The first two generations of this family are taken from the booklet Gragg Descent by George Robert Gragg, 1978, and the research of this website where the book can be downloaded.

1st generation

William Gragg, Sr. died in Albemarle County, VA in 1789. His will dated 14 Jan. 1789 and proved in Oct. 1789 named his wife, Elizabeth, and 8 children: William (Jr.), Sarah, Elizabeth, Susanna, Beniah, Robert, Nancy, and Mary. Note that his name is given as Gregg in the will.

3rd generation

William Gragg II per his Revolutionary Pension Application, was born in Augusta County, VA on 15 Apr. 1758 (only a few pages of this 99-page file are used in this narrative). According to his testimony to the court: He enlisted for the Revolutionary War in June or July of 1779-1780 in Augusta Co., VA, and served one month in Capt. Andrew Wallace's Company (Col. Francis Taylor's Virginia Regiment). During this tour of duty, he guarded prisoners. He enlisted again in January 1781 in Rockbridge County, VA, and served 3 months in Capt. Benjamin Harrison's Company (Col. John Bowyer's Virginia Regiment). During this tour, he participated in two skirmishes near Portsmouth. In May, 1781, he was drafted and served for 3 months under Capt. Henderson, which Company then joined General Anthony Wayne's army, but he became ill and was furlowed until the tour was ended. He was drafted again in Sept. 1781 in Albemarle County, VA, and served 3 months in Captain Robert Sharp�s Co. of VA troops. This command joined General George Washington at Little York (Yorktown) and he was present at Yorktown when Cornwallis surrendered. He then marched as a guard of prisoners to the Potomac River where he was discharged. He received pension number W7570 for his service at the rate of $23.33 annually.

He first married Elizabeth Pulliam about 1780, probably in Albemarle County, VA. Her name is unproven (at least by me). Per census records and other researchers, she was born about 1758. Her name is given as Mary Pulliam in an early 1920's SAR application. Shall we call her Mary Elizabeth? They lived in Albemarle County until after the end of the Revolutionary War--see reconstructed census records for that county. Soon after the end of the war, William II and wife moved to Surry Co., NC for a short period before leaving for the John�s River section of Burke County, North Carolina (this part is now Caldwell Co.), arriving there before 1800. This is in the northwestern part of NC, just south of Blowing Rock and Grandfather Mountain. There are many Graggs still living in the area, all descendants of �Revolutionary Bill� as he was called. There was a small town named Gragg which no longer appears on maps and there still is a Gragg Creek in the area, as well as other landmarks named after this early settler. This is rugged country, to be sure.

William Gragg II and Elizabeth, by most accounts, had 6 sons and 2-3 daughters together, all born by 1800. The 1800 census of Burke County, NC, shows only 2 sons, but 4 daughters. However, the 1810 census shows 4 sons born before 1800, so it is unclear why more weren't listed in 1800. Also, in the 1810 census, there are two other young Gragg men in Burke County that are almost certainly sons of William and Elizabeth (they are James and William). I have not done any extensive research on their known children, who are: John D. (1781 � unk), Robert (1785 � unk), James B. (cir. 1786 � unk), William �Buck� Buchanan (1788 � ca. 1855), Susanna (1791 � unk), Benjamin Franklin (cir. 1792-1844, see below), (David?) Obediah (1796-1846), and Elizabeth "Betsy" (1800 � aft. 1850). Four sons, John, Robert, Benjamin, James settled on Gragg Creek, within a mile of one another. Robert later moved to Indiana. Buck and Obediah settled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge.

Many researchers report that Wm. Gragg II married 2nd to Nancy Dunkle. It seems likely that this name is a mistake that occurred due to confusion with another older William Gragg in Pendleton County, VA, who married Mary Dunkle. It has been reported by other researchers that Elizabeth died in or shortly after 1800, but I can find no reliable source for that information. He didn't marry his last wife, Nancy Coffey, until 1837, so, who is the wife living with him in 1810, 1820 and 1830? Is it Elizabeth or is she a second wife of unknown name and about the same age as Elizabeth?

