do with suppression of religious freedom, overbearing
puritanical social mores, over-population and poverty.
More than 66%
of colonial immigrants were under contract for some period of indentured
servitude, typically three to seven years. Because of harsh living conditions and the lack of medical
care, indentured servants experienced a high mortality rate, in many instances
as much as 50% during the first two years of service. Oftentimes the person who filed the headright was not the
original transporter. The original
transport typically was paid by the shipÕs owner or an agent/broker, who would
then sell the indenture contract upon arrival in the colony. Additionally, there was often no
connection between the ultimate location of the transportee and the location of
the land on which patent they were entered as a headright.
From the
limited information that is known of Peter Ford, it would appear that he was
not the typical immigrant. First,
he was transported by and/or in service to George Read in 1648 whose brief
biography is excerpted below:
ÒGeorge Reade, a native of London, came to Virginia
1637 in Sir John Harvey's party.
Harvey was returning to Virginia to assume the office of Governor of the
Colony. Reade was appointed
Secretary of State, pro tem of the colony in 1640 and served as Acting Governor
in the absence of Governor Harvey.
He was a member of the House of Burgesses and a member of the Colonial
Council until his death. His will,
no longer extant, is documented in a York County 18th century land
transaction.
York Co, VA Deeds & Bonds Book 5 pp 3 - 6
This Indenture made the sixteenth day of May in the
fortieth year of the Reign of our Sovernge Lord George the Second King of Great
Britain and in the year of our Lord Christ one thousand seven hundred &
forty one between James Mitchell of the Town & County of York and Janet his
wife of the one part and Richard Ambler of the same Town & county aforesaid
. Whereas George Reade late of the sd county of York Esq decd being siezed in
fee of a certain tract or parcel of land lying & being in the said County
of York containing by Estimation Eight hundred & fifty acres did by his
last Will and Testament in writing bearing date the twenty ninth day of
September in the Year of our Lord One thousand six hundred & Seventy devise
the same by the name of all that Tract of Land wherein he lived to his wife
during life and after her decease to be equally divided between his sons,
George & Robert and the heirs of their bodies but and fault of such heirs
in either or both of them or in case either or both of them should dye during
their minority then he gave and devises his and their parts of the land
aforesaid to his sons Francis and Benjamin and the heirs of their bodies with
other remainders over as by the said Will duly proved in the General Court of this
Colony being thereunto had may more at large appear and whereas the said George
Reade one of the sons of the Testator dyed many years ago without issue and
after his death the said Francis & Benjamin Reade intend into one ninety or
half part of this premises to as afore devised and afterwards the said Robert
Reade, Francis Reade & Benjamin Reade by Deed bearing date the twelfth day
of November in the Year of our Lord one thousand and six hundred & eighty
eight made partition of the premises aforesaid .........
George Reade married Elizabeth Martiau [m. 1641],
daughter of Nicolas Martiau (Father of Yorktown). Their daughter Mildred, wife of Col. Augustine Warner, was
the g-grandmother of George Washington.
George Read, the son of Robert Read of London and
his wife Mildred Windebank, was one of the about one hundred colonists, who
emigrated to the colonies from England and Wales before the end of the 17th
century, known to have legitimate descent from a Plantagenet King of England.Ó[37]
A Peter Ford
appeared in several court records in York County in the latter part of 1640Õs,
and is believed to have been the same person who claimed William and Ann Graves
as headrights in 1658. There was a
later immigrant named Peter Ford who appeared in records of New Kent County in
the early 1700Õs who is believed to have been a French Huguenot immigrant to
Manakin Town. There is no reason
to believe that there was any association between Peter Ford, the Huguenot, and
Peter Ford of York and New Kent Counties in the later part of the 17th
century.
The sale or
granting of the 600 acres received of the Indians by Peter Ford to Edmund
Jennings is further evidence of his having been a person of some considerable
status and means. A brief glimpse
at the biography of Edmund Jennings has already been presented, which
establishes Mr. Jennings at the top of the landed gentry of colonial Virginia. The established associations of Peter
Ford to George Read, Nicholas Martiau and Edmund Jennings would appear to place
Peter Ford, himself, as a solid and well-established citizen and planter along
the north side of the Mattapony River.
Further, his ability to negotiate a grant of 600 acres from the
Chickahomony Indians would suggest an involvement with trade and commerce among
the Indians on the Pamunkey Neck.
During the middle half of the 17th century trading and
warring with the Indians in the Pamunkey Neck area was not uncommon. For example, it is known that another
Bostick ancestor, Anthony Arnold [Arnell] who operated the Arnold Ferry across
the Mattapony a few miles above the King and Queen Court House, had also traded
for land in the same area from the Indians.
By 1655 Peter
Ford had already established a patent on the northeast side of the Mattapony
River. By virtue of that patent
having been adjacent to Captain Robert Abrall, Mr. Barnhouse and William Wyatt,
it can be established that that tract was situated along the south side of
Apostique Creek. Although no
definitive markers were provided with the 1658 patent other than being on the
north side of the Mattapony, it might be presumed to have been in the same
general area as the 1655 patent, if not actually adjacent to it. This would suggest that Peter Ford had
an established plantation operation at this location and was in the process of
expanding that operation.
Consequently, it is reasonable to assume that the headrights associated
with the 1658 patent were intended to work on Peter FordÕs plantation operation
at Apostique Creek, rather than to be redirected to some other location. The probability of Peter Ford's
headrights being settled in the same vicinity as his patents is supported by
the fact that several of the descendants of those headrights emerged on later
patents awarded in the same general area, i.e. Napier, Ware, Nicholls, Drew,
Holsworth, Walker and Marlow.
In the
absence of any records in the affirmative or the contrary, it might be assumed
that William and Ann Graves were indentured to Peter Ford on his plantation on
the Apostique. It might also be
assumed that they survived their period of servitude to Peter Ford, and as
ÒfreeÓ persons were able to establish themselves on their own lands and to set
about raising a family in that area.
Whether they were the owners of Grayes [Graves] plantation at the head of
Pepetico Creek may never be known.
It is entirely possible that they remained and set down roots along the
Mattapony in the vicinity of the future Court House in lower St. Stephen's
Parish. The only clue we have from
the records is that John Graves Sr.1 and John Graves Jr.2
both described themselves as being from Stratton Major Parish. Stratton Major Parish was established
by an act of the General Assembly in 1655 as being bounded on the south by
Poropotank Creek and being east of the York and Mattapony Rivers. No northern boundary was offered, so
presumably it extended north to the headwaters of the Mattapony or to the
limits of established settlement.
Consequently, William and Ann GravesÕ parish of residence likely was
within Stratton Major, and later within the southern part of St. Stephens
Parish, which is believed to have been formed in the same years as the
formation of King and Queen County in 1691. Unfortunately, the records for Stratton Major Parish prior
to 1729 have been lost, so any possible church records of the continued
presence of members of the Graves family in the area have also been lost.
The foregoing
dialogue regarding William and Ann Graves is pure conjecture by the authors,
but offers a reasoned and plausible argument for their having been the parents
of John Graves Sr.1. If
we assume that William and Ann Graves were in their early 20Õs at time of
immigration, and assume a standard indenture of seven years, they would have
been in their late 20Õs when they would have completed their indentured service
sometime around 1664-65. 1665 has
been the approximate birth year proffered by genealogists for John Graves Sr.1,
which was extrapolated from a reasonably known birth year of 1685 for John
Graves Jr. This timeline fits very
well with William and Ann Graves having been the parents of John Graves Sr.1. Another element to consider is the
possible identity and ancestry of the Thomas Graves and Robert Graves, who
appear in the 1704 quit rent roll for King William County and King and Queen
County, respectively. Some
genealogists have assumed this Thomas Graves and Robert Graves to have
descended from the Graves of Abbingdon Parish, Goucester County, Virginia, but
have offered no documentary proof to support such connection. To the authors it seems equally
plausible that this Thomas Graves and Robert Graves could have descended from
the Northamptonshire Graves' strand, i.e. descended from William and Ann Graves
or from John Graves Sr.1, most likely the sons of John Graves Sr.1. Later in this analysis there is a
strong rational developed for this Thomas Graves having been Thomas Graves2,
son of John Graves Sr.1.
Another
factor, which augers in favor of William and Ann Graves as parents of John
Graves Sr., is the recurrence of the given name of ÒWilliamÓ within the
descendent families of John Graves Sr.1 While there is no evidence that John Graves Sr. named a son
ÒWilliamÓ there are numerous instances of offspring named ÒWilliamÓ in later
generations of his descendants.
Following are several examples of the name ÒWilliam GravesÓ occurring in
2nd and 3rd generation families:
Except for the two references to Bostick
descendants, these records for William Graves were taken from Genealogy No. 270
on the GFA website. Table 1, below
presents the frequency of occurrence of some of the more common male Christian
names known to exist within the first three generations of John Graves Sr.'s1
descendents. As illustrated in
Table 1, the Christian name of John was by far the most frequently occurring with
nineteen instances out of 21 families, whereas Thomas occurred 11 times,
William 13 and Richard 7.
It is known that the Christian name of a father and grandfather have a
higher probability of being passed on to a male within the following generation
than any other name. It is also
known that the name of a father or grandfather from the paternal side of a
family has a greater probability of recurring than the name of a father or
grandfather from the maternal side of the family. It is also known that the Christian name of a father has a
higher probability of being passed on to a son than any other name. Given these facts, one might expect a
high frequency of occurrence of the Christian names of John and Thomas within
the descendent families of John Graves Sr.1. Yet there is no known basis for such a
high occurrence of the Christian names of William and Richard within these
descendent families.
In order to
place the frequency of occurrence of the names of John, Thomas, William and
Richard into a broader context, a random sampling of the occurrence of these
names in colonial Virginia is illustrated in Table 2. This table was compiled from a sampling of fifteen patents
containing 40 or more headrights granted after Sep1653. On the assumption that a random
occurrence of a certain Christian within any single family unit would
approximate the random occurrence of that same name within the general
population, a comparison was made of the frequency of occurrence for each of
these four Christian names among the descendent Graves' families to their
occurrence within the general population sample. As can be seen in Table 2, the Christian names of John,
Thomas, William and Richard occurred 6 to 8 times more frequently
within
the Graves' descendent families than within the random population sample.
Of course, the model on which this comparison has been made could be
tweaked to eliminate obvious bias or skew resulting from the influence
introduced by names from the maternal side, but the incidence of these
anomalies were sufficiently low as to not unduly alter the outcome. For example, when a non-Graves
husband's name was William or his father's name was William, this would be
expected to introduce bias in favor of a son being named William. But, there were only a few known
instances when that occurred, and certainly would not significantly lower the
inordinately high frequency of occurrence of the names of William and Richard
within the descendent Graves' families.
The authors believe that the foregoing analysis clearly demonstrates that
the names of William and Richard occurred within the descendent Graves' families
many times more frequently than within the random population sample. In fact it is believed that such high
frequency of the occurrence of these names would only occur if those names had
also occurred within the ancestors of John Graves Sr. within the relatively
recent past. Consequently, the
authors believe that there is a fairly high degree of probability that John
Graves Sr.'s father was named William.
Given the presence of William and Ann Graves within the same
geographical area as John Graves Sr., and given the matching probable ages of
William and Ann Graves with the estimated birth year for John Graves Sr., the
authors believe that it is highly likely that William and Ann Graves were the
parents of John Graves Sr.
It should be
noted that Mrs. Hiden identified this William Graves as the younger son of John
Graves, son of Captain Thomas Graves as evidenced by the following quotation:
"In 1659 (Id., p. 274), Peter Foard and Edward
Roche patent 640 a. in New Kent County on the n. side of the Mattapony River,
and among their headrights are Wm. and Ann Graves. This is most likely the Wm.3 we have been
discussing who made a visit to England or to Maryland."[38]
Mrs. Hiden
was clearly referring to the same William and Ann Graves whom the authors are
positing as the parents of John Graves Sr.1. Let it be said that the authors find
Mrs. Hiden's conclusion with regard to the identity of the William and Ann
Graves named as headrights by Peter Ford to be plausible, but not
probable. Undoubtedly, Mrs.
Hiden's conclusion regarding this William Graves' identity was in part
predicated on the fact that William Graves, grandson of Captain Thomas Graves,
had a daughter named Ann. From this,
it might be presumed that that William Graves' wife may also have been named
Ann. Ergo, they may have been a
match for the persons claimed as headrights by Peter Ford.
The authors
do not agree with Mrs. Hiden's conclusion regarding the identity of William and
Ann Graves, headrights of Peter Ford.
This disagreement is predicated on several bases:
Based on the
foregoing facts about William Graves3, it seems very unlikely that
he would have been the person claimed as a headright by Peter Ford in
1658. Whereas, William and Ann
Graves, headrights claimed by Peter Ford, were of the appropriate age and transported
to the exact geographic area where one might expect to find the ancestors of
John Graves1.
