Revised 17 Nov. 1989, Gen. 48

James W. Graves (1) was born about 1810 in S.C. He was a painter. He married Melissa K. Ray about 1837 in Miss. She was born 11 Feb. 1819 in Ga., and died 5 Sept. 1909, probably in Texas. Children Forest, John and Jack probably all moved to Ft. Worth, Texas, and Eliza may have moved to Eugene, Oregon.

A sale of property by James W. Graves and wife Melissa to Hubbard Smith was recorded on Sept. 27, 1836 in Copiah Co., Miss., both parties being residents of Copiah Co. This may have been property left to James by his father Jeremiah Alexander Graves when he died in Copiah Co. in 1834. There was a guardianship bond, dated 4 Oct. 1834 in Copiah Co., for James W. Graves to serve as guardian of Jeremiah Alexander Graves, minor heir of Jeremiah Alexander Graves. This would seem to indicate that Jeremiah Sr. had died by then, and also that James was closely related, possibly a son of Jeremiah Sr.

The 1840 census for Copiah Co., Miss. shows James W. Graves with one male under 5, one male between 5 and 10, one male between 20 and 30, and one female between 15 and 20. The male 5-10 could be Jeremiah. The 1830 census for Copiah Co. does not show James W. as head of household (reasonable, since he would only have been 20 and did not marry until about 1837), but it does show Jeremiah A. Graves as head of household.

James, his wife and children were listed in the 1850 census for El Dorado, Union Co., Ark. If James was not a son of Jeremiah Alexander Graves, he may have been a son of Richard Graves and a brother of Samuel A. Graves (b.c. 1815, S.C.) and Malinda Graves (b.c. 1822, S.C.). There was a Richard (b.c. 1776, S.C.) and Polly Lucy Graves (b.c. 1785, Va.) listed in the household of Samuel A. Graves in the 1860 census for Corni, Union Co., Ark. (with Malinda also listed).

Mrs. Story had copies of letters written from El Dorado, Ark. during the Civil War and through the 1880's. She also had letters dated about 1878 from El Dorado to Ft. Worth, Texas, mentioning an Aunt Levy who apparently lived in Ft. Worth.

Their first child was born in Miss., and the next four in Ark. The birthplace of Sue Graves is not known. (R-1, R-3)

Children - Graves

+2. Forest F. Graves, b.c. 1838, m. Penelope Millican.

+3. Eliza Jane Graves, b. 7 Feb. 1844, m. James G. Smith, 1 Dec. 1859.

+4. John Ray Graves, b. 20 Sept. 1846, m(1) Ketura Brazeale, 9 Aug. 1866, m(2) Mattie Wall, 6 Jan. 1871, m(3) Caroline Emily Bellah, 6 Feb. 1894, d. 24 April 1918.

+5. Jack Ann Graves, b.c. 1849, m. Albert G. Millican, 28 Dec. 1871.

6. Ellen Graves, d. 31 July 1870 (El Dorado, Ark.).

+7. Sue Graves, m. Frank King, 1 Jan. 1879 (or 1880).

CHILDREN OF JAMES W. GRAVES (1) AND MELISSA K. RAY

Forest F. Graves (2) was born about 1838 in Miss. He was a farmer and a painter. He married Penelope ("Nellie") Millican, probably daughter of James A. Millican, in Nov. 1859 in Claiborne Parish, La. Their marriage license was dated 26 Nov. 1859 in Homer, Claiborne Parish, La., marriage performed by Fr. P. Moore, Minister of the Gospel, with witnesses F. M. Comfield and W. Ezra Denson. Bond of $500 was provided by F. F. Graves with James A. Millican as security. The marriage license was filed 5 Dec. 1859, and recorded in Marriage Book A, pp. 239-240, on 29 Dec. 1859. Nellie was born about 1839 in Miss.

Forest may have first married Ann ------, since Ann is given as Carrie's mother. It is interesting that Carrie is not listed with the family of Forest Graves in the 1870 census.

