An Update on the GRAVES Family

When I decided that I'd try genealogy as a hobby I looked at my family tree and set a goal to get each of my family lines out of North America. As I studied the information, the biggest gap was on my mother's paternal grandfather's 4-generation chart and since they all lived in the same area on the St. Lawrence River, I thought it would be easy to find out where they came from. I was sure that after only a few months I would be looking for family lines across the Atlantic. (That was before I talked to Ellen, who is also searching for family in Eastern Ontario who looked for one relative for 30 years). Here I am 15 months later still working on the family lines in Pittsburgh Township. There are just two more families that I don't know enough about to know where they came from. The families are the ancestry of George GRAVES & Catherine PERCY and Joseph McLEAN and his wife (whoever she may be).

As for George GRAVES and Catherine PERCY a few weeks ago I was ready to give up on them. Since there are no dates on their tombstone nor church records (I think they were Methodist if they were anything) there really isn't a lot to go on for BMD's. My last good option is land records and George GRAVES is talked about as owning land in the book Lilacs and Limestone. However, when I tried to look at the land records, I could not find him in the index. As a last resort I sent an email to the Frontenac mailing list to see if anyone there knows more about how to access land records for information. If no suggestions came back from the mailing list I was going to put this family aside for the time being and move onto a different family line. But, as I said in my original post about George & Catherine, this is genealogy and miracles do happen.

This is my email message regarding the Ontario land records:

I have a question about land records for Upper Canada. I have gone through the UPPER CANADA LAND PETITIONS INDEX (Library and Archives Canada Finding Aid 1802) looking for my ancestor, GEORGE GRAVES but he's not in the index. I would have expected him to be on film C-10820 but the only George Graves on that film was for the year 1843. In the book Lilacs and Limestone An Illustrated History of Pittsburgh Township 1787-1987 by William J. Patterson Appendix One Part One is a list of Patent Holders (Crown Grantees) and GEORGE GRAVES was given (purchased?) Concession 1 Lot 11 in February 1797. This is the same Concession and Lot that my ancestor, HENRY GRAVES was living on in 1878 and I'd like to see the original record for George Graves, if I can find it. The source for Appendix One is FCLRO, Land Title Abstract Index - Pittsburgh Township. Does anyone know how to obtain a copy of this index?

I received two responses from Joanna, the same Joanna who helped me with determining who the minister was for Albert Bower Wilmot & Mary Agnes Graves wedding. She has been very helpful to do for me what she has done and I so appreciate the time that she took. These were her responses to my question.

Response #1

If you don't live near Kingston, you can look at the abstract Index of Deeds through the LDS FHC library by borrowing the film. You can see the film # on their catalogue. The index will give you the instrument #'s for the land transactions you are interested in for that lot and you can also check if there were any wills registered on title at the same time. It gives a history of the land transactions.

There is also an Index to the Upper Canada Land Books published by the OGS which does include 2 Graves men in Pittsburgh:

Graves Adam (Captain) Residence - not given, Location Pittsburgh, Date 2 Dec 1803 Book E p324 Petition R19

Graves George (Lieutenant) and exactly same details

Response #2

Hi Jill, I took a look at your blog where you discussed Adam and George Graves. Peter Wilson Coldham in his book American Migrations 1765-1799 mentions a Captain Adam Graves and his brother Lieutenant George Graves. They were loyalists from Maryland who were imprisoned and escaped to NY. George is supposed to have gone to Canada. I'll send you a copy.