Consequently, contrary to Mrs. Hiden's contention, the authors are
inclined to believe that William and Ann Graves, headrights claimed by Peter
Ford, were not William Graves3 and his wife or daughter, but rather
were wholly unconnected to York County and were new immigrants just arriving in
the Colony.
One further
argument in favor of William and Ann Graves having been the parents of John
Graves1 may be found in the Northamptonshire Greaves (Genealogy No.
47 on GFA web site) family lineage from whence the GFA DNA testing indicates as
the origins of John Graves1.
This genealogy begins with Thomas Greaves, born about 1535 and Joan
[lnu] with four recorded sons: William, John, Robert and Stephen. Given the dates of birth of the males
among the descendants of this family, the 3rd generation represents
the most likely point of origin for John Graves1' [Greaves]
father. For whatever reason, there
appears to have been descendants named "William" in virtually every
branch of this Greaves family through the 5th generation. Additionally, it should be noted that
the second and third most frequently occurring given names for male offspring
were John and Thomas, followed by Stephen and Robert to a much lesser
degree. There were only scarce
occurrences of the given name of Richard.
The
predominantly high frequency of occurrence of the given name of William within
this Northamptonshire family of Greaves continued through the 8th
generation. The authors believe
that the inordinately high frequency of occurrence of the names of John, Thomas
and William within both the Northamptonshire Greaves families and within the
John Graves1 families presents a very strong correlation between
these families, DNA testing aside.
Moreover, the authors believe the high frequency of occurrence of the
given name of William within the Northamptonshire Greaves families provides
strong support for the probability of William and Ann Graves having been the
parents of John Graves1
It is
recognized that many of these John Graves1 descendant families were
rather large with five or more sons, and that names must be given to those sons. However, the large numbers of male
offspring alone, which might otherwise suggest a random assignment of names to
some of these offspring, cannot account for such high frequency of occurrence
of the name of William. In one
instance the name of William was given to a first born son with no evidence of
William emanating from the maternal branch and in other instances to the second
or third born son. The honor given
to the naming of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd born
males was usually reserved as a tribute to a direct lineage male in the
paternal branches, hence within the lineages of this Graves we see a frequent
recurrence of the names of John, Thomas and William occurring in that status
level. The recurrence of John and
Thomas is understandable, given the names of the known sons of John Graves Sr. However, the recurrence and frequency
of the name William has no known previously established connection in the John
Graves1 family, except when traced to the Northanptonshire Greaves
families. The authors believe this
to be strong evidence supporting the possibility that the father of John Graves
Sr. was in fact, William Graves, the headright of Peter Ford.
There was one
other unique Christian name noted within the descendents of John Graves Sr.,
which bears mention. Although not
with anything like the frequencies of John, Thomas and William, there was an
instance of the name ÒLewisÓ listed as follows:
Lewis is
certainly not a traditional Christian name, and is more typically associated
with a surname. In the records
that were presented as candidates in support of scenario No. 2.2 there was a
record in a patent filed by John Lewis Jr. in 1663 for 1700 acres near the head
of Poropotank swamp, which included a headright for Simeon Groves. While it initially occurred to the
authors that Simeon Groves might have been a candidate for a John Graves
ancestor, that notion was later dismissed in favor of William Graves, for all
of the above stated reasons. Yet,
it should not be ignored that the Lewis family had established a long-standing
presence along upper Poropotank Creek in an area that abutted the so-called
Grayes Plantation. Although Grayes
Plantation was not specifically mentioned in John Lewis Jr.Õs patent, there
were references to abutting properties of Mr. Major [presumably Richard Major],
Pepetico Creek, Coales Branch and Thomas Hankes, all of which had connections
to Grayes Plantation.
If it was
either William Graves or John Graves Sr. who was established on Grayes
Plantation in close proximity to the Lewis holdings, this could explain the
occurrence of the name of ÒLewisÓ within a few later generations of the John
Graves family. The spouses of both
John Graves Sr.1 and Thomas Graves6 are unknown. It is possible that one of these
spouses were descended from the John Lewis family, members of which [Zachary
Lewis, etal.] settled in Spotsylvania, Orange and Culpepper Counties around the
same time that descendants of John Graves Sr.1 had an established
presence in those counties.
This
concludes the search for the possible ancestry of John Graves Sr.1. The authors are inclined to believe
that John Graves Sr. was the son of William and Ann Graves, that he was the
owner and operator of Graves Ferry across the York and Pamunkey Rivers between
about 1703 and 1730, and that he finally relocated to Spotsylvania County in
[possibly with his son, John Graves Jr. in 1729] to be nearer his sons and
grandchildren where he likely died shortly after 1737.
In order to
trace the movements of members of the John Graves Sr.1 family after
about 1713, it is important to understand the formation acts which further
subdivided King and Queen and Rappahannock Counties during the first half of the
18th Century. Following is a
listing of key County formations which affect the records related to John
Graves Sr.'s family and other Graves ancestors in this same region.
In addition
to understanding the timeframes for the formation of the various counties which
emanated from New Kent, King and Queen and Essex Counties, it is also important
to know the identity and whereabouts of other branches of Graves families
within this same vicinity of Spotsylvania County from about 1700 forward. In addition to the John Graves Sr.1
family, there were two other Graves family branches within the general vicinity
of Spotsylvania County during this same time period: (1) descendants of Francis
Graves Sr.1 [of Essex County] and (2) descendants of Thomas Graves1
[of Abbingdon Parish, Gloucester]. Before identifying the specific descendants of these two
Graves family branches who settled in the general vicinity of Spotsylvania
County, let it be said that GFA DNA testing has shown that none of these
families had any shared ancestry either among themselves or with Captain Thomas
Graves, although earlier genealogical researchers had identified both Francis
Graves Sr.1 and Thomas Graves1 as having been sons of
Captain Thomas Graves. Those same
researchers had identified John Graves Sr.1 as also having descended
from Captain Thomas Graves through Thomas Graves1. As already stated hereinbefore, DNA
testing has proven no direct ancestral connection of John Graves Sr.1
to Captain Thomas Graves, but rather to a Greaves family of Northamptonshire,
England.
John Graves4, husband of
Susannah Dicken is the one person that actually settled in Spotsylvania County,
who has introduced the greatest amount of confusion with John Graves Sr.1
and his family members. That John
Graves4 was descended from the person previously described as Thomas
Graves1 of Gloucester County.
The ancestry of John Graves4 is presented below as excerpts
taken from GFA Genealogy No. 169.
"Thomas Graves (3) by some accounts was born about 1617, probably in
England. He died about 1675 in
Gloucester Co., Va., and left his land to his sons Thomas, Jeffrey and
William. He settled in Gloucester
Co., Va., and acquired large tracts of land there, part of which was granted in
1657. He patented 53 acres and
later 240 acres in Gloucester Co., also 300 acres in Lancaster Co., Va. He was known as "Thomas Graves,
Sr. of Timberneck Creek, Gloucester Co., planter." The name of his wife is not known,
although it is believed to be Elizabeth (or Katherine). (R‑915)
Children - Graves
+13. Thomas Graves, b.c. 1639, m(1) Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑,
before 1677, m(2) Elizabeth ‑‑‑‑‑‑.
+14. Jeffrey
Graves, m. Dorothy ‑‑‑‑‑‑, before 1680.
+15. William
Graves, m. Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑, by 1686.
16. Mary
Graves (given by John Card Graves, but not by most other sources).
CHILDREN OF THOMAS GRAVES (3)
Thomas Graves (13)
was born about 1639. His death
date is unknown. He was still
living in 1707 when he had lot no. 1 in the new town of Gloucester. He first married Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑
before 1677 (possibly about 1669).
They lived in Abingdon Parish, Gloucester Co., Va.
He and his brother Jeffrey inherited large tracts of land which
their father had patented. This
land was beyond the head of Timberneck Creek, and between Severn and the Indian
Road. As part of their
inheritance, they also received a tract of 400 acres in Abingdon Parish on 6
March 1675/6. Thomas had other
large grants in Westmoreland and Gloucester counties.
He married second Elizabeth ‑‑‑‑‑‑. The christening of all the children
listed below was recorded in the records of St. Peter's Church, Abingdon
Parish. (R‑915)
Children - Graves, by Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑
+41. John Graves, christened 1677, m. Rebecca ‑‑‑‑‑‑,
probably d. by 1716.
+42. Robert
Graves, born or christened 4 Feb. 1682/3, m. Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑.
43. Mary
Graves, christened 19 Aug. 1685 (or 1674?).
Children - Graves, by Elizabeth ‑‑‑‑‑‑
44. Frances
Graves, b. 1698.
Jeffrey Graves (14) married Dorothy ‑‑‑‑‑‑
before 1680. They lived in Abingdon Parish, Gloucester Co., Va. He and his brother Thomas had the
several grants of land mentioned above.
(R‑915)
Children - Graves
45. Elizabeth
Graves, b. 21 May 1680, probably died shortly after birth, although this could
have been a birth date and the date for the second Elizabeth could have been
the bapt. date for the same child.
46. Elizabeth
Graves, b. 15 May 1681.
+47. Jeffrey
Graves, b. 24 May 1683, m. Elizabeth ‑‑‑‑‑‑.
48. Sarah
Graves, baptized 1 July 1688.
William Graves (15) married Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑. They lived in Abingdon Parish,
Gloucester Co., Va. The baptisms
of all the following children were recorded in the records of St. Peter's
Church, Abingdon Parish. The gap
in the baptismal dates of the following children is suspicious, but perhaps the
family was not of the parish from 1689 to 1700. (R‑14, R‑915)
Children - Graves
49. John
Graves, bapt. 26 Dec. 1686, d. early.
+50. William
Graves, bapt. 29 April 1688, m. Martha (or Elizabeth?) ‑‑‑‑‑‑,
d. by Oct. 1756.
51. John
Graves, bapt. 5 June 1689, m. Elizabeth ‑‑‑‑‑‑.
52. Benjamin
Graves, bapt. 28 April 1700.
53. Rebecca
Graves, bapt. 27 Sept. 1702.
54. Robert
Graves, bapt. 4 Feb. 1704.
55. Susanna
Graves, bapt. 6 April 1707.
+56. Edmund
Graves, bapt. 4 Jan. 1709, married.
CHILDREN OF THOMAS GRAVES (13)
John Graves (41)
was christened 1677 in St. Peter's Church, Abingdon Parish, Gloucester Co.,
Va. The most likely death date for
John is by 1716, since a Rebecca Graves appears in the Essex Co., Va. estate
settlement of Richard Brecknell in 1716 (not as an heir). No other Rebecca is known to fit this
circumstance other than the wife of John.
The payment to her for some debt indicates she was either single or a
widow.
[The death date of 1747 given by John Card Graves is for JohnÕs
son, John Graves (#104). A death
date of 1737 (from Mrs. Ethel Taylor) is from Spotsylvania Co. records, where a
John Graves, very ancient, was exempt from taxes in 1737. This was John Graves
(genealogy 270).]
John married Rebecca ‑‑‑‑‑‑. She probably survived her husband, as
indicated in the first paragraph.
The children listed below plus a daughter Elizabeth were named by John
Card Graves (R‑915). Charles
Hughes Hamlin (The Graves Newsletter,
vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 4-6, and vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 2-5) agreed with John Card
Graves, except that he did not list Elizabeth. (R‑915)
Children - Graves
103. Rebecca
Graves, bapt. 21 Jan. 1704.
+104. John Graves, bapt. 9 March 1706, m. Susannah Dicken, 22 Nov. 1732, d. 30 March-2 June 1747.
105. Edward
Graves, b. 13 March 1709, m. Elizabeth Hollis, 7 April 1732. All dates from Abingdon Parish
register.
Robert Graves (42) was born or christened 4 Feb. 1682/3 in St.
Peter's Church, Abingdon Parish, Gloucester Co., Va. He married Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑. They lived in King and Queen Co.,
Va. (R‑915) [AUTHORS' NOTE: If this birth date is reasonably
accurate for this Robert Graves, then it seems highly unlikely that he could
have been the Robert Graves reported in the 1704 Quit Rents with 150 acres in
King and Queen County. He would
have just turned 21 years old in Feb1704, which does not seem to allow a
sufficient time period for him to have procured land in King and Queen County in
that same year. The authors
believe it more likely that the Robert Graves, who appeared in the 1704 Quit
Rents in King and Queen County, was actually a kinsman of John Graves Sr.1. Since exact dates of birth are given
for Robert Graves' wife and children, within one of them (Thomas Graves) having
been noted as from the records of Abingdon Parish, Gloucester after 1704, it
would appear that this Robert Graves continued to live in Gloucester County
after 1704.]
