Thomas Williams (Little Hickory) Graves (1801-1877)

Thomas Williams (Little Hickory) Graves (1801-1877). Graves Family Association Gen. #270: John, Thomas, John, Thomas, James, Thomas Williams

The following 1850 census record has caused some confusion, and this confusion has resulted in incorrect assumptions. The confusion is not helped by Ancestry making mistakes in the online transcription, including shuffling the order of the household members. Corrections and addditional information are in brackets below.

1850 United States Federal Census
Name: Thomas W Graves [Thomas Williams Graves]
Age: 49
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1801
Birth Place: North Carolina
Gender: Male
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Caswell, North Carolina
Household Members: Name Age
Thomas W Graves 49 [Thomas Williams Graves]
Mary Graves 52 [Mary Sims Graves]
Frances M Graves 17
Franklin Graves 8 [John Henry Franklin Graves]
Franklin Graves 34
James T Graves 14 [James Thomas Graves]
John S Graves 27 [John Slade Graves]
Major H Graves 33 [Major Henry Graves]
Mary M Graves 13 [Mary Ursula Graves]
Mary S Graves 0 [40] [Mary Slade Graves]
George R Swift 17 [student; no family relationship shown]

Four younger siblings of head-of-household Thomas Williams Graves apparently were living with him at the time of the 1850 census. Their parents had died some years earlier:

John Slade Graves
Major Henry Graves [Major is not a title, but his given name.]
Franklin Graves
Mary Slade Graves

Thus, the children of Thomas Williams Graves and Mary Sims Graves Graves listed in the above 1850 census record are:

John Henry Franklin Graves
Mary Ursula Graves
James Thomas Graves
Frances M. Graves

A more correct version of the census record follows (all born in Caswell County):

1850 United States Federal Census
Name: Thomas Williams Graves
Age: 49
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1801
Birth Place: North Carolina
Gender: Male
Home in 1850 (City,County,State): Caswell, North Carolina
Household Members: Name Age
Thomas Williams Graves 49
Mary Sims Graves 52
John Henry Franklin Graves 8
Mary Ursula Graves 13
James Thomas Graves 14
Frances M Graves 17

John Slade Graves 27
Major Henry Graves 33
Franklin Graves 34
Mary Slade Graves 40

George R Swift 17 [student; no family relationship shown]

Note: Thomas Williams Graves and Mary Sims Graves Graves [yes, her maiden surname is Graves] also had a child not shown in the above census record: Barzillai J. Graves (1830-1831). Also note they may have named two sons James Thomas Graves, as one apparently died young:

Family Data Collection - Individual Records
Name: James Thomas Graves
Parents: Thomas William Graves, Mary Graves
Birth Place: Caswell County, NC
Birth Date: 1836
Death Date: 1837