GRAVES FAMILY BULLETIN

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

Vol. 6, No. 3, July 11, 2004

Information on how to start a free subscription to this bulletin and how to be removed from the subscription list is at the end of this bulletin. If you received this bulletin directly, then you are already subscribed.

Visit the GFA web site at https://gravesfa.org

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CONTENTS:

** General Comments
** Receiving this Bulletin and E-Mail Addresses
** Browsing the GFA Website and Other Sites
** Graves/Greaves DNA Study
** Graves Reunions
** Queries
** To Submit Material to this Bulletin & Other Things

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GENERAL COMMENTS

My wife, Sarah, and I will be in Alaska for the next couple of weeks. When I return, one of the things I will try to do is begin to make some of the major changes to the GFA website that I promised earlier this year. This will include a "members only" area. I also hope to begin to make this bulletin available as a "web log" or "blog", which will make it more convenient and accessible for some of you.

On October 30 of this year, I will be attending a conference in Houston, TX, sponsored by our DNA testing laboratory, Family Tree DNA. If there is anyone who would like to meet with me in Houston at that time, I may be able to adjust my schedule, especially if I know before I make my final airline reservations.

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RECEIVING THIS BULLETIN AND E-MAIL ADDRESSES

When you change your e-mail address, please be sure to let us know your new one. Otherwise, we will lose track of you. An increasing number of online newsletters (including this one) cannot be received because of attempts by service providers such as AOL to reduce spam. The only alternative people have now is to read the Bulletin on the GFA website. In the future, however, we will probably also make the newsletter available from a web log (usually called a Blog), which should avoid this problem.

To read this Bulletin or others on the GFA website, go to https://gravesfa.org, click on the link at the top of the page for GF Bulletin, and then click on the link for the desired Bulletin.

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BROWSING THE GFA WEBSITE AND OTHER SITES

If you don't get what you expect or if you suspect you aren't seeing the most recent update of a web page, click on "Refresh" in your browser. Otherwise, your browser is apt to display a previous version of the page that it has stored in your computer's cache memory.

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GRAVES/GREAVES DNA STUDY

GENERAL
A few more test results have been added. We now have a total of 153 sets of test results completed. We are also beginning to get results for 37 markers, which will help us differentiate various branches of large families.

Lots of genealogies (Graves/Greaves family groups) have no participants in the DNA study. Without being part of the study, descendants may NEVER find out which Graves ancestor they are descended from. I urge you to take part in the study (if you are a male with the Graves surname and no one from your immediate line has participated) or to find someone else from your family
line to participate.

Let me know whether you prefer the HTML or PDF version of the family charts, or whether you think both should be available. These are the charts that you can see by going to the DNA master results table (the one that shows all the test results), and clicking on the link in the genealogy column on the far right. So far I have put both options only for genealogies 150, 166, 168, 169, and 247.

GENEALOGY 169 (CAPT. THOMAS GRAVES OF VA)
You can see in the master results table that sample numbers 1357 (gen. 443) and 20362 (gen. 877) both seem to be descended from Thomas1, John2, Thomas3, John4 (the yellow and green blocks on the family chart). Research needs to be done to determine the exact connection.

Descendants of other lines from Capt. Thomas Graves are needed as participants in the study. Descendants of Francis2 Graves are especially needed to confirm the ancestry and structure of that part of the family. Among many fragments of the family probably descended from Francis2 Graves are genealogies 889 and 892 of King & Queen and Gloucester counties, VA. A descendant of 892 and one of 889 have been tested, and both match Francis2, but we don't know how they are connected (if they are). And while we are discussing possible descendants of Francis2, James Graves and Mary Copeland of VA & GA (gen. 150) should be included too.

We have also been working on the part of the Capt. Thomas Graves family descended from Capt. Thomas Graves' son Thomas, especially that part that lived in Chesterfield Co., Amelia Co., Norfolk, VA, and vicinity. Information on that part of the family and DNA participants are needed.

LARGE BLUE GROUP IN MASTER DNA TABLE
It is apparent that the largest group of participants are descended from the common ancestor of the large blue group in the master DNA results table. This includes John Graves of Concord, MA (gen. 166), Rear Adm. Thomas Graves of Charlestown, MA (gen. 28), John Greaves of St. Mary's Co., MD (gen. 247), James Graves who married Mary Copeland of VA and GA (gen. 150), probably Francis2 Graves (previously believed to be a son of Capt. Thomas Graves of VA), and most of the Graves families of Randolph Co., NC.

By testing descendants of each of the lines in each of these genealogies, we can infer the haplotype of the head of each of these families. That is, although it is impossible to test the patriarch of each of these families (since he is long since dead), we can find how he would have tested by testing his descendants. If we test enough markers, the patriarch of each family will have a slightly different set of results (a slightly different haplotype). It may then be possible to match each of these haplotypes to a branch of an even older family. For instance, we should be able to tell whether James Graves of VA & GA (gen. 150) was descended from Francis Graves (which I think is most likely), or from gen. 166, 247, or other family. And then we should be able to tell the ancestry of Francis Graves (although that may require much more participation from Graves descendants in England).

