April DeathsRemembered/Spring Blossoms at the GTC 2023

Author's Note:  My apologies for this very brief post.  We have been away for two weeks and I'm still re-acclamating to being home.  I do, however want to call to mind the four individuals who died in the month of April and are interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery.  It is said that simply saying their names aloud, assures they will be remembered always!

Agnes Wilcox:  was born c. 1820 in Scotland and came to the United States with her first husband John Dixon and three children.  Sometime later, her husband died and she re-married George Wilcox.  Agnes Wilcox died at the age of 44 years old on April 2, 1864.  Her memorial stone is still intact and made of white marble.

Joanna Ilsley Galvin:  was one of nine children born to Jonathan (1738 -1809) and Dorcas Ingersoll Ilsley (1738 -1809), on February 14, 1769.  She married Irish School Master, Timothy Galvin shortly after his arrival in the United States.  Joanna was the mother of five children.  After her husband, Timothy's death, it appears Joanna went to Calais, Maine, probably with one of her sons until her death on April 4th, 1840.  There is some evidence that she may have been brought home to Portland, and laid to rest near her husband Tim and daughter Harriot Galvin.  A remnant of the grave site exists in the broken monument to Harriot Galvin.

Joseph Merrill:  was a resident of what is now East Deering, born in 1757 as one of the many Merrill's who settled in Maine.  Although his government issued monument memorializes his service in the Portland Rifle Company during the War of 1812 when he was about sixty years old, the truth is, he also served during the Revolutionary War when he was a much younger man.  Joseph Merrill was a farmer and apparently had a close relationship to Joseph Merrill Sawyer who became the executor of his will when he died.  Joseph Merrill died at the age of 65 on April 8, 1823.  The inscription on the monument has unfortunately started to fade.

Brackett Sawyer:  was born on March 19, 1775 to Zachariah (1732 - 1805) and Sarah Knight Sawyer (1735 - 1784).  He was the husband of Elizabeth Webb Sawyer (1782 - 1862), and the father of five children:  Brackett, (1817 - 1890), Almira, ((1801 - ?), Martha B., (1810 - 1887), John Skilling, (1815 - 1898), and Joel, (1804 - 1874).  Brackett Sawyer died on April 21st, 1851 at the age of 76 years.

Thomas Sawyer, Jr. : was the young twenty-two year old son of Thomas Sawyer who was a ship's captain, who died on April 21st, 1807.  Both he and his mother Susanna Sawyer are interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery.  Thomas Jr.'s monument was carved by the artist Bartlett Adams, and is still intact.  Visitors to the Cemetery who stop by the interpretive sign will recognize it as a marker on the map.

     Spring has finally arrived and the daffodils and spring hyacinths are in full bloom at the Presumpscot/ Grand Trunk Cemetery.  Each year since the beginning of the project to recover the ancient cemetery, Girl Scouts, their families and Friends of the Grand Trunk Cemetery gather to cleanup and plant bulbs.  This year, the array is so lovely.  Here are pictures to enjoy!  

     For those of you who live in the greater Portland area, I hope you will take the time to visit the cemetery and enjoy the spring blossoms.  Now that the school renovation and building project is nearly completed, there is parking in the back of the Presumpscot School on weekends.  During the week, and during school hours, it's best to use the walking path beside the playground to access the site.

    I am hoping to schedule a Spring Cleanup next month to prepare for Memorial Day.  We usually, schedule a time to lay flags and read the names of our deceased Veterans of the Revolution, War of 1812 and the Civil War.  I will keep followers of this blog posted! 

                                               Happy Spring to All!

March at the Grand Trunk Cemetery in 2023

Grand Trunk Cemetery Update     

Monday was a good day to go over to the Grand Trunk Cemetery. I wanted to check on the condition of the site now that it's warmer. Crocuses are up and daffodils are starting to poke their heads up. The school project looks like it's nearly done. The building project in what was the wooded area adjacent to the Cemetery is also, almost completed.

    Unfortunately, we found three grocery carts that someone managed to bring up from the Portland Food Co Op on Congress Street. One was in the Cemetery and the other two tossed over by the old railroad furnace. Joel picked up one, along with the spent wreaths and other trash.

    He went back to pickup the grocery carts with his truck and returned them to the Portland Food Co Op. We also spoke with a staff member from the school about a mattress and box spring that was left in the school wooded area. It's too bad people can sometimes be so disrespectful of sites like schools and cemeteries.

