FOURTEENTH GENERATION

15168. Thomas Graves was born about 1580 in Beeley Parish, Derbyshire, England. He died between Nov 1635 and Jan 1635/36 in Accomack County, Virginia. Kenneth Vance Graves, an authority on Thomas Graves, states: "Thomas GRAVES, gentleman, arrived in Virginia in October of 1608, coming from England in the ship "Mary & Margaret" with Captain Christopher Newport's second supply.

The Second Supplie was a ship called the Mary Margett, which arrived here nine months after, about the time of Michaelmas, in her sixty persons, most gentlemen, few or no tradesmen, except some Polanders to make pitch, tarre, potashes, & etc., to be returned for perfect gaine, foe meanly likewise were there furnished forth for victualles, that in lesse than two monthes after their arrivall, want compelled us to imploye our time abroad in trading with the Indians for corne... (Colonial Records of Virginia, State Paper Office. Vol. 3, No. 21 I)
Also on board was Francis West, brother of Lord Delaware, and Raleigh CROSHAW. On board besides an Elizabethan bed as a present for Powhatan and a 5-piece supposedly-portable barge with which to explore past the Richmond falls, were two women, 'Mistresse Forest and Anne Buras her maide'. Forest came over with her husband; Buras was unmarried."

Thomas Graves was one of the original Adventurers (stockholders) of the Virginia Company of London and one of the very early planters who founded Jamestown, Virginia. He is listed as "Thomas Grave" on page 364, Records of the Virginia Company of London, vol. IV.

Again from Kenneth Vance Graves: "The First Colony (consisting of knights, gentlemen, merchants and others of the city of London) made a settlement at Jamestown on May 13, 1607, which became permanent. Thomas was active in the colony. He went on an exploring expedition and was captured by Indians and taken to Opechancanough (half-brother of Powhatan and uncle of Pocahontas). Thomas Savage, who had come to Virginia with the first supply on the "John and Francis" in 1608, rescued him."

It is believed that Thomas may have regularly and frequently traveled to England, Ireland, Holland, and New England because he is regularly recorded in Virginia, then there are lapses. It appears that Katherine and the three oldest children were in Dublin, Ireland, then came to America later. His sons, John and Thomas, never received patents as "Ancient Planters", which were granted to people in Virginia prior to 1616. Mrs. P. W. Hiden in the "William and Mary Quarterly", Vol. 16, 1936, page 650; states that "neither wife nor children appear with Capt. Thomas in the muster taken after the massacre' which took place in 1622..."

Some researchers believe that Katherine was a CROSHAW being that the GRAVES and CROSHAW familes were close and intermarried several times. Thomas GRAVES and Raleigh CROSHAW came to Jamestown, VA on the same ship. Katherine's father might have been Joseph CROSHAW or CROSHER.

Thomas received a patent in 1622 by the Virginia Company,"a patent to Thomas GRAVES of Doublin in the Realm of Ireland, gent...." His patent was for 200 acres in then Accomack Co, Virginia, now Northampton Co, Virginia (Patent Book No. 1, p. 72, Land Registrar's Office, Richmond, VA) The land was on the east side of Chesapeke Bay, west of the land of Captain Henry Flute. By 1625, there were 51 people living on the Eastern Shore. Thomas was given the task of determining direction of local affairs. He was one of several appointed a Commissioner "for the Plantacon of Acchawmacke".

Thomas was a member of the House of Burgesses, representing Accomack for the 1629-1630 session and for the 1632 session.

The old Hungars Episcopal Church is located about seven miles north of Eastville, on the north side of Hungars Creek. The first minister was Rev. Francis Bolton and he was succeeded by Rev. William COTTON. The first vestry was appointed in 1635, the first meeting on 29 Sept 1635. Capt. GRAVES headed the list of those present.

1624 Jamestown, Virginia census:
Thomas GRAVES, Eastern Shore, 73 total people
George GRAVES, James City County, 224 total people

It is not known when Katherine and sons John and Thomas, Jr came to Virginia.They were not on the 1625 census of the Eastern Shore. The girls, Ann, Verlinda and Katherine obviously came later and Francis was born in Virginia. The last reference to Mrs. GRAVES shows her living at the Old Platation, Accomac, as of 20 May 1636.

It is likely that Capt. GRAVES returned to England, possibly in Oct. 1609, either on the same ship with Capt. John Smith or on one of the other seven ships which arrived in Virginia in August 1609. In that way he would have missed the "Starving Time" of the winter of 1609-1610, which so few survived. It is know that he was "entreated to take charge of the people and workes" at Smythe's Hundred in April 1619, and was there then. Also, there is no record of his being in Virginia after the meeting of the Burgesses in July-August of 1619 until he is shown as living on the Eastern Shore in 1623. It seems reasonable that he was in England at the time of the Indian Massacre of March 1622, and upon returning to Virginia settled on the Eastern Shore where it was less perilous to live. The fact that he fathered three children, the girls, during this period certainly lends support to his being in England.