In the 1810 census of Burke County, the wife, who could be Elizabeth (if she lived that long) is over 45. In 1820 there is a wife (over 45), and also 2 young boys and a young girl, all under 10 years of age (there are also 2 girls 16-26 which could be daughters from 1st marriage). The boys are reported by some researchers to be William's sons named Abner Gragg and John Gragg. Other researchers suggest they might be children of this 2nd wife by an earlier marriage. In the 1830 census, these 3 children are mysteriously missing, and there is a younger boy aged 5-10 and a younger girl also 5-10. The wife is 70-80 years old. This boy is reportedly William's son Harvey Gragg, born in 1827. No information has been found regarding the young girl, and no further information can be found about the earlier 3 children (Abner, John and an unnamed girl). My thoughts are that the wife who is 70-80 in 1830 wasn't likely the mother of the two children under 10. And, she would have been 60-70 in 1820--again, pretty old for the mother of three children under 10 even at that age. I wonder if some or all of them were grandchildren? And, isn't it possible that this wife is still Elizabeth?

I don't want to go too far astray, but I suggest that the name Nancy Dunkle may have been invented because there is a letter in the pension file from someone requesting information about their ancestor William Gragg who was married to a Dunkle. This could easily have been from a descendant of the other William Gragg, who mistook this William Gragg for the other, and it may have started the speculation--just a thought. Misinformation travels like wildfire through genealogy trees, I have noticed.

Back to the supposed children of the 2nd wife: Judging from information found in "Avery County Heritage", Vol 1, 1976, Harvey definitely existed and must at least have been a descendant of William Gragg II, if not his son. The compiler of the descendants of William Gragg II and wife Nancy Dunkler (or Dunkle) wrote several bits of lore about Harvey, stories which must have been passed down through the years. Some researchers (including the researcher for Wm. Gragg in Avery County Heritage, Vol. 2) show Harvey as the son of John Gragg, which would make him a grandson of William Gragg II. I have just discovered that Harvey, born on the matching date, is listed in Bible records as a son of John B. Gragg.

William Gragg II married Nancy Coffey on 4 July 1837 (her name and marriage date per Pension Application). About this time, William and Nancy moved near Montezuma (this area previously was Burke County, then Yancey Co. created in 1833, and currently Avery Co.) where he wrote his Last Will and Testament, naming his 2 children from this last marriage and leaving one dollar to "Each of my older set of sons and daughters" whose names were, sadly, not given. The two children named are Indiana ("Cindy" or "Indy") Gragg, born about 1837 and Taylor, born about 1846. Researchers should note that surprisingly, William Gragg II was respectively about 79 and 88 years old when these two children were born! Wm. Gragg II died 20 Oct. 1847 (see the Pension Application of Nancy Gragg) and is buried at Montezuma, NC (see his gravestone at findagrave.com). Montezuma is about 1.6 miles west of Linville on Highway 181 going toward Newland. It is about 7 miles west of Gragg (as the crow flies).

Nancy (Coffey) Gragg applied for and received his pension after his death per the pension file records. In 1868 she applied for and received an increase to $96.00 annually. She was born about 1811, according to the Bounty Land Application from the pension file. Persons who swore to her identity in court were Lance F. Estes and Stanhope S. Whisenhunt, probably relatives, as they both had married women who were from the Coffey family. She received the Bounty Land Warrant No. 26833-160-55 (presumably 160 acres); the only evidence I could find was the number on the cover page of the pension file.

During the Civil War, Nancy's Pension Certificate which had been on file in her agent's office, went missing after a raid by the rebels. She was required to reapply and prove her allegiance to the United States, after which, her pension was reinstated. Affiants to the fact of her allegiance were Jas. C. Estes and James F. Collett. They stated that her oldest son arrived at the age of conscription about 18 months before the surrender and in order to avoid confederate service, he "lay out" until the end of the war.

Nancy had another child, Edmond Paza Gragg, born out of wedlock about February, 1849. According to his death certificate in 1920, his father was William Edward Philyaw (cir. 1828 NC- cir. 1889, Rabun Co., GA). Nancy Gragg died in late 1887 per this pension file document. (Note the scribblings in the upper right corner which reads "paid to June 4, 1887 living in Collettville Caldwell Co. N.C. aged ... 76 yrs" and another note "Date of death not on Ap[application?]" ).

Note: Some of the PDF files here are of poor quality in order to keep them smaller. I can provide a better image for most of them. I can also provide a translation for most of them if anyone should want that. Just ask.

