GRAVES FAMILY BULLETIN

Vol. 16, No. 4, April 22, 2014

A Free, Occasional, Online Summary of Items of Interest to Descendants of all Families of Graves, Greaves, Grieves, Grave, and other spelling variations Worldwide

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Copyright © 2014 by the Graves Family Association and Kenneth V. Graves. All rights reserved.

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CONTENTS

** General Comments

** Announcement and Sale from Family Tree DNA

** Finding Ancestry of People in the U.K. From Current News Articles

** What to Do If You Don’t Receive This Bulletin

** Using GEDmatch for Autosomal DNA Test Results

** Your Test Results on 23andMe

** Mickey Rooney Was Descended From Genealogy 270

** A Genetic Census of America from Ancestry.com

** Some Statistics About Genealogies On The GFA Website

** Preservation Plans for Graves Mill Property in Virginia

** Another Interesting Building and Graves Family in Montana

** To Submit Material to this Bulletin & Other Things

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GENERAL COMMENTS

I hope you enjoy and are helped by the variety of articles in this issue of the Bulletin. We have another sale from Family Tree DNA, especially for the Y-DNA37 test. That is the starting one I recommend, and if you are descended from a genealogy that has not yet had anyone take a Y-DNA test, we very much need males with the Graves/Greaves surname to take this test.

I am also trying to include more discussion of researching families and the progress being made with connecting and extending families. The article about finding ancestry in the U.K. is sort of an example of that.

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ANNOUNCEMENT AND SALE FROM FAMILY TREE DNA

Family tree DNA just announced today (April 22) that National DNA Day, celebrated on April 25, commemorates the completion of the Human Genome Project and the discovery of DNA's double helix on April 25, 1953. Since 1970, the U.S. has observed National Arbor Day, dedicated to the planting and nurturing of trees, on the last Friday in April.

This year National Arbor Day falls on National DNA Day, so what better opportunity for Family Tree DNA to release the long-awaited 2014 Y-DNA Haplotree! In addition to expanding the tree from 400 to 1000 terminal branches, the Haplotree page will have an updated, fresh design.

Our engineering team will begin to push the code that will update the database prior to the official release of the tree, so you'll see some changes in terminal SNPs and haplogroups for those who have done additional testing.

To help with the transition, our Webinar Coordinator, Elise Friedman will host a live webinar on DNA Day for a demonstration of the new tree and more details about this landmark update on Friday, April 25, 2014 @ 12pm Central (5pm UTC).

To register, click here. A recording of this webinar will be posted to the Webinars page of our Learning Center within 24-48 hours after the live event here.

SALE ON Y-DNA SNPs AND Y-DNA37 TEST

They are also having a DNA Day sale! Y-DNA SNPs will be 20% off from April 25 - 29. In addition, the Y-DNA 37 test will be 20% off the retail price.

The sale officially begins at 12:01AM on April 25 and will end at 11:59pm on April 29.

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FINDING ANCESTRY OF PEOPLE IN THE U.K. FROM CURRENT NEWS ARTICLES

PETER GREAVES OF KEYWORTH, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE, ENGLAND

On Jan. 20, 2014, Marion Gray, a fellow member of the Guild of One-Name Studies (GOONS), sent me a copy of an article of Jan. 17 in the Nottingham Post about the life and death of Peter Greaves of Keyworth, England.

I wrote her that “a big problem I have is how to find his parents. My guess is that he was born in the early 1920s, but there are no published census records for England that recently. Do you have any idea how to find his parents?” She responded: “The best way to find his parents is to go to the website www.freebmd.org.uk, put in his name and check the Births in the drop down box - you will find his mother's maiden name listed (they do this from 1911 onwards).  Then get his parents’ marriage quarter/year by putting in either parent, with spouse, check the Marriages in the drop down box and bingo - and then hopefully you can then keep your fingers crossed that either parent has a not too common first name and you can find them on the 1911 census.”