Forest served in the Civil War as a private, Co. A (Colquitt's), age 24, enrolled El Dorado, Ark., by Capt. Morgan, for 12 months. He re-enlisted for 2 years on 24 Jan. 1862, was wounded at the Battle of Murfreesboro, Tenn. in Dec. 1862, was on furlough in Ark. Jan.-Feb. 1863, was sick at Dumfrier Hospital in Oct.-Nov. 1861, and was in Ocmulgee Hospital, Macon, Ga. with dysentery, 17 June 1864, returned to duty 5 July 1864.

Forest's first child was born in Ark., the next four in La., and the last in Ark. (R-1, R-3)

Children - Graves

+8. Carrie Graves, b. 9 March 1859, m. Clement Joseph Buckman, 13 Dec. 1882, d. 16 Feb. 1957.

9. Henry W. Graves, b.c. 1860 (La.).

10. Dora E. Graves, b.c. 1869.

11. John A. Graves, b.c. 1873.

12. Nora Ellen Graves, b.c. 1876.

13. Nellie Graves, b.c. 1878.

Eliza Jane Graves (3) was born 7 Feb. 1844 in Ark. She married James G. Smith on 1 Dec. 1859 in El Dorado, Union Co., Ark. All their children were born in Ark., and at least Jessie and Fred were born in El Dorado. (R-3)

Children - Smith

14. Franklin M. Smith, b.c. 1861.

15. Oscar Smith, b.c. 1863.

16. Melissa B. Smith, b.c. 1868.

17. Jessie Smith, b. 24 July 1869.

18. Fred Smith, b. 1871, d. before 1880.

19. Irene Ellen Smith, b.c. 1873.

20. Ivy Estella Smith, b.c. 1875.

21. Claud Smith, b. 11 Feb. 1877.

22. Carl Smith, b. Nov. 1879.

John Ray Graves (4) was born 20 Sept. 1846 in Ark., died 24 April 1918 in Austin, Travis Co., Texas, and was buried 26 April 1918 in Confederate Soldiers Cem., Austin. He first married Ketura Brazeale on 9 Aug. 1866 in El Dorado, Union Co., Ark. He secondly married Mattie Wall on 6 Jan. 1871 in Bryan, Brazos Co., Texas.

He married as his third wife Caroline ("Carrie") Emily Bellah, daughter of Samuel Bellah and Lucinda Ann ------, on 6 Feb. 1894 in Colorado City, Mitchell Co., Texas. She was born in 1864 in Ala., died 26 May 1937 in Fort Worth, Tarrant Co., Texas, and was buried in Greenwood Cem., Fort Worth. They were divorced. Carrie later (or previously?) married John Ross.

John's first child was born in El Dorado, Ark., and his last three in Colorado City, Texas. (R-3)

Children - Graves, by Ketura Brazeale

23. Andrew T. Graves, b.c. 1868.

Children - Graves, by Caroline E. Bellah

+24. Forest Raymond Graves, b. 3 Dec. 1894, m. Hazel Agatha Handcock, 29 March 1913, d. 18 May 1921.

25. Paul Homer Graves, b. 11 April 1896, m. Ruth Viola Baker, 23 Oct. 1920 (Dallas, TX), d. 14 June 1968 (Ft. Worth, TX).

26. P. C. Graves (male), b. 5 Jan. 1899, d. 7 Jan. 1899 (Colorado City, Mitchell Co., TX).

Jack Ann Graves (5) was born about 1849 in El Dorado, Union Co., Ark. She married Albert G. Millican on 28 Dec. 1871 in El Dorado. (R-3)

Children - Millican

27. Charles Albert Millican, b. 22 Dec. 1876, d. 1916.

28. Trixie Millican

29. Maude Millican, b. Hope, Hempstead Co., Ark., m. ------ Koch, d. 1921 (TX).

Sue Graves (7) married Frank King on 1 Jan. 1879 (or 1880) in El Dorado, Union Co., Ark. (R-3)