    None-the-less, the cemetery looks in good shape, but for the large and small tree branches that broke off the ancient trees.. No surprise, given the strong winds we have had with nearly every storm this season.

This stone was placed here in 2014, to remember
all the souls; known and unknown
interred in this sacred place.

Yellow, purple and white crocuses in bloom
in one of the small gardens.

Daffodils peeking up in Zoe's garden.

The interpretive sign looks good and ready for visitors.

The new addition to the Presumpscot School

If you look carefully, you will see there are two grocery carts by the fence.

Our Grand Trunk Cemetery Veterans Memorial

     There were seven deaths and burials during the month of March in the little village . Since I have previously written about each of these individuals in this blog, I invite readers to look for their stories in the pages of this work. For now, I will honor them by bringing forward their names and a few facts about them.

    Warren Small, who was the oldest of several children born to James, (1773-1845) and Lydia Howard Small, (1752 - 1834) in Limerick, York County Maine on April 21st, 1804, and died before his 20th birthday, on March 1st, 1824. He was 19 years old.

    His death noticed published on Tuesday, March 9, 1824 in the Weekly Eastern Argus, Vol XXI, Issue 1097 on page 3 reads as follows: 

DIED: In Westbrook, Mr. Warren Small, aged 18 years , and ten months.

    It appears the newspaper made a mistake with his age. The old death records do not indicate how or why Warren died as such a young man.

******************************************

    Three individuals from the Graves family died in the month of March: a father, Lieut. Crispus Graves, (1742 -March 14, 1818), his oldest daughter, Abigail Graves Sawyer, August 13, 1765 - March 10, 1848, and his grandson and namesake, Crispus Graves, (the younger) (1816 - March 15, 1879.

    Lieut. Crispus Graves was the son of William, (1693 - 1790) and Elizabeth Bean Graves, (1704 - 1732). There seems to be some controversy over whether his father is William or John Graves.

     However, the baptismal records from the First Church of Falmouth indicate this:

    "Graves of William and Elizabeth, Joseph, May 1730, Charles Johnson,March 28, 1732, John, 1735, Joanna, 1737, John, 1739, Crispus, 1742."

 

    The baptismal records also show this entry:

  

    "Graves of Crispus, Abigail, October 19, 1766.  Tabitha, December 28, 1767."

    

    Andrew Graves, the third child was not born until 1774, and by this time, changes were made to the parish, and the second parish was formed. 

    At the age of 23, Crispus Graves married Susannah Merrill , (1745 - 1793), on May 2, 1765.  They were married for 28 years until Susannah's death  at the age of 48.

    Four years before his death, Crispus Graves married Isabella Hutchinson, a widow in 1814.  Shortly after his death, Isabella conveyed the bulk of her deceased husband's estate of real and personal property to his children Abigail Graves Sawyer, Tabitha Graves Sawyer, Andrew Graves, and their heirs.

    Crispus Graves served in the 18 Regiment, Continental Troops and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, a field appointment, in  1776.  

    We also know he was received land grants for his service in the Revolutionary War.  He purchased and  owned land from the banks of the Presumpscot River in Westbrook and, we believe , owned a mill in Yarmouth.

    Lieut. Crispus Graves  died at the age of 76 years old on March 14, 1818.

**********************************************************

    Abigail Graves Sawyer, the oldest child and daughter

of Lieut. Crispus ,(1742 - 1818) and Susanna Merrill Graves, (1745 - 1800), was born August 13, 1765 in Falmouth, now Portland. 

     On April 22, 1790, at the age of 24, she married John Sawyer, (1760 - 1842.)  Over the course of twelve years, Abigail gave birth to five children.  Three daughters and one son died as very youmg children: 

 Susanna, 1794 - January 16, 1800, aet. 6 years.

Nabby, 1796 - January 25, 1800, aet. 4 years

John, July 1801 - October 2, 1802. aet. 1 year, 3 months.

Dorcus, December 1806 - March 5, 1807, aet/ 3 months, 8 days.

   In all probability, these four children are buried near their grandparents, and their parents, in graves, now unmarked, but included among the 197 burials that took place at the Presumpscot, Grand Trunk Cemetery.

    A son, Joel Sawyer, was born in 1805 and survived to the age of 69.  He died in 1874.

