Revised 27 Sept. 1981, 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 who was a known descendant of Capt. Thomas Graves of VA. 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, m. Peter Thomas.
4. Peter Graves
+5. Henry Graves, 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) married Peter Thomas. The information about their descendants is from an article in the Martinville Gazette. (R-1)
Children - Thomas
+9. Eli Thomas, m. Ruth Huff.
Henry Graves (5) 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. (R-1)
Children - Graves, by Mary Coble
10. John Graves; bought land on 5 Sept. 1820 at the Brookville, Ind. land office, one of the first transactions shown there.
+11. Catherine Graves, m. Samuel Purkhiser.
12. William Graves
13. Mary Ann Graves
+14. Delilah Graves, m. George Preston.
15. Martha Graves
16. Sarah Graves
GENERATION 3
CHILDREN OF SARAH GRAVES (3) AND PETER THOMAS
Eli Thomas (9) married Ruth Huff. (R-1)
Children - Thomas
+17. Marietta Thomas, m. George Carrell.
CHILDREN OF HENRY GRAVES (5) AND MARY COBLE
Catherine Graves (11) married Samuel Purkhiser. She was disinherited by her father because he was displeased with her marriage. In his will he only left her one dollar. (R-1)
Children - Purkhiser
+18. Sarah Ann Purkhiser, b.c. 1839, m. John Thomas Davis.
19. Barbara Purkhiser
20. Nancy Jane Purkhiser
21. Elijah Purkhiser
Delilah Graves (14) married George Preston. (R-1)
Children - Preston
22. Will Preston
GENERATION 4
CHILDREN OF ELI THOMAS (9) AND RUTH HUFF
Marietta Thomas (17) married George Carrell. (R-1)
Children - Carrell
23. Cecil R. Carrell
CHILDREN OF CATHERINE GRAVES (11) AND SAMUEL PURKHISER
Sarah Ann Purkhiser (18) was born about 1839. She married John Thomas Davis. (R-1)
Children - Davis
24. Mary Eta Davis, died in infancy.
+25. Robert Turner Davis, m. Hester Elizabeth DeForde.
26. Charles Davis, died in infancy.
GENERATION 5
CHILDREN OF SARAH ANN PURKHISER (18) AND JOHN T. DAVIS
Robert Turner Davis (25) married Hester Elizabeth DeForde. (R-1)
Children - Davis
27. Blanche A. Davis, m. George Nelson. No children.
28. Aileen M. Davis, m. Charles H. Buck. No children.
+29. Mary Fern Davis, m. Arvin McHenry.
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