Revised 12 Aug. 2008, Gen. 168
THOMAS GRAVES
1645 Settler of Hartford, Connecticut and
Hatfield, Massachusetts
and His Descendants
GENERATION 1
Thomas Graves (1) was born before
1585 in England, and died Nov. 1662. He
married Sarah ‑‑‑‑‑‑. She died about four years after he did.
[According to Mrs. Ruth E.
Richardson, Mrs. Clara M. Turner, and other sources (although not verified by
this author), Thomas was from Gravesend, Kent Co., England, and came to America
with Gov. Endicott's Company. He was a
member of the Council, on the committee to lay out the town of Woburn, Mass.,
and one of the first town officers there.
His wife's name was Sarah Whiting, and she, 5 children and 2 servants
came with him and settled in New Haven, Conn. first, then Hartford. He was one of the founders of Hadley, Mass.
in 1645. They came to America on the
George Bonaventure which arrived in Salem, Mass. in 1629. Sarah died 17 Dec. 1666.[1]]
The first official record of the
family in this country was at Hartford, Conn. in 1645, when the family was
located there. Thomas owned three
separate pieces of real estate there, one described as being the one
"whereon his house standeth."
Isaac also took up his residence in Hartford and had land there. John took up his residence in Wethersfield,
the adjoining town, and it is probable that the three homes were not far
apart. The lands granted to John in
1652 were described as those "whereon his house standeth." Nathaniel also settled in Wethersfield,
where he married in 1655.
The family remained together as far
as it is known until the removal to Hatfield, Mass. The son Samuel never married, and probably did not live to
accompany the rest at the time of removal.
The family to which Nathaniel's wife belonged lived near him and were
largely interested in lands there, and for the sake of remaining near his
wife's relations, Nathaniel did not move with the rest of the family to
Hatfield.
The family at Hartford and
Wethersfield occupied a prominent position and took active part in political
and religious matters. They served on
juries, acted as surveyors and fence viewers, ran boundary lines between towns,
and generally filled those places that stalwart, intelligent and respected citizens
usually are called upon to fill. The
exception was that Thomas was exempted from "training, watching, and
warding" because he was over sixty, which was the age limit for that kind
of service.
From all that can be learned, the
family was prospering at Hartford as well as any family could in a new
country. There must have been some
strong reason that would induce them to give up their lands and houses and
enter upon a new life in an undeveloped country and suffer the hardships
incident to the undertaking, and we find it in the strong religious convictions
that impelled the early settlers in this country.
A schism had arisen in the church
at Hartford and Wethersfield, and the dissenters from the views entertained by
the majority concluded to break away from their homes and found a settlement
where their views would prevail.
We find it extremely difficult to
express our appreciation of the characteristics of the noble old head of this
family, Thomas Graves. His modesty,
together with the lapse of time, prevents us from mentioning many things about
his daily life that make biography so entertaining. We are therefore compelled to speak of and delineate those
qualities of heart and mind that become apparent to us from the standpoint of
his well-known ideas upon religious matters, in fact his close adherence to
what we now too often stigmatize as puritanism. It, however, hardly becomes us of the present to criticize too
closely the views entertained by that noble band of men who held so lovingly to
their theories that no conditions or inducements would make them swerve from
their conscientious views of the requirements of duty. It was really tantamount
to an express "thus saith the Lord" to them, for this was in many
instances the cause of their leaving their homes and personal friends in
England, and coming to our land that they might enjoy that freedom to worship
God in what they deemed the only true way.
And so when we find schismatic views of church polity were being
advocated, that they deemed destructive to the church of God, we find them again
ready to leave their pleasant surroundings in Hartford and seek new homes away
on the frontier of civilized life.
Perhaps we shall be excused if we
here state briefly the cause of the removal to Hatfield, Mass. A practice had grown up in the churches of
allowing persons who had been baptized, if not of a "scandalous
character," to consent to the covenant, and this permitted them to have
the sacrament of baptism administered to their infant children. On this question hot discussions were held,
as well as on some others of minor importance.
It was upon this division of sentiment that our ancestors determined to
move to Hatfield, animated by what they supposed was their bounden duty. Yet we cannot but be satisfied that these
pioneers knew that in their new undertaking they were to enter upon pleasant
places. They selected the beautiful and
fertile lands of the valley of the Connecticut for their new home, which have
more than fulfilled the most ardent expectations of the settlers.
But notwithstanding the advanced
age of Thomas Graves, we find him a promoter and organizer in this new country.
They left their houses and lands in Hartford and Wethersfield unsold, and
uniting themselves in a band of daring emigrants, started for their new home
with wives and children. Their
household effects were loaded on carts drawn by oxen, and they took with them
their domestic animals. The determined
cavalcade started out for their new homes.
It was not far from the middle of September 1661. The journey, of not over fifty miles,
occupied about ten days. Creeks and
brooks had to be crossed, swamps and morasses had to be avoided or crossed as
best they could be. They reached their
destination about the first of October 1661.
Exposed to all the dangers incident
to a frontier settlement, amid the habitations of wild beasts and wilder men,
the Indians, who lived in their immediate vicinity, and had a fort and village
only about two miles from where the settlement was made. Foremost among these hardy emigrants were
Thomas Graves, with his aged wife, and his two stalwart sons, Isaac and John,
with their wives and families of five children each. And now we find them without a house or place to lay their heads
and winter approaching rapidly. They at
once set to work to provide homes for their families and barns for their
animals. There were no saw mills to
manufacture the lumber, and the only method of sawing planks or boards was by
making a pit, and by using the cross-cut saw, with one man on the top of the
log, and one man in the pit. In this way a few boards were made that would
serve for tables and doors. The logs
were speedily shaped into convenient homes for the accomodation of these brave
people.