    Abigail Graves Sawyer, died at the age of 82 years, on March 10, 1848.  She and her husband John Sawyer were married for 52 years.  During her long life, she maintained a close relationship with her sister, Tabitha Graves Sawyer, wife of William Sawyer and her brother, Andrew Graves and his wife, Tobitha Graves.  

    The families resided on farms near one another, and bounded by land owned by the Noyce and Morse families, and Simon Davis, deceased, according to several deeds.  ( An aside: Simon Davis purchased the farm belonging to Anthony Sawyer in 1804, and died shortly after that in 1810.)

    The Tuesday, March 14 th, 1848 edition of the Portland Weekly Advertiser list this death notice:

    In Westbrook, 10th inst; Mrs. Abigail Sawyer, widow of Mr. John Sawyer, aged 82 years.

********************************************************

    Crispus Graves, the younger, and namesake of the Lieutenant, was born in 1816 to Andrew, (1774 -1860) and Tobitha Cutter Graves, (1782 - 1849), the second of four children: 

    Ebenezer (Eben) C. Graves, (1812 - 1884)

    Crispus, (1816 - 1879)

    Andrew M. , (1819 - ?)

    Susan M., (1829 - ?)

    

This man, Crispus Graves,  was undoubtably a character, but his story is worth reading in the annals of this blog.  I refer to him as a Hermit and Batchelor Farmer.  He was, it seems, incredibly kind and generous.  He left his estate to the schools in Falmouth and there is a building which once was an elementary school named for him.  He took care of his parents until their deaths, and administered his father's will, providing for his brothers and sister.

THE GRAVES SCHOOL

    Crispus Graves died at the age of 63 years and 3 months, on March 15, 1879.  For many years, graduates of the school in Falmouth were given a small gift of money in remembrance of this gentleman.  The remainder of the trust was given  to the Falmouth Historical Society.

*********************************************************

    Simon Davis was born on September 2nd, 1765 in Paxton, Worcester County to Deacon David Davis,  (1739 -1824) and Abigail Brown Davis, (1743 - 1795).  He was one of seven children.

    On February 25, 1789, in Sterling, Massachusetts, Simon married Persis Temple Newton, (1767 - 1810 ?) the daughter of Silas Newton (1744 - 1816) and Deliverance Delia Howe Newton, (1748 - 1783).

     

    The couple produced six children from 1790 to 1807.  They are as follows:

    Addison, born February 12, 1790, died December 1839.

    Ezra, born March 17, 1792, died December 9, 1796.

    Matilda, born September 24, 1796, died September 23, 1880.

    John Adams, born December 15, 1798

    Persis Newton, born July 20, 1800, died on May 19, 1849.

    Julia Temple, born February 17, 1807, died September 14, 1869.

    Readers will find Simon Davis's story interesting as he is a veteran of the Revolutionary War, a land owner, and the grandfather of a Massachusetts governor. The story was published February 17, 2015 in this blog.

    Simon Davis died on March 17, 1810 aet. 44 years.  His tombstone is worn and damaged but still retains some of its original beauty.  The inscription is taken  from a hymn by Isaac Watts:

My flesh shall slumber in the ground.
T'll the last trumpet's awful sound;
Then burst the chains with
sweet surprise.

**********************************************************

    Elizabeth Ann Sawyer Frank was the daughter of Zebulon, (1778 - 1832) and Rebecca Ford Sawyer, (1780 - ?) born c. 1820.

    At the age of 20, she married Isaiah L. Frank, (1809 - 1894.) on November 15, 1840.

     The couple resided on Ocean Street, near

 Lunt's Corner for many years.  They had four children born between 1845 and 1853:

    Seward , (1845 - 1918)

    Albert H., (1848 - 1929)

    Orin, (1850 - 1881)

    Mary  E., (1853 - 1931)

Elizabeth Ann Sawyer Frank died on March 14, 1890.  Although her old death record indicates she was interred at Eastern Cemetery, her name is not recorded there; I checked.

    Since Elizabeth Ann Frank died in East Deering, and both her husband, Isaiah Frank and her brother, Benjamin Sawyer are interred at the Presumpscot, East Deering, Grand Trunk Cemetery, we presume her to also be interred here, possibly moved here.

     The old death record lists Elizabeth Ann Frank's cause of death as 'old age' and the undertaker services were conducted by the Illsley Brothers.

