Individual Details

John Graves served in the Revolution, probably as a Captain. He was wounded at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. He is in the 1790 Census in Caswell Co NC.

I have also seen the marriage to Nancy Slade as 5 Feb 1770 in Orange Co, NC (E. Wallace)

Caswell Co NC Will Book L, p.462
John Graves' Will. Dated 9 Jan 1826. Wife Elizabeth to have mansion house & part of plantation; furniture which she had before the marriage. Daughter Polly Graves where I live including the mill purchased of my son Barzilla, 412 1/2 acres and joint use of the mansion house. Daughters Betsy Kimbrough & Delilah Miles, the Moon's Creek Tract, 1000 acres - Delilah to have part where she now lived and then to all her children with the children of her first marriage to David Womack to get two-thirds part. Have advanced property to all children and not all titles executed; also to sons-in-law intended for their wives - hereby confirm all such advancements. Son Azariah to have 5 acres around his Tanyard. Children to allot negroes and not separate any man from wife.
Executors: Sons Thomas, Azariah, Elijah & William Graves
Wit: Jeremiah Graves, Lewis Evans
Codicil: $1500 to be divided among children of daughter Elizabeth Kimbrough: Nancy Evans, Polly Chandler, Duke W. Kimbrough, Elijah G. Kimbrough, and Azariah G. Kimbrough. To be considered their mother's part of estate after her advancements. This annuls her share of the Moon's Creek Tract. 28 Aug 1895 [Betsy had died]
Wit: Jeremiah Graves, Paul A. Haralson
Executors all qualified.

Inventory and sale was on 8 Dec 1829. Purchasers were: William Graves, Azariah Graves, Col. Thomas Graves, Thomas W. Graves, Elijah Graves Sr & Ju, Abner Miles, Jeremiah Graves, James R. Lea, Elijah G. Kimbrough, Genl. Barzilla Graves, Elizabeth Graves, Nancy Yancy, Azariah Graves Jr, Polly Graves, and Christopher Brooks.
There were 7 pages of notes owed signed by Executors: Azariah, William & Thomas Graves. A second sale was held on 19 Mar 1830 with some of the same purchasers.

Caswell Co, October Court, 1831. Account of division of estate of John Graves. [Each share was $4559.76 1/2]. Some children had received more and owed the estate. Names listed as receiving a full share: Mrs. Katy Howard, Thomas Graves, Azariah Grave, Elijah Graves, William Graves, Delilah Miles, Nancy Yancey, Barzilla Graves, and Polly Graves [who was awarded the mansion house & mill, mentions widow's lifetime in part of land and slaves - Polly was to receive this at the death of her mother/stepmother Elizabeth]
The Commissioners referred to John Graves as Capt John and stated there were 36 slaves & listed them by name, 9 parts of the estate. [it does seem that the heirs of daughter Elizabeth Kimbrough received only the $1500 as in the codicil and they were not mentioned in this settlement - however the codicil does state that Elizabeth had received advancements]

Caswell DB CC, p.316
19 Dec 1835 Thomas Graves, Azariah Graves, Elijah Graves and William Graves, exectr of John Graves dec'd to Pleasant H. Womack. 360 3/4 acres on Country Line Cr adj Jeremiah Graves, James McBane, Francis Smith, Bartlett Yancey dec'd, Solomon Graves. Wit: Anderson Willis, Levi C. Page

Caswell Co WB N, July Court 1838
p.252 Final settlement of John H. Graves. Payments to legatees: Groves Howard and wife Catherine. Thomas Graves [included race track lands]. Azariah Graves. Elijah Graves. William Graves [house and lot in Yanceyville and part of race track lands]. Abner Miles and wife Delilah and her children with payments to John G. Womack, Thos. Blackwell, and other children of David Womack. Nancy Yancey. James Mebane and wife Polly. Barzl. Graves.



When Person County was carved from Caswell County in 1792 the Caswell County seat at Leasburg no longer was at a central location. Accordingly, the seat was moved to what became Yanceyville. One-hundred acres of land were purchased from Mary Ingram, widow of James Ingram. The one-hundred acres purchased by the county was divided into four blocks and sold for £784, the money to be used to construct public buildings, with one acre left for the public lot, now called the public square. The first courthouse was on the public lot. John Herndon Graves purchased twenty-six acres adjoining the courthouse lot (Caswell Deed book L, page 148); John Buckhannon purchased twenty-seven acres (Caswell Deed Book M, page 76); Jesse Carter purchased twenty-two and a half acres (Caswell Deed Book M, page 179); eleven acres went to Lancelot Johnston, and the remaining possibly was retained for streets.

By 1804, John Herndon Graves had purchased all the land from the original buyers. He ended up with all the acreage at what then was called Caswell Courthouse (eventually named Yanceyville). His family lived around the public lot. It was not until the 1830s before his family parted with any foot of land adjoining the public square.

Source: Historical Abstracts of Minutes of Caswell County, North Carolina 1777-1877, Katharine Kerr Kendall (1976) at 146.
ncccha@yahoogroups.com
Caswell County Historical Association
Sun, 21 Mar 2010

Birth	1749	Spotsylvania County, Virginia
Marriage	25 Dec 1770	Gloucester County, Virginia - Anne "Nancy" Slade
Marriage	28 Nov 1808	Caswell County, North Carolina - Elizabeth Burton
Death	1829	Caswell County, North Carolina
Military		Revolutionary War

Spouse	Anne "Nancy" Slade (1749 - 1807)
Child	Elizabeth "Betsy" Graves (1771 - 1829)
Child	Catherine "Katy" Graves (1773 - 1860)
Child	Thomas Slade Graves (1775 - 1847)
Child	Azariah Graves (1776 - 1837)
Child	Elijah Graves (1778 - 1855)
Child	Capt. William Graves (1780 - 1845)
Child	Gen. Barzillai Graves (1782 - 1854)
Child	Delilah Graves (1784 - 1848)
Child	Ann "Nancy" Graves (1786 - 1855)
Child	Mary "Polly" Graves (1792 - 1846)

Spouse

Elizabeth Burton (1759 - )

Father	John Graves (1714 - 1792)
Mother	Isabell Lea ( - 1796)
Sibling	Thomas Graves (1750 - 1799)
Sibling	Ann "Nancy" Graves (1754 - 1818)
Sibling	Mary Graves (1756 - 1831)
Sibling	Rev. Barzilla Graves (1759 - 1827)
Sibling	Isabella Graves (1761 - )
Sibling	Solomon Graves (1766 - 1830)
Sibling	Gen. Azariah Graves (1768 - 1850)
Sibling	James Graves (1772 - 1790)