Obituary: Rock County, Wisconsin: Sereno W. GRAVES

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Submitted by Ruth Ann Montgomery, <rmontgomery@cishome.com> June 2005

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Life and Life work of Hon. Sereno W. Graves, who died at the home of his
daughter Mrs. C. A. Cole of Evansville, Feb. 13, 1899, at the age of 88
years 5 months 2 days, of old age and general debility, was layed away in
the home cemetery on the old farm. He leaves two daughters, Mrs. L. C.
Brewer of Janesville, and Mrs. C. A. Cole of this city, and grandchildren
to mourn the last of a kind and loving father. A well known historian has
said that the most obscure resident of a community if he has reach mature
life, has had experience which if truthfully told would both interest and
instruct his fellow creatures.

No doubt this is true, and how much more is it true of one of the most
prominent residents of a community who for many years has taken a prominent
position and has faithfully performed the many public duties intrusted to
his care. In calling attention to the subject of this sketch we find that
his life has been full of change, and that he occupied a prominent position
in his country, possessing the estem of his fellow-citizens and the respect
of all with whom he has come in contact.

Sereno W. Graves was born at Berkshire, Franklin Co., Vt., October 11,
1810, he being the son of David J. Graves, a native of Leominster,
Worcester County, Mass., who at the age of five years removed with his
parents to Berkshire, Vt. His father following farming till 1847, then
emigrated to the town of Rutland, Dane Co., Wis., where he died in December
1873, at the age of 88 years. The mother of our subject, Polly Leland was
also a native of Massachusetts; when she was a year and a half old her
parents emigrated to Chester, Vt., where she grew to womanhood, and was
married in Berkshire and died there in 1817, leaving four sons, S. W.,
Leland J., Calvin J. and Franklin L.

Sereno W., the oldest of these, spent his boyhood days at farming in his
native country, but at the age of 18 years went to Wethersfield, Windsor
county, where he learned the stonemason's trade and attended school in the
winter, and afterwards followed the trade in the summer and taught school
in the winter. June 10, 1844 he started for Wisconsin and landed in
Milwaukee on the 26th day of the same month; July 5, following selected his
location and made his claim to 320 acres of Sec. 28 and 33 town of Rutland,
Dane Co., which he afterwards entered, improved and has since made his
home.

Mr. Graves was the first clerk of the town of Rutland, holding the office
for a number of terms and has been variously connected with the offices of
his town and county; was assessor of the town for seven years. He has been
county and deputy county surveyor for over forty years; he has been justice
of the peace for thirty-five years; was a member of the assembly 1861, and
was the Republican nominee for the senate for the West Dist. in 1874.

Mr. Graves was married in Wethersfield, Vt., in March 1841 to Marinda
Blakesley, who died in the following year. His second marriage was in
Burke, Caledonia Co., Vt. to Malvina Denison, a native of Ludlow, Vt.; she
died in Rutland, Wis. in December 1845, leaving a son, Denison A., who
enlisted in the university company of the 40th Wis. Vol. Inf. in 1864, died
from disease contracted in the army in December of the same year.

He was again married in 1846 to Mary R. Dudley; they have had five
children, Ellen M., now Mrs. L. C. Brewer; Leland J. who died at the age of
16; Mary L. Jehu, deceased; Sereno J., who died in infancy and Marinda R.
now Mrs. Cole.

Mr. Graves experienced religion in October 1831 in the state of Vermont, he
and his brother Leland were baptized the same time and joined the Baptist
church of North Springfield, Vermont. In the year 1836 he became a member
by letter of the Perkinsville church, he being in the place working, and
was a member of that church till coming West. In 1846 he joined by letter
the First Baptist church of Rutland remaining with this church till the
church at Union was organized, always taking a very active part in church
work, paying heavy to the theological seminary and also to Beaver Dam
school. Thus the life work of a very useful man is ended and he will be
missed by all who knew him.

February 28, 1899, The Tribune, Evansville, Wisconsin