********************************************

  

  The final entry for the month of March is that of Nancy Merrill, born c. 1801 and died at the age of 23 years old on March 25, 1824.  It seems that there once existed a tombstone from which this information was recorded.

  Undoubtably, someone, perhaps a family member, cared enough to errect a monument to honor her.  Unfortunately, despite an exhaustive search over the course of 12 years, nothing of any substance has brought to light anything about this young woman and her relationship to any of the other souls interred here.

    None-the-less, I choose to remember her in some small way with this poem:

********************************************

    As the month of March ends, and the promise of Spring is upon us, I wish you warmer days and sunshine, good health and best wishes to all.

February Deaths Remembered

    On this last very snowy, February 28th, we will remember four deaths that took place in this shortest month of the year.   Three are individuals whose names have survived in record, but the other, is the patriarch of the Sawyer family, believed by surviving descendants to be interred at the back cove burial site, the Grand Trunk Cemetery.

    Susanna (Hanna) Barton Sawyer was born  in 1765 to Robert, (1735 - ?) and Ruth Small Barton, (1737 - 1803).  She married Thomas Sawyer, a mariner and ship's captain, and veteran of the Revolutionary War,  on January 31st, 1784 at the age of nineteen.  Susanna was the mother of four children:  Thomas, Jr., Dorcas, George and Daniel.

    Susanna Barton Sawyer died at the relatively young age of 40 years old on February 6, 1805.  She is buried near her young son, Thomas, Jr. who died  at the age of 22 in 1807, and perhaps, her daughter Dorcas Sawyer, who died at 20 years old on June 23, 1803.

********************************************************

    Samuel Blake, son of Thomas, (1765 - 1832) and Sarah Libby Blake , (1771 - 1801) was born on August 3, 1793.  Samuel Blake married Martha H. Goold on September 27, 1821.  Samuel was a "Joiner", a specialty carpenter.  

The joiner executes the more minute parts of the wood-work of edifices, comprehending, among many things, the floors, window frames, sashes, doors, mantles &c.

    Samuel Blake was a Veteran  of the War of 1812, serving for the defence of Portland in Capt. Pride's Company of Volunteers.  During his marriage, he and Martha had six children.  Two of his children:  Emeline, (1823- 1842) and John Goold Blake, (1824 - 1827) died and are buried in graves no longer bearing their monuments.

    Samuel Blake died  on February 14, 1846 aet. 52 years old.

********************************************************

    Ann Ambler Moseley, was born in England about 1799 and died on February 24, 1856 at the age of 57.  We know she, and her daughter came to Portland sometime after her husband's  Thomas Moseley's death.  They lived in Pennsylvania, and then moved to Rhode Island.    Ann had four children, at least two sons, we know ,served in the American Civil War.

    Ann Moseley came to Portland where her daughter, Sarah Ann married John H. Blake.  Her son James, a Veteran of the Civil War also came to Portland where he was employed as an Iron Worker.

    Ann Moseley and her son, James are both interred at the East Deering/Grand Trunk Cemetery.  

    *******************************************************

    Isaac Sawyer, Sr. was born on February 14, 1684 To James, (1640 - 1703) and Sarah Bray Sawyer, (1651 - 1727)  in Gloucester, Massachusetts, then an English Colony.  Isaac was one of many children born to the couple, many are interred at the 1st Parish Cemetery in Gloucester. 

    On March 19, 1705, Isaac married Martha Bond Haskell, (August 25, 1686 - ?).    The couple produced seven children all born in Gloucester.

    In 1725, Isaac Sawyer traveled up the coast to settle in the Maine territory.  He would join his brothers John and Jacob and nephew, Job to venture into Maine, but Isaac would settle in Falmouth, now Portland, while his brothers and nephew settled in Purpoodock, now South Portland.

    All of the Sawyer family members interred at the Presumpscot/East Deering burial site can trace their lineage to this pioneer.

    Isaac Sawyer, Sr, died a day before his 88th birthday on February 13, 1772.

    

      

January Deaths: In Memorium: Eva Ella Boothby and Timothy Galvin

    On this last day of January 2023, I'd like to call to mind two deaths of individuals who are interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery in this month  over 100 years ago.  One, a little girl, only 27 months old, and the other, an immigrant from Ireland, who lived in a small house where Veranda Street in Portland is now.