Children - Graves
+106. Thomas
Graves, b. 19 Sept. 1714, m. Lucy ‑‑‑‑‑‑.
107. Robert
Graves, bapt. 14 Jan. 1717.
108. James
Graves, bapt. 4 Oct. 1724. It was
previously thought that this might be the James Graves who married Mary
Copeland and died in Lincoln Co., Ga.
However, there is no known documentation for this, and this has been
proven not possible as a result of DNA testing.
CHILDREN OF JOHN GRAVES (41) AND REBECCA ------
John Graves (104)
was born in 1706 in Abingdon Parish, Gloucester Co., VA[39][1], was baptized 9 March 1706 in Abingdon Parish,
and died between 30 March 1747 (date of his will) and 2 June 1747 (date of
probate in Spotsylvania Co., VA).
He married Susannah Dicken on 22 Nov. 1732. She was probably a daughter of Isaac Dicken. She was born 14 June 1714, and died in
1784 in Culpeper Co., VA. After
John died, she married Henry Chiles.
Henry had first been married to Mercy Webb.
In an article by Mrs. P. W. Hiden, ÒThe Graves Family of Essex
Co.Ó, William & Mary Quarterly,
vol. 16, second series, 1936, pages 650-668, she wrote on page 657: ÒAbout
1922, the late Gen. John Card Graves, of Buffalo, N.Y., gave the writer dates
of birth and marriage of John4 Graves and his wife, Susanna Dicken,
with names and dates of birth of their children. This data had been secured for him by the late Mr. R. A.
Brock about 1894 and its source was not given. Since, however, these dates have been corroborated by
different branches of the family, it is assumed they are
from John4 GravesÕs own Bible and they will be used in this
article.Ó
ÒAccording to this, John4 Graves, b. in St. GeorgeÕs
Par., Spotsylvania Co., Dec. 10, 1712, d. Mar. 30, 1747, married on Nov. 22,
1732, Susanna Dicken, b. June 14, 1714.
A patent error is seen in speaking of St. GeorgeÕs Par. some nine years
before its creation, but most likely the meaning of the statement is that he
was born in St. AnnÕs from which St. MaryÕs was formed, St. MaryÕs including
that part of Essex which later lay in Spotsylvania and became St. GeorgeÕs
Parish.Ó If the 1712 date were
correct, then John would be descended from Thomas1, Francis2,
Thomas3, John4.
However, in an article by Charles Hughes Hamlin, The Virginia Gazette,
Williamsburg, VA, 28 Aug. 1959 and 4 Sept. 1959, Mr. Hamlin disagreed with Mrs.
HidenÕs conclusions and gave a very reasoned argument for the lineage given
here. Mr. HamlinÕs article can be
seen in the Appendix.
In addition, DNA testing has shown that John Graves is not descended
from Francis Graves, but has instead confirmed the descent given here. (R‑5, R‑14, R‑907)
Children - Graves
+215. Thomas Graves, b. 14 Nov. 1733, m. Sarah Delaney, c. 1752, d. 1810.
216. Rebecca Graves,
b. 4 Sept. 1735. Died young.
+217. John Graves, b. 19 Dec. 1737, m. Ann Rice, 30 Nov. 1760, d. 8 Dec.
1825.
+218. Isaac Graves, b. 2 Sept. 1741, m(1) Mildred McWilliams, m(2) Elizabeth
Cowherd, 1772, m(3) Jemima Holliday, c. 1791, d. 1818.
+219. Jemima Graves, b. 21 March 1743/4, m. James Chiles, by 1764.
+220. Edward Graves, b. 19 Aug. 1746, m. Sarah Rice, c. 1769, d. Feb. 1832.
The foregoing
genealogical analysis extracted from Genealogy No. 169 on the GFA site seems to
conclude that the lineage of the John Graves4, who married Susannah
Dicken, originated from Thomas Graves Sr.1 [of unknown ancestry and formerly
known as Thomas Graves Jr.], who first appeared in Gloucester County near
Timberneck Creek in 1657. Using
that Thomas Graves [Thomas Graves1] as the point of beginning for
this line, then this John Graves4 lineage would be as follows:
Thomas Graves1, Thomas Graves2, John Graves3,
John Graves4.
The other
Graves family that lived within the general vicinity of Spotsylvania County was
Francis Graves Sr.1 and his descendants. Following is a brief genealogy of the Francis Graves Sr.
family excerpted from Genealogy No. 220 on the GFA website entitled
"Descendants of Francis Graves of Gloucester and Essex Counties":
Essex County Graves - Francis
Graves was first recorded in Essex County sometime before 1670 where on
10Oct1672 he patented 714 acres on the south side of the River on Gilson's and
Hoskin's Creeks adjoining Mr. Beverley's corner. According to Mrs. P. W. Hiden, Francis was born about 1630
and was described as "an orphan of Capt. Thomas Graves, deceased" in
1642. Ms. Hiden gave no citation
for this quotation. By 1678
Francis appears to have married a widow, as Francis gifted certain cattle to
his step-children: John and Jane Maguffey, and Elizabeth Davenport, presumably
the offspring of two previous marriages for Jane. By Aug1691 Francis was dead, as his widow, Jane Maguffey
Davenport Graves married a fourth time to John Doughty. In 1694 John Doughty deeded property to
his step-sons: Francis Graves Jr., Richard Graves and
Thomas Graves. By 1714
Richard Graves had removed from Essex County, and began appearing in the
records of Craven County, North Carolina around 1725. Thomas Graves and Francis Graves Jr. continued to live in
Essex County for the remainder of their lives where they frequently appeared in
records in association with Reeves, Reynolds, Wallers, Hipkins, Colemans,
Streshleys, Pamplins, Roanes and Upshaws.
William Graves, the only son of Francis Graves Jr. appears to have lived on a part of his
father's land, which is described in land records as being partly in Essex
County and partly in Caroline County, being situated on branches of Cockleshell
Creek. No reference could be found
for Cockleshell Creek on any maps, past or present, but it is believed to have
been a tributary of Occupacia Creek at its headwaters near the corner where
Caroline, Essex and King and Queen Counties join. It appears that William Graves left only
one male heir, Francis Graves, who continued to live near his ancestral
lands near Essex/Caroline Counties border on Cockleshell branches. Francis Graves named only four children
in his LWT: sons Francis Graves Jr. and Rice Graves
and daughters Luca Spearman and Betty Graves.
Thomas Graves, the third and youngest son of Francis and Jane Graves, married
Elizabeth Moody and lived his life in Essex/Caroline County area where he died
in about 1743. Thomas and
Elizabeth Graves are known to have had two sons:
Richard and Francis, as they were mentioned in their uncle, Richard Graves'
LWT. A third, older son named John Graves has been inferred from the fact that a
John Graves was approved to administer the estate of Thomas Graves. Mrs. Hiden mistakenly identified this
John Graves as having been the husband of Susannah Dickens and having died,
testate on 30Mar1747 in Spotsylvania County. It has subsequently been proven that the John Graves who
married Susannah Dicken was actually descended from the Thomas Graves Jr.
lineage of Abingdon Parish, Gloucester County, as previously discussed.
Francis
Graves1 and his descendants lived for several generations near the
headwaters of Occupacia Creek on the border between New Kent County and
Rappahannock County. Later, as the
county formations evolved, this families place of residency continued in the
same general area, but along the border of Essex County with King and Queen
County after 1691, then with Spotsylvania County after 1721, and finally with
Caroline County after 1728, near the corner with King and Queen County. Most land records showed their holdings
near the headwaters of Hoskins Creek or along Cockleshell Creek. Hoskins Creeks still exists on current
maps situated between Occupacia Creek and Piscataway Creek, but the stream
named Cockleshell Creek has disappeared, and could not be found by the authors
to exist on any maps, past or present.
By virtue of many of these land transactions involving members of this
Graves family and their associates having been reported as abutting or being
formerly part of patents to Robert Beverley or his son, Harry Beverley, these
properties can be pinpointed to within a few miles near the headwaters of
present day Mountain Landing Creek near the junction of State Routes 627 and
629.
Because of
the proximity of this family to the border between Caroline and Essex Counties,
some of the transactions involving the family or their associates spilled over
into the nearby counties of Spotsylvania, King and Queen, Caroline and King
William. The close geographic
proximity of the Francis Graves1 family to the John Graves Sr.1
in upper King and Queen County (later Caroline) and lower Essex County leaves
the impression that there may have been some connection between these
families. However, the DNA testing
performed by the GFA seems to prove that the Francis Graves1 and
John Graves Sr.1 lineages originate from two separate branches of
Graves/Greaves in England.
Consequently, the close geographic proximity and contemporaneous
beginnings of these families in the Virginia colony must be considered pure
coincidence.
An
understanding of the history of the County formations surrounding Spotsylvania County
is important in order to differentiate between the various historical records
associated with persons named Graves found in and around Spotsylvania County in
the 18th Century. Records found
for a person in one County at one point in time and then in another County at a
later date does not necessarily signify that that person has changed locations,
but that the County boundaries may have changed locations. There were two particular land records
which have become the linchpin for establishing the kinship between John Graves
Sr.1 and his sons: John Graves Jr.2 and Thomas Graves2,
namely the 100 acre and 400 acre tracts of Cohoke sunken ground, purchased by
John Graves Sr.1 from John Claybourn. The abstracts and analyses of these two tracts are
reiterated hereinafter, in order to set the stage for the migration of this
branch of the Graves family into Spotsylvania County.
This was the first record found for John Graves Jr2. The fact that he witnessed this deed
for his father suggests that he had already reached his majority, thus giving
him a date of birth before 23Jan1685.
This record
showed John Graves Sr.1 assigning all rights in the 100 acres he had
acquired through purchase from John Claybourne Jr. on 6May1704 to his son, John
Graves Jr2. It has been
concluded by Mrs. P. W. Hiden, etal., that John Graves Jr. must have been at
least 21 years old on the date of this deed recording in March 1706/7.[41] Such conclusion is reasonable as it was
extremely rare that a parent would make a gift deed of real estate to a minor
child while the parent was still in the prime of their life. The authors believe it entirely
possible that John Graves Jr2. may have already reached his majority
in 1704 when two John Graves appeared on the quit rent rolls of King and Queen
County. It is also conceivable
that John Graves Sr.'s other son, Thomas Graves2 may have been the
person shown on the 1704 quit rents in King William County with 100 acres. If so, this would indicate that Thomas
Graves2 had also reached his majority by that date. No record could be found for this 100
acres in ownership of Thomas Graves, but when he was recorded purchasing 170
acres in Spotsylvania County on 3Feb1727 from Lawrence Franklyn, he was
reported as being a planter from that same County. This suggests that Thomas Graves2 was already
established as a planter in that region, probably already having owned land.
Sorting out
the various records associated with members of the Graves families in and
around Spotsylvania during the 18th Century is a tricky undertaking and
requires close attention to place names, stated or implied relationships and
the names of the myriad allied parties contained in those records. Of those records she cited, Mrs. P. W.
Hiden has done an admirable job of identifying most of the kinships and
relationships of the various parties recorded therein. The following records and associated
analyses expand upon Mrs. Hiden's work, thereby providing a more comprehensive
view into the 2nd and 3rd generations of the John Graves
Sr.1 families from whence Mary Graves, wife of Valentine Bostick,
emanated. Before launching into an
analysis of the myriad records associated with the various members of the
Graves family in and near Spotsylvania County, let it be said that the authors
have found evidence in many of these records which link back to one general
geographic region, an area arrayed along a northerly tributary of the Northanna
River known as East Northeast Branch.
The linkage to this region has been drawn from the various and sundry
names associated with land transactions either directly or indirectly involving
persons named "Graves".
First, a look
at the geography of the area of King William County, which ultimately became
Spotsylvania County in 1721 will be helpful in sorting out the probable
placement of relevant land patents and deeds in and around Spotsylvania County. Figure 4A-5 provides a map of
Spotsylvania County showing major streams, roads, landmarks and land ownerships
as they appeared in 1863. Although
one might expect that most of the land ownerships would have changed over the
intervening 141 years that elapsed after the formation of Spotsylvania County, it
is surprising to see how many of the relevant names had survived. For example, the 1863 map still shows
listings for Col. Waller, Waller's Tavern, Waller's Meeting House, Mrs. Chiles,
Arnold's Run, Davenport's Bridge, Wigglesworth, Smith, Holladay, Herndon, Lewis
and Coleman; all names that appear in the records associated with the
Graves. In fact, two instances of
landownership by persons named Graves still appeared on this map, one of which
coincided with the presumed location of land acquired by John Graves4. What is particularly noteworthy is the
fact that most of these relevant names appear in the lower western end of the
County adjacent to Northanna River near East Northeast Branch and Arnold's
Run. Consequently, it is
reasonable to surmise that many of these land records pertaining to Graves were
also likely to have been situated in that same area of western Spotsylvania
County.