According to their website, “FreeBMD is an ongoing project, the aim of which is to transcribe the Civil Registration index of births, marriages and deaths for England and Wales, and to provide free Internet access to the transcribed records. It is a part of the FreeUKGEN family, which also includes FreeCEN (Census data) and FreeREG (Parish Registers). To search the records that have so far been transcribed by FreeBMD click on the Search button below. The recording of births, marriages and deaths was started in 1837 and is one of the most significant resources for genealogical research. The transcribing of the records is carried out by teams of dedicated volunteers and contains index information for the period 1837-1983, but we have not yet transcribed the whole period.”

The article was titled “Hurricane hero who loved flying”, by Ben Ireland, and stated: “Peter Greaves, of Keyworth, died peacefully on Dec. 31 at Balmore Country Home in Loughbrough Road, Luddington.” “Eldest son Stephen, 63, said his father kept the details of his RAF experiences to himself until he wrote his memoirs in 1997.” He grew up in Essex, and “he was too young to fly in the Battle of Britain (in 1940).” He left the RAF in 1946. He married Margaret Cross in 1949 and moved to Farnborough, and then to Keyworth in 1976. “Mr. Greaves is survived by his wife and six children – Stephen, Kim, Robert, twins Jacqui and Katie, and Peter, whose ages range from 40 to 63. There are 13 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.”

I first searched FreeBMD for the marriage of Peter Greaves and Margaret Cross, and it gave a date of September quarter 1949 in Birkenhead, Merseyside (was Cheshire), just below Liverpool, with K. as his middle initial. I then searched for a birth record for Peter Greaves between 1920 and 1925, and found Peter K. Greaves born in the March quarter 1922 in West Ham, Essex, with Gwinn as his mother’s name. Then I searched for a marriage between a male Greaves and a Gwinn 1900-1925, and found George H. Greaves married Ethel Gwinn in the Sept. quarter 1912 in West Ham. I searched for a birth for George Greaves, 1880-1895, and found George Henry Greaves, born Dec. quarter 1885 in West Ham.

I then checked the 1911 census and found George Henry Greaves, b.c. 1886, Forest Gate, Essex, living in West Ham, Essex, son of Henry William Greaves and Annie Eliza ‑‑‑‑‑‑. They were both born about 1861 and married about 1884, and had 6 children in 1911. Henry was born in Canning Town, Essex, which is now part of the borough of Newham in London. Checking on the marriage of Henry and Annie in FreeBMD showed that her name was Annie Eliza Orchard, and they married Sept. quarter 1883 in West Ham. The 1871 census for Plaistow, West Ham, Essex, listed Henry (b.c. 1839 in Painswick, Gloucestershire) and Mary A. Greaves, with son Henry W. Greaves and 3 other children. Henry was in the 1861 census as a servant in West Ham, and in the 1851 census for Eckington, Worcestershire, with his parents Edmund Greaves (b.c. 1806) and Harriett (b.c. 1814). Edmund was born in Pershore, Pensham, Worcestershire, and Harriett and their 3 children were born in Painswick, Gloucestershire.

I then checked Public Member Trees on Ancestry.com for Edmund Greaves, and found several submitted genealogies for parts of this family. Searching on the GFA website showed that this is genealogy 332 for Thomas Graves and Elizabeth ‑‑‑‑‑‑ of Pensham and Cropthorne, Worcestershire. Edmund Greaves is #27 and his son Henry is #71 in the genealogy, but no more recent descendants are included.

So this approach does work if you are willing to work at it and are lucky.

JIMMY GREAVES, ENGLISH FOOTBALL STAR

Another example is my effort to find the ancestry of the English football (soccer) star Jimmy Greaves (see information about him on the GFA website here). It is interesting to see that this family (like the previous one) also lived in East Ham. The information I previously gathered about him is that his full name is James Peter Greaves, he was born 20 Feb. 1940 in the East End of London, and his father was also Jimmy Greaves.