    Eva Ella Boothby was born on October 17, 1849 to Silas (1814 - 1867) and Frances Baker Boothby (1815 - 1893).  She was one of six children, born to the couple during their 15 years of marriage.

    How the child died, or what was the cause of her death at such a tender age, we don't know.  There is no information given on an old death certificate created from what was once her tombstone.

    Eva Ella Boothby died on January 9, 1852, aet. 2 years and 3 months old.

*********************************************************

     Timothy Galvin, was born on February 2, 1766 in County Clare, Ireland, and died on January 21st, 1838, aet. 62 years old.  I have written previously, about this very interesting man in the pages of this blog and hope that interested readers will look further.  For now, I'd like to share a talk given by author and Irish historian, Matthew Jude Barker which he delivered in October 2014, at the re-dedication of the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery.

     Please feel free to add your on comments to any of these posts and additional information you may have from your own research or chance findings.

LIFE GOT IN THE WAY: A Belated Remembrance of December Deaths

     Over the course of the twelve years,in an effort to piece together from few existing facts, the life stories of the early residents interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery, I am always surprised by little things that suddenly become clearer.  An example of this; on the same day, December 6th, though 15 years apart, a brother and sister-in-law, died.  The woman's mother, also died iin December and hers is the oldest, surviving recorded death and burial in 1793.   These three individuals are connected to the Sawyer and Graves families.  Two other  individuals have connections to the Blake families who lived on farms adjacent to the area which encompasses the burial ground.

    We have come to believe that the Presumpscot Cemetery dates back to the 1700's, and in all probability, was established by the Sawyer family, with the death of Issac Sawyer, Jr. who died in 1749.  Over the more than 100 years, until the last burial in 1894, we believe there were at least 197 burials.  Most records are gone, and there are only remnants of stones, where once, there were monuments.  This blog is my effort to provide information I've been able to glean from available resources, and where possible, to write something about the forty-five people whose names survive in record, out of the 197 so that they will be remembered.

    It was, and is, my hope, to continue to remember these individuals during the month that they died, and write a little bit, with the hope of inticing readers to look up the earlier posts to learn more about them.

*********************************************************

DECEMBER DEATHS

    Jonas Johnson died on December 2, 1837, aet. 55 years.  Jonas was the son of Amos (1750 -1825) and Betty Pollard Johnson (1763-1813), born in Pelham, Hillsborough, New Hampshire on February 3rd, 1783.

    At the age of thirty-three, Jonas married Charlotte Blake (1795-1875), the daughter of Thomas (1765-1832) and Sarah Libby Blake (1771-1869), on November 30, 1816.

    Jonas Johnson was a cordwainer by trade; a maker of fine shoes and boots.

    Susannah Merrill Graves died on December 4th, 1793, aet. 48 years.  Susannah was born on October 9, 1745 to Joseph (1700-1775) and Abigail Blake Merrill (1726 -1775) in Falmouth, now Portland.  Her paternal grandparents were Nathaniel Merrill (1676-1742) and Hannah Kent Merrill (1679-1736).  Her maternal grandparents were Jasper Blake  and Susannah Brackett Blake.

    Susannah married Lieut. Crispus Graves (1742-18180 on May 2, 1765.  She was the mother of three children:  Abigail Graves Sawyer (1766 -1848), Tabitha Graves Sawyer (1768- 1857), and Andrew (1774-1860).

    John Sawyer, Jr. died on December 6th, 1842 aet. 82 years.  John was one of twelve children born to Anthony Sawyer (1735-1804) and Susannah Marston Sawyer (1738-1819).  He was born on November 13, 1760.

    John Sawyer served in the militia during the Revolutionary War,(July 1, 1779) when he was 18 years old and continued to serve until the end of the war.  He also served during the War of 1812.

    The Rev. Caleb Bradley presided at the marriage of John to Abigail Graves (1765-1819), on April 22,1790.  The couple had five children during their 29 years of marriage.  Sadly, only one son survived into adulthood.  Joel sawyer was born in 1805 and died at the age of 69 years in 1874.

    Tabitha Graves Sawyer died on December 6th, 1857, aet. 88 years.  She was the daughter of Lieut. Crispus Graves and Susannah Merrill Graves.  On January 3rd, 1793, she married William Sawyer (1763-1825).