The following
is a listing and discussion of all of the records found for or associated with
members of the Graves family in and around Spotsylvania County during the
lifetime of Thomas Graves2.
Keep in mind that King William County in 1713
consisted of all that territory bounded by the Mattapony River on the east and
the Pamunky River on the west, including part of the area that would become
Spotsylvania County in 1721. Embedded
in this description is a vagueness that must be reconciled. "Mattapony River on the east"
is a fairly definite boundary until the River branches into its many forks at
its upper reaches. These branches
fan out and encompass a relatively large area which comprises territory greater
than 50% of Spotsylvania County.
Absent anything more definitive and for the purposes of this analysis
the authors will assume that all the territory east of the south fork (Ta
River) of the Mattapony was considered to be part of King and Queen County.
The only other John Graves thought to be living in
this general area, who might have borne the appellation of Jr. was John Graves4
of Gloucester County who married Susannah Dicken. However, that John Graves was recorded as baptized at Abingdon
Parish in Mar1706, so he could not have been this John Graves.
The authors feel there is little doubt but that
this John Graves was John Graves Jr.2, son of John Graves Sr.1 of
Northamptonshire.
After a thorough search of patent records the authors
found only one probable candidate for the William Smith from whom John Graves
Jr.2 purchased this land, that being the son of Lawrence Smith and
brother of Lawrence Jr., Augustine, Charles and John Smith. The fact that the land involved in this
transaction had been entailed suggests that it had come to William Smith
through inheritance. NOTE: "At
common law, fee tail or entail is an estate of inheritance in real property
which cannot be sold, devised by will, or otherwise alienated by the owner, but
which passes by operation of law to the owner's heirs upon his death."[42] Such inheritance would likely have been
from William Smith's father, Lawrence Smith, who is known to have taken out
numerous patents during his lifetime.
Lawrence Smith's patents were generally located near his home in
Abingdon Parish, Gloucester County, or along the south side of the upper
Rappahannock River in an area that became Essex and King and Queen County. It appears that William Smith was
attempting to break the entail, so that he might sell this land to John Graves
Jr.2.
Prior to 1713 William Smith appeared as the
patentee on only two patents listed as follows:
á
21Apr1684 Augustine Smith and William Smith
filed patent for 6,500 acres in Rappahannock and New Kent County, adjacent
4,600 acres of Capt. Lawrence Smith; by Beaver Dams, near head of Reedy Branch;
granted to Capt. Lawrence Smith and Capt. Robert Beverley on 16Nov1674,
deserted.
NOTE: Capt. Lawrence Smith didn't die until about
1700, so it would not appear that Augustine and William Smith had inherited
this tract, but filed this patent in their own right. However, they did not retain this tract for very long, as
Robert Beverley was granted a patent for this same tract a few years later.
á Essex County Wills and Deeds, 1711-1714, p. 100 - Deed of Gift. William Smith of the Parish of Abbington
in the County of Gloucester, Gentleman, gives "for and in consideration of
the natural affection and brotherly love which I have and bear unto my well
beloved brother, Augustine Smith of the parish of St. Ann, Essex County, 920
acres, this land having been patented by William Smith for his brother,
Augustine, due to his being remote from the General Court and he paying the
expenses. This land lying on
branches of Occupation Run and branches of Cockle Shell Creek and bounded by
land of Richard Robinson and the line of Mrs. Beth Gilson, an Indian Path,
etc. Said patent granted
6Apr1712. Recorded 12Feb1712/3.[43]
Although these were
the only patents found by the authors in the name of William Smith prior to
1713, his
name did begin
appearing as a land owner after 1699 as evidenced in the following patent
records:
á
On 6Jun1699
William Leigh and Benjamin Harrison of James City County received patent for
3,474 acres in King and Queen and Essex County; beginning at mouth of a great
branch of the Mattapony Creek [sic]; abutting William
Smith, etal..."[44]
The location of this
patent would appear to have been on the north side of the Mattapony, by virtue
of its having been positioned within both King and Queen County and Essex
County. Lawrence Smith is known to
have received patents along the south side of the upper Rappahannock River just
below Fredericksburg, in partnership with Robert Taliafero and in his own name. It is conceivable that this patent may
have abutted Lawrence Smith's patents along Massaponax River [Creek] on the
upper Rappahannock, and that William Smith may have inherited part or all of
that land. The fact that William
Smith suddenly began to appear as a land owner in this area suggests that
Lawrence Smith may have died earlier than reported, or that his father may have
made a gift deed of part of his lands to his son, William.
á
On 24Apr1703
James Taylor and Thomas Pettis received patent for 576 acres in St. Stephen's
Parish, King and Queen County on branches of the Mattapony Swamp [sic];
abutting Captain William Smith, by path from
William Rickett's, to Indian Towne along Baylor's Line..."[45]
This tract is
described as having been in St. Stephen's Parish, King and Queen County on
branches of Mattapony swamp. The
authors believe that "Mattapony Swamp" really was actually in
reference to "the freshes" or upper branches of the Mattapony River,
within the area above Snow Creek that would become Spotsylvania County after
1721. King William County had just
been formed in 1702, and encompassed the area between the Mattapony and
Pamunkey Rivers. It is probable
that the south branch of the Mattapony River, or the Ta River, as illustrated
in Figure 4A-5 constituted the northwesterly boundary between King and Queen
and King William County.
Consequently, the area between the upper branches of the Mattapony would
have fallen within King and Queen County in 1703. Depending upon the precise location of the tracts patented
by Lawrence Smith along the upper reaches of the Rappahannock River, the
abutting land in ownership of Captain William Smith probably was obtained through
inheritance of his father's lands.
Lawrence Smith died around 1700, but his LWT has gone missing. Presumably Lawrence Smith bequeathed
his land along the Massaponax to his son(s).
It should be noted
that the Thomas Pettis who appeared in this patent appeared in Road Orders on
the western side of Spotsylvania County along the Northanna River, and that members
of the Graves and Pettis families intermarried.
á
On 24Apr1703
Thomas Pettis received patent for 56 acres in St. Stephen's Parish, King and
Queen County; abutting Captain William Smith,
James Caudle and Thomas Demox."[46]
á
On 24Apr1703 John
Pigg received patent for 1,000 acres in King and Queen County in the freshes of
the Mattapony River; beginning at a path from William Rickett's house, to the
Indian Towne, to Captain William Smith, Mariner...to
north side of the Ridge Path, dividing this land from James Taylor..."[47]
It should be noted
that John and Edward Pigg received several patents in this area among the
branches of the Mattapony River, which were associated with later patents
involving members of the Graves family.
The various William
Smiths referenced as an adjacent land owner in the foregoing patents are
believed to have been one and the same person, namely the son of Lawrence
Smith. Since no patents could be
located for grants directly to William Smith within the area of the branches of
the Mattapony River, he is believed to have inherited this land from his
father, Lawrence Smith, who probably died around 1700. The parcel for which William Smith
sought to break the entail for its sale to John Graves Jr.2 is
believed to have been part of his
inheritance from the estate of his father, Lawrence Smith.
In the 1704 Quit Rents Austin [Augustine] Smith was reported with 4,000
acres in King and Queen County, whereas, William Smith was reported with 150
acres and a Quarter of 3,000 acres in Essex County. There was also reported in the Quit Rents "Smiths in
Bristol Quarter" of 2,800 acres in King and Queen County, which may have
originated from patent(s) granted to Lawrence Smith, and probably was in
ownership of his son, Captain William Smith. Because of this "Bristol Quarter" lands having
been in King and Queen County, it seems probable that it was a portion of this
land that was being acquired by John Graves Jr.2 in 1713. The fact that John Graves Jr.2
reported himself as being of King and Queen County on 24May1729 when he traded
the 100 acres of Cohoke sunken ground in King William County for 200 acres in
Spotsylvania County from Thomas Gambrill, suggests that John Graves Jr.2
might have had his main residence in King and Queen County, even though he had
acquired this tract from William Smith in 1713, probably located in future
Spotsylvania County. It seems
probable to the authors that John Graves Jr.2 and his father, John
Graves Sr.1 may have continued to live at Graves Landing on the York
River below West Point and to continue to operate Graves' Ferry at least until
1729. It is conceivable that both
John Graves Sr.1 and John Graves Jr.2 may have relocated
together to Spotsylvania County near the Northanna River, upon John Jr.'s
acquisition of the 200 acres in 1729.
Later records will show that John Graves Jr.'s brother, Thomas Graves
had already acquired land in Spotsylvania County years earlier.
February 3, 1725. Lawrence x Franklyn of Spts. Co. to Thomas Graves of the same Co., planter. 3500 lbs. tob., 170 a. of land
adjoining the land of Harry
Beverley, etc. Witnesses: P. Rogers, Edward
Pigg, John Foster. Rec. March 1, 1725-6.
This is believed to have been Thomas
Graves2, son of John Graves Sr.1. Although this was the first record
found for Thomas Graves2 in Spotsylvania County, the authors believe
that he had been a resident of this area for over 20 years when he purchased
this tract in 1725. This belief is
predicated on two facts:
i. He
referred to himself as a "planter of the same County", suggesting
that he had been in residence in Spotsylvania County area for several years
prior to this transaction, and in order to be identified as a planter, he
probably would have previously owned land in the area.
ii. A
Thomas Graves was reported with 100 acres in King William County on the 1704
Quit Rents. There is no other
Thomas Graves known to have been living in this area at that time. Most researchers report Thomas Graves2
to have been born around 1690, but the authors believe he likely was the Thomas
Graves shown with 100 acres on the 1704 Quit Rents, making him born before
1683.
The authors believe this tract was situated between East
Northeast Branch of the Northanna River and the south branch (Ta River) of the
Mattapony River. This belief is
predicated in part on the fact that the land purchase was from Lawrence
Franklyn, adjoining land owned by Robert Beverley and was witnessed by Peter
Rogers, Edward Pigg and John Foster.
Four of these persons appeared in the Road Orders abstracted below:
In considering
the approximate area bounded by any given Road Order, it is necessary to
understand that the County Justices divided the County into precincts, and that
an Overseer or Surveyor of a road within a precinct was empowered to muster a
workforce comprised of the "tithables" within the precinct as labor
for the construction and maintenance of the subject road. In this instance the road was described
as extending from "the mouth of East Northeast [Branch] to the head of the
Mattapony River toward Germanna".
And the tithables were to comprise the landowners between the Northanna
River and the Mattapony. Listed
among these tithables were Edward Franklyn, Lawrence Franklyn, John Foster,
Harry Beverley and John Pigg (brother of Edward Pigg). Given that several of the persons named
in association with Thomas Graves2' land purchase are identified as
having lands within this precinct near the East Northeast Branch of the
Northanna River, it is a virtual certainty that Thomas Graves2 new
tract was located in this same area within a few miles either side of East
Northeast Branch.
A further clue
to the probable location of this tract may be found in the histories of two of
the witnesses to this deed: Edward Pigg and P. [Peter] Rogers.
Edward Pigg and
Henry Pigg are believed to have been brothers, just as John Rogers and Peter
Rogers are also believed to have been brothers. The John Pigg listed in the foregoing patents may have also
been a brother of Edward and Henry, or may have been their father. The Edward Pigg and P. [Peter] Rogers
who witnessed this deed for conveying 170 acres to Thomas Graves are believed
to have been the same Edward Pigg and Peter Rogers named in the foregoing list
of patents. All of the patents are
believed to have been in the same general area "south of the northernmost
branches of Mattapony River about 10 to 15 miles west of Fredericksburg. The authors interpret this description
to mean that these tracts were south of the south branch [Ta River, which would
have been one of the several northernmost branches] of the Mattapony, between
the Ta River and Northanna River, generally in the vicinity of East Northeast Branch.
Note the
reference to Captain William Smith, mariner, as an adjacent land owner to the
patent filed by John Pigg for 1,000 acres in the freshes the Mattapony
River. This probably was the
location of the land from which John Graves Jr.2 purchased a tract
in 1713. If that were the case,
then it would appear the brothers: John Graves Jr.2 and Thomas Graves2
had both purchased land within the same general area near East Northeast Branch.
The final
evidence offered are the following Road Orders which clearly show Thomas Graves2
as overseer of a road leading from a bridge on East Northeast Branch to the northeast
to Key's Mill. This description
clearly places Thomas Graves2' land being between East Northeast
Branch and the Ta River.
Note that Henry Chiles married the widow of John Graves4,
Susannah Dicken Graves. This
suggests that Henry Chiles resided in the same precinct as Thomas Graves2.
