GRAVES from Maryland part II

If the GRAVES family is from Maryland, this is some background information on Maryland that might be useful. These are all answers I received after sending an email to the MDWASHING rootsweb mailing list.

This is the message I sent. I got three responses.

I'm new to these lists and I hope that I have the right ones; there are a lot of choices for the state of Maryland. I am looking for resources available for my ancestors who may have lived in Maryland during the revolutionary war.

I had hit a dead end with my 4x great grandfather George GRAVES (b. abt 1800 in USA died before 1851 in Ontario, Canada) but recently through another rootsweb mailing list have found that there is a GRAVES family association and it has George's ancestry back 2 generations. I would like to verify the information as none of it is sourced AND there are no dates so all I've got to go on now is names.

According to the book American Migrations 1765-1799, Lt. George GRAVES & Capt. Adam GRAVES were brothers who were alive in the 1780's living in Frederick County, Maryland. They were loyal to the British and were trying recruit men to their cause when they were captured, condemned to die but instead they were reprieved on condition of being transported to France. They escaped to New York, then sailed to England on 10 Sep 1783.

If these are my ancestors, they eventually received land in 1797 in Pittsburgh Township, Frontenac County, Upper Canada just north of the St. Lawrence River, east of present day Kingston, Ontario.

Again from the book American Migrations, George & Adam GRAVES made a claim for 428 acres of land in Frederick, Washington Co in 1783. The last bit of information from the book is that George GRAVES died in Canada in 1789 (if he died in 1789 how was it that he received land in 1797? did he have a son also named George who got his land?)

Does anyone know if Frederick, Washington County has good land records that far back? If yes, any suggestions where I could start to find the land claim records by Adam & George GRAVES?

Does anyone know if there are British Revolutionary war military records in Maryland?

Apparently Adam GRAVES brother, Joseph GRAVES was an Admiral for the British and his sister (no name) owned a plantation worked by slaves. Was Maryland a state that had plantations? I would have thought that plantations would have been farther south than Maryland but I don't know much about early American history or the eastern states geography.

It looks like there is a lot of information for the Maryland area on the LDS familysearch catalog so I will also start with those films but if anyone on the list has some helpful hints, I would be grateful for the information since I haven't done any genealogy searching outside of Ontario, Canada!

Response #1

(re: Adam & Joseph GRAVES sister owned a plantation worked by slaves, assumed in Maryland)

Maryland was a slave state. Anything below the Mason & Dixon line (separating Md. De.,Va. and Pa.) was considered a slave state. They were also found in the northern states too. Maryland was considered a English state as it was originally settled mainly by the English, so when the American Revolution came along the citizens of the State were greatly divided on which side to take. Mine are mainly French Hugenots and Ulsterscots so we were 100% for the revolution.

Response #2

Washington County Maryland county evolution:
Washington from Frederick in 1776
Frederick from Prince George in 1748
Prince George from Calvert and Charles in 1695.
Records prior to 1776 will be in Frederick Co.

You need to check with the Frederick County website to get a more full response. Many of us work back and forth between surrounding counties because people moved around, but I believe your best responses will be from those who have resources for Frederick County.

One resource for Frederick County that I have is Rice's THIS IS THE WAY IT WAS, Excerpts from the Judgment Records of Fred. Co. MD 1848-1765. On page 183:
[during the August Court of 1758] "Ordered that bench warrant issue for searching Thomas GRAVES' house." There is a marriage license record for a Thomas GRAVES to Elizabeth CARTNAIL Oct. 9, 1783 in Myers, MARRIAGE LICENSES OF FREDERICK CO MD. 1778-1810.

There are 7 GRAVES grooms is Morrow & Morrow's WASHINGTON COUNTY MARYLAND MARRIAGES, 1799-1860. One is for Joseph GRAVES/Catherine BROSIUS on 1/9/1817. That is the earliest - the latest is in 1857.

The Washington Spy (Hagerstown)
October 5, 1796
"Tract for sale, 400a., adj Pennsylvania line and lands of Samuel GRAVES, 2 miles from Hancocktown - William TONG."

In 1808 there was a petition to straighten a road near Hancock and this location tied to Samuel GRAVES is mentioned. In 1815 a mention is made of a John GRAVES living 1/2 mile from Hancock.

Maryland land records are online and you might investigate those.

In Clement's and Wright's, THE MARYLAND MILITIA IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR six GRAVES patriots fought in the Maryland Militia - some from St. Mary's County, Kent, and Montgomery.

In Ridenour's WASHINGTON COUNTY MD OBIT LOCATOR, 1790-1940 there are some GRAVES obits running from 1896-1940.

In Morrow & Morrow's WILLS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, the only entry for GRAVES is for George who had estate documents in 1858.

From Passano's SOURCE RECORDS OF MARYLAND:
"Graves. Md. tombstone rec. Md. Geneal. Rec. Com., 1937, Parran, p. 3 Mss. DAR.
Thurman, Graves, Jones. Descendants of John Thurman of Va., William Graves of Va., and John Jones of Sc., J.D. Humprihes, 1938. DAR."

From INVENTORY OF MARYLAND BIBLE RECORDS, The Genealogical Council of MD.

GRAVES Bible, eb. 1713, em 1841, on STANSBURY, BOYD, COLGATE, MERRITT; res. Baltimore Co. Md. dep. MHS/FCA

GRAVES Bible eb 1749, on THOMPSON, JONES, BAKER, res. Westmoreland, Wales; Baltimore, MD. dep. MHS/FCA.

MHS = Maryland Historical Society
FCA = Filing case A.

Response #3
Frederick county has wonderful land records. I have not used the
on-line database but I have researched there in person. To use the on-line
records go to:
http://www.mdlandrec.net/msa/stagser/s1700/s1741/cfm/index.cfm?CFID=13965908

Response #4

Sorry for the delay. I checked the land record indexes for Frederick Co., MD 1778-1803 and also Washington Co. and did not find any listing for an Adam or George Graves, or any other Graves in that time frame.

Now to follow up on their leads.