GRAVES FAMILY BULLETIN

 

A Free, Occasional, Online Summary of Items of Interest to Descendants of all Families of Graves, Greaves, Grieves, Grave, and other spelling variations Worldwide

 

Vol. 7, No. 8, Nov. 7, 2005

 

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Copyright © 2005 by the Graves Family Association and Kenneth V. Graves.  All rights reserved.

 

Information on how to start a free subscription to this bulletin and how to be removed from the subscription list is at the end of this bulletin.  If you received this bulletin directly, then you are already subscribed.

 

Visit the GFA web site at http://www.gravesfa.org

 

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CONTENTS:

 

** General Comments

** Graves Family Association Website

** GFA Blog

** Graves Family Gathering in Virginia in 2007

** Graves/Greaves DNA Study

** Graves/Greaves Family Books

** To Submit Material to this Bulletin & Other Things

 

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GENERAL COMMENTS

 

It has been a while since the previous Bulletin, which was in July.  A lot has happened in those months.  Some things still haven’t been done that were promised (such as the complete update of the GFA website and the publication of the book on the Graves families of Randolph Co., NC), but some exciting things have happened.  We had a very successful Graves gathering in San Antonio, TX; there have been some major discoveries from the DNA study; and some significant and helpful additions have been made to the Graves Family Association website.

 

Stay tuned also for some exciting developments in the future that I and others are working very hard to make happen.

 

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GRAVES FAMILY ASSOCIATION WEBSITE

 

The major redesign of the Graves Family Association website that has been planned for some time has not yet happened (but it will happen soon – really).  However, the following changes and additions are among those that have occurred:

(1) A web log (blog) has been added for discussion of GFA activities and plans.  The blog will be used for any comments about what the Graves Family Association is doing or could do in the future, and the way some of these things could happen.  The first issue to be discussed is the Graves reunion in Virginia in 2007.  See the more complete discussion of that later is this issue of the Bulletin.

(2) More family descendant charts continue to be added to the GFA website.  You can see a list of these in the “Updates” section of the home page.  All charts can be accessed by clicking on the “DNA study” link at the top of the main page, and then clicking on the “chart presentations” link.  The charts can also be accessed by going to the master DNA test results table at http://www.gravesfa.org/DNA_test_results.html, finding the genealogy of interest on the right side of that table, and clicking on the link.  There are some summary charts (showing connections between families) that are only available from the charts page.

 

I have begun trying to show how the various families may be connected.  You can see the summary and connections charts by going to the Chart Presentations page and looking at the groupings toward the bottom of that page.  Among the more interesting summary charts are those for:

(1) the Graves families of the Hertford/Harlow area of England, showing the connections between Thomas Graves of Hartford, CT (gen. 168), George Graves of Hartford, CT (gen. 65), the Thomas-John-Ralph branch of the Capt. Thomas Graves of VA family (gen. 169), and other minor Graves families;

(2) connections for the John2, Thomas3, John4 line of the Capt. Thomas Graves of VA family (gen. 169) and the Greaves family of Northamptonshire, England (gen. 47);

(3) Graves families of Caroline Co. and Halifax Co., VA, showing connections between genealogies 145, 217, 155, 49, 103, etc., and the probable connections with some families of SC & AL (needing to have DNA study participants);

(4) Graves families of Cambridgeshire, England, showing connections between genealogies 116, 231, and 683.

 

In most cases, additional traditional research is needed to substantiate these possible connections.  Also, expanding all DNA tests to 37 markers will help.

 

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GFA BLOG

 

A blog for the Graves Family Association has recently been started.  Blog is a shortened term for weblog (or web log), a web site that is updated on a regular basis, and structured in reverse chronological order so that the most recent information is listed first.  Blogging can be an effective communications tool for small groups of people to keep in touch with each other.

 

It is hoped that this will improve and increase communication among GFA members.  You can access it by going to the GFA website and clicking on the Blog link at the top of the main page, or by going to http://gravesfamilyassociation.blogspot.com/

 

This blog will be used for any comments about what the Graves Family Association is doing or could do in the future, and the way some of these things could happen. The initial post is about the Graves Gathering/Reunion in Virginia in 2007 (see the next article below).

 

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GRAVES FAMILY GATHERING IN VIRGINIA IN 2007

 

The year has been chosen because 2007 is the 400th anniversary of the settling of Jamestowne, Virginia in 1607. Beginning in May 2006, there will be 18 months of festivities throughout Virginia to commemorate this event. It appears that the high point of this will be the weekend of May 11-13, 2007, with re-enactments, appearances by VIPs and celebrities, etc. Many of our GFA members and non-member Graves/Greaves descendants have indicated a great interest in attending this gathering.