Searching for the birth of James Peter Greaves in FreeBMD shows that he was born in the March quarter of 1940 in East Ham, and his mother was ‑‑‑‑‑‑ Mansbridge. A search for the marriage of James Greaves and Mansbridge between 1930 and 1940 gave James C. Greaves, married Dec. quarter 1938 in Poplar (in Greater London and Middlesex), and clicking on the page link showed that her name was Mary E. Mansbridge. A birth search on FreeBMD then gave James Charles Greaves, born March quarter 1908 in West Ham.

Finding the parents of James Charles Greaves was not so easy, however. His mother’s surname is not available from FreeBMD, since he was born before 1911. A search of the 1911 census did not show anyone named James Charles Greaves, and it was not obvious which of those named James Greaves might be the right one. I then searched Public Member Trees on Ancestry.com and found two genealogies for what appears to be this James Charles Greaves, but they did not agree with each other on the names of his parents. One gave Arthur Joseph Greaves and Susan Jane Lewis (this is genealogy 159, where Arthur’s parents are George Greaves and Mary Sophia Reid), and the other gave Ebhorn Greaves and Emma Goosetree (this is genealogy 400, where Ebhorn’s parents are John Greaves and Elizabeth Burton). In looking at these genealogies, I saw that I had previously spent some time finding census records and sorting out the family members. It appears that the James Charles Greaves of genealogy 159 is the father of Jimmy Greaves, and the earliest known ancestors are John Greaves (born about 1814) and Mary Wood of Middlesex, England. If I had more time and wanted to spend more money, I might join FindMyPast and be able to find parish records to carry this and other lines farther back.

WILLIAM GREAVES OF BURNLEY, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND

In March I received an article from The Burnley Express, dated 7 March 2014. It stated: “GREAVES, William. Passed away peacefully on 27th February at Blackburn Royal Hospital, aged 83. Husband of the late Mona and dearly loved dad and father in law to Bill and Margaret, Helen and Chris. Also a greatly adored granddad to Marcus, Mark, Laura and Jason and great granddad to Emily, Olivia and Parker.” “The funeral cortege will leave from Burnley and District Funeral Service, Rosegrove Lane prior to a funeral service at Burnley Crematorium at 1.40 pm on Monday 10th February 2014.”

So we know that he was 83 by 27 Feb. 2014, and therefore born about 1930 (28 Feb. 1930-27 Feb. 1931), and probably lived in Burnley, Lancashire, or at least nearby. When I looked at FreeBMD, for a William Greaves who had married someone named Mona, I found one who married Mona Mellon in Burnley in the March quarter 1951. When I then searched for his birth, I found only 6 men named William Greaves listed for this time period, and only one in Lancashire. The birth was in the June quarter 1930 in Haslingden (only 9 miles from Burnley), and his mother’s surname was Parkinson.

I then checked for a marriage between a male Greaves and a Parkinson in Lancashire between 1900 and 1930, and found two: Edward Greaves married Mary E. Parkinson in Burnley in the March quarter 1911, and John W. Greaves married Sarah J. Parkinson in Haslingden in the June quarter 1914. I wasn’t able to identify an Edward Greaves in either the 1901 or 1911 census who might have been this Edward Greaves. However, I did find a John Greaves in Burnley in 1911. He was born about 1896 in Lathom, Lancashire, son of Robert Greaves (b.c. 1872 in Manchester, Lancs.) and Mary ‑‑‑‑‑‑. They were also in the 1901 census for Warrington, Lancs. There were two people named Robert Greaves who could have been this one, one living in Runcorn, Cheshire with his parents, and the other in the Industrial Schools, Worsley, Lancs. Without finding marriage records or baptismal records showing names of parents, I don’t know how to go farther. Can anyone help?

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WHAT TO DO IF YOU DON’T RECEIVE THIS BULLETIN

If you are subscribed to the Graves Family Bulletin and don’t receive this issue, then you might not see this article. (It’s kind of like asking anyone who isn’t present to raise his or her hand.) However, if you have had the problem in the past or might in the future, or if you read this on the GFA website, then this article may be helpful.

