Name: Thomas
GRAFTON
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Birth: 12 Feb 1760 King & Queen, VA
Death: 12 Aug 1851 Jackson Twp., Champaign, OH
Father: Thomas GRAFTON (-1794)
Mother: Sally (?)
Misc. Notes
Thomas GRAFTON ( - 1794) & Sally (?)
Thomas GRAFTON (1760 - 12 Aug 1851)
& Hester Catherine COWDEN (13 Jul 1762 - 18 Dec 1838)
Ambrose
GRAFTON (9 Dec 1792 - 8 Jan 1866) & Elizabeth KELLEY (16 Nov 1799 - 28 Sep
1881)
Margaret
Brown GRAFTON (2 Aug 1818 - 13 Aug 1854) & John ARNEY (26 May 1816 - 22 Oct
1881)
Jacob
Sylvester ARNEY* (23 Mar 1839 - 13 Feb 1927) & Linia Ann BARNES (1840 -
1880)
Mary Ellen ARNEY (24 Apr 1861 - 9 Sep 1935) & Joshua Newton MACHLAN
(1859 - 1936)
Linnie Ellen MACHLAN* (30 Sep
1884 - 7 May 1974) & Everett Elmer WALKER (1882 - 1948)
Elsie Maureen
WALKER (20 Nov 1903 - 12 Mar 1983) & Leo Newton COFFEY (1901 - 1998)
DOCUMENTED
SOURCES:
1. "Six
Generations (A Grafton Genealogy)"
Written
& published by Frank Grafton, Francesville, Pulaski Co., Indiana 1930
"FIRST
GENERATION (of which I have record): Thomas Grafton, Sr., born 1760, died 1851;
Hester Cowden, his wife, born 1762, died 1838. Eight children as follows:
James; Ambrose;Susannah, married James Darnell; Elizabeth; Sarah; Thomas,
married Margaret Downy; Amelia, married Darnell; John, married Polly.
" One
brother, John, on my record was old enough to volunteer in the Revolutionary
War. Thomas, Sr.,was too young, but was pressed into service with a team of
oxen. When he became old enough to volunteer, he seems to have had enough and
did not volunteer."
2. "The
Official Roster of the Soldiers of the American Revolution Buried in
Ohio". The F.J. Heer Printing Company, Columbus, Ohio. 1929. p 161.
"
Grafton, Thomas (Champaign County) Br. 1769, Va. D Aug 12, 1851. Bur on Fromme
Farm. Fur info Champaign County."
3. DAR
Patriot Index 1959. p 145
"GRAFTON,
THOMAS - Champaign County, Ohio by Mrs. Carl Pooler, Urbana, Ohio. Roster I p.
161. B 1759 Rockingham Co., VA; d 8-12-1851, bur on Fromme Fram, Jackson Twp.,
Champaign Co., Ohio. Wife Esther or Hester Couden. Children James, Ambrose,
Susan, Elizabeth, John, Sarah, Thomas, and Amelia. 58th NSDAR Report.
4.
"Virginia Publick Claims" King and Queen County. Compiled and
transcribed by Janice L. Abercrombie and Richard Slattern. Iberian Publishing
Company, Athens, Georgia.
Page 6 Thos.
Grafton cert. given by Robert Hill
175 # beef £2-3-9
Page 15 Thos
Grafton property of Edwin Motley
cert given
by Robert Hill
325# beef £4-1-6
Page 23 Tho.
Grafton 1 beef 650
Page 28
Thomas Grafton 175# beef
Page 34
Thos. Grafton 275# beef
Page 40
Thos. Grafton
6. Land
Office Records, Land Office at Cincinnati, No. 4992
Sale of
public lands in Champaign County, OH, to Thomas Grafton 1811
NOTE: I hold
copies of the original documents stamped by the National Archives.
7.
Fothergill & Naugle, Virginia Taxpayers, 1782-1787 records of both Thomas
Grafton and John Grafton Thomas owned four slaves. My Thomas Grafton would have
been 22 or 23 years of age in 1782.
Thomas
Grafton, and his son James Grafton, are listed as paying the poll tax. (Note
also that other ancestors, Samson Kelley, Jacob Arney, John Trewett (Truitt)
and his son Thomas Trewett are all found on this poll tax list for 1811.
Further, the Champaign County Genealogical Society invites descendents of any
of these people to identify themselves and claim status as "First Families
of Champaign County".)
1820 CENSUS, OHIO, CHAMPAIGN CO., JACKSON TWP:
Thomas
Grafton (father) and Ambrose Grafton (son) are living near each other. Thomas
has two male and two female children living at home. Ambrose has 3 children
living at home, all under the age of 10. Both families are engaged in
agriculture.
1830 CENSUS, OHIO, CHAMPAIGN CO., JACKSON TWP.
Thomas
Grafton still there, this time listed near both Ambrose and James C. Grafton
(another son). Thomas, in addition to his wife, has 1 male and 3 females living
in his household. One female is under age 5, which leads me to suspect he has
one married child with a baby living in the house.