Thomas Graves was now an aged yet
honored member of this community, and from this time forward lived with the
family of his son Isaac. He was then
past his 76th birthday. He remained,
with his wife, in Isaac's family until his death in November 1662, a little
more than a year from the time of their moving to their new home.
It is very probable that a few of
these settlers at Hatfield had located there before the general removal. A committee had been appointed Jan. 1, 1661,
to lay out house lots in Hatfield, and it appears that Richard Fellows was
there early in 1661. It is quite
probable that each engager knew the number of his house lot. Thomas Graves was
not assigned any lands, but was counted in with Isaac, his oldest son, whose
estate was thus increased to 150 pounds, while his brother John's was voted at
100 pounds. This did not affect the
size or location of their respective house lots, as they were contiguous, but
did in the division of common lands. After the death of Thomas Graves, his son
Isaac administered upon his estate in Massachusetts, while his son Nathaniel
performed the same service upon his estate in Connecticut. His wife, Sarah, survived him for four
years, and Isaac administered upon her estate.
A very curious inventory of her effects is spread upon the probate
records at Northampton. Views of the lots
on which Thomas and his son Isaac located their house in Hatfield and the lot
on which John placed his new home there, together with general views of the
beautiful village of Hatfield, which the settlers had shown so much wisdom in
selecting, appeared as illustrations in the 1896 book by John Card Graves (R‑200).
All the children of Thomas were
born in England, and were all of mature age when they came to this country, the
youngest of the sons being about 16 years old.
There may only have been one daughter, rather than the two listed
below. (R‑200, R‑206)
Children - Graves
+2. Isaac Graves, b.c. 1620, m. Mary Church, d. 19 Sept. 1677.
+3. John Graves, b.c. 1622, m(1) Mary Smith, c. 1652, m(2) Mary
(Bronson) Wyatt, probably 20 July 1671, d. 19 Sept. 1677.
4. Samuel Graves, b.c. 1625, never married.
+5. Nathaniel Graves, b.c. 1629, m. Martha Betts, 16 Jan. 1655, d. 28
Sept. 1682.
6. Elizabeth Graves, b.c. 1625.
+7. Mary Graves, m. Moses Ventrous, 14 Jan. 1647.
GENERATION 2
CHILDREN OF THOMAS GRAVES (1)
AND SARAH ‑‑‑‑‑‑
Isaac Graves (2) was born probably
as early as 1620 in England, and died 19 Sept. 1677, killed in an Indian attack
on the Hatfield settlement. He married
Mary Church, daughter of Richard and Anna Church. She came from England in 1637, and died 9 June 1695.
He came to New England with his
father and settled in Hartford, Conn. before 1645. He was made freeman at General Court, Boston, Mass. 16 May 1669,
was Sergeant in the Colonial Militia, and Clerk of the Writs for Hatfield, to
which he moved in 1661. He was a
prominent man in his time, and one of the representatives of that portion of
Hadley (later Hatfield) who appeared before the General Court at Boston in
favor of separate church and town rights for Hatfield.
Isaac was a carpenter, and was a
resident of Wethersfield, Conn. before 1645.
He "keyed down" Goffe's Bridge in Wethersfield in 1648.
During the continuance of what is
usually called "King Philip's War", the inhabitants of these isolated
frontier towns were naturally filled with forebodings of danger to their homes
and families. For their own protection
and safety, the inhabitants of Northampton, Hadley and Hatfield practically
united for mutual defense and assistance.
These three town were occupied by troops from the eastern portion of the
Colony of Massachusetts Bay. At
Northampton 26 soldiers were located, at Hadley 30, and at Hatfield 36. This was the most exposed, as it was the
frontier town. Then they had a
committee, called a council of war, chosen from the several towns. Among the members was Sergeant Isaac
Graves. The object of this council of
war was to provide better security to the inhabitants of the several towns. They counselled with the commander, Major
Appleton, relative to the ways and means best to be used for the protection of
life and property.
On August 25, 1675, a scouting
party of ten was sent out and fell into an ambuscade, and nine were killed.
Then on the 17th of September, Captain Lathrop and his company and several
teamsters from Deerfield were attacked and massacred. Only a few escaped.
Sixty-four were buried in one grave as the result of the "Bloody
Brook" fight. Seventeen of the
sixty-four were Deerfield men. In
consequence of the numerous attacks by the Indians, the people, to better protect
themselves, built a stockade, probably in the atumn of 1675, composed of posts
of timber set in the ground, and about ten feet high. This stockade was built on both sides of Main Street, some twelve
or fifteen rods from the east and west lines of the street, extending north
from the Northampton road, not far from 100 rods. This stockade enclosed the bulk of the village. The houses of Isaac and John Graves were
within the stockade. Unfortunately for
them, on September 19, 1677, they were both employed in building a house for
John Graves, Jr., about half a mile above the northerly end of the stockade, on
a lot adjoining that of Sergeant Benjamin Waite. Without any warning or thought of danger, they were attacked by
the Indians, and Isaac and John were shot down while engaged, as one tradition
has it, "in laying shingles on the roof of the house," and with them
were likewise two other men who were working with them, John Atchinson and John
Cooper. Eight others were killed, and
we presume scalped, as the account speaks of them as being disfigured, and
seventeen were made prisoners. All but
one, Obadiah Dickinson, were women and children.
