Rev. 13 March 2012, Gen. 24

 

DESCENDANTS OF LT. FRANCIS GRAVES OF NC & IN

 

 

GENERATION 1

 

Lt. Francis Graves (1) was born 1746 and died 1845.  He is shown on a draft list from Halifax District, N.C. (Note: Halifax Co. was formed in 1758 from parent county Edgecombe.  County seat is Halifax.)  He entered the war as Regt. Quartermaster 1 Sept. 1777 in the 8th N.C. Regt., was made 2nd Lt. in 10th N.C. on 26 Oct. 1777, transferred to 3rd N.C. on 1 June 1778, 1st Lt. on 14 July 1779, transferred to 1st N.C. in July 1781, was taken prisoner at Charleston, S.C. on 12 May 1780, exchanged 14 June 1781, and served to the close of the war.  This information is taken from Heitman's Historical Register of Commissioned Officers in the Cont. Army.  On page 240 of this book it shows Francis Graves #349 was deeded 2560 acres of land in N.C. for 84 months service in the Continental Army.  Date of warrant 29 Nov. 1783. Col. Blount's name is shown in the last column with the date Nov. 29.  Lt. Francis Graves is mentioned in N.C. State Records in volumes 13, 16, 17, and 18.

He received bounty land warrant 883 for 200 acres, and he assigned it to Peter Butt Oram, assignee of Henry Banks.  Francis apparently refused the original 2560 acres. Although the reason could be that N.C. was a slave state, his name has not been found on the Quaker lists in Indiana or N.C.

Soldiers and Patriots of the Amer. Revolutionary War, published in 1938, shows him buried in Martinsville, Ind.  Mrs. Nelson's grandmother said he was buried in Morgan Co., Ind., near Martinsville, which is the county seat.  Her grandmother said she thought his wife's name was Maria.  She also thought this Graves family came from Wales originally.

There is confusion between this Francis Graves and the Francis Graves of genealogy 220.  That Francis Graves never married, was a son of William Graves (b. 1724) and Dorothy, and a grandson of Francis Graves, Jr.  (R‑1)

Children - Graves

  2. Susie Graves

+3. Sarah Graves, b.c. 1795, m. Peter Thomas.

  4. Peter Graves

+5. Henry Graves, b. 1790-1800, m(1) Mary Coble, m(2) Margaret Burge, d.c. 30 Sept. 1843.

  6. Oscar Graves

  7. William Graves

  8. David Graves

 

 

GENERATION 2

 

CHILDREN OF FRANCIS GRAVES (1)

Sarah Graves (3) was born about 1795 in NC.  She married Peter Thomas.  He was born about 1791.  Some of the information about their descendants is from an article in the Martinville Gazette.  They were in the 1850 census for Green Twp., Morgan Co., IN, with Mary Graves, 16, living with them.  She was in the 1870 census living with her son Eli.  (R‑1)

Children - Thomas

  9. Lucinda Thomas, b.c. 1825.

+10.  Eli Thomas, b.c. 1831, m. Ruth Huff.

  11.  George W. Thomas, b.c. 1835.

  12.  Nancy A. Thomas, b.c. 1840.

 

Henry Graves (5) was born 1790-1800.  He first married Mary Coble (or Cobel or Cobble).  He secondly married Margaret Burge a few years before he died about 30 Sept. 1843.  He was buried in Morgan Co., Ind.  He left a will which stated that he had four minor children.  Regarding Mary Ann, Martha, and Sarah in the following list of children, one married a Hughes and one married Alex Duncan.  He was in the 1840 census for Morgan Co., IN.  (R‑1)

Children - Graves, by Mary Coble

  13.  John Graves; bought land on 5 Sept. 1820 at the land office in Brookville, Franklin Co., IN, one of the first transactions shown there.

+14.  Catherine Graves, b. 25 March 1815, m. Samuel A. Purkhiser, 29 March 1862, d. 24 Sept. 1860.

  15.  William Graves

  16.  Mary Ann Graves

+17.  Delilah Graves, b.c. 1830, m. George Preston.

  18.  Martha Graves

  19.  Sarah Graves; may have been the Jane, b.c. 1824, wife of Alexander Duncan, in the 1850 census for Martinsville, Morgan Co., IN.