This was a pivotal record in establishing the link between John Graves
Sr.1 and this John Graves Jr.2. Such connection might have been made
circumstantially, based on the appellation of "Jr.", but this record
provides a direct and virtually unequivocal linkage to John Graves Sr.1
by virtue of the 100 acres of land located in King William County, presumed to
have been the same tract purchased by John Graves Sr.1 from John
Claybourne in 1704 and gift deeded to his son, John Graves Jr.2 in
1706. The 200 acres being acquired
by John Graves Jr. in Spotsylvania will appear in a later deed connecting John
Graves Jr. to his son, Joseph Graves.
The fact that this John Graves was still using the appellation of
"Jr." in 1729 is clear indication that his father was still living. The authors believe that, because John
Graves Jr.2 identified himself as being of King and Queen County, he
had remained all those years after 1706 in King and Queen County. Now it appears that John Graves Jr.2
had relocated northward into St. Stephen's Parish, whereas he had previously
been reported of Stratton Major parish.
The location of this 200 acre tract is believed to have been within the
same general area as the preceding tract purchased by Thomas Graves2
from Lawrence Franklyn, namely between East Northeast Branch and the Ta River. This location is partially established
through the following Road Orders:
á
Road Order: 4Nov1724 O.S., Page 30: "Ordered that Thomas Gambrell be discharged from being overseer
of the road from the County Line to Rich Neck,
and that Edwin Hickman, Gentleman, do serve in Gambrell's stead. Tithables: Augustine Moore's lower
Quarter, Capt. Thomas Carr's Quarter, Francis
Arnold, William Lob's, John Trusty, Edwin Hickman, Thomas Gambrell, John Gambrell, Capt. William Smith's Quarter and Edward
Downes."
The Thomas Gambrell named as overseer in this road
order is believed to have been the same Thomas Gambrill with whom John Graves
Jr.2 traded parcels in this deed. Note the references to Francis Arnold and Captain William
Smith's Quarter, as both of these parties have involvement with members of the
Graves family. A geographic
feature identified as "Rich Neck" could not be located on any maps,
but it is known to have been the site of a 2,000 acre patent in ownership of
Augustine Moore (parents: Bernard Moore and Ann Catherine Spotswood), grandson
of Governor Spotswood. In the LWT
of Augustine Moore dated 20Jan1742/3 he bequeathed 2,000 acres to his son,
Thomas Moore, lying in Spotsylvania County and called or known by the name of
Rich Neck.[48] The location of this road order is not
certain, but probably extended from the Hanover County Line at Northanna River
easterly across East Northeast Branch toward the Ta River. This location is supported by the
identification of Francis Arnold who lived in this area near Arnold's Run,
tributary of East Northeast Branch as shown in Figure -5.
á
Ditto: 4Jul1727, O>S>, Page 175: "On motion of Edwin Hickman,
Gentleman, about rebuilding East North East bridge as the late great rains and
freshes had carried clean away, it is ordered that William Smith and Edwin
Hickman have power..."
This order
the following year with Edwin Hickman as overseer, supports the description of
the previous road being across the East Northeast Branch toward Mattapony
Church on the Po River.
á
Ditto: 5Mar1727/8, O.S., Page 217: "On Petition of Zachery Lewis on behalf of himself and several
others the inhabitants of Mattapony and Northanna River...to have a bridge
built over the Po River at a ford called Franklin's Ford above Mattapony Church
...ordered that Larkin Chew, William Smith, Edwin Hickman and Henry Goodloe,
genltemen..."
The location
of this bridge project over the Po
River is believed to have been nearby to the Old Court House and Mattapony
Church. William Smith was actively
involved in the business of this community between the Mattapony and
Northanna. Zachary Lewis had future
dealings with members of the Graves family.
á
Ditto:
4Jun1728, O.S., Page 233:
"On motion of John Waller, he is discharged from being overseer of
the road from Mattapony Church to bridge over East Northeast Branch, said road
be divided into two precincts, and John Wilkings and Daniel Brown be appointed
in his stead: from East Northeast to John Waller's Bridge - Tithables viz: John Waller, Zachary
Lewis, John Wilkings, John Wigglesworth,
Dennitt Abney Sr., Dennitt Abney Jr., John Smith
(possible heir of William Smith), William Dobbs, Daniel Pruett, Robert Baylor's
Quarter and Robert Stubblefield..."
This project
involved the segment of road between the Po River near the Mattapony Church and
the East Northeast Branch.
Severally parties are named in this Road Order, who had later dealings
with the Graves family, including Colonel John Waller, County Clerk, Zachary
Lewis, John Wigglesworth and Robert Stubblefield.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK B 1729-1734
page
116
March 2, 1730. John
Downer of St. Margarett's Par., Caroline Co., to Thomas Graves
of St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co. £20 curr., 400 a. as by patent granted sd. Downer
June 16, 1727. Jas. Barbour, James Williams, Thos. Downer. Mar. 2, 1730-1. Ann,
wife of John Downer, acknowledged her dower, etc.
First, it is
important to note that John Downer was claimed as a headright in the patent
granted to Peter Rogers and Edward Pigg described hereinabove and reiterated
below:
á On 16Jun1714 John Rogers, Peter Rogers, Edward Pigg,
John York and Thomas Gresham filed a patent for 1,525 acres situated on the
south side of the northernmost branches of the Mattapony River, about two miles
above Doeg Town (probably same as "Indian Towne", above), including John Downer as a headright.
The fact that
John Downer was associated with this earlier patent provides further support to
the authors belief that the earlier tract of 170 acres acquired by Thomas
Graves was situated in this same general area as the Pigg and Rogers tracts south
of the northernmost branches of
the Mattapony River.
Next, note that
John Downer and Rice Williams jointly filed a patent on 16Dec1714 for 740 acres
in a fork of the Mattapony River about 12 miles above the inhabitants of King
and Queen County, beginning at Madison's and Pigg's corner, on the south side
of the main run [of the Mattapony].
Finally, the
patent from which this 400 acres was granted to John Downer is described as
follows:
á On 16Jun1727 John Downer filed a patent
for 400 acres situated in St. George's Parish, Spotsylvania County, on north
side of Northanna River, beginning at Captain Christopher Smith's [probable heir of Captain William Smith]
land, to James Taylor's line, on Thomas Gambrill's line, purchased for 40 schillings.
The associations
between John Downer, Edward Pigg and Peter Rogers leaves little doubt that this
was Thomas Graves2, the same person who earlier purchased 170 acres
from Lawrence Franklin. Further,
note that Thomas Grambrill was an adjacent landowner, the same person with whom
John Graves Jr.2 traded his Cohoke sunken ground for 200 acres in
Spotsylvania County (probably this same property that abutted Downer's tract). This tract being purchased by Thomas
Graves2 would appear to have abutted the 200 acres acquired by John
Graves Jr.2 from Thomas Gambrill in 1729. Note that Downer paid 40 schillings, whereas Thomas Graves
paid ₤20 just three years later.
This is presumed to have been in reference to John Graves Sr.1,
since the only other mature John Graveses known to have lived in Spotsylvania
County during this time period were John Graves Jr.2 and John Graves4
of Abbingdon Parish, Gloucester County, who had settled in Spotsylvania County
in recent years. John Graves4
is recorded in Abbingdon Parish church register as having been baptized on
9Mar1706, and would have been far too young to have filed for relief from
taxation due to advanced age. By
process of elimination, John Graves Sr.1, who is believed to have
been born around 1660-65, is the only person who would meet this
description. Virginia Statutes
typically provided for relief from taxation after the age of 65 years, so it
might be inferred that John Graves Sr.1 was actually born sometime
before Jun1762.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK C 1734-1742
page
155
Francis
x Arnold, for £25 curr. mortgage, 100 a. of land, whereon he now lives, etc.,
etc., to Thomas Graves, Richard Phillips and John Minor. Dated,
June 1, 1741. Witnesses: Thomas
Graves, Jr., John Graves.
July 7, 1741, Recd.
This Thomas Graves is believed to have been
Thomas Graves2, son of John Graves Sr.1, and that the
witnesses: Thomas Graves Jr.3 and John Graves3 were his
sons. This 100 acre tract is
believed to have been situated along Arnold's Run, tributary of East Northeast
Branch in the southwest corner of Spotsylvania County, not far from the other
tracts acquired by John Graves Jr.2 and Thomas Graves2. This particular tract had a somewhat
sordid history in that it was originally part of the estate of Benjamin Arnold,
father of Rachel Arnold, wife of Francis Arnold. Benjamin Arnold bequeathed 400 acres situated on both side
of Arnold's Run to his granddaughter, Ann, eldest daughter of Francis Arnold
and Rachel Arnold sometime around 1722.
Since Ann Arnold was not of age, and presuming they had legal claim to
this land, Francis Arnold and Rachel Arnold took occupancy and established
residency upon the 400 acres. In
1726 George Woodroof, on behalf of Ann Arnold, minor, filed a petition with the
Governor's Council to block Francis Arnold and Rachel Arnold from filing a
patent on this land in their own right.
The Council awarded control over the property to George Woodroof to hold
in trust until Ann Arnold reached 21 years. Apparently, in spite of the Council's ruling, Francis and
Rachel Arnold continued to occupy their daughter's property until their deaths
but never held title except for the subject 100 acres, which was conveyed by
gift deed to Francis and Rachel by their son-in-law, William Davenport, husband
of Ann Arnold, in 1736.
The ancestry of Francis Arnold is not known with certainty,
but many researchers believe him to have been a first cousin of his wife,
Rachel, having been a son of one of Benjamin Arnold's brothers. Francis Arnold first appeared in
colonial records as a headright on a patent awarded Reuben Welch on 20Feb1719
for 3,273 acres in Essex County in right of transport of 66 persons, including
Francis Arnold, William Davenport, etal.[49] The William Davenport claimed as a
headright along with Francis Arnold is believed to have been the son of Martin
Davenport, and future husband of Ann Arnold. Ann Davenport, a daughter of Davis Davenport and sister of
Martin Davenport, is believed to have been the 2nd wife of Thomas
Graves2, the father-in-law of Valentine Bostick. Francis and Rachel Arnold are believed
also to have been the parents William Arnold, who married Elizabeth
Bostick. Most Bostick family
genealogists report Elizabeth Bostick, wife of William Arnold, to have been a
daughter of William Bostick.
However, the authors have strong reason to believe that Elizabeth
Bostick was actually a daughter of Charles Bostick, and sister of Valentine
Bostick.
Finally, John Minor is believed to have married Sarah Carr,
daughter of Thomas Carr and Mary Dabney.
The Minors, Carrs and Dabneys were all neighbors of Thomas Graves and
John Graves Jr. in the area between Northanna River and the Ta River. The following are a couple of Road
Orders which interconnect several of these families in this area:
á Ditto: 4Nov1724, O.S., Page 30: "Ordered that Thomas Gambrell be discharged from being overseer of road
from County Line to Rich Neck, Edwin Hickman in his stead. Tithables viz: Augustine Moore's lower Quarter, Capt. Thomas Carr's Quarter, Francis Arnold, William Lobs, John Trusty, Edwin Hickman, Thomas Gambrell, John Grambrell,
Capt. William Smith's Quarter and Edward Downes..."
á Road Orders: 6Oct1724, O.S., Page 17: On petition of William Russell in
behalf of himself and other inhabitants of County to have a road from Franklyn's Road to the new chapel [Mattapony Church] now being
built, and so from thence to East North East Bridge is granted...that John Gambrell and Francis Arnold
do view and mark out that part from the new church [Mattapony Church] to East
North East Bridge..."
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK C 1734-1742
page
156
Augt.
3, 1741. James Edwards, Senr., of St. John's Par., King William Co., to his
son, James Edwards, of same Par. and county. Deed of Gift. 200 a. on Northanna
River, in St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co., adjoining lands of Thomas Graves, John
Graves and Humphrey Hill, and
part of a tract sd. Edwards, Senr., purchased of Richd. Phillips, as by Deeds, June 4, 1734. John Waller, Edmund Waller, Z. Lewis,
Henry Pendleton. Augt. 4, 1741.
By virtue of this tract having been previously owned by
Richard Phillips, and by Richard Phillips having been one of the three persons involved
with John Minor and Thomas Graves2 in the mortgage on the 100 acres
for Francis Arnold, Item No. 8, herein above, it is reasonable to think that
the adjacent land owners were Thomas Graves2 and John Graves Jr.2,
the sons of John Graves Sr.1.
The fact that John Graves2 was no longer using the
appellation of "Jr." is clear indication that his father was
deceased. It should be noted that
there were intermarriages between James Edwards (probably Jr.) and the Arnold
family as evidenced in the LWT of James Edwards dated 1788.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK D 1742-1751
page
165
Jany.