In the early vital records of
Hartford, Conn., the first 4 children of Isaac are given as being born there -
Mary on 5 July 1647, Isaac on 21 Aug. 1650, Rebecca on 3 July 1652, and Samuel
on 5 Oct. 1655. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
8. Mary Graves, b. 5 July 1647, m. Eleazer Frary,
28 Jan. 1665. It was previously
believed that this Mary Graves m(2) Joseph Haskell. However, it is much more likely that the Mary Graves who married
Joseph Haskell was a daughter of Mark Graves and Amy ‑‑‑‑‑‑
and a granddaughter of immigrant Samuel Graves of Lynn, MA (genealogy 83).
9. Isaac Graves, b. 22 (or 21) Aug. 1650, never
married, d. before 1677.
10. Rebecca Graves, b. 3 July 1652 (or 1653),
never married, d. before 1677.
+11. Samuel Graves, b. 1 (or 5) Oct. 1655, m(1) Sarah Colton, 31 Oct.
1678, m(2) Deliverance ‑‑‑‑‑‑, 1 Jan. 1690,
d. 8 Feb. 1692.
12. Sarah Graves, m. Benjamin Barrett (of
Sunderland, Mass.), 27 April 1677, d. Sunderland.
13. Elizabeth Graves, b. 16 March 1661, m.
Benjamin Hastings, 1683, d. before 8 Feb. 1697. He was b. 9 Aug. 1659, m(2) Mary Parsons (of Northampton, Mass.),
d. 8 Feb. 1697 (Hatfield).
+14. John Graves, b. 1664, m. Sarah Banks, 26 Oct. 1686, probably d.
1746.
+15. Hannah Graves, b. 24 Jan. 1666, m. William Sackett, 27 Nov. 1689.
+16. Jonathan Graves, b. 24 Jan. 1666, m(1) Sarah Parsons, m(2) Mary
King, 19 July 1721, d. 12 Oct. 1737.
17. Mehitable Graves, b. 1 Oct. 1671, m(1) Richard
Morton (of Hatfield), 29 Jan. 1690, m(2) William Worthington, d. 22 March
1742. She moved to Colchester, Conn.
with William.
John Graves (3) was born about 1622
in England, and died 19 Sept. 1677. He
first married Mary Smith of Wethersfield, daughter of Lieut. Samuel Smith and
Elizabeth Chileab, probably about 1652.
She was born about 1630 in England, and died 16 Dec. 1668 (or 1665) in
Hatfield, Mass. She came from Ipswich
Co., Suffolk, England to Watertown, Mass. in 1634.
He secondly married Mary Wyatt of
Haddam, Conn., daughter of John Bronson, and widow of John Wyatt of Haddam,
probably on 20 July 1671. (Either the
date of his first wife's death is too early or the date of his marriage to his
second wife is too late, since his last child was born between these two
dates.) Mary thirdly married Lt. Willis
Allis in 1678. She married Samuel
Gaylord as her fourth husband on 16 March 1681.
John Graves owned land in Hartford
and Wethersfield, which he retained when he moved to Hatfield, Mass. in
1661. He was a man of probity and
education, and was employed in 1655 and again in 1659 to run the boundary line
between Wethersfield and Mattabessett (now Middletown). He exchanged land with John Goodrich about
1645. He bought the land of John
Coultmans and also that of Gregory Gibbs.
He and his brother, Sergeant Isaac
Graves, were killed by Indians in an attack on Hatfield, 19 Sept. 1677. After
his death, his widow thirdly married Lieut. William Allis on 25 June 1678. She fourthly married Samuel Gaylord.
John's first five children were
born in Wethersfield, Conn. and his last five children were born in Hatfield,
Mass. (R‑1, R‑200)
Children - Graves, by Mary Smith
+18. John Graves, b.c. 1653, m. Sarah White, 12 Feb. 1677, d. 2 Dec.
1730.
+19. Mary Graves, b.c. 1654, m(1) Samuel Ball, 15 Jan. 1671, m(2)
Benjamin Stebbins, 10 Sept. 1690, m(3) James Warriner, 29 Dec. 1704, d. 21 May
1727.
+20. Isaac Graves, b.c. 1655, m(1) Sarah Wyatt, 5 April 1679, m(2)
Abigail ‑‑‑‑‑‑, m(3) Deliverance Graves.
+21. Samuel Graves, b.c. 1657, m. Sarah ‑‑‑‑‑‑,
30 Oct. 1678, d. 11 March 1731.
+22. Sarah Graves, b.c. 1659, m. Edward Stebbins, 14 April 1679, d. 12
June 1700.
23. Elizabeth Graves, b. 6 Dec. 1662, m. Thomas
Jones.
+24. Daniel Graves, b. 7 Dec. 1664, m. Hannah Warriner, d. 18 May 1724.
+25. Ebenezer Graves, b. 20 Nov. 1666, m. Mary Colton, d. 1748 or after.
26. Bethiah Graves, b. 7 Jan. 1668, d. 21 Jan.
1668.
+27. Nathaniel Graves, b. 10 June 1671, m. Rebecca Allis, 30 April 1702,
d.c. 1757.