 

The first question that needs to be answered is when this reunion should be. Should we try to plan it for May 11-13, 2007, when the events may be more dramatic but the crowds will be the greatest? Even at this date (almost 2 years before the reunion), rooms in Williamsburg and vicinity may be in short supply. Or should we plan for later in 2007?  The consensus at the San Antonio reunion was that we should schedule it for the May 11-13 weekend, but the large crowds expected then may severely limit what we can do and will probably increase cost. What do you think?

 

After we decide the dates, we need to select the place (probably Williamsburg), reserve rooms, make plans for trips (perhaps in chartered bus) to places of interest (including the eastern shore of VA, where Capt. Thomas Graves lived), try to coordinate with other organizations, publicize what we are doing, etc., etc.

 

Your input on the time of the reunion, the place, and anything else regarding the reunion will be appreciated.  You can reply by emailing me directly, or you can leave a comment on the GFA blog (at http://gravesfamilyassociation.blogspot.com/).

 

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GRAVES/GREAVES DNA STUDY

 

The DNA study has been extremely helpful, and has given answers that could never have been discovered by traditional research.  If your part of the family does not yet have a participant, find someone (a male with the Graves, Greaves, Grave, etc. surname) and get him to take part.

 

HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE DNA STUDY

For people descended from families or parts of families that do not yet have a DNA study participant, we still need Graves/Greaves men to take the test.  To sign up, go to the GFA website at www.gravesfa.org, click on the DNA link at the top of the main page, then click on the link in the red-outlined box near the top of the next page.  This will take you to a page on the Family Tree DNA page.  Then just fill out the requested information, and your testing kit will be mailed to you the next day.  The 25-marker test is recommended, and the 37-marker test is even better (for most participants).

 

UPGRADE TO 37 MARKERS FOR PEOPLE ALREADY TESTED

It would be helpful for almost all those who have been tested for 12 or 25 markers to upgrade to 37 markers.  Contact me if you have any questions about this.  To upgrade, go to your page on the Family Tree DNA website, click on the “Order tests” link toward the top of the page, and complete the requested information.

 

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GRAVES/GREAVES FAMILY BOOKS

 

All previously published books are still available for purchase.  More description and ordering information is on the GFA website.  The seven books published so far (with publication dates in parentheses) are:

** Robert Graves of NC & SC (a branch from Capt. Thomas Graves) (1980)

** Samuel Graves of Lynn, MA (1985)

** Thomas Graves of Hartford, CT & Hatfield, MA (1985)

** Rear Adm. Thomas Graves of Charlestown, MA (1994)

** Graves Families of the World (1994)

** Deacon George Graves of Hartford, CT (1995)

** John Graves of Concord, MA (2002)

 

I was hoping that the book on the Graves families of Randolph Co., NC would be ready by the end of 2004, and then by the spring of 2005.  Additions and corrections are still being made, and I am hoping to have it ready before the end of 2005.  I will let everyone know as soon as I have a definite publication date and price.

 

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ABOUT THIS BULLETIN:

This bulletin is written and edited by Kenneth V. Graves, ken.graves@gravesfa.org.  Ken Graves was also editor of the Graves Family Newsletter (no longer published).  This bulletin will contain announcements and news of special interest to Graves descendants with Internet access.  It will not contain queries, genealogies, photos, and the kind of in-depth articles that used to appear in the Graves Family Newsletter.

 

TO SUBMIT MATERIAL TO THIS BULLETIN:

Send any material you would like to have included in this bulletin to ken.graves@gravesfa.org.  The editor reserves the right to accept, edit or reject any material submitted.

 

TO JOIN THE GRAVES FAMILY ASSOCIATION:

If you do not already belong to the GFA, you can join by sending $20 per year to Graves Family Association, 20 Binney Circle, Wrentham, MA 02093 (more details on GFA website).  Payment may also be sent electronically via PayPal by going to www.paypal.com and sending payment to gfa@gravesfa.org.  Benefits include access to the “members only” section of the website, membership directory, and help with learning more about your Graves/Greaves family.  The purpose of the GFA is to bring together as many descendants as possible to work toward learning more about the Graves/Greaves families, to help other descendants, and to instill pride in our ancestry.

 

COPYRIGHTS:

Although the contents of this bulletin are copyrighted by the Graves Family Association and Kenneth V. Graves, you are hereby granted rights, unless otherwise specified, to re-distribute articles to other parties for non-commercial purposes only.  Do not re-distribute the newsletter in its entirety.

 

TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE TO THIS BULLETIN:

To subscribe to this bulletin, send an e-mail message to ken.graves@gravesfa.org.  Please include your full name.  Your postal mailing address and information on your Graves/Greaves ancestry would also be appreciated, although not essential.

 

To remove your name from this subscription list, send an e-mail message to ken.graves@gravesfa.org asking to be removed.