Those of you who read the blog regularly know I have been patiently chipping away at the various Daniel Graves' of upper New York for oh, the past decade or so.
At the last juncture, I had this as my leading candidate:
"the Children of Daniel Graves and his wife Jenny"
Births:
Daniel Graves Junr., born in Andover, NH, Nov 8th, 1802.
William Graves, born Sept 14th, 1811
John Graves, born April 4, 1815
Recorded 22d April 1826 attest: John Kimball, Town Clerk
However, he's pretty much ruled out since we're 95% sure of John Graves' birth being in 1815, making this Daniel 13 years old at time of birth.
Another candidate:
Daniel Graves and Rebecca - hmm - In 1851/2, Daniel Graves, b. 1813 in Vermont is listed in the Malahide, Elgin County, Ontario census with wife Rebecca, daughter Nancy and son James. In 1861, the family is listed in Middlesex, Ontario. In 1871, Daniel is listed as a widow in Mosa, Middlesex West, Ontario. In 1881 he is also listed as a widow in Newbury, Middlesex West, Ontario.
Well, he would again be like, 2 when John was born, so that doesn't really work either.
Another lost cause: Daniel Graves of New Brunswick, married Ann. Children: Adaline, Valentine, Xenophon, Berlin. Again, nope, proven elsewhere and children are born over the dates of my own.
Another one I keep coming back to:
Daniel Graves and Harriet, son of Abraham Graves - (no) - settles in Rochester but is well-documented enough there with only two kids with nowhere near the names I have. The family is quite prestigious and a painting of Daniel is at the local historical society.
Well...this one I guess I haven't put to bed yet. Children Vincent and Amanda, and Daniel is in Rochester for quite some time, going through a court case dissolving his partnership with Charles Robinson. Yet I struggle to believe this is the correct option, as this Daniel seems so documented already.
Another new find this past week: Daniel Graves, going through bankruptcy between 1816 and 1820 in Salem, New York, down in Washington County.
"By order of the honorable Anthony I Blanchard, Esq. first judge of court of common pleas for the county of Washington :— NOTICE is hereby given to all creditors of Daniel Graves, the town of Greenwich, in said county, an insolvent debtor, to shew cause any they have, before the said judge at his dwelling-house in the town of Salem in said county, on the eleventh of May next, at ten o'clock in the forenoon of that day, why an assignment of the said insolvent's estate should be made, and he be discharged, according to the forms of the acts such case made and provided. Dated March 1, 1816
10w15
DANIEL GRAVES, Insolvent"
I hesitate to include him on the list of candidates, though. I can find little mention of him elsewhere, he would only be 15, and I would think that we could find him on other records.
However, he is on the 1840 census:
So there's that. On the other hand, there is a tantalizing clue in Granville that might make sense:
Isn't it though? That's possibly where Hezekiah could have come from, if this is a relation.
But the most interesting piece of information comes from here: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063615/1897-10-31/ed-1/seq-16/ Aunt Polly Graves of the Cornstalk Indians? Who are the Cornstalk Indians? Why did they die out? Are Daniel and Polly part of a tribe? Again, nothing but questions is left.
So, in an attempt to try to eat away the list of questions, I have petitioned the Bennington County Museum for assistance to see if there is anything about Daniel and Mary "Polly" Ferguson listed in their archives. Even a small mention would help us narrow this target down, and give us some place to go!
I've also started digging into the records of Gouverneur, trying to take some mystery years off the list that way as well.
Any ideas are welcome! Please feel free to comment.
At the last juncture, I had this as my leading candidate:
"the Children of Daniel Graves and his wife Jenny"
Births:
Daniel Graves Junr., born in Andover, NH, Nov 8th, 1802.
William Graves, born Sept 14th, 1811
John Graves, born April 4, 1815
Recorded 22d April 1826 attest: John Kimball, Town Clerk
However, he's pretty much ruled out since we're 95% sure of John Graves' birth being in 1815, making this Daniel 13 years old at time of birth.