Nathaniel Graves (5) was born about
1629 in England, and died 28 Sept. 1682 at Wethersfield, Conn. He married Martha Betts, daughter of John
and Mary Betts, on 16 Jan. 1655. She
was born in 1625 in England, and died 13 April 1701. He settled in Wethersfield and was made a freeman there 21 May
1657, was surveyor there in 1661, a fence viewer in 1669, and drew lands in
1670. He had a homestead on the east
side of Broad Street, Wethersfield, in 1659.
In 1662, John Betts of Wethersfield conveyed to him 23 acres of land,
and in the deed calls him "his brother." Nathaniel settled the estate of his father in Conn. ("House
lot of 3 acres whereon he liveth," and other lands granted to him in Wethersfield)
between 1645 and 1652. The inventory of
Nathaniel's estate, dated 30 Oct. 1682, amounted to 439 pounds, 2 s., 2 d. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
28. Sarah Graves, b. 4 Oct. 1656, m. Samuel
Bradfield. They moved to Branford,
Conn. He was probably a son of Lesly
Bradfield.
29. Mary Graves, b. 11 Nov. 1658, m. John Deming,
5 Jan. 1684. He was b. 9 Sept. 1658 and
d. 25 Nov. 1729. He was called
"drummer", and was a son of Sergeant John, and grandson of John
Deming.
30. Rebecca Graves, b. Feb. 1660.
31. Nathaniel Graves, b. 1662, d. 5 Jan. 1681.
+32. Martha Graves, b. 15 July 1667, m. John Russell, 9 April 1691, d.
15 July 1740.
33. Abigail Graves, b. 15 Oct. 1669, m. Ebenezer
Belden (son of John and Lydia Belden or Belding).
Mary Graves (7) was born in
England. She married Moses Ventrous (or
Ventris or Ventres) on 14 Jan. 1646/7 in Hartford, Conn. There is some uncertainty about Mary's name,
and even whether she is a Graves. The
Hartford Times, 18 July 1966 states: Moses Ventrous married Grace ‑‑‑‑‑‑
on 14 Jan. 1647. A marriage record at
Hartford states the same thing.
Judd's History of Hatfield, Mass. says Moses Ventrous married 14 Jan. 1647
Mary Graves, daughter of Thomas Graves who married Sarah ‑‑‑‑‑‑. Another source mentions a possible daughter
of Thomas Graves named Mary or Elizabeth.
A note from the Gates-Dawes Memorial says Moses, William
and Elizabeth Ventrous were probably children of William Ventrous.
Moses Ventrous was born about 1625
in Farmington, Conn. His will was dated
1693, and the inventory of his estate was dated 12 April 1697 in Hartford,
Conn. (R‑3)
Children - Ventrous
34. Sarah Ventrous, b. 1649, bapt. 29 July 1653
(Farmington, Conn.), m. John Brownson (or Bronson), d. 6 Jan. 1711/12.
35. Grace Ventrous, b. 1652, bapt. 29 July 1653,
m. John Blakesly, c. 1683 (or c. 1675).
36. Moses Ventrous, b. 1654, bapt. 18 Feb. 1655,
never married, d. 20 Sept. 1721 (Farmington, Conn., Vital Records).
37. Mary Ventrous, b. 21 Feb. 1656/7, bapt. 16
Nov. 1662.
GENERATION 3
CHILDREN OF ISAAC GRAVES (2) AND
MARY CHURCH
Samuel Graves (11) was born 1 Oct.
1655 and died 8 Feb. 1692, both in Hartford, Conn. He first married Sarah Colton, daughter of George Colton and
Deborah Gardner, on 31 Oct. 1678. She
was born 24 Feb. 1652, and died 11 July 1689.
He secondly married Deliverance ‑‑‑‑‑‑,
possibly on 1 Jan. 1690 in Hartford (although this raises a question about the
birthdate of Elizabeth, born 8 Nov. 1689.)
On 8 Feb. 1678, he took an oath of allegiance at Hatfield. After his death, Deliverance secondly
married Isaac Graves (#20). They lived
in Hatfield. (R‑200)
Children - Graves, by Sarah
Colton
38. Rebecca Graves, b. 3 May 1681 (Springfield,
Mass.).
39. Samuel Graves, b. 22 March 1684 (Hatfield), d.
before 1704.
+40. Joseph Graves, b. 16 Nov. 1685, m. Bridget Scott, 25 Jan. 1717, d.
22 April 1728.
41. Sarah Graves, b. 1 July 1687.
Children - Graves, by
Deliverance ‑‑‑‑‑‑
42. Elizabeth Graves, b. 8 Nov. 1689.
+43. Thomas Graves, b. 21 Nov. 1690, m. Sarah Morgan, d. 1713-14.
John Graves (14) was born 1664, and
probably died 1746. He married Sarah Banks, daughter of John Banks of
Chelmsford, on 26 Oct. 1686 at Chelmsford.
His son, Elnathan, was appointed administrator on his estate 12 Nov.
1746. They lived in Hatfield,
Mass. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
+44. Isaac Graves, b. 10 July 1688, m. Mary Parsons, 1713, d. 30 May
1781.
+45. Benjamin Graves, b. 12 Aug. 1689, m. Mary Warner, 7 April 1720, d.
