Author Topic: GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent  (Read 8317 times)

Offline VillageDuckpond

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GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent
« on: Wednesday 05 February 14 17:06 GMT (UK) »
I am trying to trace descendants of James and Dorothy GRAVES (nee LASHLEY). James was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery and stationed in the British West Indies until about 1870. To my knowledge they had 8 children - all born in the British West Indies. Can anyone help me please?
Barnett, Cousins, Flett, Foot, Foote, Fox, Graves, Grunnah, Rackstraw, Shipley, Vinter, Wasko, Wilson

Online heywood

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Re: GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent
« Reply #1 on: Wednesday 05 February 14 19:06 GMT (UK) »
Hello,

you don't give any names so,  to help people:

1871  988/15/25
Sheerness Barracks

James Graves 40 yrs  Gunner R A b Walmer Kent
Dorothy Graves 29 yrs  b Barbados
Alfred Graves 14 yrs
James Graves 11 yrs
Louis Graves 10 yrs
Herbert Graves 8 yrs b Trinidad
Saban (Laban?) Graves 6 yrs
Maria Graves 4 yrs
William A Graves 2 yrs

children born Barbados except Herbert

Do you have the family post 1871? What do you know of them - marriage etc?

regards
heywood
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Offline AJ100

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Re: GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent
« Reply #2 on: Thursday 06 February 14 15:53 GMT (UK) »
If heywood has the right James Graves, then he appears to have been baptised at St Mary's Church, Walmer on 12 April 1829, son of Mary Graves, a single woman. The fact that he was baptised there does not necessarily mean he was born there and he should have been born in 1831 if the age was recorded right in the census (which it often wasn't).
If this is the right Mary, The only Mary Graves baptised anywhere near that time was at St Leonard's in Deal (the adjoining town) on 31 Jan 1813 to John & Mary Graves. He was a Mariner of Sandy Lane in Deal.
This is not conclusive but may be of some help.

Kind regards

AJ

Offline VillageDuckpond

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Re: GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent
« Reply #3 on: Thursday 06 February 14 16:22 GMT (UK) »
AJ100, many thanks for your reply.

I was in the process of writing a long missive in reply to heywood when I was alerted that there was another reply to my original question and now cannot find it! Typical!

Last year I printed off several pages from www.gravesfa.org with 3 generations of information, a lot of blank spaces and mention of the 1871, 1881 and 1891 censuses but I am now trying to make head or tail of it all.

My adoptive mother was the daughter of Alfred Graves by his second marriage but no mention was ever made of this big family so as you can imagine it has all been quite a voyage of discovery!

Any pointers in the right direction would certainly be greatly appreciated .

PS Many thanks for the information about James GRAVES (Snr) ...fascinating
Barnett, Cousins, Flett, Foot, Foote, Fox, Graves, Grunnah, Rackstraw, Shipley, Vinter, Wasko, Wilson


Offline AJ100

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Re: GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent
« Reply #4 on: Thursday 06 February 14 16:57 GMT (UK) »
Hello VillageDuckpond

Glad the information was of use. It's fascinating and very frustraying tracing families back through the years, not helped by the lack of information and the mis-transcibing of information.
I am in the middle of a vast project involving just that and I have learnt never to trust what is on the internet. The info is put on there in all good faith but errors occur and the original source is often wrong. I rely solely on Parish Records, which themselves are often incorrect but are the nearest thing to accuracy that exists, prior to the introduction of Birth Certificates.
If you know where your ancestors were born or baptised, then may I suggest doing exactly what you have done here - ask for someone in that town to look at the records and find the answer.
If you think the John & Mary Graves I mentioned might be your ancestors, then I have found their marriage. At St Leonard's Church, Deal 15 July 1812 John GRAVES married Mary WOOD. Witnesses were Henrietta SMITH & James GRAVES.

Regards

AJ

Offline VillageDuckpond

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Re: GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent
« Reply #5 on: Thursday 06 February 14 17:09 GMT (UK) »
 Hello again AJ100, that was a very quick reply and thank you again.

Oh dear ... yet another James GRAVES as a witness this time at John and Mary's marriage in 1812! I love doing family history but do wish they wouldn't keep repeating the christian names - it makes life so complicated!
Barnett, Cousins, Flett, Foot, Foote, Fox, Graves, Grunnah, Rackstraw, Shipley, Vinter, Wasko, Wilson

Online heywood

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Re: GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent
« Reply #6 on: Thursday 06 February 14 17:15 GMT (UK) »
Am I right then that you have the info from censuses and now are looking at children and their marriages and children etc - a lot of research. :)
Here is 1881 https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XQ4Y-X27  which shows Eugenia born 1872 so maybe they returned after 1871 census to the West Indies.
AJ100 has given you some good info there going back and I don't want to repeat what you already have so won't put any info from later censuses yet.
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Offline AJ100

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Re: GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent
« Reply #7 on: Thursday 06 February 14 17:41 GMT (UK) »
Hello VillageDuckpond

Actually it helps repeating Christian names as you can sometimes link families. There were only two Graves families in Deal at the time and as James was witness to John's wedding, he was very likely a relative, possibly brother as he was having children at the same time as mary was born.
Neither John or James were born in Deal but I have details of James children if you get that far

Good Luck

AJ

Offline trish1120

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Re: GRAVES, James b. circa 1833 Kent
« Reply #8 on: Friday 07 February 14 09:48 GMT (UK) »
There is a Marriage Reg,  for a Mary GRAVES, Dec 1837, Eastry, 5 215
One the possible Male Spouses is missing.

John TOWN Marriage Reg, Dec 1837, Eastry, 5 216
No Female Spouses are shown

1851 Census
Paradise,
Sandwich, Kent
HO107/1631/91/15
John TOWN, age 9, Head, Mar, Sexton, born not known
Mary Town, 45, Wife, Mar, born Mongcham
James GRAVES, 22, Son, Unm, Ag Lab, born Deal
William Town, 18, Son, Unm, Ag Lab
George Town, 16, Son, Unm, Ag Lab
Edward Town, 8, Son, Scholar
Alfred Town, 6, Son, Scholar
Robert Town, 2, Son
Town Boys all born Sandwich

1861 Census Mary Town is born c 1811 Mongeham and John Town born c 1801 Sandwick! (Sandwich)
Alfred/Robert are still there, Johns Occp is now a Thatcher.
James Graves is not with them.

1871 Mary Town is born c 1807 Mongsham, John and Son Robert are with her.
1881 John Town is Widowed born c 1799 Eastry, Robert is with him.

Death Reg;
Mary TOWN, June 1876, Eastry, 2a 495, age 69 (Birth c 1807)

Trish :)

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