1840 CENSUS, OHIO, CHAMPAIGN CO., JACKSON TWP:
Still
several Graftons living in the same neighborhood. From the age distributions,
it would appear that Thomas Grafton, who
would be in the “70-80” age range, is now living with his youngest son, Thomas
Jr. Ambrose is still also near by, with 9 males and 5 females in the house
(including Ambrose and his wife).
1850 CENSUS,
OHIO, CHAMPAIGN CO., JACKSON TWP:
Thomas is
now 90 years old, and still living with son Thomas Jr. Thomas Sr. owns real
estate worth $4000, Thomas Jr. worth $1200.
FOLLOWING FROM “HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY: JACKSON TOWNSHIP” CHICAGO, W.R. BEERS & CO., 1881: found at:
http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Champaign/ChampaignJackson.htm
“Thomas
Grafton was born in Virginia, Rockingham County, and came here in 1806. He
always held that his name was " Old Tommy Grafton," and that he was
so christened. His wife's name before marriage was Esther or Hester Couden.
They came to this township and entered a quarter-section of land, being the
southeast quarter of Section 3. They brought with them a family of eight
children, whose names in their order were James, Ambrose, Susan, Elizabeth,
John, Sarah, Thomas and Amelia. The boys and the father built a cabin and
commenced clearing the land, all settling on the home place. Of the boys,
Ambrose and James were the only two who enlisted and fought in the war of 1812,
and Thomas was the largest land-holder of his day, having bought more than a
section. The old farm is still called "Tommy Grafton's place," and is
occupied by Ambrose Grafton, a grandson of the old man, The children did not
all stay in this part of the country; some of them have died, some moved to
other parts, but there is still a large circle of the old man's descendants
occupying farms in different parts of the township. They all seem to partake of
the energetic, sturdy qualities of their ancestor, who died in the
ninety-second year of his age, August 12, 1851. His body lies on the farm of
one of his grandchildren, in a little secluded family burying-ground. Thomas
Cowhic came in the same year, but a little earlier in the year than Mr.
Grafton. He entered the "Cowhic farm," of eighty acres, near the Big
Spring. He has passed away, and so has his posterity, and nothing save the
above can be learned of him. About this time, the tide of emigration set in
very strong toward Ohio, and pushed steadily forward into the country forming
this township. The woodman's ax could be heard in all directions; the wild
animals became very shy, and scarcer from day to day; the Indians looked with
jealous eye upon the increasing numbers of their enemies; and still the sturdy
pioneers from Virginia and Kentucky braved all dangers, and entered with
alacrity upon the work of clearing the land. As the forest disappeared, the
ground seemed more rolling, and the absence of the heavy timber and thick
foliage allowed it to dry out, until the swampy nature of the ground was so far
overcome that very little drainage was required of the farmer. One very
noticeable fact was manifest in this connection, viz. : The first
settlers-those who had the whole country from which to choose their land-made
the poorest selections, The Virginians, especially, would settle near a brook,
creek, or spring, without regard to situation, quality or condition of land,
evidently thinking a water supply of the first importance.”
“The Grafton
Methodist Episcopal Church. -This church was organized in 1838, with fifteen
members, mostly Graftons, hence the name. Immediately after organization, a
church was built upon land donated for the purpose by James C. Grafton. While
the church was being built, they worshiped in Fitzpatrick's Schoolhouse, in
which place the church was organized. The church was a small, one-story frame
building, which is now (1881) used as a stable on Farmer Pence's place, having
been moved and its place filled by the present large and more convenient one
which is also frame. The church now numbers a membership of between sixty and
seventy.”
BURIAL (FROM
“FIND-A-GRAVE”):
Both Thomas
and Hester Catherine Cowden Grafton are buried in the Grafton cemetery (Latitude:
40.07830, Longitude: -83.92560) in Champaign County, OH. This is a very small
cemetery, with less than 20 burials, mostly named Grafton.
Marriage: 13 Mar 1788 Staunton, Berkeley, VA
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Spouse: Hester
Catherine COWDEN
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Birth: 13 Jul 1762 VA
Death: 18 Dec 1838 Jackson Twp., Champaign, OH
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Thomas GRAFTON (12 Feb 1760 - 12 Aug 1851) & Hester
Catherine COWDEN (13 Jul 1762 - 18 Dec 1838)
James Cowden
GRAFTON (4 Aug 1788 - 6 Jun 1859)
Ambrose GRAFTON
(9 Dec 1792 - 8 Jan 1866) & Elizabeth KELLEY (16 Nov 1799 - 28 Sep 1881)
Elizabeth GRAFTON
(1 Feb 1795 - 24 Aug 1859)
Susannah GRAFTON
(18 Aug 1795 - 24 Aug 1879)
Sarah Maria
GRAFTON (1799 - )
Amelia Mellisent
GRAFTON (8 Sep 1801 - 5 Aug 1863)
John L W GRAFTON
(2 Apr 1804 - 2 Jan 1876)
Thomas J GRAFTON
(28 Jun 1806 - 28 Jun 1864)
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