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Graves Family Association







The following questions are some of those that have been frequently asked. To see the answers, click on the link for the question.

Answers to Questions

Books

Question: How can I order a Graves family book that has already been published?
Answer: To see the Graves/Greaves family books that have already been published, click on the Products tab at the top of this page, and then click on the Books & Videos tab. You can then order any book at the price shown, either online via PayPal or by sending a check to Ken Graves at the Graves Family Association address shown at the bottom of every page of this website.

Question: When is a book for my family going to be published?
Answer: It is planned to publish books for all the various Graves and Greaves families of the world. The publication schedule is announced every now and then in the online Graves Family Bulletin. All future books will be published as "print-on-demand" products or as ebooks.

DNA Study

Question: Has anyone from my family or my genealogy been tested?
Answer: You can determine this by going to the charts page (click on the link about half-way down the main page of the website), and searching or scrolling down to the desired genealogy. If it is not there or the number of descendants tested is shown as zero, then there have been no tests. (However, the charts page may not always be completely up-to-date regarding number of DNA tests.) Another way to check on whether there are any test results for a genealogy is to go to the master DNA test results table at www.gravesfa.org/DNA_test_results.html and search for the genealogy number. (This page is always kept up-to-date.) If there has been no test, it would be helpful if you could find someone who would be willing to participate.

Question: Has anyone from a particular line of that family been tested?
Answer: The easiest way to find out is to go to the charts page on the website, scroll down or search for the genealogy of interest, and then click on the link for the chart for that family. When you look at the chart, you should be able to tell which lines have been tested and which haven't.

Question: How many people from that family have been tested?
Answer: That will be shown in the charts page of the website. The chart for that genealogy and the master DNA test results table will provide more detailed information.

Question: What are the lines of descent from those who have been tested (within that family)?
Answer: You can most easily see that by going to the charts page on the website, finding the genealogy of interest, and clicking on the link for the chart for that genealogy.

Question: How can I contact those from my ancestor who have been tested?
Answer: Sometimes the person's name is on the chart (when they have given permission). Also, if you are a family member who has been tested, your personal page of the Family Tree DNA website will list all those whose results match yours.

Genealogies

Question: How can I see the most recent generations of a family?
Answer: The most recent generations of a family are not posted on the website if they include living family members (because of security and privacy concerns that some people have). If you are a member of that family and you want to know, contact Ken Graves for that information.

Question: How can I find who submitted information (that is, the identification of the R-numbers at the end of most paragraphs in the genealogies)?
Answer: That identification is not provided on the website for privacy reasons. However, if you need to know, send an email to Ken Graves asking for the R-numbers you want identified, and also specifying which genealogy you are referring to. The R-numbers are the numbers that identify who provided the information, and sometimes they refer to books or other sources of information.

Question: How can I find original information sources?
Answer: All information and sources we have are included in the genealogies.

Question: Why aren't there more source citations in the genealogies?
Answer:
We realize that genealogies are less valuable without source citations. When we know where information came from, we can check it for ourselves and feel more confident that it is correct. However, a trade had to be made between thoroughness and completeness. It was felt that it was better to compile as much information as possible, check it reasonably well, and make it widely available, rather than doing a much smaller amount of compiling in a much more thorough manner. It is hoped that others will gradually confirm the information, add citations, and add additional information.
Question: How can I find the parents and earlier ancestry of the first person listed in a genealogy?
Answer: I don't have that information (other than speculation at the start of some genealogies or on the charts for those genealogies). If I knew that information, it would be added to the genealogy, and the genealogy would start with that earlier ancestry.

Question: Do the genealogy numbers have any meaning? How did the genealogies get their numbers?
Answer: The number of each genealogy was just assigned sequentially as an ID number when each genealogy was created. They have no meaning other than to be able to easily identify a particular genealogy.

Question: Do the numbers assigned to people within each genealogy have any meaning?
Answer: The ID numbers within each genealogy are just sequential numbers for ID purposes, and those numbers will change as descendants are added or removed.

Question: Can you provide me with documentation for my DAR or heredity society application?
Answer: No. If you can gather evidence not in a genealogy, we would appreciate your sending it for inclusion in the genealogy. If you would like to start a section on the website to provide assistance to people preparing society applications, we will be happy to provide support.

Question: My ancestors used to be in the genealogy for Capt. Thomas Graves of VA (gen. 169), but they aren't there now. What happened?
Answer: Because of new evidence, especially from our DNA study, we have discovered that many Graves descendants previously thought to descend from Capt. Thomas Graves are actually descended from other immigrants. There is much discussion on the Graves Family Association website about this, and in some of the genealogies that have been split off, such as genealogies 220 and 270. If you have any difficulty locating your part of the family, contact Ken Graves.

General

Question: When I tried to email Ken Graves the email didn't go through or I never received an answer. What can I do?
Answer: The email bouncing may be caused by ineffective anti-spam efforts by your internet service provider or ours. Click on the "Contact US" link at the top and bottom of every website page for suggestions. Sometimes when the email goes through there will be no answer because it is not possible to respond to all messages. We feel bad about that, but we receive many emails and have no staff to help. Not responding should never be taken as indicating a lack of interest. Again, click on the "Contact US" link for other communication options. If you need an answer, it is always OK to call Ken Graves on the phone.

Question: When I sent an email to Ken Graves I received a strange message from SpamArrest asking me to verify that I was a legitimate sender. Is it OK to respond to this?
Answer: Yes, please do. It is safe, and it is necessary for us to use this approach to avoid getting deluged with hundreds (or thousands) of unwanted, machine-generated spam messages every day.

Question: The print on the Graves Family Association webpage is too small. Can anything be done about that?
Answer: On most (and perhaps all) browsers there is a View pull-down menu at the very top of the browser page. If you click on that, you will get a set of options that include Text Size. By clicking on the desired text size, you can set the page to meet your needs.

Question: Should I join the Graves Family Association? How can I do that?
Answer: Yes, you definitely should join. The cost for a 1-year membership is small, and there are many benefits. For more information about the advantages of being a member and the options available, go to the membership page by clicking on the Membership tab at the top of any website page.

Question: How can I find whether my ancestor (or any other Graves/Greaves descendant) is in one of the genealogies and, if so, which one?
Answer: The easiest and quickest way is to use the search option on the top right side of every website page. If you can't find what you are looking for, contact Ken Graves.

Question: Are there plans to add features to the website (such as a members-only section), what is the schedule to do that, and do you want help or suggestions?
Answer: It is planned to add lots of content and new features to the website. We would like to add these as soon as possible, but there are issues of time to do the work and the needed expertise. If you know of anyone who can help or if you have any suggestions to make the website better, please let us know.