Frances (Coleman) Graves (1744 - 1844)

Born Dec 1744 in Virginia

Ancestors

Wife of Joseph Graves — married 31 May 1765 in Spotsylvania County, Virginia Colony

Descendants

Died Dec 1844 at about age 100 in Fayette County, Kentucky

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Biography

Virginia Clark Hagan wrote this about her great-great grandmother in a book she wrote about the family called IN MY TIME.

Chapter One, Before My Time, "Stories I Heard"

Frances Coleman Graves was born in 1744. In 1763, she and her husband, Joseph, built a house in Virginia that they called the Red House. Joseph died in 1785, and in 1791 Frances left the Red House and journeyed with nine of her ten children to Kentucky. Revolutionary soldiers were claiming their land grants at the time, and many made the same journey then. It is not known whether Frances came to Kentucky for that reason.

One son, Joseph Graves, stayed behind in the Red House in Virginia. When his wife later died, he loaded his two youngest sons, six-year-old Joseph and two-year-old Robert Benjamin, on a horse in the care of a slave named Kizzie and sent them to his mother in Kentucky.

I first heard this story from black Kizzie, who worked for us. She said her grandmother (and namesake) was the one who "brang your grandpappy form Virginia to Kentucky." I though about this story, and it just didn't seem to hold water. How could a lone woman make it through the wilderness with two small children? Where did they sleep? What did they eat? What about Indians and wild animals?

"Aunt" Lucy Gay explained that they traveled in a caravan, where no doubt there were friends, relatives, and all kinds of help. She said her grandfather, Joseph, the six-year-old, rode behind and held on to Kizzie while Kizzie held my great-grandfather, two-year-old Robert Benjamin, in front.

Frances Graves, my great-great -grandmother, lived to be one hundred years old and left many descendants. Two of Frances' sons were killed in the Battle of River Raisin in the War of 1812. Her youngest daughter, who took care of her mother in her old age, never married. The other children made up for this; they all married and had large families.^[1]

Research Notes

First name has been changed 1 Nov 2022 as there is no source for the spelling of Francis. Her name is spelled Frances, per the bio above stating it is in the book Virginia Clark Hagan wrote about her great-great grandmother and family called IN MY TIME. slb

Sources

1. ↑ Hagan, Virginia Clark. In my time. [Lexington, Ky.]: [The Author]. 1999. pages 1, 2