Biographical Sketch of Thomas Graves, Johnson County, Missouri,
Montserrat Township.

>From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell,
Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918.
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Thomas Graves, a capable and progressive farmer and stockman of Mont-
serrat township, was born in 1863 in Cumberlandshire, England.  He is a
son of Joseph and Nellie (Woods) Graves, both of whom were natives of
England.  Joseph Graves was born in 1833 in Cumberlandshire, England.
Mr. and Mrs. Graves were united in marriage in 1860 at New Castle, Eng-
land.  Joseph Graves was a miner in the old country.  When he emigrated
from England with two sons, Isaac, who now lives at Mulberry, Kansas, 
and Thomas, the mother having died in England, and came to America in
1864, he followed the vocation of mining in this country.  Mr. Graves 
located first in Massachusetts and for a time was employed in work on a
mammoth tunnel then in the process of construction in that state.  From
Massachusetts, he went to Superior, Michigan, where he was employed in
the copper mines.  After one year of labor in the copper mines, Joseph
Graves moved to Orangeville, Pennsylvania, and worked in the coal mines
remaining at that place four years.  From the coal mines of Pennsyl-
vania he went to the coal mines of Ohio, and for eight years resided in
Nelsonville.  When his son, Thomas, was sixteen years of age, Mr. 
Graves moved from Ohio to Missouri and settled on a prairie farm for
which he had traded property in Nelsonville.  This farm comprised 100
acres of land, where Mr. Graves lived for some time engaged in raising
stock and in general farming.  After 30 years, he sold the place and 
moved to a better farm north of Knob Noster, where he spent the last
years of his life.  His death occurred in 1911 on his farm near Knob
Noster and interment was made in a private cemetery there.  Joseph
Graves had been married to Mary M. Arner while residing in Pennsylvania
and to them were born three children: James, Knob Noster, Missouri; 
Mrs. Allie Skidmore, Knob Noster, Missouri; and Mrs. Ella Moorehouse, 
Wichita, Kansas.  March 23, 1891, Thomas Graves and Mary C. Hurd, of
Johnson county, were married.  To Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Gravess have been
born seven children: Joe C., born May 31, 1892; Nellie, born December
16, 1894; Hannah J., born January 31, 1897; W. Thomas, born December 
25, 1898; Hattie M., born November 17, 1900; Edna D., born December 15,
1905; and Herbert E., born June 12, 1910.  Mr. Graves moved to his
present country home in 1897.  The Graves farm comprises 95 acres of 
land and is one of the best of the small stock farms in Johnson county.
Mr. Graves is engaged in general farming and stock raising and has been
very successful.  He and Mrs. Graves are held in the highest respect
and esteem in their community, where they have scores of friends.

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