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Graves Family Association

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We are a voluntary, non-profit organization that is interested in the surname of Graves, Greaves, Grave, Grieve, Greve, and all other variations of that name for all time periods, worldwide. It is not necessary that you join the Association to be helped by us, but you are urged to do so. Your financial contributions and your working with us to further the programs of the Association will benefit everyone.

What's new?

The Graves Family Association Facebook page was started in Oct. 2011 and had 322 members as of April 4, 2012. You can click on the Facebook link just under the Coat of Arms at the top right corner of this page to go to the Facebook page and join if you want to. Let us know how you like it.

Although a page for the Coat of Arms has long been on the website, you may not have noticed it. You can now click on the Coat of Arms at the top right of this page and see a more complete description.

An impressive new research study has determined that John Graves of genealogy 270 may have been a son of William Graves and Ann, who were named as headrights in 1658 in New Kent Co., Virginia. This detailed treatise is now available on this website.

New developments with Autosomal DNA testing are moving very quickly. This is a technique to test the mixed DNA that we all inherit from both our mother and father, and from all our ancestors. It has the potential for a major impact on finding and proving ancestors and other relatives. The chart of preliminary results for genealogy 270 has recently been updated (3/15/11), and a similar chart has been started for genealogy 169 (for Capt. Thomas Graves of VA). A new chart has been added for Davenport ancestry, which is related to genealogy 270. Much more will be happening in the future. Look for more on this website and in the Graves Family Bulletin. We suggest that everyone (both males and females) take this new test (Family Finder at Family Tree DNA and Relative Finder at 23andMe). You can sign up by scrolling down this page to the DNA Study section and clicking on the link for "How to sign up."

Hard-cover books of many of the major Graves and Greaves families are still available for sale. To see the list of 7 books already published, with prices and ordering instructions, click on the Products tab at the top of this page, or click on this link.

Check the Charts page for the many new and revised genealogies that are constantly appearing there. The lower portion of that page also contains groupings of related (or possibly related) families. We are trying to get at least one male descendant with the Graves/Greaves/Grieve(s) surname for every genealogy listed on that page to participate in our DNA study. If you see that your part of the family doesn't have at least one tested descendant, you or a person you find may be eligible for a free test.

An alternative contact section is now on the contact page (accessed by the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of each page). This can be used for convenience or if other contact methods don't work.

A change detection feature has been added to this page, and to the charts and current news pages. It is at the top of the sidebar, but may be moved later. This is an experiment, and will allow you to be notified whenever a change is made to this page. To use it, just click on the OK, enter your email address, and follow instructions. If this works out, it will be put on other pages also.

A new feature has recently been added to the website. This new page will highlight news articles about Graves/Greaves/Grieve family members. Let us know of any news story that should be included.

The DNA research page has new discussion of some new and interesting aspects of our DNA study. We are beginning to look at female lines of descent to help trace surname ancestry, and we are beginning to take part in autosomal research to help us trace all our ancestral lines. One step in this direction is a recently-added page summarizing the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test results of Graves/Greaves/Grieve descendants. In addition, a chart has been added for female lineages from Capt. Thomas Graves of VA. If descendants will contribute information, we may be able to use these lines to discover more.

DNA study

Traditional genealogical research will never find all the connections between the various Graves/Greaves family groups. The availability of Y-chromosome analysis now provides a new way to determine direct male-to-male lineage, and this continues to be the basis of this project. However, the availability of autosomal DNA testing (to trace all ancestral lines) has greatly increased the potential of DNA testing.

Genealogies

The Graves Family Association has gathered information and compiled genealogies on more than 900 major families and segments of families with the Graves, Greaves, Grave, Grieve (and other spelling variations) surname. It is believed that most or all of the segments of families are descended from one of the major families. To help you with your research they have been organized in the following ways:

To locate a specific person, place, or other item in the genealogies or anywhere else on the website, use the search option at the top right of every page of this website.

Research Puzzle of the Month

There is no new research puzzle this month. If you have one that you think should be included here, please let us know.

For more details on previous research puzzles, go to the Research Puzzle Page.