David GRAVES

     David GRAVES, son of William GRAVES and Sarah SMITH, was born on 7 May 1792 in Oglethorpe County, Georgia.¹

David married Mary Russell on 31 March 1812 in Georgia.²

David GRAVES moved from Oglethorpe County, Georgia to Manack Station, Lowndes County, Alabama, [D.] In 1818 David Graves and his father, William Graves received land patents from the Federal government and moved to Alabama. This part of Alabama was then western Montgomery County and the Graves family is mentioned as being pioneer settlers of the area. In 1822 an election precinct was established at the Graves home and his son David was elected as a tax collector for the county. During these years, the Graves family increased their land holding and built the one story house which remain extant.

In 1830, the western part of Montgomery County was partitioned off to become part of Lowndes County. The 1830 Lowndes County census lists David Graves and a family of 13 occupying land in the northeast part of the county. A second source states that this property consisted of 360 acres. Between 1834 and 1842, a post office for Graves Landing is listed on the Alabama River north of the Graves home to serve the surrounding rural community. Both William Graves, Sr. and his son David died in 1836 and an inventory of their estate shows they were owed in excess of $10,000. David's brother, William Jr., and son Peyton assumed control of the Graves property and continued to increase the size of the plantation.

David GRAVES purchased a government land patent 9 April 1825 in Manack, Lowndes County, Alabama. The tract contained 78.95 acres of the west half of the southeast quarter of section 36 of township 16-N, range 15-E. Purchased from the Cahaba land office, this tract was the site of David's home and the Graves Burying Ground.³

David GRAVES appeared as head of household on a census enumerated 1830 in Lowndes County, Alabama. The household was listed as one male under 5, two males 5-10, one male 10-15, one male 15-20, one male 30-40 [David], two females under 5, two females 5-10, one female 10-15, one female 15-20, one female 30-40 [Mary].

David GRAVES purchased a government land patent 12 June 1834 in Lowndes County, Alabama. The transaction at the Cahaba Land Office was for 39.85 acres in the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 6, township 15-N, range 16-E.⁴

David GRAVES died on 10 September 1836 in Lowndes County, Alabama, at age 44.⁵ He was buried in Graves Burying Ground.