27, 1743. Nicholas x Randolph and Margaret, his wife, of Spts. Co., to John Graves of sd. county. £25 curr. 170 a., part of a tract granted
Musick by pat., and by him sold to sd. Randolph. Witnesses, Henry Chiles,
Ambrose x Musick, John x Davis. Feby. 7th, 1743. "beginning at a hickory on the east side of Mine Road, upon Wyatt's line..., upon John Sartin's land, thence to
a line Old Musick made."[50]
This was unquestionably John Graves4 of
Gloucester, as this tract was part of the estate listed in this John Graves4Õ
LWT dated 30Mar1747, probated in Spotsylvania County 2Jun1747. The LWT only reported 140 acres
purchased of Nicholas Randolph, not 170 acres. Further proof of this connection is evidenced by the
witness, Henry Chiles, who married Susannah Dicken, widow of this John Graves4. This was the first and only land record
known to exist for this John Graves in Spotsylvania County, yet he bequeathed a
total of 980 acres in his LWT.
Mrs. P. W. Hiden asserted that this John Graves was descended from
Francis Graves of Essex County, and proceeded to present a series of records to
establish him as the son of Thomas Graves3, grandson of Francis
Graves1 of Essex County, culminating with her identification of this
John Graves4 as the person whose LWT was dated 30Mar1747, recorded
in Spotsylvania County. However,
GFA DNA testing has shown that the John Graves, who married Susannah Dicken and
left the LWT in 1747 was actually descended from Thomas Graves1 of
Gloucester. Consequently, the John
Graves who died in Spotsylvnia County in 1747 was incorrectly identified by
Mrs. Hiden. It seems apparent that
these were two different John Graves.
Very little is known of the John Graves4 descended of Francis
Graves1, and it seems unlikely that he left any descendents. As for the John Graves4,
descended from Thomas Graves1 of Goucester, very little is also
known. His birth was captured in
the baptismal records of Abbingdon Parish on 9Mar1706. After that date he is virtually unknown
until he appeared on this land purchased from Nicholas Randolph on 27Jan1743/4.
The location of this tract is difficult to pinpoint with
any degree of certainty, but the authors believe it to have been situated on
Plentiful Run, branch of Terry's Run, branch of North Fork Northanna River,
near the future boundary of Orange County as illustrated in Figure -5. This location is predicated on several
facts based on the reference to "Mine Road", George Musick and John
Sartain. George Musick appears to
have acquired at least two patents in his lifetime, of which the subject tract
is believed to have been a part, abstracted as follows:
á On 11Jul1719 George Musick received patent
for 250 acres located in St. John's Parish, King William County; on NW side of
May's Run, S. side of the South River [Ta River]..."
á On 28Sep1728 Thomas Allen and George
Musick received patent for unspecified area in St. George's Parish,
Spotsylvania County; on branches of Plentiful and Terry's Run.
The size of this grant was unspecified, but likely was for
1,000 acres, as there were dozens of patents filed in this western part of
Spotsylvania County on this same date for tracts of 1,000 acres each. Both of these patents to George Musick
abutted Major Robert Beverley's Quarter, so they are presumed to have been in
the same general area near Plentiful Run.
The reference to Mine Road further helps to situate this
property, as there was a major road project ordered to be improved within
Spotsylvania County, beginning in 1723.
Various elements of this road were the subject of numerous orders issued
over the next several years. The
Mine Road was to extend from the vicinity of Plentiful Run on the west side of
the County, running diagonally across said County to the Rappahannock River at
Hazel Run, just downstream of Fredericksburg described as follows:
á Mine Road Description: From
Fredericksville Iron Work to Rappahannock River nigh Fredericksburg, later
called the "Mine Road".
Divided into segments: Furnace to ridge between Pamunkey and Mattapony,
ridge to Ny River and Ny River to Hazel Run.[51]
The reference to the Frederickville Iron Work helps
pinpoint the western terminus of Mine Road as having been on Douglas Run, just
down river of Terry's Run as illustrated in Figure -5, and described as
follows:
á "Charles Chiswell established the
iron-making community of Fredericksville near this point of Douglas Run, a
tributary of the North Anna River. The furnace had been in blast for about five
years when William Byrd in 1732 toured the site in the company of Chiswell and
his iron-master, Robert Durham."[52]
Elements of the Mine Road included major bridges over the
Po River, Lewis River and Ny River.
Construction of this road was probably motivated by the need to
transport iron ore and/or cast products from the Fredericksville Furnace to
barges at the wharves below Fredericksburg at the mouth of Hazel Run on the
Rappahannock River.
The name of John Sartain [Sartin] also has connections with
this part of Spotsylvania County as evidenced in the following patent filed by
Colonel John Waller, County Clerk, in 1730:
á
On 11Jan1730 John Waller, Gentleman, filed a patent
for 2900 acres in Spotsylvania County, on south side of the Middle River and on
branches of East North East [Creek]; adjacent Mr. Edmund Waller, Colonel John
Waller, Captain Larkin Chew, Captain Thomas Pettle [Pettis], Mr. William Todd,
Mr. Robert Coleman, Major Todd, Mr. Joseph Smith, Mrs. Mary Waller, Mr.
Zachariah Lewis, Edward Hardon [Herndon], Thomas Sartain [Sartin], John Sartain
[Sartin], Mr. Benjamin Waller, and John Wilkins. 1,000 acres granted to John Waller on 25Apr1726; 1,000 acres
granted to John Waller Jr. on 28Sep1728 and reconveyed to John Waller Sr. by deed
of L&R on 24Jun1730; 500 acres granted to Phillip Todd 30Jun1726 and
conveyed as above; 400 acres granted to John Waller on 21Feb1720.
This patent references numerous land owners known to reside
between the Northanna River and the Ta River including: Edmund Waller (son of
Col. John Waller), Capt. Thomas Pettis, Robert Coleman, Joseph Smith, Zachary
Lewis (husband of Mary Waller, daughter of Col. John Waller), Edward Herndon,
Thomas Sartain, John Sartain and Benjamin Waller (son of Col. John Waller); many
of whom had interactions with members of the Graves family.
It should be noted that this tract purchased by John Graves4
was situated within about ten miles of the tracts thus far identified as having
been procured by Thomas Graves2 and John Graves2. The close geographic proximity of these
two seemingly disparate Graves families appears to have been coincidental. It should also be noted that there was
a Graves shown on the 1863 map along Plentiful Run, probably a remnant of John
Graves4's descendants.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK D 1742-1751
page
166
Sept.
4, 1744. Henry Chiles of St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co., planter, and Mercy, his
wife, to George Seaton of St. John's Par., King William Co., Gent. £180 curr.
600 a. in St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co., part of a tract granted Henry and John
Chiles, as joint tenants, etc. Witnesses, George Morton, William x Sandige, John x Graves. Sept. 4, 1744.
This John Graves is believed to have been John Graves4,
based on the involvement of Henry Chiles.
Henry Chiles is believed to have been the son of John Chiles and Eleanor
Webber. No record could be found
for the original grant to John and Henry Chiles, but this land is believed to
have been in the same general area as John Graves4' tract near Plentiful
Run.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK D 1742-1751
page
168
Feby.
21, 1744. George Woodroof of Spts. Co., planter, and Jane, his wife, "for
consideration of the natural love and affection they bear unto * * George
Woodroof, Junr.," and for sum of £5 curr. 100 a. in Spts. Co. John Minor,
George Willson, Thos. x Graves. March 5, 1744.
This is believed to have been Thomas Graves2,
son of John Graves Sr.1 by virtue of the involvement of John Minor
and George Woodroof. George
Woodroof Sr. was the person who filed the petition on behalf of Ann Arnold to
protect her interest in the 400 acres bequeathed her by her grandfather,
Benjamin Arnold.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK D 1742-1751
page
171
Sept.
21, 1745. George Woodroof, Jr., of St. Margaret's Par., Caroline Co., planter,
and Ann, his wife, to Thos.
Graves of St. Geo. Par.,
Spts. Co., planter. 200 a. in Spts. Co., "a part of the lands made over to
the sd. George Woodruff, Junr., by his father, George Woodroof. Witnesses, Jno.
Parrish, Wm. McWilliams, A. Foster. Octr. 1, 1745.
Thomas Graves2, ditto Item 12, above.. This land is believed to have been part
of a patent for 380 acres granted to George Woodroof 17Apr1727, described as
being on the east side of the East Northeast Branch. Other patents showed this land in close proximity to land
owned by: Joseph Temple, Augustine Moore, Dennit Abney, Zachary Lewis, and
Captain William Smith. This tract
is believed to have been within a couple of miles of the other tracts in
possession of Thomas Graves2 and John Graves2, and in the
general vicinity of Arnold's Run.
LWT of John Graves, St. George's Parish, dated 30Mar1747, proved
2Jun1747. Witnesses: Joseph
Holloway, Benjamin Holloway, B. Lewis and William Webb. Executrix: wife, Susannah; Executors:
Joseph Peterson and John Wigglesworth.
Legatees: wife Susannah, 140 acres of land purchased of Nicholas Randolph;
sons Thomas Graves, 140 acres; Edward Graves, 140 acres; Isaac Graves, 140
acres; John Graves, 140 acres; daughters Rebecca, 140 acres; and Jemima, 140
acres.
This was the LWT of John Graves4, descended of
Thomas Graves1 of Gloucester County, who married Susannah Dicken and
only recently surfaced in Spotsylvania County in 1743 when he purchased 170
acres from Nicholas Randolph on east side of Plentiful Run in 1743/4.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK D 1742-1751
page
185
Decr.
4, 1750. George Woodroof of Spts. Co., Planter, and Jane, his wife, to Rice Graves of sd. County, planter. £10 curr. 100 a. in Spts. Co.
Robt. Huddleston, John Smith, James Fox. Dec. 4, 1751.
Rice Graves3 was a son of Thomas Graves2
and Ann Davenport, who married Jane Young. This tract was part of the two patents filed by George
Woodroof near Arnold's Run, and would have been situated nearby to his father's
land, and that of his uncle, John Graves2.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK E 1751-1761
page
197
Oct.
1, 1754. Rice Graves of Spts. Co. to Thomas Graves of same county. 5 shill. curr. 100 a. in Spts. Co. Z.
Lewis, Chas. Colson. Oct. 1, 1754.
This is believe to have been Thomas Graves2, the
father of Rice Graves3 since the earlier listing for Rice's brother,
Thomas Graves3 used the appellation of "Jr.". This tract of 100 acres probably was
the same land Rice Graves3 purchased from George Woodruff [Woodroof]
in Item No. 15, above.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK E 1751-1761
page
200
June
2, 1755. Wm. Waller of Spts. Co., Gent., to Samuel Brown of co. afsd., planter.
£12 18s. curr. 92 a. in St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co., part of a tract devised sd.
Waller, by the will of his father, Jno. Waller, Gent., Decd., etc. Nicho. Horn,
William Smith, Thos. x Graves. June 3, 1755.
The identity of
this Thomas Graves is almost certainly Thomas Graves2, son of John
Graves Sr.1, given that he did not use the appellation of
"Jr.". Thomas Graves2
was still alive and living in Spotsylvania County in 1755, as was his son,
Thomas Graves3 Jr. The
references to William Waller, Col John Waller, deceased, and William Smith
clearly distinguish this Thomas Graves from the family of John Graves4.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK E 1751-1761
page
206
April
4, 1758. Thomas x Graves and Eleanor, his wife, of Spts. Co., to
John Waggener of sd. County. £30 curr. 120 a. in St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co.,
whereon sd. Graves lives, bounded by lands of Beverley Stanard, John Farish,
Wm. Johnston and the late Samuel More. Witnesses, Lark. Chew, Robert Goodloe,
Joseph Herndon. April 5, 1758.
The identity of this Thomas Graves is unknown. A careful review of the two main GFA
genealogies (GFA 169 and 270) being scrutinized in this analysis did not
disclose any Thomas Graves married to an Eleanor. LDS Family History records do offer listings for Thomas
Graves and wife, Eleanor, but these records all seem to be muddled as regards
ancestral connections. Some of
these LDS records suggest the same Thomas Graves2, son of John
Graves Sr.1, but it is known with some certainty that Thomas Graves2
was not married to a woman named Eleanor.
Also, attempts to connect this Thomas Graves with reported neighbors of
Beverley Stanard, John Farish, William Johnston and Samuel More were
unsuccessful. It is unlikely that
this was Thomas Graves3, son of John Graves2 Jr., as that
Thomas Graves married a woman named Elizabeth [Sims?] around 1746 and is
believed to have been living in Orange County in 1758. With Joseph Herndon having been a
witness is strong indication that this Thomas Graves was affiliated with the
John Graves Sr.1 lineage, as there were probable intermarriages
between this Graves family and the Herndon family. Moreover, members of the Graves descendents and Herndons
lived in close proximity to one another.
Possible son of Joseph Graves2.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK E 1751-1761
page
209
Nov.
7, 1758. Thomas McNeil of St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co., to Thomas Graves, junr., of Par. and Co. afsd. £14 curr. 100 a.
in Par. and Co. afsd. Witnesses, John Semple, Wm. Waller, W. Wood. Dec. 5,
1758.