1 Oct. 1756.
46. Sarah Graves, b. 1691.
47. Jemima Graves, b. 30 April 1693, m(1) John
Graves (#66), 5 May 1715, m(2) Eleazer Allis (of Hatfield), 17 March 1720.
48. Mary Graves, b. 9 Nov. 1695, m(1) Jonathan
Frary , 23 July 1719, m(2) Eliakim King (of Northampton, Mass.).
+49. Elnathan Graves, b. 20 Aug. 1699, m(1) Martha Dickinson, 2 March
1727, m(2) Dorothy Belding, 17 Feb. 1785.
50. Hannah Graves, b. 4 June 1701, m. Eleazer King
(of Deerfield, Mass.).
51. Eunice Graves, b. 29 Sept. 1703.
+52. Aaron Graves, b. 2 Feb. 1707, m. Mary Wells, d. 1788.
Hannah Graves (15) was born 24 Jan.
1665/6 in Hatfield, Mass. She married
William Sacket (or Sackett), son of John Sackett and Abigail Hannum, on 27 Nov.
1689 in Westfield, Hampshire (now Hampden) Co., MA. He was born 20 April 1662 and died 28 March 1700, both in
Westfield, Hampshire Co., Mass. His
surname and that of his descendants was spelled with both one and two final
t's. (R‑14, R‑112, R‑208)
Children - Sacket
53. Joseph Sacket, b. May 1690, m. Abigail
Bigelow, d. 1756.
+54. Hannah Sacket, b. 6 June 1692, m. Samuel Warner, 1 May 1715.
55. Rebecca Sacket, b. 18 Sept. 1694, d. 15 Sept.
1782.
+56. Jonathan Sacket, b. 20 March 1696, m(1) Abigail Ashley, Feb.
1721/2, m(2) Ann Filer, 28 Jan. 1725, d. 1 Sept. 1773 (or 1782).
Jonathan Graves (16) was born 24
Jan. 1666 and died 12 Oct. 1737, both in Hatfield, Hampshire Co., Mass. He first married Sarah Parsons, daughter of
John Parsons and Sarah Atherton. She
died 15 March 1710. He secondly married
Mary King of Northampton, widow of Benjamin King, and daughter of Abel Janes
(or Jones) and Mary Judd, on 19 July 1721 in Hatfield. She was born 8 Oct. 1680 in Northampton,
Hampshire Co., Mass. He was a tanner,
and lived in Hatfield, Mass. (R‑200)
Children - Graves, by Sarah
Parsons
+57. Moses Graves, b. 1 Feb. 1700, m(1) Martha Marsh, 24 Feb. 1742, m(2)
Catherine ‑‑‑‑‑‑, d. 1785.
+58. Jonathan Graves, b. 6 March 1702, m. Margaret Strong, d. 1787.
59. Joseph Graves, b. 4 June 1704.
60. Perez Graves, b. 26 Nov. 1707, d. 12 April
1728 (Hatfield).
61. Sarah Graves, b. 1709, d. 15 March 1710.
Children - Graves, by Mary King
+62. Mary Graves, b. 20 Aug. 1722, m. Noah Loomis, 1742.
63. Elijah Graves, b. 20 Dec. 1723, d. 1739.
64. Sarah Graves, b. 9 Feb. 1726.
CHILDREN OF JOHN GRAVES (3) AND
MARY SMITH
John Graves (18) was born about
1653 in Wethersfield, Conn., and died 2 Dec. 1730 in Hatfield, Mass. He married Sarah White, daughter of John
White, Jr. and Sarah Bunce, on 12 Feb. 1677/8.
She was born 1661 in Hatfield, Mass., and died 1741, possibly in
Deerfield, Mass. They lived in
Hatfield, Mass., where all their children were born. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
65. Sarah Graves, b. 15 Feb. 1679, m. Nathaniel
Clark (of Middletown, Conn.), 27 Oct. 1702.
+66. John Graves, b. 28 March 1681, m. Jemima Graves, 15 May 1715, d.
Aug. 1716.
+67. Mary Graves, b. 24 Feb. 1682/3, m. Jeremiah Waite, 4 April 1706.
68. Thomas Graves, b. 4 July 1685, d. Oct. 1689.
+69. Abigail Graves, b. 29 Oct. 1687, m. Francis Wilcox, 13 Nov. 1711.
+70. Martha Graves, b. 4 Nov. 1689, m(1) John Crafts, 17 May 1716, m(2)
Eleazer Allis, 14 Nov. 1734, d. 5 June 1780.
71. Daniel Graves, b. 13 Oct. 1690, d. young.
+72. Thomas Graves, b. 5 June 1693, m. Lydia Graves, 1 Jan. 1719, d.
1784.
+73. Daniel Graves, b. 28 Jan. 1697, m. Thankful Smead, 6 Nov. 1724, d.
12 Aug. 1756.
+74. Rebecca Graves, b. 4 May 1700, m. Moses Nash, d. 6 Oct. 1743.
Mary Graves (19) was born about
1654 in Wethersfield, CT. She first
married Samuel Ball, son of Francis Ball and Abigail Burt, of Springfield, MA
on 15 Jan. 1671 in Westfield, MA. He
was born 16 March 1647 and died 13 Sept. 1689, both in Springfield, MA. All their children were born in Springfield,
Hampden Co., MA. She secondly married
Benjamin Stebbins on 10 Sept. 1690. He
died 12 Oct. 1698. She thirdly married
James Warriner on 29 Dec. 1704.