4th generation

Benjamin made his will on 30 June 1844, naming himself with the words "I, Benjamin Gragg late of Caldwell County." Perhaps this implies that he had removed to another county. His will left his wife Nancy "all the land and property during her lifetime" and the "land here where I live to my two youngest boys William and Amosfonzo", and the "balance of my land above here for my son Thomas" and "my son Joel." He left for his four girls equal amounts of property "to wit: Emely Gragg, Minsey Gragg, Sofey Gragg, Melissa Gragg. I think my daughter Tempey Shope has had her part." It remains unclear to me what property he willed to the girls. It is unknown exactly when and where he died or was buried. Nancy survived him and died about 1869.

Three of these girls married into the Shope family, sons of William and Elizabeth Shope. Tempey Catherine married Andrew Jackson Shope; Minnie married William Riley Shope; and Emily married Hosea Alexander Shope. Son Joel born 12 Feb. 1822 married Emily Bartlett. He died in the Civil War.

Caveat: I have not seen definite proof that my ancestor William Monroe Gragg is the same as the William listed in this will of Benjamin Franklin Gragg. Other researchers have made this connection and I am still looking for their proof. If anyone can help me with that, I would be grateful. Perhaps the similar names Sophia, daughter of Benjamin, and Surfina, daughter of William Monroe are a clue as is the fact that he was living next to 3 of his [said] siblings in the 1860 census

5th generation

According to Trails West, the Parker Co. Gen. Soc. newsletter, William M. was a registered voter in Parker Co., TX, 1867-70, having been in the state for 3 years (from which year? I need to check the original record). In May of 1870, he signed a petition requesting more soldiers for protection from the Indians. In August 1870, in a Dallas Weekly Herald article about an Indian Raid in Parker County, his wife was listed as a widow, so we can deduce that he died between May and August of 1870. In August 1870, Nancy was listed on the census as a widow, and in 1875, she paid taxes and was listed next to her son, L.S. Gragg.

In the 1870 census, Nancy is living next door to Margaret Holder, widow of William P. Holder. He was the son of William D. Holder and Elizabeth Jackson, and was Nancy's brother.

Nancy moved to Jack County, TX with her children before 1880. She is shown as owning land north of her son-in-law and daughter Surfina and Irvin Wampler on a property map in Jack County. A marriage record in Jack County lists the marriage of Nancy Jane Gragg and F.M. Frie on 20 Dec. 1880. A land record shows this F.M. Frie and wife Nancy Frie selling her land to her son, S.W. Gragg in August of 1881. Curiously, no more is seen of the Frie name, for Nancy Gragg is living with son Nathaniel in the 1900 census of Collinsworth Co., TX.

In a story about Francis Marion Frie in the Jack County History, it is stated that his third wife, Mrs. Nancy Jane Gragg died shortly after they married (1880). He lived until 1890. When I questioned the author of that story, she said that the family had been told that Nancy was buried out in back of the homestead! Clearly that was a mistake. I don't know if she lived with him until his death or if they separated.

After spending time in Collinsworth County, with her son, I assume that Nancy returned to Jack County before her death. It is quite a distance between the two counties. She died 3 June 1908 and is buried at Fairview Cemetery, Joplin (Jack) TX.

The five children of William and Nancy were: 1) Leander Smith Gragg;he was born 24 Sept. 1850 in NC and married Elizabeth Ann Drury 15 Oct. 1879 in Shackleford Co., TX. He died 6 June 1925. 2) Sewell Wesley Gragg, b. 26 Feb. 1853 in NC. He married Sarah Henry Shirley 23 Sept. 1877 in Parker Co., TX. They went to Oklahoma for 13 yrs. and then moved back to the Texas panhandle (Collinsworth Co.) by 1900 in a covered wagon. He died 11 Aug. 1930. 3) Surfina Emmaline Gragg shown below 4) Elizabeth Gragg b. ca. 1858 in NC; nothing more is known about her--she may have died in North Carolina. 5) Nathaniel Bundy Gragg was born 18 July 1869 in Texas. He married Ida Lee Bradley about 1901, probably in Collinsworth County, TX. He died 22 Jan. 1944 in Wheeler Co., TX.

William's middle name of Monroe is given in the death certificate of his son, Nathaniel Bundy Gragg.

6th generation

SURFINA EMMALINE GRAGG AND DAVID IRVIN WAMPLER
OF Parker Co., TX

Check out the graves of some of these people on my virtual "Meador Cemetery" with Meadors, Wamplers, Graggs, Stults, Curtis, Littons and others on www.findagrave.com

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