There is little doubt that this was Thomas Graves Jr.3,
son of Thomas Graves Sr.2.
The patent could not be located for Thomas McNeil, so presumably he had
purchased this tract. By virtue of
the witness by William Waller, it is presumed to have been in the general
vicinity of his other family members near East Northeast Branch. The fact that he continued to use the
appellation of "Jr." also distinguishes him from the Thomas Graves in
Item No. 18, above.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK E 1751-1761
page
216
[p.216]Jany.
25, 1760. Thomas x Graves of Spts. Co. and Ann, his wife, to John
Lewis of same Co., Attorney-at-Law. £35 curr. 200 a. in Spts. Co. Z. Lewis,
junr., Charles Lewis, Benja. Lewis. Augt. 4, 1760.
This record was almost certainly for Thomas Graves2
and his wife, Ann Davenport. The
identity of John Lewis is uncertain, but may have been John Zachary Lewis, who
married Mary Waller, daughter of Col. John Waller. It is probable that Zachary Lewis Jr., Charles Lewis and
Benjamin Lewis were the sons of John Zachary Lewis and Mary Waller. This 200 acre tract was undoubtedly one
of the tracts procured by Thomas Graves near his home between Northanna River
and Ta River.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK E 1751-1761
page
219
April
6, 1761. Martin Vaughan of Caroline Co. and Elinor, his wife, to John Bullock
of Spts. Co. £35 curr. 233 a. in Spts. Co., part of a tract purchased by
Cornelius Vaughan, Decd., of John Foster, and by the sd. Foster conveyed to
Cornelius and the sd. Martin Vaughan, sons of Cornelius Vaughan, Decd., as by
Deed, June 5, 1750. Edwd. Herndon, John Holloday, Rice Graves.
Rice Graves3 was son of Thomas Graves2
and Ann Davenport. Edward Herndon may
have been an in-law of Rice Graves, by way of RiceÕs brother, John Graves, who
first married a Herndon. John
Foster, the original patentee probably was the same John Foster who witnessed
the purchase of 170 acres by Thomas Graves2 from Lawrence Franklyn
on 3Feb1725.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK F 1761-1766
page
226
June
26, 1762. John Graves and Susannah, his wife, of Spts. Co., to
John Page of same Co. £30 curr. 100 a. in St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co., on branches
of N. fork of South River, conveyed to Mark Whealer by Henry Goodloe, Gent.
(since decd.), as by Deeds, June 3, 1735, etc. Henry Good-loe, Wm. Marsh,
George Goodloe, Benj. Woodroof, W. Hodgson, Robt. Goodloe, George Durrett.
Septr. 6, 1762.
The identity of this John Graves is unknown. A search of GFA Genealogies 169 and 270
failed to disclose any John Graves married to a Susannah, who would have been
living in Spotsylvania in 1762.
LDS records suggest the existence of a John Graves married to a Susannah
Holliday [Holladay] in Spotsylvania, but no one seems to know anything about
his ancestry, or when he may have died.
Being on branches of the North Fork of the South River places this tract
near the headwaters of the Ta River.
NOTE: Robert Goodloe
witnessed the deed in Item 18., above in which an unknown Thomas Graves and
Eleanor, his wife, sold 120 acres to John Waggener. Now we have several Goodloes, including Robert Goodloe
listed as adjacent landowners in this purchase of 100 acres by an unknown John
Graves and wife, Susannah. Also
listed in this deed were Benjamin Woodroof, presumed son of George Woodroof,
and George Durrett (there were intermarriages between Goodloe daughters and
Durrett sons).
Given the association in common with Robert Goodloe between
these two unknown Graves men, it occurs to the authors that this unknown John
Graves and unknown Thomas Graves were likely brothers. Having eliminated all other
possibilities for known ancestors, it seems probable that these unknown Graves
men were sons of the elusive Joseph Graves2, brother of Thomas
Graves2 and John Graves Jr.2, who settled in Surry
County, N.C. around 1770.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK F 1761-1766
page
226
Octr.
31, 1761. John x Graves, Senr., and Frances, his wife, of St. Geo.
Par., Spts. Co., to John
Graves, junr., of St.
Martin's Par., Louisa Co. £50 curr. 238 a. in St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co. Fras.
Meriwether, Jos. Graves, Wm. x Davis, James Mackgehee. June 7,
1762.
This is John Graves2 [aka John Graves Jr.] son
of John Graves Sr.1, and brother of Thomas Graves2. His wifeÕs surname is unknown. The purchaser, John Graves Jr.3
is presumed to be the son of John Graves2 and Frances. John Graves Jr.3 married
Mary McGehee, daughter of William McGehee and Mary Carr. The James McGehee who witnessed this
deed is believed to be a son of William McGehee and Mary Carr. Joseph Graves3 is believed
to have been another son of John Graves2 and Frances, and the nephew
of Thomas Graves2, whom he named as an Executor of his LWT.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK F 1761-1766
page
227
[p.227]June
2, 1762. John x Graves, Senr., of Spts. Co., and Frances, his wife, to
Joseph Graves of same Co. £10 curr. 100 a. in Spts. Co. Wm. Kim-brow, John
Graves, junr.; Wm. Wright. June 7, 1762.
John Graves2 sold 100 acres to
his son, Joseph Graves3.
Witnessed by another son, John Graves Jr.3.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK F 1761-1766
page
242
May
31, 1765. John x Graves of Spts. Co. to his son, Joseph Graves.
Deed of Gift. "Sd. Joseph's wife, Franky, daughter of John Coleman,
Decd.," etc. 200 a. whereon sd. John now lives; slaves, stocks, etc.,
etc., sd. tract of land purchased by sd. John of Thomas Gambrill and Ann, his
wife, as by deeds, May 24, 1729, etc. "Sd. John Graves and Frances, his
wife, during their lives," etc. Witnesses, J. Lewis, Nice Coleman, Wm.
Wigglesworth, Samuel Coleman. June 5, 1765.
John Graves2 appears to be wrapping up the
affairs of his estate with this gift deed to his son, Joseph Graves3,
who married Francis Coleman. Note
that this was the same tract that John Graves2 procured from Thomas
Gambrill by swapping for his 100 acres of Cohoke sunken ground. Also note references to J. [John] Lewis
[probable son of John Zachary Lewis], and to William Wigglesworth, both
families were neighbors of Thomas Graves2 and John Graves2.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK F 1761-1766
page
250
June
10, 1766. John Waller, Clerk of Spts. Co., Gent., to Jno. Mitchell, Hugh Lenox
and Wm. Scott, Merchts. and partners, of Fredksbg. Whereas, sd. Scott on behalf
of himself and partners became bound, etc., to Thos. Graves
of Spts. Co. in sum of £357 3s. 5d. Curr. as security for sd. Waller, for which
sd. Graves has entered suit agst. sd. Waller and Scott and his partners, and
the sd. Scott & Co. being liable for the sd. debt, and whereas sd. Waller
is indebted to the sd. Scott & Co. in the sum of £310 10s. 1d., and for
advancing the sd. Waller £200 at or before the sealing of these presents to
meet debts, vizt., John Stewart of Fredksbg., Mercht., £120; to the Executors
of Wm. Marshall's Estate, £50; and the remaining £30 to John Semple, surviving
partner of Robt. Baylor, Gent., Decd., in consequence of the preceeding the sd.
Waller deeds to sd. Scott & Co. every fee and benefit to be gained by him,
the sd. Waller as Clerk of Spts. Co., etc., for space of five years, if not
exceeding £200 with interest from date, etc., balance to be applied to debt due
the sd. Mitchell, etc., by the sd. Waller, etc., etc. Witnesses, O. Towles,
junr., Richard Johnson, Jn. Bevy. Roy, W. Wood. Septr. 1, 1766.
This undoubtedly was Thomas Graves2 involving a
bond for £357 3s 5d. The size of
this transaction provides a hint of the worth of Thomas Graves2
estate. He is known to have
accumulated several more tracts of land in the neighboring counties of Orange
and Louisa during his later years.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK F 1761-1766
page
250
Septr.
4, 1766. John x Graves, Senr., of St. Geo. Par., Spts. Co., to his
son, John Graves, junr., of Par. and Co. afsd. Deed of
Gift. Slaves. Witnesses, O. Towles, jr., Seth Cason, Jonathan Carpenter. Octr.
6, 1766.
This was undoubtedly John Graves2 [aka John
Graves Jr.], and he appears to be making further distribution of his estate to
his heirs, this time to his son, John Graves Jr.3. There was no mention of John's wife,
Frances, in either of these gift deeds to his sons, suggesting that she may
have been dead by May1765.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK F 1761-1766
page
250
Octr.
4, 1766. Thomas Graves of Culpeper Co. and Sarah, his wife; John Graves and
Ann, his wife, of sd. County; Isaac Graves and Mildred, his wife, of Orange
Co., to George Humphreys of Spts. Co. £12 curr. 120 a. in Spts. Co. Witnesses,
Jno. Chiles, Saml. Bullock, Jos. Dicken, Forest Webb. Nov. 3, 1766.
This record is clearly for the children of
John Graves4 of Gloucester.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK F 1761-1766
page
250
Octr.
3, 1766. Thos. Graves of Culpeper Co. and Sarah, his wife; John Graves and Ann,
his wife, of sd. Co., and Isaac Graves and Mildred, his wife, of Orange Co., to
John Chiles of Spts. Co. £13 curr. 200 a. in Spts. Co. devised the sd. Thos.,
John and Isaac Graves by their father, John Graves, Decd. Witnesses, James
Chiles, George Humphries, Samuel Bullock, Joseph Dicken. Nov. 3, 1766.
Ditto Item 27, above.
DEEDS
DEED
BOOK F 1761-1766
page
251
Octr.
3, 1766. Thos., John and Isaac Graves, and their wives, of Spts. Co. to Samuel
Bullock of Co. afsd. £5 10s. curr. 136 a. in Spts. Co. John Chiles, George
Humphries, Forest Webb, Joseph Dicken. Nov. 3, 1766.
Ditto.
WILLS
WILL
BOOK D 1761-1772
page
23
GRAVES,
THOMAS, d. Oct. 17, 1767. Executors Bond dated June 6, 1768. Wit. Francis
Meriwether; James Smith; John Graves Junr., James Smith, Doctor; William
Mackgehee. Ex. son, Thomas Graves; son-in-law, William Pettus; nephew Joseph
Graves. Leg. wife, Ann Graves, land whereon I now live in Spotsylvania Co., and
one-third profits issuing from my mill, and after her death to all my surviving
children or their heirs. (Page 318)Ó
This clearly is the LWT of Thomas Graves2,
father-in-law of Valentine Bostick. Following is a transcript of this LWT created by the authors
from a copy of a transcript of the original document:
á In the name of God, amen. I Thomas Graves
of Spotsylvania County, through the abundant mercy and goodness of God, though
weak in body, yet of a sound and perfect understanding and memory do make,
ordain and constitute this my last will and testament as followeth: Imprimitus, I command myself and all my
whole estate to the mercy and protection of almighty God, being fully persuaded
of his holy spirit through the death and passion of Jesus Christ to obtain full
pardon and remission of all my sins and to inherit everlasting life to which
the holy trinity, one Eternal Diety be all honour and glory forever, amen. I will and ordain that the funeral of
my body be only such as shall be seen a Christian at the discretion of my
Executors herein after named and also all such worldly estates as it hath
pleased Almighty God to bestow on me.
I give and devise of bequeath the same as followeth.
Item. I lend to my loving wife, Ann Graves
for and during her natural life, two negro slaves, viz. Daniel and
Margery. I also lend to her all my
tract of land whereon I now live in Spotsylvania County, likewise one third
part of the profits arising from my mill, she bearing one third part towards
repairing the said mill. I also
lend to my said will [wife] one third part of my stocks of cattle, horses,
hogs, etc. I also lend to my said
wife all my household and kitchen furniture during her natural life. And my will and desire is that my said
wife's death what I have here lent her be equally divided amongst all my then
surviving children, or heirs of such as shall be dead.
Item. As I have already given part of my
estate to some of my children and nothing to some of the rest, my will and
desire is that those that have not received any, first be made equal with those
or as near as possible with those that have received. Then my will and desire is that the remainder of my estate
both real and personal be it of what nature so ever or wheresoever it is be
equally divided amongst all my surviving children, or amongst the heirs of such
as shall be dead, to them and their heirs forever.
And, I make,
ordain, constitute and appoint my son, Thomas Graves, my son-in-law, William
Pettis, and my nephew, Joseph Graves, Excutors of this my last will and
testament. Revoking all other
wills and testaments by me heretofore made. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand seal the
seventh day of October, one thousand seven hundred and sixty seven (1767)
Signed, Sealed,
Published and Declared by the above named Thomas Graves for and as his last
will and testament in presence of us and in his presence we subscribed our
names as witness:
Francis
Merriwether, James Smith, John Graves Jr., James Smith, Doctor, and William
MacGehee.