Children - King

30. Lottie Lewellen King, b. Nov. 1880.

31. Lorence Coleman King, b. Sept. 1883.

CHILDREN OF FOREST F. GRAVES (2) AND PENELOPE MILLICAN

Carrie Graves (8) was born 9 March 1859 in El Dorado, Ark., and died 16 Feb. 1957 in New Orleans, La. Her full name may have been Frances Carrie Graves. She married Clement Joseph Buckman, son of Joseph Buckman and Gertrude Elizabeth ------, on 13 Dec. 1882 in New Orleans. He was born 13 April 1850 in Effingham, Ill., and died 17 June 1896 in New Orleans. They were both buried in Cypress Grove, New Orleans, La. All their children were born in New Orleans.

Clement Buckman was a bookbinder. His family was from Cincinnatti but somehow he was in New Orleans where he operated a bookbindery business. The story has been passed along that he met Carrie and wanted to marry her. But when he approached her parents, he was told that surely he didn't want Carrie; she couldn't cook, sew, keep house, etc. When he insisted he did, the mother told him to come back in a year and she would know more by then. He waited a year, asked again, and they were married.

Either their house or the business was located on Perdita Street in New Orleans. Clement became ill with a liver ailment and had to close his shop. He died at age 46 and left Carrie with 5 children. Clement, the oldest boy, was about 15 and Carrie was 37. She took in boarders and the boys worked, and they were apparently able to stay in the house several more years. Irma (Townsley) Clerc said she could remember the house containing lots and lots of books they moved from the shop.

Carrie never remarried, and eventually moved in with her daughter Catherine and Jack Townsley. She lived with them until she became too feeble (age 95) and was placed in a nursing home until her death in 1957. (R-1, R-2, R-4)

Children - Buckman

+32. Catherine Buckman, b.c. 1882, m. John Townsley.

+33. Clement Joseph Buckman, b. 11 Aug. 1884, m. Effie Leonie Forester, 30 Sept. 1903, d. 23 May 1945.

+34. Marguerite Buckman, b.c. 1886, m. William Turner, d. Sept. or Oct. 1975.

+35. Philomena Buckman, b. 1888, m. Joseph Pistorius, d. 1972.

36. Frank Buckman (known as "Hans"), b.c. 1891, never married, d. 1945.

37. Carrie Buckman, probably died as a young child.

CHILDREN OF JOHN RAY GRAVES (4)

Forest Raymond Graves (24) was born 3 Dec. 1894 in Colorado City, Mitchell Co., Texas, died 18 May 1921 in Fort Worth, Tarrant Co., Texas, and was buried 20 May 1921 in Greenwood Cem., Fort Worth. He married Hazel Agatha Handcock, daughter of William Bradbury Handcock and Eliza Jane Cook, on 29 March 1913 in Dallas, Dallas Co., Texas. She was born 31 Dec. 1896 in Dallas, died 19 Feb. 1984 in Fort Worth, Texas, and was buried 22 Feb. 1984 in Greenwood Cem., Fort Worth. All their children were born in Fort Worth.

After Forest died, Hazel married Burt Chester Goode on 1 Dec. 1834 in Fort Worth, Texas. They had one child, William Wesley Goode, whose name was later changed to William Wesley Graves, born 21 Sept. 1935 in Fort Worth, Texas, married Paula Jean Hoyler on 5 June 1959. William and Paula had two children, both born in Fort Worth: Pamela Joan Graves, born 3 April 1958, and Suzanne Lea Graves, born 23 June 1965. (R-3)

Children - Graves

+38. Raymond Virgil Graves, b. 20 Jan. 1914, m. Genevieve Collard, 7 Feb. 1935.

+39. Ramey Elizabeth Graves, b. 3 Sept. 1916, m(1) Melbourne Clovis Smith, 4 July 1935, m(2) Joseph Morosi.

+40. Paul Bradbury Graves, b. 5 Feb. 1919, m. Bobbie Mayeux, 25 Dec. 1938.

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