Remember I said that genealogy is full of miracles? Well this week I felt like I was a part of one.
Sometime in January I was contacted via email by a man who said he had seen my post on Rootsweb about John Wilmot & Sarah Milton. He had purchased an old photo album off of ebay and it had photos of Wilmot's and Milton's. He sent me a list of names in the photobook and they weren't exactly my direct line Wilmot's or Milton's, but I could see how they tied in to my family tree. He scanned in and emailed me all the photos. The photos are very interesting. I love the old photographs. But for me personally the photos are not at all relevant to who I'm looking for. I almost didn't keep them, but i use ifamily for Mac, and I have never tried to add photos to the program and I wanted to see how easy it is, so I kept all the photos on my computer.
This past week I was contacted by a woman who was interested in the Alexander McIntosh & Isabella Graham family also of Pittsburgh Township. I had some information on this couple because two of their daughters had married Milton brothers. I did a look up for her of the Milton Cemetery Transcriptions and searched for family names in the Index of the book Lilacs and Limestones. After I sent the last email to her I remembered the pictures I received about a month ago and thought to check them for her family names. Of the 25 photos sent, over 1/2 were members of the Alexander McIntosh & Isabella Graham's family, so I forwarded those pictures as well.
It was very special for me to read of her joy at receiving the pictures. Since starting genealogy almost two years ago I have had a lot of people help me. People who seemed to be in just the right place at the right time so that the required information gets to the right place. Some were friends and some were strangers. I'm not sure there is a way to repay someone in that situation because the information is priceless and they aren't interested in a monetary payment. I have wanted to be able to help someone in that way, but up until a few months ago I'm not sure that I was confident enough to be able to say to someone try this or try that. After this week, I feel like I have been a part of someone else's success and I'm glad the pictures are with someone who has a family tie to them all together.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Christ Church Anglican Records
In November 2008 I looked at the LDS film #1430819 of Christ Church Baptisms, Marriages and Burials. I found 19 people with the last name of Graves who could possibly be related.
On 15 July 1784 they buried a woman they called Widow Graves age 77. Whoever she is, her husband died before her. Not much to go on.
Captain Adam Graves and his wife Christina start appearing in the register in 1789. They were the witnesses for a number of infant baptisms. They had a son baptized in the church as well. Jacob Graves was christened on 19 July 1789. There is no other mention of Jacob except there was a man named Jacob Graves as the sponser for the christening of a son of George & Agness Graves, James Hare, in 1812.
Adam was buried on the 26 Dec 1805 at the age of 54. That makes his birth about 1751. The witnesses to the burial are hard to read, but it looks like Adam Graves and George Graves Junior.
Christina was buried on 15 Nov 1826 at the age of 82. That makes her birth about 1744. In the register was the following description, "wife of the late Adam Graves, Esquire of this place. Formerly a captian in the service of his majesty in a Corps raised in what are now called the United States. The deceased was aged about 82 years." Interesting to note is that no one with the last name of GRAVES witnessed her burial.
She could have also been a sponser at the christening of George & Agness' son, William Henry in 1810. For any of the christenings she was a sponsor for, she only left her mark, and did not write her name. Adam wrote his name. Unfortunately I did not take my digital camera with me so I don't have a picture of his signature.
George Graves married Agness Wilson in 1803. They both signed their own names on the in the register. He was a merchant and she a spinster. If they were 20 to 25 years old, they may have been born between 1778 and 1783. I did not check the film for a baptism of Agness Wilson in those years.
George and Agness Graves had eight children baptized in the church
George Olivier baptized 30 Oct 1805 could be the George Graves I'm looking for who is the husband of Catherine Percy and father of Henry born in 1825 in Pittsburgh. He does seem a little bit too young, however, by about five years.
Another Graves family in the register was John Graves and his wife Mary. They had two daughters christened in the church. Martha was christenend on the 19 Feb 1786 and Ann was christenend on 19 Oct 1788. It appears that John as an adult was christened on 17 Sep 1786.
There is mention of one other Adam Graves. He was buried on 23 Aug 1823. It doesn't say his age, but "present at the burying" was George Graves, "brother to the deceased". It's possible that this George Graves could be the George married to Agness.
So my next steps are trying to see what I can find out from Pittsburgh Township land transactions (which I think I will have to hire someone who lives in Kingston) and creating a timeline of the events described in this law suit from 1862. Then I think I will look for land and probate records of William Henry (Sorel) for the Graves family.
Is the James Graves born in 1811 residing in Pittsburgh on the 1852 census be the same James Graves who was born to George & Agnes in January 1812?
On 15 July 1784 they buried a woman they called Widow Graves age 77. Whoever she is, her husband died before her. Not much to go on.
Captain Adam Graves and his wife Christina start appearing in the register in 1789. They were the witnesses for a number of infant baptisms. They had a son baptized in the church as well. Jacob Graves was christened on 19 July 1789. There is no other mention of Jacob except there was a man named Jacob Graves as the sponser for the christening of a son of George & Agness Graves, James Hare, in 1812.
Adam was buried on the 26 Dec 1805 at the age of 54. That makes his birth about 1751. The witnesses to the burial are hard to read, but it looks like Adam Graves and George Graves Junior.
Christina was buried on 15 Nov 1826 at the age of 82. That makes her birth about 1744. In the register was the following description, "wife of the late Adam Graves, Esquire of this place. Formerly a captian in the service of his majesty in a Corps raised in what are now called the United States. The deceased was aged about 82 years." Interesting to note is that no one with the last name of GRAVES witnessed her burial.
She could have also been a sponser at the christening of George & Agness' son, William Henry in 1810. For any of the christenings she was a sponsor for, she only left her mark, and did not write her name. Adam wrote his name. Unfortunately I did not take my digital camera with me so I don't have a picture of his signature.
George Graves married Agness Wilson in 1803. They both signed their own names on the in the register. He was a merchant and she a spinster. If they were 20 to 25 years old, they may have been born between 1778 and 1783. I did not check the film for a baptism of Agness Wilson in those years.
George and Agness Graves had eight children baptized in the church
- 11 Jun 1804 Christina
- 30 Oct 1805 George Olivier
- 27 Sep 1807 Maria Jane
- 19 Jun 1809 Julia
- 10 Jun 1810 William Henry
- 5 Jan 1812 James Hare
- 29 Sep 1816 John Mortimer
- 12 Feb 1819 Caroline Sarah
George Olivier baptized 30 Oct 1805 could be the George Graves I'm looking for who is the husband of Catherine Percy and father of Henry born in 1825 in Pittsburgh. He does seem a little bit too young, however, by about five years.
Another Graves family in the register was John Graves and his wife Mary. They had two daughters christened in the church. Martha was christenend on the 19 Feb 1786 and Ann was christenend on 19 Oct 1788. It appears that John as an adult was christened on 17 Sep 1786.
There is mention of one other Adam Graves. He was buried on 23 Aug 1823. It doesn't say his age, but "present at the burying" was George Graves, "brother to the deceased". It's possible that this George Graves could be the George married to Agness.
So my next steps are trying to see what I can find out from Pittsburgh Township land transactions (which I think I will have to hire someone who lives in Kingston) and creating a timeline of the events described in this law suit from 1862. Then I think I will look for land and probate records of William Henry (Sorel) for the Graves family.
Is the James Graves born in 1811 residing in Pittsburgh on the 1852 census be the same James Graves who was born to George & Agnes in January 1812?
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