In conclusion, it is very important to the success of this project that more people participate in the DNA study, that more families are represented, and that tests for results in this large blue group be extended to 37 markers. Otherwise, the likelihood of finding relationships will be very low. The same reasoning discussed above applies to family groups other than those in the large blue group to a greater or lesser extent.

MORE PARTICIPANTS NEEDED
If you have not yet returned your DNA samples, PLEASE do so as soon as possible.

If your part of the Graves, Greaves, or other spelling, family is not yet included in the DNA study, it would be very helpful if you could either volunteer to participate (if you are a male with the Graves, etc.) surname or find someone else in your part of the family who would be willing to take part.

HOW TO SIGN UP FOR THE STUDY & HOW TO GET ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS

To sign up for the study, go to the Graves Family Association website at https://gravesfa.org, click on the DNA study link at the top of the main page, then click on the link in the large red box on that page, and complete the requested order information.

Alternatively, you can go to the Family Tree DNA website at http://www.familytreedna.com, enter Graves or Greaves in the surname search at the top right of the main page, click on the link to the Graves project (NOT the "ordering" link), and complete the ordering form. As long as you use one of these two procedures, you will get the group discount for the Y-DNA tests or any of the other tests you choose to order. (When you order, you will see the word GROUP after the price. If you do not see that, go back and be sure you have used the correct procedure.)

FINANCIAL HELP STILL NEEDED

All contributions toward the DNA study will be much appreciated. Many thanks to those of you who have already contributed. We especially need funding for testing of descendants in the British Isles, some of whom will probably be less apt to pay the cost. You may also want to consider sponsoring a relative as a way to get a test for your part of the family.

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GRAVES REUNIONS

Last issue we mentioned the planned reunion in the Jamestown/Williamsburg, VA area in 2007, and the one in San Antonio, TX next summer. Contact Ken Graves (ken.graves@gravesfa.org) to volunteer to help with the VA reunion, and contact Ron Graves (gravesronn@cs.com) about helping with the TX gathering.

We have now been told of another one. The 2nd reunion of the descendants of Enos Graves and his siblings of Randolph County, NC, will be July 16 and 17, 2004 in Siler City, NC. On Friday evening, July 16, there will be a barbecue, cookout, and fish fry, and on Saturday at the Siler City Moose Lodge, there will be various sports activities, plus live band music and picture display. For information, contact Harvey Lester Graves, 345C Jordan Grove Rd., Siler City, NC 27344, 919-663-0355, lester@centernet.net, or Mary Graves Cunningham, 116-68 155th St., Jamaica, NY 11434, 718-848-6569, cunninghamjamaic@aol.com. (This is genealogy 789 on the GFA website.)

Mrs. Frances O'Connor Periconi, 3103 Cashwell Dr., Apt. 101, Goldsboro, NC 27534, is descended from John Graves and Margery Harvey of Randolph Co., NC. Her part of the family went to Indiana. She want to know whether there are any Graves reunions in Indiana or NC for this family.

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QUERIES

Since the printed Graves Family Newsletter is no longer being published, queries will be included in this Bulletin if you submit them to me. I will no longer be creating queries from the non-query information you send me.

ABOUT THIS BULLETIN:

This bulletin is written and edited by Kenneth V. Graves, ken.graves@gravesfa.org. Ken Graves is also editor of the Graves Family Newsletter, the official publication of the Graves Family Association. This bulletin will contain announcements and news of special interest to Graves descendants with Internet access. It will not contain queries, genealogies, photos, and the kind of in-depth articles that appear in the Graves Family Newsletter.

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 via PayPal by going to www.paypal.com and sending payment to gfa@gravesfa.org. Benefits include access to the "members only" section of the website, membership directory, and help with learning more about your Graves/Greaves family. The purpose of the GFA is to bring together as many descendants as possible to work toward learning more about the Graves/Greaves families, to help other descendants, and to instill pride in our ancestry.

COPYRIGHTS:

Although the contents of this bulletin are copyrighted by the Graves Family Association and Kenneth V. Graves, you are hereby granted rights, unless otherwise specified, to re-distribute articles to other parties for non-commercial purposes only. Do not re-distribute the newsletter in its entirety.

TO SUBSCRIBE OR UNSUBSCRIBE TO THIS BULLETIN:

To subscribe to this bulletin, send an e-mail message to ken.graves@gravesfa.org. Please include your full name. Your postal mailing address and information on your Graves/Greaves ancestry would also be appreciated, although not essential.

To remove your name from this subscription list, send an e-mail message to ken.graves@gravesfa.org asking to be removed.