Back on 12 September 2012, I wrote an article entitled: “Wednesday Mystery–Children of Richard Graves, Anson County, NC and Chesterfield County, SC”. You can read the posting here:
https://carolinafamilyroots.blogspot.com/search?q=richard+graves
The lineage of Richard Graves is very important to me. I believe his granddaughter or great-granddaughter is my 2nd Great Grandmother Sarah Jane Graves Purvis. In the 1850 Census for Chesterfield County Sarah is living in a household with an older woman, an older man, and a young man believed to be her sibling.
It is my belief that this family is a Mother (Mary) with her Son, (David W.) and two grandchildren)Sarah Jane and Thomas).
This family unit has been one of my major “BRICKWALLS”. The destruction of records during the Civil War makes research in Chesterfield County SC to be a major problematic struggle.
In my first posting, I listed 8 children that I had researched and acquired research material on them. Last week while newspaper browsing I came across this newspaper article concerning the partitions of the Lands of Richard Graves, deceased.
State of North Carolina,
ANSON COUNTY.
IN Equity -- Fall Term, 1841
James Ratcliff} Petition for sale of Land
vs. } of Richard Graves, Senior,
Wm. Rickels and others} deceased.
It appearing to the satisfaction of the Court, that Elizabeth Graves, Miles Graves, Jno. T. Graves, William Graves, Naomi Graves, Lewis M. Graves, Richard Graves, Rebecca Adams, E.i Rickels, Richard Graves, William Graves, James Chapman and wife Mary, Neill McNeill and wife Martha and Thomas Graves, heirs at law of Richard Graves are not inhabitants of this Sate: Ordered, that publication be made in the North Carolinian for six successive weeks, for said absent defendants to be and appear before the Honorable the Judge of our next Court of equity, to be held for the County of Anson, at the Court House in Wadesborough, on the 2d Monday in March next, then and there to show cause, if any they have, why the prayer of the petitioners should not be granted, otherwise judgment pro confesso will be entered up against them, and a decree made for the sale of said lands.
Witness, Wm. E. Troy, Clerk and Master of said Court, at office in Wadesborough, the 2d Monday in September, A.D. 1841, and in the 66th year of American Independence.
140-6t WM. E. TROY, C.M.E.
[The North-Carolinian (Fayetteville, North Carolina); 30 Oct 1841, Sat.; Page 3]
First, a correction - the Surname RICKELS above should read RICKETTS.
This document contains several heirs-at-law that were unknown and not mentioned in the first post.
- Elizabeth Graves,
- Miles Graves,
- Jno. T. Graves,
- William Graves,
- Naomi Graves,
- Lewis M. Graves,
- Richard Graves,
- Rebecca Adams, Mentioned in 1st post.
- E.i Rickels,
- Richard Graves, {Jr.} Mentioned in 1st post.
- William Graves,
- James Chapman and wife Mary, [James Chapman named but not his wife Mary]
- Neill McNeill and wife Martha [Graves] Mentioned in 1st post.
- Thomas Graves, Mentioned in 1st post.
- James Ratcliff [Defendant, maybe administrator]
- Wm. Ricketts and others [Plaintiff]; William Ricketts marries Nancy Graves
ORDER TO APPEAR: Quote: James Chapman vs Rebecca Adams, Lewis Graves, Wm. Rickkits and Nancy his wife, Richard Graves, Mm. Graves, Neill McNeill and Martha his wife, and Thomas Graves defendants.
In this current newspaper clipping, William and Richard Graves are mentioned twice for each name. It's hard to differentiate whether this is two men mentioned twice or 4 distinct individuals.
While this is quite an abundance of data, it’s confusing. If the family above – Mary, David W., Sarah Jane, and Thomas - are in fact related to Richard Graves why they not named in any of the documents thus found.
No probate file, tombstone, obituary or death notice has been found for Richard Graves. But we know from newspaper clippings related to the Partition of the Lands of Richard Graves, deceased that he died sometime shortly before December 1838.
Now, its time to research some of these new names and see where the journey takes me.
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[1] "Division of the Real Estate of Richard Graves, Deceased," Legal Notice, Cheraw Gazette and Pee Dee Farmer (Cheraw, Chesterfield, South Carolina), 26 December 1838, Page 23, Image 3, column 4.; Digital On-Line Archives, ChroniclingAmerica (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : viewed & transcribed 3 May 2019), Historic America Newspapers. ChroniclingAmerica.
[2] "Real Estate of Richard Graves, deceased," Sheriff's Sales., Cheraw gazette and Pee Dee farmer. Cheraw, Chesterfield, South Carolina, 27 March 1839, Page 76, Image 4, col 5.; Digital On-Line Archives, ChroniclingAmerica (https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : viewed 3 May 2019), Historic America Newspapers; ChroniclingAmerica.
[3] "Petition for sale of Land of Richard Graves, Senior, deceased," Legal Notice, The North-Carolinian (Fayetteville, North Carolina);, 30 October 1841, Page 3; Digital On-Line Archives, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/ : viewed 9 May 2020); Newspapers.com.
