GRAVES, ELIJAH - Harris County, Texas | ELIJAH GRAVES - Texas Gravestone Photos

Elijah GRAVES

Founders Memorial Cemetery
Harris County,
Texas

Reverend
January 7, 1791 - May 7, 1869

Rev. ELIJAH GRAVES was born on 23 Jan 1791 at Grassy Creek, Granville County, North Carolina to Captain Ralph Graves and Betsy B Graves, and raised in the Presbyterian faith. Elijah’s father served in the American Revolution as a teenager from 1780 – 1781, and later earned the rank of Captain in Granville County, North Carolina. Ralph attended services with his family in Shiloh & Grassy Creek, but did not publicly join the Presbyterian faith until his dying days. Elijah’s mother, Betsy, enjoyed dancing, and was a member of the Presbyterian Church. Henry Graves, Elijah’s paternal grandfather, was an elder in the Presbyterian Church at Grassy Creek, Granville County, North Carolina.

Elijah received a public education in Granville County, and then entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for Theology Studies to become a Minister from 1809 - 1812. He left his studies after 5 ½ terms as his eyes and general health were in poor condition. Although he did not complete his studies, the President of the University wrote an outstanding letter of recommendation for him, and he was later awarded an Honorary BA in the Ministry by the Dialectic Society.

Elijah opened and operated a boarding school following his studies, and is said to have been a renowned educator in the area of Orange County, NC. Elijah was asked by his Church, family and friends to place himself under the care of the Presbytery as a Probationer for the credentials of Minister of the Gospel. In his autobiography, Elijah states he was hesitant to do so, but later realized it was a good decision, as he would not have had another opportunity to become a Minister. Elijah preached at New Hope Presbyterian Church from November 1818 to April 1820. Elijah also taught Bible Study classes during his Probationer studies, and afterward when he was a Minister. He was said to have been a great temperance reformer, and many signed a pledge under his preaching. He became a fully ordained Minister in the Presbyterian faith in 1823 at the Hawfields Church. Mr. Graves began to preach at New Hope for the second time in November of 1825, and continued to be the regular minister there until May of 1831. Other churches the Rev Graves was involved with in North Carolina include: Sandy Field Baptist Church, Greer Church in Coswell County, Cross Roads, Eno, Little River, Mount Hermon, Green Springs, Tilthammer, various camp meetings, and the Scotch Churches in Lower North Carolina.

Elijah had fallen in love while he was in college, and was married on 5 May 1812 to Ariana Stanford at his Father-in Law’s residence, Hon. Richard Stanford, in Orange County, North Carolina. Richard served 10 terms (he had just started his 20th year when he passed away), as a US Congressman for the state of North Carolina. Ariana’s Maternal Grandfather, Brigadier General Alexander Mebane Served in the American Revolution, and was also elected as a US Congressman, for two terms; however, he passed away before taking office for his second term.

The couple was united in marriage by Rev William D Paisley, (who was Elijah’s Spiritual father & Preceptor, and happened to be his wife’s Uncle). A few select friends attended the ceremony, and Elijah’s father, Captain Ralph Graves gave the couple his farm home known as Rockhouse, which was situated about 2 miles from his Plantation home in Granville County, North Carolina. Later, when his wife’s father passed away on 9 April 1816, they inherited the Stanford plantation and lived there for a time. His wife, Ariana, is said to have been inconsolable in her grief of losing her father for a long time. Their son, Richard Stanford Graves, was born 5 months after Hon Richard Stanford died, so he never met his namesake.

The following excerpt is from Rev Elijah Graves’ autobiography commenting on the ceremony to ordain him as a Minister:
“It was indeed a solemn and interesting occasion. My spiritual father and first teacher presiding. The church was the very same house, I had first found, as I trust, Christ precious to my soul, when but a boy in my fourteenth year; and my beloved and pious mother was there to pray for her son, and to witness the solemn and interesting ceremony, as well as my dear wife, and a great number of Christian friends and acquaintances I had made years before. This together with the solemn ceremonies and ordination vows I there and then took upon myself, before the great head of the Church, and in the presence of the Ministerial brethren, and a large and attentive congregation made it to me an occasion of the deepest and most thrilling interest. Nor can I ever forget it while memory holds a place in my mind.”

Elijah was frustrated that the churches surrounding their home in Orange County were Baptist & Methodist, as he wanted to live near a Church he could call his own, so they purchased a home on the Eno River known as Long Meadows, also in Orange County, North Carolina, and continued their family there until 1838. He preached mostly at Green Springs & Tilthammer while living here.

Long Meadow is described as a most lovely looking two-story home with trees planted 40 years previous, and blue grass. The necessary outhouses were present on the property, as was a large flouring merchant mill with the mill pond covering some 20 acres of the property. The sweet fragrance of apple & peach orchards filled the air. As beautiful as the setting was, the property was purchased when properties were sold highly above specie value, as the sole currency was bank bills that were over issued, then there was a crash on the banks, and properties dropped to less than half their value. Selling wheat and flour from his mill would not pay the price of a carriage ride from where they lived to market, so they just stored it in the barns and the mill.

Elijah and Ariana had ELEVEN children of record:

Eliza Jeanette Graves-Morrow-Thompson (1813 – 1880),
Cornelia Mebane Graves-Morrow (1814 – 1890),
Richard Stanford Graves (1816 – 1887),
Ralph Lewis Graves (1818 – 1903),
Elijah Morrison Graves (1820 - ?),
Henry Scott Graves (1821 – 1906),
Ariana Stanford Graves-Milton (1825 – 1869),
Mary Annabella Graves-Graham (1827 – 1852),
Julia Caroline Graves-Leigh (1830 – 1907),
William Paisley Graves (1831 – 1881), &
A daughter who died at the age of two years.

Elijah’s Ministry work took the family to at least 3 states outside of his birth state of North Carolina for over a year, and they had a few brief moves as well. The first was in 1838 to Starksville, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. In about 1847 the family moved again for Elijah’s Ministry work to Lexington, LaFayette County, Missouri. However, the family is enumerated back in Mississippi in Carroll County by the 1850 census, living in their Son-in-Law, Robert & daughter, Annabella Graham's Household. They lived in Quebec Canada for a winter and had one final lasting move in 1855 to Texas.

Elijah’s family lived in Kemper City, Victoria County, Texas on the De La Garza Ranch from 1855 - June 1860, and then by July 1860 they moved to Saluria, Calhoun County, Texas, and were living with their granddaughter, Jane Adelaide Morrow-Sessions & her husband, Henry W Sessions. Their daughter, Ariana Stanford Graves-Milton & her husband, Nathan A Milton were living next door in Saluria. When Nathan & Ariana moved to DeWitt County, Elijah and his wife moved with them, and the matriarch, Ariana Graves passed away there on 02 April 1864, and she was laid to rest at the Clinton Cemetery in Clinton, DeWitt County, Texas. Elijah lived another five years, and moved with his daughter’s family to Houston, Harris County, Texas. Elijah passed away on 07 May 1869 in Houston, and was laid to rest there at Founder's Memorial Park Cemetery. His daughter, Ariana Graves-Milton passed away the next month on 30 June 1869, and was laid to rest by his side.

*Photo & Biography by Mark Morrow

Contributed on 12/6/19 by ashaw444
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Record #: 240057

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Submitted: 12/6/19 • Approved: 11/17/21 • Last Updated: 11/20/21 • R240057-G0-S3

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