Another candidate:
Daniel Graves and Rebecca - hmm - In 1851/2, Daniel Graves, b. 1813 in Vermont is listed in the Malahide, Elgin County, Ontario census with wife Rebecca, daughter Nancy and son James. In 1861, the family is listed in Middlesex, Ontario. In 1871, Daniel is listed as a widow in Mosa, Middlesex West, Ontario. In 1881 he is also listed as a widow in Newbury, Middlesex West, Ontario.
Well, he would again be like, 2 when John was born, so that doesn't really work either.
Another lost cause: Daniel Graves of New Brunswick, married Ann. Children: Adaline, Valentine, Xenophon, Berlin. Again, nope, proven elsewhere and children are born over the dates of my own.
Another one I keep coming back to:
Daniel Graves and Harriet, son of Abraham Graves - (no) - settles in Rochester but is well-documented enough there with only two kids with nowhere near the names I have. The family is quite prestigious and a painting of Daniel is at the local historical society.
Well...this one I guess I haven't put to bed yet. Children Vincent and Amanda, and Daniel is in Rochester for quite some time, going through a court case dissolving his partnership with Charles Robinson. Yet I struggle to believe this is the correct option, as this Daniel seems so documented already.
Another new find this past week: Daniel Graves, going through bankruptcy between 1816 and 1820 in Salem, New York, down in Washington County.
"By order of the honorable Anthony I Blanchard, Esq. first judge of court of common pleas for the county of Washington :— NOTICE is hereby given to all creditors of Daniel Graves, the town of Greenwich, in said county, an insolvent debtor, to shew cause any they have, before the said judge at his dwelling-house in the town of Salem in said county, on the eleventh of May next, at ten o'clock in the forenoon of that day, why an assignment of the said insolvent's estate should be made, and he be discharged, according to the forms of the acts such case made and provided. Dated March 1, 1816
10w15
DANIEL GRAVES, Insolvent"
I hesitate to include him on the list of candidates, though. I can find little mention of him elsewhere, he would only be 15, and I would think that we could find him on other records.
However, he is on the 1840 census:
| name: | Daniel Graves |
| residence: | Granville, Washington, New York |
| page number: | 204 |
| nara publication number: | M704 |
| nara roll number: | 348 |
| film number: | 0017209 |
| digital folder number: | 004410815 |
| image number: | 00416 |
Source Citation
"United States Census, 1840," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XHBS-1PR : accessed 16 July 2012), Daniel Graves, Granville, Washington, New York.
"Rufus Graves (759) was born 26 Feb. 1792 in Conway, Mass., and died 1 Aug. 1851 in Granville, Washington Co., N.Y. He married Sophronia Newcomb, daughter of Hezekiah Newcomb and Lydia Hunt, on 26 Feb. 1815. She was born 10 Jan. 1778 in Bernardston, and died 23 Aug. 1838 in Granville. They lived in Guilford, Vt., and later moved to Granville in 1825, where he was engaged for many years in trade. (R‑200)
Children - Graves
+1716. Hezekiah Newcomb Graves, b. 11 Oct. 1818, m. Eliza Laura Bishop, 25 Nov. 1839, d. 30 March 1890."
from: Graves Family Association Generation 168
Isn't it though? That's possibly where Hezekiah could have come from, if this is a relation.
But the most interesting piece of information comes from here: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86063615/1897-10-31/ed-1/seq-16/ Aunt Polly Graves of the Cornstalk Indians? Who are the Cornstalk Indians? Why did they die out? Are Daniel and Polly part of a tribe? Again, nothing but questions is left.
So, in an attempt to try to eat away the list of questions, I have petitioned the Bennington County Museum for assistance to see if there is anything about Daniel and Mary "Polly" Ferguson listed in their archives. Even a small mention would help us narrow this target down, and give us some place to go!
I've also started digging into the records of Gouverneur, trying to take some mystery years off the list that way as well.
Any ideas are welcome! Please feel free to comment.