 

 

GENERATION 3

 

CHILDREN OF SARAH GRAVES (3) AND PETER THOMAS

Eli Thomas (10) was born about 1831 in IN.  He married Ruth Huff.  She was born about 1832 in IN.  They were in the 1870 census for Washington Twp., Morgan Co., IN, with EliÕs mother living with them.  They were in the 1880 census for Washington Twp., Morgan Co., IN.  He was a farmer.  (R‑1)

Children - Thomas

+20.  Albert Thomas, b.c. 1857, m. Almeda ‑‑‑‑‑‑.

  21.  Ellen Thomas, b.c. 1861.

+22.  Marietta Thomas, b. March 1863, m. George Carrell, c. 1883.

 

CHILDREN OF HENRY GRAVES (5) AND MARY COBLE

Catherine Graves (14) was born 25 March 1815 in TN, and died 24 Sept. 1860 in Orange Co., IN.  She married Samuel A. Purkhiser, son of Samuel Purkhiser, on 29 March 1862 (?).  He was born 16 Jan. 1806 in KY, and died 12 July 1894.  She was supposedly disinherited by her father because he was displeased with her marriage.  In his will he only left her one dollar.  They were in the 1850 census for Southeast Twp., Orange Co., IN.  Daughter Sarah was working as a servant in the household of Maria Blennis in 1870 in Paoli, Orange Co., IN.  He was a farmer.  All their children were born in IN.  (R‑1, R‑2)

Children - Purkhiser

+23.  Sarah Ann Purkhiser, b.c. 1834 (or 1839), m. John Thomas Davis.

  24.  Barbara Purkhiser, b.c. 1839.

  25.  Nancy Jane Purkhiser, b.c. 1841.

  26.  Elijah Purkhiser, b.c. 1844.

 

Delilah (ÒLilaÓ) Graves (17) was born about 1830 in IN.  She married George Preston.  He was born about 1828 in IN.  They were in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 censuses for Washington Twp., Morgan Co., IN.  In 1860, Matilda Graves, 25, was living with them.  (R‑1)

Children - Preston

  27.  Eldridge Minton Preston, b.c. Jan. 1850.

  28.  Margaret Preston, b.c. 1852.

  29.  Thomas B. Preston, b.c. 1853.

  30.  Harriet E. Preston, b.c. 1856.

  31.  William H. (ÒWillÓ) Preston, b.c. 1858.

  32.  Emma Preston, b.c. 1862.

  33.  George Preston, b.c. 1863.

  34.  John Preston, b.c. 1865.

  35.  Scott Preston, b.c. 1867.

  36.  Charles Preston, b.c. Jan. 1870.

 

 

GENERATION 4

 

CHILDREN OF ELI THOMAS (10) AND RUTH HUFF

Albert Thomas (20) was born about 1857 in IN.  He married Almeda ‑‑‑‑‑‑.  She was born about 1856 in NJ.  They were in the 1880 census for Washington Twp., Morgan Co., IN.  He was a farmer.

Children - Thomas

  37.  Cora Thomas, b.c. 1877.

  38.  Arthur Thomas, b.c. July 1879.

 

Marietta Thomas (22) was born in March 1863 in IN.  She married George Carrell about 1883.  He was born in May 1859 in IN.  They were in the 1900 census for Washington Twp., Morgan Co., IN, when he was a farm laborer.  (R‑1)

Children - Carrell

  39.  Rosetta Carrell, b. Dec. 1889.

  40.  Wilbur Carrell, b. June 1891.

  41.  Albert Carrell, b. Nov. 1894.

  42.  Cecil R. Carrell, b. May 1897.

 

CHILDREN OF CATHERINE GRAVES (14) AND SAMUEL PURKHISER

Sarah Ann Purkhiser (23) was born about 1834 or 1839 in IN.  She married John Thomas Davis.  (R‑1)

Children - Davis

  43.  Mary Eta Davis, died in infancy.

+44.  Robert Turner Davis, m. Hester Elizabeth DeForde.

  45.  Charles Davis, died in infancy.

 

 

GENERATION 5

 

CHILDREN OF SARAH ANN PURKHISER (23) AND JOHN T. DAVIS

Robert Turner Davis (44) married Hester Elizabeth DeForde.  (R‑1)

Children - Davis

  46.  Blanche A. Davis, m. George Nelson.  No children.  1977 address: 160-D Lakeview Dr., MFL, Leesburg, FL 32748.

  47.  Aileen M. Davis, m. Charles H. Buck.  No children.

+48.  Mary Fern Davis, m. Arvin McHenry.

 

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