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

• 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

None of the children appear to be married in Christ Church. The only other entry for any of the children could be a burial for Miss Julia Graves on 1 Jun 1832 aged 21 years (she would have been 24 if it's the same woman). It would seem to me that the Graves moved from William Henry or they fell out of favor with the Church of England.

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?