The book says the following: "“Graves, Adam & George, and Andres, Nicholas of Frederick Co. Memorials 1783; by Adam Graves 1784; by Adam and George Graves 1784. The claimants were freeholders in Frederick Co. [Maryland] and being loyalist officers were condemned to die for enlisting men to the British cause. After being in gaol for seven weeks in irons, they were reprieved on condition of being transported to France aboard a French warship but then imprisoned in the hold of the Romulus, a former English man-of-war on York River fore three months before escaping to NY. They were awarded a free passage to England and sailed on 10 September 1783. They are in the utmost distress in London. The Graves brothers are natives of High Germany who emigrated to America many years ago: Adam was commissioned a Capt in 1779 and appointed George as his Lieut. Together they went about making recruits to the Army on a promise of three guineas bounty, pay and clothing, and 150 acres each on the conclusion of the war. Claim by the Graves brothers for 428 acres in Frederick, Washington Co. Supporting affidavits signed in NY: undated by Hugh Kelly, Barrack Master at Brooklyn, late of MD; 11 August 1783 by Thomas Stewart of Washington Co., MD; 4 September 1783 by Joseph Sands late of MD; 5 September 1783 by Joseph McCoy of Washington Co, MD. Note dated June 1789 that George Graves has died in Canada (12/8/1 & 15, 100/3, 109/72 & 150; 13/40/41-53, 60(II)/204-226, 137/272-273). See also under Andres.”

Unfortunately I don't know what the numbers in brackets mean. When I first read this, I wondered if this description of George and Adam GRAVES were possibly the same two men talked about in the book Lilacs & Limestone. I immediately emailed Joanna back to find out more about this book. This is what she sent back to me.

The book American Migrations is all about evidence of loyalist claims. The title is a little misleading. I thought since the date for the land was so early, the family might be loyalists.

After I sent that page, I found another reference to these 2 brothers on the Graves Family Association website. So it is definitely the same family that went to Pittsburg. http://www.gravesfa.org/gen043.htm

I don't think the Abstract index is available through the LAC or the AO. The AO has a good description of Ontario land records. http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/english/guides/rg_299_family_sources.htm#registry

I am more familiar with using the LDS films since it is easier for me. The film # would be 199690.

For the land books, the index is just a finding aid. All the petitions are different. Some have family information. Others are brief. The land petitions you can order from LAC. I didn't give you the bundle number from the book. It is bundle 6. The book said "Land petitions were filed within "bundles", therefore it's important to know the bundle number for your ancestor's petition. Note the Date and Book of your entry of interest and consult the Table of Concordance on page 6. Once you've obtained the bundle number, insert this number within the petition number. For example, petition number W29 in bundle number 5, will look like W5/29. "

So I think the film # to order from LAC is C-2741 Vol 425 Bundle R 6 Petition#1 to 22 1803-1804

This may also be a group petition since the Letter is R not G for Graves.

Another index to look at is explained in the AO guide - the Ontario Land record index. It names the patent owner for each lot and you can check this for Pittsburg.

If you do look at the Abstract index of deeds for con 1 lot 11, also check for Con 1 lots 12, 17, 18 and in con 2 lots 11 &12, con 2 lots 17 &18. I have a list in a book by Linda Corupe "Land Board alphabetical schedule of the granted land in the township of Pittsburgh, district of Mecklenburg 1789". It names Greaves, Graves George Lieutenant for 800 acres all in con 1 lots 11&12, con 2 11&12 and for Captain Greaves, the 800 acres of Con 1 lots 17&18 and con 2 lots 17 &18.

Good luck
Joanna

I had no idea there is a Graves Family Association website. I went to check it out. Apparently Jean Graves (who is Clifford Roy Wilmot's first cousin) submitted this information in the 1980's. According to the host of the Graves Family Association website NO ONE has ever contacted him about that particular page of Graves family genealogy. Unfortunately Jean did not include dates or sources but at least I have names and it is a lead. I am not giving up on the GRAVES family quite yet...

Now that I've been in contact with the website administrator I'm trying to update Jean's information with the sources that I know. When I've got it all together I'll include what I send him on this blog. I'm also going to have to check out the LDS film of the land records, or try the LAC films again. There is also a chance that I might find some information on these brothers (or was Adam the father and George the son?) in military records, but there are so many films I don't know where to begin. I also could look for information of early Maryland records and perhaps there is a church there that might have kept records, I don't know. I'm also still hoping the United Church Archives finds Methodist records for Pittsburgh Township and I'll have birth dates or christening dates for George GRAVES and Catherine PERCY's children. Let the search begin!