Some Heirs-at-Law of Richard Graves

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).

Sarah Jane Graves and my 2nd Great Grandfather William A. Purvis were married on 10 June 1852 in Chesterfield County, SC by the Rev. Mr. DuPREE.  They had one child.
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.

Transcription:

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.

1. Elizabeth Graves,
2. Miles Graves,
3. Jno. T. Graves,
4. William Graves,
5. Naomi Graves,
6. Lewis M. Graves,
7. Richard Graves,
8. Rebecca Adams, Mentioned in 1st post.
9. E.i Rickels,
10. Richard Graves, {Jr.} Mentioned in 1st post.
11. William Graves,
12. James Chapman and wife Mary, [James Chapman named but not his wife Mary]
13. Neill McNeill and wife Martha [Graves] Mentioned in 1st post.
14. Thomas Graves, Mentioned in 1st post.
15. James Ratcliff [Defendant, maybe administrator]
16. Wm. Ricketts and others [Plaintiff]; William Ricketts marries Nancy Graves

It's very apparent that many additional heirs-at-law are named in the newspaper clipping compared to those named within the first posting i. e.
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.

The Marriage of James F. Purvis

Today’s posting will be a short note concerning the marriage of my grandparents. For many years I have searched for a marriage certificate or Bible entry that would reveal exactly when my grandparents were married without success. Even going to the point of paying someone to search for the document.

There was one clue in this search. John Calvin Deese was the father of my grandmother. On 14 Mar 1908, John Calvin wrote his Will. Item 5 of that WILL reads:

Item V. I give and bequeath to my daughter, Lucy Pearly Purvis, the sum of One Dollar ($1.00).

I knew that my grandparents, James Francis Purvis and Lucy Pearl Deese were married sometime before 14 March 1908. But finding proof of the marriage continues to elude all search attempts until this past week.

This week I found a notice of their marriage in a County newspaper for Anson County, North Carolina. The newspaper was “The Messenger and Intelligencer” (Wadesboro, North Carolina), 12 Mar 1908, Thu, Page 1, col 6.]. James Francis Purvis and Lucy Pearl Deese were married on 8 March 1908 in Chesterfield County, SC over the objections of her Father. Lucy’s mother had passed away during childbirth when Lucy was about 4 years old. Her father had re-married. It is not known if the step-mother also objected to the marriage. Lucy and Jim had 7 children of which 6 lived to adulthood. They raised their children together until Jim’s untimely death in 1936. Lucy lived another 34 years without ever remarrying.  

Morven News
Miss Pearly Dees and Mr. James Purvis were married Sunday [8 Mar 1908]. Owing to the objections to the match by the parents of the bride, they used the South Carolina Ceremony.




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[1] "Miss Pearly Dees & Mr. James Purvis," Marriage, The Messenger and Intelligencer (Wadesboro, North Carolina), 12 March 1908, Page 1, col 6.; Digital On-Line Archives, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/ : viewed & copied 6 May 2020); https://www.newspapers.com/.