John Graves Jr., who witnessed the LWT, is believed to have
been John Graves Jr.3, son of Thomas Graves2' brother,
John Graves2 and brother of Joesph Graves3.
GUARDIANS
BONDS
WILL
BOOK D
page
76
£500
William Davenport, guard. to William Graves, orph. of Jonathan Graves, with
John Lewis, sec. Nov. 7, 1768.
William
Davenport was grandson of Davis Davenport, father of Ann Davenport, 2nd
wife of Thomas Graves2.
Jonathan Graves is believed to have been a son of Thomas Graves2
and Ann Davenport, who likely married a Davenport, probably a 1st
cousin and granddaughter of Davis Davenport. Jonathan Graves was the youngest son of Thomas Graves2,
and apparently he died young, leaving an orphan son named William Graves.
This John Graves3 is believed to have been the
eldest son of Thomas Graves2 by his first wife, believed to have
been Mary Perkins. Although Thomas
Graves2 left a LWT in 1767, it would appear that it still had not
been fully probated in 1782.
William Pettis, son-in-law of Thomas Graves2 was one of three
executors named in that LWT. It
would appear from this indenture that there had been found a legal flaw in this
LWT, which prevented the Executors from disposing of Thomas Graves2'
real property. By the laws of
primogeniture, John Graves3 held inheritance rights to this property
(absent a LWT to the contrary), and was conveying that right (title) to William
Pettis on 399 acres from his father's estate, in order that that land might be
liquidated and proceeds distributed to the heirs set forth in the LWT. This indenture was witnessed by Joseph
Graves (presumed nephew of Thomas Graves2), John Graves, William
Graves Jr., John Arnold, and John W. Puttus, some of whom may have represented
heirs to the estate of Thomas Graves2.
WILLS
WILL
BOOK E 1772-1798
page
43
GRAVES,
JOSEPH, Spotsylvania Co., d. May 12, 1785, Executors Bond dated Dec. 5, 1786.
Wit. Edward Cason, Jr. James Graves, Spencer Coleman. Ex. wife Frankey Graves;
son-in-law James C. Goodwin; my wife's brother Hawes Coleman; my sons John C.
and Joseph, when they come of age. Leg. daughter Nancy Goodwin; wife Frankey
Graves; son John C. Graves, half the land I own in Louisa; son Joseph, when he
comes of age, remainder of land in Louisa; sons Benjamin, George, Hawes, and
the one my wife is now with child, if a son, land in Spotsylvania Co. to be
divided among. Mentions property to be divided amongst all my daughters, except
Nancy Goodwin. (Page 798)Ó
This was the LWT
of Joseph Graves3, son of John Graves2.
This concludes the presentation and analysis of records pertaining to the
Graves families found in Spotsylvania County during the lifetime of Thomas
Graves2. From this
analysis it has been shown that Thomas Graves2 probably was the person
shown on the 1704 Quit Rents with 100 acres in King William County, and
probably was born before 1683. It
is probable that that 100 acre tract was situated near the Northanna River and
East Northeast Branch in an area that ultimately became part of Spotsylvania
County after its formationin 1721.
It is further believed that Thomas Graves continued to live in that same
area near Arnold's Run until his death in 1767. Throughout his life Thomas Graves2 continued to
add to his holdings in this area between East Northeast Branch and the Ta
River, as well as several tracts of land in the adjacent counties of Louisa and
Orange. In the various records
associated with Thomas Graves2 were the names of neighbors and
nearest relations including: Arnold, Davenport, Pettis, Waller, Smith,
Woodroof, Coleman, and Holladay.
He accumlated a substantial estate during his life, as evidenced by the
final payout from his estate to fifteen separate legatees a sum of almost
₤200 each.
Because of a technical weakness in his LWT, the final administration did
not occur until 1802. The authors
have attempted to obtain a copy of the final administraction papers on Thomas
Graves estate from the Spotsylvania County Court records, but were
unsuccessful. Reason being that the
County will only retrieve records covered under the index created by Crozier,
which ends at the year 1800. Based
on the writing of Mrs. P. W. Hiden, the authors have reason to believe that
these administration papers still exist in the Spotsylvania County archives,
but will require an onsite search, a task not within the authors power to
accomplish. One item reported by
Mrs. Hiden is of particular interest to this research, that being Mrs. Hiden's
statement that a John Bostick signed for the final estate settlement on behalf
of an heir named Mary (Campbell).
The authors have good reason to believe that this heir was a daughter named
Mary Graves, who married Valentine Bostick. Just where the name of (Campbell) originates is not
clear. There is one possible
explanation that occurs to the authors, namely that Mary (Campbell) may have
been the eldest daughter of Valentine Bostick and Mary Graves, who had married
a gentleman named Campbell. There
was a family of Campbells living in Onslow County North Carolina during the
1750's to the 1780's, into which a daughter of Valentine and Mary may have
intermarried. It was in Onslow
County that Valentine and Mary lived from about 1745 until their deaths. Not knowning the source of the surname
of (Campbell) [as Mrs. Hiden showed it, in parenthsis], it also occurs to the
authors that this name was bogus.
The John Bostick, who signed the estate papers on behalf of Mary (Campbell),
with a certainty was an older son of Valentine and Mary, who was living in
Richland County, South Carolina in 1802.
There was another son, Charles Bostick, living in Duplin County, North
Carolina, who, being the eldest son, might have been the one to travel to
Spotsylvania to sign these papers, but may have been otherwise prevented from
making that journey.
Regardless, the authors believe they have established beyond a reasonable
doubt that the Mary Graves who married Valentine Bostick, was the daughter
identified as being represented in her father's estate papers as Mary
(Campbell). It also seems probable
that Mary Graves was the elder daughter identified as an additional unnamed
child from the marriage of Thomas Graves with his first wife, Mary
Perkins. This belief is supported
by the knowledge that Mary Graves and Valentine Bostick were likely married
around 1739, based on deed records from Goochland County. Such marriage date would suggest Mary's
birth year having been 1718 or earlier, placing her birth before Thomas Graves'
marriage to his second wife, Ann Davenport.
From the outset of this research it has always troubled the authors how it
was that Valentine Bostick may have met his wife, Mary Graves. It is known from various records that
Valentine and his father, Charles Bostick, had consistently reported their
place of residence between 1715 and 1745 as having been in New Kent, and later
in Hanover County. Now, having
completed this analysis of the life of Thomas Graves2, it has become
apparent that Valentine Bostick and his father, Charles Bostick, may have lived
for many years across the Pamunkey/Northanna River in Hanover County from the
home of Thomas Graves. From a
study of the records of the Davenports, Carrs, McGehhees, Arnolds, etal. it is
clear that families living in this area held land ownership on both side of the
river. For example, Martin
Davenport lived for many years in Hanover County, but owned and operated
Davenport's Ordinary near Arnold's Run in Spotsylvania County. In fact, the 1863 map shows Davenport's
Bridge across the Northanna River near the confluence of Arnold's Run. From this it became obvious that,
although living in separate counties, the Graves and Bosticks were separated
only by a river crossing, and probably less than fifteen miles distance.
[1], Bostic, Jenkins and Others, Paul E. Bostic,
Clinton, TN., 1993, p. 3. (Orange County Virginia, Deed Book 7, pp. 77-82.)
[2] https://gravesfa.org/research.html,
accessed September 8, 2010.
[3] https://gravesfa.org/gen270.htm,
accessed September 14, 2010.
[6] King William County Records, Book 1, 1702-1707, p.
195. [Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Volume 12, Beverley Fleet, p. 292.]
[7] Claiborne of
Virginia: Descendants of Colonel William Claiborne, The First Eight Generations,
Compiled by John Frederick Dorman in Collaboration with Claiborne T. Smith,
Jr., 1995.
[8] Cavaliers and Pioneers, Patent Book 4, pp. 358
and 359, Nell Marion Nugent.
[9] Virginia Colonial Records, 1600Õs-1700Õs, Virginia
Colonial Abstracts, Volume II, King and Queen County, Records Concerning 18th
Century Persons, 4th Collection, p. 294.
[10] Excerpted from Claiborne
of Virginia: Descendants of Colonel William Claiborne, The First Eight
Generations, opcit.
[11] Virginia Colonial Records, 1600Õs-1700Õs, Virginia Colonial Abstracts, Volume I, Accomack County, 1632-1637, pp 11-14, Beverley Fleet.
[12] Virginia Colonial Records, 1600Õs-1700Õs, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Patent Book 1, Part I, Beverley Fleet, p. 25.
[13] Virginia Colonial Records, 1600Õs-1700Õs, Cavaliers and Pioneers, Patent Book 1, Part II, Beverley Fleet, p. 207.
[14] The Flowering of the Maryland Palatinate, Harry
Wright Newman, 1961, p. 222.
[15] King William County Deed Book 1, p. 342.
[16] Virginia Colonial Records, 1600Õs-1700Õs, Virginia
Colonial Abstracts, Volume II, King and Queen County, Records Concerning 18th
Century Persons, 4th Edition, p. 292, Beverley Fleet.
[17] Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: a
Biographical Dictionary, Martha W. McCartney, 2007, pp. 732-733.
[18] Ibid., pp. 237 and 238.
[19] Virginia Colonial Records, 1600Õs-1700Õs, Virginia
Colonial Abstracts, Volume II, King and Queen County, Records Concerning 18th
Century Persons, 7th Collection, Beverley Fleet, p. 426.
[20] Old New Kent County [Virginia]: Some Account of the
Planters ..., Volume 1, Malcolm Hart Harris, MD, 2006, pp. 293-295.
[21] Ibid., p. 35
[22] King and Queen County, Virginia, Rev. Alfred
Bagby, A.B., D.D., 1908, p. 45.
[23] Hening, William Waller, 1819 The Statutes at Large;
Being A Collection Of All the Laws Of Virginia, From The First Session Of the
Legislature In The Year 1619.
Volume VI. Franklin Press, Richmond, Virginia.
[24] Executive Journals of the Council of Virginia,
Volume II, p. 235.
[25] King and Queen County, Virginia, Rev. Alfred Bagby, A.B., D.D., 1908, p. 45.
[26] Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume II, p. 262.
[27] Ibid., p. 278.
[28] Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume III, p. 17.
[29] Cavaliers and Pioneers, Volume I, Patent Book No. 2,
p. 211.
[30] Ibid., p. 216.
[31] Old New Kent County, Some Accounts of the Planters,
Plantations and Places in King and Queen County, Malcolm Hart Harris, M.d.,
1977, p. 283-284.
[32] http://www.spingola.com/TaliaferroTimes/TT37.htm,
accessed October 15, 2010.
[33] Virginia Colonial Records, 1600's-1700's, Cavaliers
and Pioneers, Patent Book No. 4, Genealogical Publishing CDROM, p. 369.
[34] Ibid., Patent Book 3, p. 307.
[35] ‑Last Will and Testament, Richard Croshawe,
26Apr1631, Virginia Colonial Records, 1600Õs-1700Õs, Virginia Gleaning in
England, pp. 607-610, Beverley Fleet.
[36] Cavaliers and Pioneers, Patent Book 5, p. 506.
[37] http://www.carolshouse.com/familyhistory/reade/,
accessed October 20, 2010.
[38] The Graves Family of York County, William and Mary Quarterly, Mrs. P. W. Hiden, p. 774.
[40] Virginia Colonial Records, 1600Õs-1700Õs, Virginia
Colonial Abstracts, Volume II, King and Queen County, Records Concerning 18th
Century Persons, 4th Collection, p. 294.
[41] Genealogies of Virginia Families from Tyler's Quarterly, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997, CDROM, The Graves Family of Spotsylvania County, p. 4
[42] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fee_tail, accessed
January 25, 2011.
[43] Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol. 3, Nugent, p. 126.
[44] Ibid., p. 30.
[45] Ibid., p. 68.
[46] Ibid., p. 68.
[47] Ibid., p. 70
[48] Genealogy of the Spotswood Family in Scotland and
Virginia, Charles Campbell, 1868, pp. 31-41.
[49] Cavaliers and Pioneers, Book 11, Nugent, p 9.
[50] The Graves Family of Essex County, Mrs. P. W.
Hiden, William & Mary Quarterly.
[51] Spotsylvania County Road Orders 1722-1734, Nathaniel Mason Pawlett, 1985, rev. 2004, p. 117.
[52]
http://fredmarkers.umwblogs.org/2008/03/25/fredericksville-furnace/, accessed
January 27, 2011.
[53] http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~usgenweb/special/tafq/tafq3.htm,
accessed January 27, 2011.