    Unfortunately, like her sister, Abigail, and brother-in-law, John Sawyer, Tabiitha and her husband also lost two of their children at very young ages.  Two sons would survive into adulthood:  Joseph Merrill Sawyer (1795 -1876) and Crispus Sawyer(1804-1873).

    Dorcas Whitten Sawyer, Daughter-in-law, of Tabitha Graves Sawyer and William Sawyer, died on December 15th, 1856, aet.55 years.  Very little information is known about her heritage.  She was born around 1801 and married  Joseph Merrill Sawyer (1745 - 1875) sometime before 1832.)

    Dorcas and Joseph had four children during their 24 years of marriage:  Joseph Merrill Sawyer, Jr. (1832-1835), David Sawyer (1836-1862), Sarah J. Sawyer (1838-1904), and Mary Elizabeth Sawyer-Chick (1841-1888).

    James Mosely died on December 10th, 1892, aet. 56 years,5 months in Deering of a cerebral hemorage.  James was born, one of four children to Thomas and Ann Ambler Mosely in Manayunk, Pennsylvania in 1836.  His parents came from England to Pennsylvania where his father Thomas was employed in manufactoring.  

    Sometime after his father's death, the family moved to Rhode Island.  It was here, that James and his brothers enlisted, and served during the Civil War.

    James and his mother and sister moved to Portland, Maine.   Sarah Mosely married John H. Blake. 

 James was an iron worker until his death.  James and his mother, Ann are buried at the Grand Trunk Cemetery.

********************************************************

If you wish to know more about these men and women, follow the listings in this blog.

On a personal note:  January 15th was National Hat Day.  I knit and felt one of a kind hats for women and children. 

    This year, I held a Hat Party at our home in Portland and invited folks to stop by.  I decided to donate half of the proceeds toward flowers to plant at the GTC in the late spring when we hold our annual Cleanup and Planting Party. Happily, one hundred dollars has been set aside for this purpose.

In Remembrance: Silas Boothby, November 22, 1867 and Andrew Graves, November 28, 1860

    Two deaths are recorded of gentlemen interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery who lived in that part of Portland, known at that time as Westbrook. One was born during the War of 1812, and the other, born just prior to the Revolutionary War, and served in the militia during the War of 1812.  Both men were husbands and fathers, and both lived to see Maine finally separate from Massachusetts and become an independent state.

    Silas Boothby was born on February 14, 1814 in Saco in York County to Nathaniel Boothby, Jr. (1782-1860) and Anna Milliken Boothby (1785-1821).  He was one of ten children born to the couple.

    On April 3, 1839, Silas married Frances Sawyer Baker, (1815-1893).  He was 25 and Frances was 24 years old.  During their marriage of 21 years, six children were born.  One child, a daughter, Eva Ella died before her third birthday in 1852.   Silas and Frances Boothby are buried in a plot near their little daughter.

    Silas Boothby is listed in the Census records for 1850 and 1860 as a ships carpenter/  However, at the time of his death, Silas Boothby was an employee of the Grand Trunk Depot.  His obituary reveals he died suddenly on November 22, 1867 of appoplexy.  During the 18th and 19th century, appoplexy was used to describe what we might say today is a stroke.

     ******************************************************************************

        Andrew Graves was born on May 22, 1774 to Lieut. Crispus Graves, (1742-1818) and Susannah/Hannah Merrill Graves, (1745-1793).  He was one of three children born to the couple.  His two sisters, Abigail Graves Sawyer, (1765-1848) and Tabitha Graves Sawyer, (1782-1849), married Sawyer brothers and during their lifetime remained close to Andrew and his family.

    On May 1st, 1808, Andrew and Tabitha Cutter (1742-1849) were married by the Rev. Caleb Bradley.  Andrew and his brothers-in-law resided on farms in what is now the East Deering neighborhood of Portland.

    Andrew and Tabitha had five children during their marriage:  Ebenezer C. (1812-1884), Crispus, (1816-1879), Andrew M. (1819-?), Robert M. (1825 -?), and Susan M. (1829 - ?)

     In 1841, Andrew made a legally binding contract with his second son, Crispus Graves to purchase property in exchange for the provision of personal care for his wife and himself until his death.  The document is very revealing in that it mentions a location of the farm and the names of each of the children.

    During the War of 1812,  Andrew Graves served in the militia along with his brothers-in-law, William and John Sawyer.

    Andrew Graves lived a long life, and died at the age of 86 at the home of his son, Crispus Graves.