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. 1, Jan. 29, 2005

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

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CONTENTS:

** Graves Gathering in Mid-February on the U.S. East Coast

** My Planned Genealogy Tour of England this Summer

** Graves/Greaves DNA Study

** GFA Website

** Graves/Greaves Family Books

** Missing Person

** To Submit Material to this Bulletin & Other Things

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GRAVES GATHERING IN MID-FEBRUARY ON THE U.S. EAST COAST

My wife, Sarah, and I will be in Bradenton, Florida from the middle of February until the middle of March. We will be driving there on I-95. If anyone would like to organize a quickie Graves family gathering between Feb. 12 and Feb. 15, in the Maryland to Georgia area, close to I-95, I would be interested. It could be an opportunity to discuss and share family histories, talk about the Graves/Greaves DNA study, or even get family members to take a DNA test on the spot.

If you think you might like to try to gather together some of your relatives and perhaps people from other Graves families for an informal gathering, let me know. I need to make plans soon on when to leave cold and snowy Massachusetts.

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MY PLANNED GENEALOGY TOUR OF ENGLAND THIS SUMMER

Because most of the Graves, Greaves, and Grieves families of the world either live in England or originated there, it is important to learn more about them. I expect to be traveling to England (and perhaps also to Wales and Scotland) sometime this summer. The purpose of the trip will be to meet with family members there, gather as much family history as possible, and get participants in the DNA study.

Many of you who live in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and other countries outside the U.K., obviously want to find which family in England you descend from. However, at least as important is to find the ancestry of the families in England and how they are related to each other. It is essential to get as many participants in the DNA study as possible in order to establish these relationships.

I need the help of as many of you as possible to do two things:

(1) For those of you living in the U.K., I need help in finding the best places to hold Graves/Greaves gatherings, publicizing them, getting people to attend, etc. I may need help on where to stay and how to get around. I would also appreciate advice on the best time to have this series of meetings. I don’t want to schedule a gathering when everyone is on holiday.

(2) Because many people who may be willing to take part in the DNA study may not be willing to pay for the test, money is needed. I am hoping that we will get 30-40 participants, and I certainly can’t afford to pay for all those myself. Your generous contributions will be very much appreciated.

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GRAVES/GREAVES DNA STUDY

ADDITIONS TO DNA SECTION OF THE WEBSITE

(1) As new DNA test results are reported, they are immediately added to the master DNA results table. We continue to get new results.

(2) A new group has been added to the master table. Genealogy 336 (Peter Greaves of Greenhill, Norton, Yorkshire) and genealogy 156 (Joseph Greaves and Mary Bennett of England & SC) appear to be related. Other genealogies are almost certainly related to these families, but we do not yet have any participants from those families.

(3) A chart has been added for genealogy 336, and some of the other charts have been updated. All existing charts can be viewed by clicking on the links in the genealogy column on the right side of the Master DNA results table.

MORE PARTICIPANTS NEEDED

If you have not yet returned your DNA samples, PLEASE do so as soon as possible.

If your part of the Graves, Greaves, or other spelling, family is not yet included in the DNA study, it would be very helpful if you could either volunteer to participate (if you are a male with the Graves, etc.) surname or find someone else in your part of the family who would be willing to take part.

PARTICIPANTS OUTSIDE THE U.S., ESPECIALLY IN ENGLAND

It is important for families in the U.S. to have participants from England (or from families in Australia and elsewhere who know their ancestry in England) so that a link with English ancestors can be made. However, it is just as important for family members in England to take part in the DNA study so that the various families in England can be linked with each other. Tradition of connection with an ancient family is nice, but DNA proof of that connection is much more meaningful.

FINANCIAL HELP STILL NEEDED

All contributions toward the DNA study will be much appreciated. Many thanks to those of you who have already contributed. We especially need funding for testing of descendants in the British Isles, some of whom may be less willing or able to pay the cost. You may also want to consider sponsoring a relative as a way to get a test for your part of the family.

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GFA WEBSITE

A number of genealogies on the GFA website have recently been added or revised.

I have been promising for many months that I will be revising the website, and adding a “members only” section and other features. I finally decided that I am not going to have enough time to do this all myself, so I have contacted a couple of web designers about doing it. You should finally start seeing some major changes in the next few months.

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GRAVES/GREAVES FAMILY BOOKS

All previously published books are still available. More description and ordering information is on the GFA website. The seven books published so far are:

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

** Samuel Graves of Lynn, MA

** Thomas Graves of Hartford, CT & Hatfield, MA

** Rear Adm. Thomas Graves of Charlestown, MA

** Deacon George Graves of Hartford, CT

** Graves Families of the World

** John Graves of Concord, MA

I was hoping that the book on the Graves families of Randolph Co., NC would be ready by the end of 2004. In spite of the huge amount of effort on it, it will not be finished until sometime this spring. I will let everyone know as soon as I have a definite publication date and price.

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MISSING PERSON

Mrs. Linda Crabtree wants to locate a distant cousin, Evelyn Rees (Mrs. Martin L. Rees), previously of Shreveport, LA. They are both descended from John Graves of Concord, MA (gen. 166). If you can help, please let me know, and I will pass the information on to Mrs. Crabtree.

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ABOUT THIS BULLETIN:

This bulletin is written and edited by Kenneth V. Graves, ken.graves@gravesfa.org. Ken Graves is also editor of the Graves Family Newsletter, the official publication of the Graves Family Association. 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 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.

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