For anyone who is subscribed and didn't receive the GF Bulletin, it was sent. A few subscribers have problems. There is a slight chance that your email address “bounced back” as an undeliverable address, and therefore was automatically removed from the subscription list. To check that your address is still in the subscriber list, contact Ken Graves by email. Other than that possibility, first check your junk mail folder, and then check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). Some ISPs such as AOL can be a problem, automatically filtering out newsletters as spam. Next step after that is to use a different email address such as gmail from Google that is more reliable in delivering email like the Bulletin. The final option is to read the Bulletin on the GFA website here. All issues of the GF Bulletin, including the most recent one, are available there.

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USING GEDMATCH FOR AUTOSOMAL DNA TEST RESULTS

I strongly recommend that everyone (male and female) who has taken an autosomal DNA test from any company (Family Tree DNA, 23andMe, and Ancestry.com) download the results and then upload them to GEDmatch. Other articles have previously discussed the benefits of using GEDmatch to find matches and analyze DNA test results. This article discusses another tool to help make using GEDmatch a little easier.

A LIST OF GEDMATCH IDs FOR GRAVES/GREAVES DESCENDANTS

Ginger Smith asked on our GFA Facebook page: Is there a list of GEDmatch IDs for Graves descendants being kept anywhere? There are some people I would like to compare to but I did not catch their GEDmatch IDs.

This comment has generated a fair amount of discussion. I find it worthwhile pursuing because:

(1) It would be helpful to know the Graves/Greaves ancestry of all those on GEDmatch without each person having to maintain his or her own list, or trying to figure out ancestry each time we see a match.

(2) If done right, it could be one step in relieving me or others from the responsibility of creating and maintaining a list.

(3) It is one more way of providing benefits to the members of our GFA Facebook group.

I responded that there isn't any such list and I would love to see one created. I asked for input on how it should be created and made available, and whether there is a potential problem with privacy. Much discussion followed, and several options were considered and tried.

Shannon Christmas commented: I typically have shied away from listing GEDmatch kit numbers in a Facebook file, not because of privacy concerns, but because I have not seen much utility; entering your own GEDmatch kit number into the site's One-to-Many feature produces a list of all of your matches. However, collecting kit numbers in this group could be exceptionally useful if we organize the kit numbers by GFA genealogy number. Anyone generating this file should recommend that each participant include their GFA genealogy number if they know it or can locate it on the GFA website.

HOW SHOULD THIS BE DONE?

For the immediate future, the consensus seems to be that people who have uploaded their autosomal DNA test results to GEDmatch should post their GEDmatch numbers on the GFA Facebook page or email the numbers to Ken Graves. Then he or someone else will update a table of all the numbers on Facebook (and/or on the GFA website). This table has been created and is now in the Files section of the GFA Facebook page.

The next step might be to add this data to the spreadsheet of GFA Facebook group members that is already in the Files section of the Facebook page, although that would probably be more difficult to find and use.

A NEW GEDMATCH FEATURE TO HELP WITH THIS

Ginger Smith also mentioned: There is a new feature on GEDmatch called user lookup. You can lookup by GEDmatch ID, email address, or GEDcom ID. It will also give you a list of all GEDmatch IDs and kits you have uploaded, and the names associated.

A LONGER-RANGE OPTION

Perhaps a better option for this application of entering and tracking GEDmatch numbers, and for the application previously created to keep track of everyone on the GFA Facebook page, would be to provide a master database of all information of interest, with a simple data entry screen, and an option to view the report desired. I don’t presently know how to do this, but perhaps someone could do it or tell me how. This could be accessed by clicking on a link at the top of the Facebook page that would be in a post with explanation. Posts can be pinned to always stay at the top of the page. It could also be accessed from the GFA website.

UPLOAD YOUR AUTOSOMAL DNA TEST RESULTS TO GEDMATCH

If you have taken an autosomal DNA test with any of the DNA testing companies, download your test results and upload them to GEDmatch.com. You will see instructions on how to do this at GEDmatch, once you setup a free account there.