She was an ancestor of Grover
Cleveland, President of the U.S. (R‑125,
R‑200)
Children - Ball
+75. Mary Ball, b. 12 June 1673, m. John Hitchcock, 24 Sept. 1691, d. 14
Oct. 1760.
76. Elizabeth Ball, b. 14 Jan. 1677.
77. Mercy Ball, b. 15 Dec. 1679, d. 14 Sept. 1683.
78. Abigail Ball, b. 18 July 1682, d. 4 Dec. 1760.
Isaac Graves (20) was born about
1655 in Wethersfield, Conn. He first
married Sarah Wyatt, daughter of John and Mary Wyatt of Haddam, on 5 April
1679. She died 9 June 1695. Mary Wyatt, when a widow, married his
father, John Graves. Isaac secondly
married Abigail ‑‑‑‑‑‑. She died 13 July 1697. He thirdly married Deliverance Graves, widow
of Samuel Graves (#11). He lived in
Hatfield, Mass. (R‑200)
Children - Graves, by Sarah
Wyatt
79. Mary Graves, b. 31 Oct. 1682, d. 26 Dec. 1684.
80. Sarah Graves, b. 23 Feb. 1684, m. Daniel
Kelsey, 22 Nov. 1705.
81. Elizabeth Graves, b. 23 Oct. 1686, m. Mr.
Hull, d. before 1725. No children.
+82. Isaac Graves, b. 3 Nov. 1688, m(1) Dorcas Porter, 14 May 1730, m(2)
Mary Graves, d. 19 Sept. 1781.
83. Mary Graves, b. 23 Sept. 1690, m. Samuel
Smith, d. before 1 May 1725. No
children.
84. Lydia Graves, b. 11 March 1692, m. Thomas
Graves, 1 Jan. 1719. See #72 for
descendants.
Children - Graves, by Abigail ‑‑‑‑‑‑
85. Abigail Graves, b. 16 Aug. 1696, m. Stephen
Crowfoot, 14 March 1717.
Samuel Graves (21) was born about
1657 at Wethersfield, Conn., and died 11 March 1731 (or 15 Oct. 1734) in
Sunderland, Mass. He married Sarah ‑‑‑‑‑‑
on 30 Oct. 1678. She died 15 Oct.
1734. He moved from Hatfield, Mass. to
Sunderland about 1725, and was one of the first 40 settlers in Sunderland. All their children were born in Hatfield.
It was previously incorrectly
stated that this Samuel Graves married Sarah Colton, daughter of George Colton
of Longmeadow, MA and Lydia (Wright) Graves.
However (as reported in Graves Family Newsletter, 1993, page
127), information from New England Marriages Prior to 1700 by Clarence
Ammon Torrey shows that this is not correct.
The Samuel Graves who married Sarah Colton was #11, son of Isaac Graves
and Mary Church. (R‑200, R‑206)
Children - Graves
86. Sarah Graves, b. 1 July 1687, m. Daniel Smith,
7 April 1709.
+87. Jonathan Graves, b. 27 Oct. 1689, m(1) Mrs. Elizabeth Combs, 2 June
1715, m(2) Hannah ‑‑‑‑‑‑, d. 21 May 1773.
+88. Abraham Graves, b. 12 Dec. 1691, m. Thankful Bardwell, 23 May 1717,
d. 28 Oct. 1777.
+89. David Graves, b. 9 Dec. 1693, m. Abigail Bardwell, 6 June 1720, d.
25 Aug. 1781.
+90. Noah Graves, b. 19 Dec. 1695, m(1) Rebecca Wright, m(2) Rachel
Newton, 8 April 1754, d. 17 March 1773.
91. Mehitable Graves, b. 19 Dec. 1695, m. John
Bardwell (of Hatfield).
+92. Samuel Graves, b. 30 Jan. 1697, m. Grace Hitchcock, 9 April 1728,
d. 6 May 1774.
Sarah Graves (22) was born about
1659 in Wethersfield, Conn., and died 12 June 1700 in Springfield, Mass. She married Edward Stebbins, son of Thomas
Stebbins and Hannah Wright, on 14 April 1679 in Springfield. He was born 14 April 1656 and died 31 Oct.
1712, both in Springfield. (R‑1)
Children - Stebbins
+93. Thomas Stebbins, b. 7 Nov. 1687, m. Mary Ely, 1 March 1711, d. 4
Dec. 1758.
Daniel Graves (24) was born 7 Dec.
1664 at Hatfield, and died 18 May 1724.
He married Hannah Warriner of Springfield, daughter of James
Warriner. She was born 15 Feb. 1675 and
died 6 Oct. 1711. They lived at
Springfield, but later moved to Brimfield.
All their children were born at Springfield. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
94. Hannah Graves, b. 17 March 1698.
+95. Daniel Graves, b. 20 March 1700, m. Margaret Miller, 22 Nov. 1727,
d. 29 Nov. 1760.
96. Jemima Graves, b. 23 June 1703, m. Jonathan
Janes (of Northfield), 19 April 1732, d. 18 June 1790.
+97. John Graves, b. 17 Feb. 1707, m. Mary Bush, 16 Dec. 1729.
