Census Sunday~Mary Graves Household

For many years I have studied and puzzled over the composition of the Mary Graves Household in the 1850 Chesterfield County Census. Her household is Dwelling 110, Family 110 on page 106. ¹

 



Within this family is my 2nd great Grandmother Sarah Jane Graves, age 16, just a few years before she and my 2nd Great Grandfather William A. Purvis were married.
All of us who have researched our ancestors for a  while knows that censuses before the 1880 Census provides no reference to relationships of  individuals that are enumerated within a household.

The relationship of these four individuals are not given. I think we can safely say the Sarah Jane, age 16, and [William] Thomas Graves, age 14, are siblings.  But, whose siblings?

Are they children of David and maybe a deceased wife? David is listed here as age 32, making his birth year to be 1818. His tombstone in the St. Mary’s Presbyterian Church cemetery shows that he was born 22 January 1812. So David may be older than was reported to the Census taker. ²

David and Mary can be found in the 1860 census. Sometime after 1860 Mary Graves died. Then around 1871 David W. Graves at age, 59 or 53 married Mary Anne Gulledge. They had five children; three daughters and two sons.³

I just don’t believe this is the fist marriage for David W. Graves thus the two children in Mary Graves household are David’s from a previous marriage and he is the Father of Sarah Jane, age 16, and [William] Thomas Graves, age 14.

Nor do I believe that Mary Graves had two small children at age 39 and 42 years of age. Census data confirms this in that Mary Graves is listed as a widow in both the 1830 and 1840 Census for Chesterfield County, South Carolina. ^{4 5}

Mary Graves is the Grandmother of the two children and the Mother of David W. Graves. 

To my readers, given the facts as presented do you think the children are the son and daughter of David W. Graves or do you have other thoughts. I’m open to suggestions concerning this family. 
  










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[1] 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page 106A, Line 8, Dwelling 110, Family 110, Household of Mary GRAVES; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 20 November 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 851.
[2] Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 1 January 2008); Memorial page for David W. Graves; (22 January 1812–21 November 1898); Find a Grave memorial # 47922854, Citing Saint Mary's Presbyterian Church Cemetery (old); Patrick, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, USA.
[3] 1860 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page 171A, Line 6, Dwelling 1083, Family 1081, Household of Mary GRAVES; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 20 November 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M653-1217.
[4] 1830 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, page 243, Household of Mary Graves; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 2008); citing National Archives Microfilm M19_172.
[5] 1840 U S Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page 347, Line 15, Household of Mary Graves; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 15 January 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M740_Roll 510.