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YOUR TEST RESULTS ON 23ANDME

For those of you who have tested on 23andMe, Roberta Estes has written a helpful blog entry titled “What Does Sharing Genomes at 23andMe Mean?” You can read it by clicking here.

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MICKEY ROONEY WAS DESCENDED FROM GENEALOGY 270.

Legendary American entertainer Mickey Rooney died April 6 at the age of 93. According to Geni, “He was born Joseph Yule, Jr. in Brooklyn, New York on September 23, 1920. A performer since he was a toddler, Rooney made his first stage appearance in his parents' vaudeville act. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for entertaining the troops in combat zones. Although his career would span nine decades, he never again reached the height of his success before the war. Until his death, Rooney was one of the last surviving stars who worked in the silent film era.”

Via email from Geni, they notified me that I was a 7^th cousin of Mickey Rooney. I checked into that claim and discovered that it was correct. He was descended from John Graves/Greaves of genealogy 270 as follows: (1) John Graves, b. 1665, (2) John Graves, b. 1685, (3) Thomas Graves, b. by 1724, (4) Anne Graves, b.c. 1755, m. Richard Wait, (5) James Wait, m. Sarah Sims, (6) Zachariah Wait, b. 1821, SC, m. Rebecca W. Roberts, (7) Sarah E. Wait, b. 1859, MS, m. Palestine E. Carter, (8) Nellie W. Carter, b. 1893, MO, m. Joseph Tinian Yule (or Ewell), (9) Joseph Yule, Jr. (Mickey Rooney).

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A GENETIC CENSUS OF AMERICA FROM ANCESTRY.COM

An article titled “A Genetic Census of America” was posted in the Ancestry.com blog on 4 April 2014. Starting with the question of where today’s Americans come from, AncestryDNA estimated the genetic ethnicities of over 250,000 U.S. customers as percentages in 26 regions across the world. These percentages show where a person’s ancestors may have lived hundreds or thousands of years ago. They then created a series of maps of the U.S. to show the distribution of all these ethnicities in all 50 states of the U.S. The match with American history and our experience is interesting.

AN INTERESTING SIDE NOTE ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

The interactive charts for this article were created with GoogleVis and Google Chart Tools. You can see more about this tool here. If you are a programmer with some spare time or has a relative or friend who might be interested and able, it would be interesting to apply this to Graves Family Association applications such as maps showing where ancestors lived in various time periods, the migration of ancestors from a specific genealogy, where your Graves/Greaves ancestors lived versus present residences, etc.

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SOME STATISTICS ABOUT GENEALOGIES ON THE GFA WEBSITE

Bill Graves of Santa Barbara, CA, descended from genealogy 208, recently asked whether I could repeat and update a summary of genealogies that were in the Vol. 11, No. 8, 2009 Graves Family Bulletin. Here it is. It is apparent that male Graves/Greaves descendants of many more families still need to be Y-DNA tested. Although I don’t know the exact number of genealogies that have been tested, I do know that most genealogies have not

Categories	2009	2014
Total number of compiled genealogies	729	787
Total that start with males	642	677
Total that start with females	87	110
Total that are Y-DNA-tested	128 (17.5% of total)	More than 128
Total tested that don’t match any other family	30 (23% of those tested)	Unknown
Total that are in a group	297 (41% of total)	361 (46% of total)
Total number of groups	29	29
Total groups Y-DNA-tested	20	19
Total genealogies autosomal DNA tested	None	More than 39
Total genealogies in England only	173 (24% of total)	210 (27% of total)
Total genealogies in/from Scotland	6 (in Scotland only)	14
Total genealogies in/from Ireland	4 (in Ireland only)	15
Total genealogies for Graves	556	594
Total genealogies for Greaves	101	118
Total genealogies for Other (Grave, Grieves, etc.)	72	75
Total ancestors in Alphabetical Index not compiled as genealogies	unknown	84
Total genealogies that have Y-DNA charts	Not available	190
Total genealogies that have autosomal DNA charts	Not available	38

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PRESERVATION PLANS FOR GRAVES MILL PROPERTY IN VIRGINIA

For those interested in Virginia history, and especially for those descended from Capt. Thomas Graves of VA (genealogy 169), an April 11 article titled “Owner Shares Plans To Preserve Historic Graves Mill Property” may be of interest. The article includes a photo and video.