Ebenezer Graves (25) was born 20
Nov. 1666 and died in 1748 or after. He
married Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑. He was at Northfield to strengthen the
garrison 21 Aug. 1688. They lived in
Springfield until 1717, when he sold his property there and moved to Brimfield. He was quite prominent in town affairs, was
often one of the Selectmen, and he deeded his daughter, Abigail Sherman, 213
acres and his son, Ebenezer, a farm 5 April 1748. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
98. Ebenezer Graves, b. 8 Jan. 1694, d. 18 May
1749.
99. Mary Graves, b. 22 Aug. 1696, m. Benjamin
Morgan (of Brimfield).
+100. Benjamin Graves, b. 15 Feb. 1698, married.
101. Abigail Graves, b. 18 Feb. 1707, m. Bezaliel
Sherman (of Brimfield), 4 Feb. 1732.
Nathaniel Graves (27) was born 10
June 1671 and died about 1757. He
married Rebecca Allis of Hatfield, daughter of John Allis, on 30 April
1702. She was born 16 April 1683. They lived in Hatfield, Mass. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
102. Rebecca Graves, b. 25 Oct. 1703.
103. Mary Graves, b. 22 Feb. 1706, m. Isaac Graves
(#82), d. 18 March 1787.
+104. Nathaniel Graves, b. 16 Nov. 1707, m. Hannah Smith.
105. Ruth Graves, b. 16 Aug. 1709.
+106. Eleazer Graves, b. 12 Dec. 1711, m. Sarah Belding, 1 Oct. 1736, d.
24 Sept. 1756.
+107. Israel Graves, b. 23 June 1716, m. Eunice Waite, 15 July 1756, d. 8
Sept. 1773.
108. Martha Graves, b. 29 Oct. 1718, m. Eleazer
Cowles (of Hatfield), 6 Dec. 1739.
+109. Oliver Graves, b. 6 Aug. 1725, m. Rebecca Smith, 24 Jan. 1754, d.
30 Aug. 1810.
CHILDREN OF NATHANIEL GRAVES (5)
AND MARTHA BETTS
Martha Graves (32) was born 15 July
1667 and died 15 July 1740. She married
John Russell, son of Philip Russell and Elizabeth Terry of Wethersfield, Conn.,
on 9 April 1691. He secondly married
Susannah Nichols. (For other children,
see p. 434, vol. 4, P. Valley M. Assoc.)
(R‑200)
Children - Russell
110. Elizabeth Russell, b. 12 May 1695, m. Ephraim
Williams, 24 Feb. 1715, d. 11 Oct. 1766.
111. Martha Russell, b. 2 March 1701, m. David
Deming, 28 Jan. 1725 (Wethersfield, Conn.), d. 7 Sept. 1763 (Wethersfield,
Conn.). He was b. 29 Dec. 1696, d. 17
Feb. 1771, son of Samuel Deming.
+112. Jonathan Russell, b. 7 Jan. 1705, m. Mehitable Wolcott.
GENERATION 4
CHILDREN OF SAMUEL GRAVES (11)
Joseph Graves (40) was born 16 Nov.
1685 and died 22 April 1728. He married
Bridget Scott, daughter of Edward Scott, on 25 Jan. 1717. She died 1746. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
113. Sarah Graves, b. 13 Nov. 1717, m. Thomas
Crafts, 1742, d. 13 Jan. 1803. See #193
for descendants.
114. Miriam Graves, b. 21 Oct. 1719, m. Moses Waite
(son of Joseph Waite and grandson of Benjamin Waite).
115. Elizabeth Graves, b. 14 May 1721, m. Timothy
Cole, 11 Sept. 1777 (as his second wife).
Thomas Graves (43) was born 21 Nov.
(or 22 Oct.) 1690 in Hatfield, Mass., and died about 1 Jan. 1713/14. He died sometime between 11 Dec. 1713, the
date of his will, and 5 Jan. 1713/14, the date his widow exhibited an inventory
of her husband's estate. His will named
his wife and only child.
He married Sarah Morgan, daughter
of Thomas Morgan and Rachel Merry. She
was baptized 24 May 1696 in Hartford, Conn., and died 3 May 1718. She died before completing the final
accounting of Thomas Graves' estate. As
a result of Sarah's death, Thomas Morgan (her father) was appointed legal
guardian of Deliverance Graves, a minor (Early Connecticut Probate Records,
Hartford District, 1635-1750, II, p. 209; original records, vol. IX, p. 78).
Sarah secondly married Jobannah Smith on 26 Sept. 1714.
In previous publications (including
John Card Graves, Genealogy of the Graves
Family in America, vol. 1; and Lucius Boltwood, Genealogies of Hadley Families), this Thomas Graves and his second
cousin, son of John Graves and Sarah White, were confused. Lucius Boltwood incorrectly assumed that the
records of Thomas, son of John, belonged to Thomas, son of Samuel. It was Thomas, son of John, who married
Lydia Graves and later moved to Belchertown, where he died.
The age of Boltwood's Thomas at
death (Hadley Genealogy, p. 60, #12) does not agree with the birthdate of
Thomas, the son of Samuel, as it should if Boltwood's assumption were
valid. It does agree, however, with the
birthdate of Thomas, son of John.
Another indication of Boltwood's
error is that the Thomas, who moved to Belchertown, sold Hatfield land that
came to him originally from John Graves (Hampshire Co. land records). The children of the Belchertown Thomas were
named John and Lydia, probably named for Thomas' father and wife. Finally, Thomas, son of John, was alive in
Jan. 1730/31, when the will of his father John was proved. Thomas, son of Samuel, had died about 1 Jan.