The parentage of Thomas Graves is conjecture at best. Many researchers believe that he was the son of Thomas and Joan Blagrove Graves but this has not been proven to the best of my knowledge. This Thomas is included in my line of descendancy as Thomas1. Capt. GRAVES died between November 1635 when he was witness to a deed and 5 Jan 1636 when suit was entered against a servant to Mrs. GRAVES.

HISTORY OF JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA (SOURCE: webpage of The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities):

In June 1606, King James I granted a charter to a group of London entrepreneurs who formed the "Virginia Company" to establish a satellite English settlement in the Chesapeake region of North America. By December, 104 men and boys sailed from London instructed to settle Virginia, find gold and a water route to the Orient. The resumes of those pioneers could not have been more ill-suited for the task, or so most traditional scholars of early Jamestown history believe. According to a list published by Captain John Smith, "Gentlemen" made up about half of the group, whose gentle birth suggests they knew nothing of or thought it their personal duty to tame a wilderness. The rest were artisans, craftsmen, and laborers.

On May 13, 1607, the Virginia Company explorers chose to settle on Jamestown Island, along the James River 60 miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. They landed there because the deep water channel let their ships ride close to shore; close enough, by one account to moor them to the trees. Almost immediately the colonists were under attack from the Algonquian natives. Nonetheless, in a little over a month's time, the newcomers managed to "beare and plant palisadoes" enough to build a wooden fort. While disease, famine and continuing attacks of neighboring Algonquians took a tremendous toll on the population, the eventual structured leadership of Captain John Smith kept the colony from dissolving. The "starving time" winter followed Smith's departure in 1609 during which only 60 of the original 500 settlers survived. That June, the survivors decided to bury cannon and armor and abandon the town. It was only the arrival of the new governor, Lord De La Ware, and his supply ships that brought the colonists back to the fort and the colony back on its feet. When Pocahontas, the favored daughter of the Algonquian chief Powhatan, married tobacco entrepreneur John Rolfe, some years of peace and prosperity followed. The Algonquians eventually became disenchanged and, in 1622, attacked the out plantations killing over 300 of the settlers. Even though a last minute warning spared Jamestown, the attack on the colony and mismanagement of the Virginia Company at home convinced the King that he should revoke the Virginia Company Charter. Virginia became a crown colony in 1624. SOURCE: webpage of The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities.

Any additions or corrections are welcome. Eleanor Colson


Major Sources of Information on Thomas Graves and Jamestown:
Kenneth Vance Graves
The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities Webpage
Numerous postings on Graves Rootsweb list
"Captain Thomas Graves and Some of His Descendants," Genealogies of Virginia Families, From Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Volume II, by William Montgomery Sweeny
"The Graves Family of Spotsylvania County," by Mrs. P. W. Hiden, Genealogies of Virginia Families: From the William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Volume II
Colonial Granville County and It's People, Worth S. Ray, page 242-245.
My Graves Family, by Catherine Downey Mattson

GRAVES RESEARCHERS:

Eleanor Colson (Melva June14 Randle, Leslie Vernon13, John Lamar12, Xenophon C.11, John S.10, John9, Roseanna8 Graves, Thomas7, Thomas6, John5, Thomas Graves4 (III), Thomas3 Graves , Jr., Thomas2, Thomas1)

GRAVES links:
Graves Genforum
Graves Rootsweb List Send e-mail to join the list with only the word subscribe in the body of the message. If you prefer digest form, mail to Graves Rootsweb Digest
Graves Family Association

1. Thomas2 Graves (Thomas1) was born Abt. 1580 in Beeley Parish, Derbyshire, England, and died Bef. 09 August 1637 in Accomack County, Virginia. He married Katherine Crowshaw? Abt. 1610 in Ireland?.

Children of Thomas Graves and Katherine Croshaw? are:
+ 2 i. John3 Graves, born Abt. 1611 in Derbyshire, England (Ireland?); died Bef. April 1640 in Elizabeth City County, Virginia.
+ 3 ii. Thomas Graves , Jr., born Abt. 1616 in England (Ireland?); died Abt. 1674 in Gloucester County, Virginia.
+ 4 iii. Ann Graves, born 1620 in Hungar's Parish, Northampton, Virginia; died 02 March 1683 in Charles County, Maryland.
+ 5 iv. Katherine Graves, born Aft. 1622; died Bef. 1667 in Calvert County, Maryland.
+ 6 v. Verlinda Graves, born Abt. 1627; died 13 July 1675 in Charles County, Maryland.
+ 7 vi. Francis Graves , Sr., born Abt. 1630 in Accomack County, Virginia; died Bef. 05 August 1691 in Rapphanock County, Virginia. He was married to Katherine Croshaw about 1610 in Ireland?.

15169. Katherine Croshaw . Children were:

7584 i. Thomas Graves Jr..
ii. John Graves was born about 1611.
iii. Ann Graves was born in 1620.
iv. Katherine Graves was born after 1622.
v. Verlinda Graves was born about 1627.
vi. Francis , Sr. Graves was born about 1630.