Ed Graves, the former property owner grew up in the Rosedale Mansion. The staple of the property is the Rosedale Mansion built in 1836. Next door is the Christopher Johnson Cottage, circa 1760, a national and state historic site. Also, the mill, of "Graves Mill" sits on the far corner of the property. It dates back to 1772. After Graves's family moved out, he could no longer maintain the massive property. He sold the aging house, the cottage, and mill. Vickie Runk bought the property from Graves in January. She has big plans for the six acres. A full-scale wedding and event venue fit for more than 300 people is now in the works. All slated to be on what is now Lynchburg's living history.

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ANOTHER INTERESTING BUILDING AND GRAVES FAMILY IN MONTANA

There was an article in the March 30 issue of the Graves Family Bulletin about “The Graves Hotel and Chris Graves of Harlowton, MT.” Dottie Mersinger called my attention to a Graves family and their house in Bannack, Beaverhead Co., MT, when she asked about the identity of Fielding L. Graves and his house. According to Wikipedia, Bannack is a ghost town in Beaverhead County, Montana, United States, located on Grasshopper Creek, approximately 11 miles upstream from where Grasshopper Creek joins with the Beaverhead River south of Dillon. Bannack is about 242 miles west of Harlowton, close to the Idaho border.

Many of us are related to Fielding, although probably not closely. He was Fielding Louis Graves, born 19 July 1833 in Donerail, Fayette Co., KY, m. Sarah Leota Nay, died 27 Dec. 1913 in Bannack, Beaverhead Co., MT, son of George W. C. Graves and Sidney Jane Dougherty. He is in genealogy 270. I wasn't familiar with the story of this house, but one reference on the Internet states: Around 1866, William Roe, who had made his fortune in Bannack, not in the gold fields, but, rather, in freighting, merchandising, and banking, built the first frame house in the city. Later, when the Montana Vigilantes were formed to rid the area of the rampant crime, he was involved and was one of the men that apprehended Sheriff Henry Plummer and his two deputies, who were hanged on January 10, 1864. Later, the home became home to Fielding L. Graves, who implemented the first successful gold dredging operation in the United States in 1895. The electric dredge successfully operated along Grasshopper Creek until 1902. The house was owned and occupied by the Graves family up until it was acquired by the State Park."

If you do a search on Bannack, MT, you will find many fascinating pictures and stories about Bannack. According to one photo site: “The road between Bannack and Virginia City was the scene of more holdups, robberies and murders than almost any other comparable stagecoach route. The outlaw gang had for its mastermind the Sheriff of Bannack, Henry Plummer! Plummer set himself up as a preserver of the peace, guardian of law and order. He soon became official sheriff, built a jail and had rings put in the floor so that prisoners could not escape merely by punching a hole in the sod-roof.”

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ABOUT THIS BULLETIN:

This bulletin is written and edited by Kenneth V. Graves, ken.graves@gravesfa.org.

TO SUBMIT MATERIAL TO THIS BULLETIN:

Send any material you would like to have included in this bulletin to ken.graves@gravesfa.org. The editor reserves the right to accept, edit or reject any material submitted.

TO JOIN THE GRAVES FAMILY ASSOCIATION:

If you do not already belong to the GFA, you can join by sending $20 per year to Graves Family Association, 20 Binney Circle, Wrentham, MA 02093 (more details on GFA website). Payment may also be sent electronically to gfa@gravesfa.org via PayPal.

COPYRIGHTS:

Although the contents of this bulletin are copyrighted by the Graves Family Association and Kenneth V. Graves, you are hereby granted permission, unless otherwise specified, to re-distribute part or all to other parties for non-commercial purposes only.