1713/14.
Deliverance, daughter of Thomas and
Sarah, may have been named for her grandmother Deliverance, wife of Samuel
Graves. (R‑200, R‑205)
Children - Graves
+116. Deliverance Graves, b. 27 Oct. 1713, m. Stephen Hosmer, 18 June
1730, d. 5 July 1758.
CHILDREN OF JOHN GRAVES (14) AND
SARAH BANKS
Isaac Graves (44) was born 10 July
1688, and died 30 May 1781 at Sunderland, Mass. He married Mary Parsons of Northampton, Mass., daughter of
Jonathan Parsons, in 1713. She was born
8 July 1688, and died 9 March 1769. He moved to Sunderland about 1714. All their children except the first, who was
born at Hatfield, were born at Sunderland.
(R‑200)
Children - Graves
117. Sarah Graves, b. 22 Dec. 1713, m. Edward
Elmer, 4 Oct. 1736.
118. Jerusha Graves, b. 13 June 1717, m. Abner
Cooley, 4 July 1736, d. 1801 (Sunderland).
+119. Simeon Graves, b. 20 Jan. 1720, m. Hannah Hubbard, 7 Jan. 1745, d.
20 Dec. 1747.
+120. Phineas Graves, b. 30 April 1726, m. Rhoda Smith, 1 Nov. 1753, d.
20 April 1806.
121. Submit Graves, b. 7 Jan. 1731, m. Isaac
Hubbard, 29 Oct. 1752, d. 1774. They
lived in Sunderland.
Benjamin Graves (45) was born 12
Aug. 1689 and died 1 Oct. 1756. He
married Mary Warner, daughter of Jacob Warner and Elizabeth Goodman, on 7 April
1720. She was born 22 July 1694, and
died 10 April 1779. They lived in
Sunderland, Mass. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
122. Mary Graves, b. 23 Dec. 1720, m. Jonathan
Warner (of Hadley), 20 June 1745.
123. Elizabeth Graves, b. 17 Aug. 1723, m. Orange
Warner (of Hadley), 1749.
124. Sarah Graves, b. 16 Sept. 1726, m. (Capt.)
Moses Montague (of So. Hadley, Mass.), 22 Sept. 1748, d. 17 Oct. 1810. For descendants, see History and Genealogy of the Montague Family of America, compiled
by George William Montague, Williams Press, Amherst, 1886, and also the 1912
book on the descendants of William Shentliff of Plymouth.
+125. Daniel Graves, b. 5 Nov. 1728, m(1) Miriam ‑‑‑‑‑‑,
m(2) Maria Mattoon, 30 April 1761, d. 5 Feb. 1793.
+126. Benjamin Graves, b. 29 Feb. 1734, m. Thankful Field, 15 Sept. 1757,
d. 17 Aug. 1777.
+127. Moses Graves, b. 10 Oct. 1736, m(1) Sarah Clary, m(2) Experience
Oaks, 12 Jan. 1768, d. 30 April 1803.
128. Aaron Graves, b. 10 Oct. 1736, probably d.
young.
129. Eunice Graves, b. 25 Jan. 1741, m. (Capt.)
Seth Lyman (of Northfield), 23 Oct. 1760, d. 1 Oct. 1801. He was b. 1 Feb. 1736 and d. 14 Oct. 1817.
Elnathan Graves (49) was born 20
Aug. 1699 in Hatfield, and died 17 Feb. 1785.
He first married Martha Dickinson, daughter of Nathaniel Dickinson of
Hatfield, on 2 March 1727. She was born
25 Dec. 1701, and died 9 Jan. 1756. He
secondly married Dorothy Belding, daughter of Ebenezer Morton of Hatfield, and
widow of John Belding. She died 9 May
1800, aged 80. He lived in Hatfield
until his death. At an early period of
the settlement of Williamsburg, Mass., he bought a large tract of land there,
and three of his grandsons later settled on it; specifically, Samuel, Perez
Jr., and Elnathan, all sons of Capt. Perez Graves. All their children were born in Hatfield. (R‑200)
Children - Graves, by Martha
Dickinson
+130. Seth Graves, b. 17 Dec. 1727, m. Mary Dickinson, d. 14 Sept. 1807.
+131. Perez Graves, b. 26 April 1730, m(1) Martha Gillett, 16 May 1754,
m(2) Zeruiah White, 19 Feb. 1795, d. 17 Dec. 1809.
+132. Silas Graves, b. 8 Feb. 1732, m. Hannah Field, d. 2 March 1816.
133. Lucy Graves, b. 8 May 1734, m. Benjamin Wells,
28 Dec. 1758, d. 22 Sept. 1815.
134. Martha Graves, b. 26 Feb. 1739, m. John Nash
(of Williamsburg), 28 Dec. 1758, d. Dec. 1804.
He was b. 20 Oct. 1736 and d. 31 May 1773.
Aaron Graves (52) was born 2 Feb. 1707 and died 1788. He married Mary Wells, daughter of Ebenezer Wells and Mary Waite of Hatfield, Mass., and granddaughter of Benjamin Waite, the famous Indian fighter. She was born 24 Oct. 1707. Her mother, along with other members of the family, was taken captive by the Indians and taken to Canada, but was released through persistent efforts of her father, who lived in the house adjoining the one where Isaac and John were killed in 1677. Aaron was at Fort Massachusetts in the French War of 1