



MRS. LUTHER GRAVES 



LUTHER GRAVES 



( PHOroSBy M. AJ?CES. /*RATrS8UWGH.) 



LUTHER GRAVES 



was born in Whately, Mass., Jan. 16, 1794. He was the 

 seventh child in a family of ten children — five sons and five 

 daughters— of Israel and Anna (Bro\^n) Graves, both of whom 

 were also natives of Whately. 



His father was a farmer by occupation, and both he and his 

 wife were members of the Presbyterian Church, and educated 

 their children in religion as well as morality, and all that makes 

 true manhood and womanhood. The parents died at their 

 native place at advanced ages. 



In 1815, Mr. Graves migrated to the then " far West" and 

 made his first settlement in the town of Prattsburgh, this 

 county. His first purchase was one hundred and fifteen acres 

 west of the village, and to get tliere he was obliged to pass 

 through an unbroken wilderness. He h^s since made additions 

 to his first purchase, and now owns the same farm and enough 

 more to make one hundred and fifty-five acres in all. 



It may be interesting to the young to read of the privations 

 and patience of the early settlers; hence, the writer will give 

 an incident in the pioneer life of Mr. Graves : 



For several years he boarded with Josiah Allis, an early 

 settler, the arrangement for his board being that Mr. Graves 

 was to work two days of the week for Mr. Allis as compensa- 

 tion for his board for the whole week, leaving him four days to 

 chop and clear off the timber on his own farm. The first rude 

 log cabin, subsequently supplanted by a framed one, and lastly, 

 a modern residence took the place of the second one, together 

 with the gradual removal of the original forest and the woods 

 teeming with the bear, the wolf, and the deer, are all matters 

 of interest in the life of the pioneer. 



In the year 1819, Oct. 20th, he married Hannah Burton, 

 of Prattsburgh. Of this union were born two daughters, 

 Mrs. Sidney Luce (deceased), of Brighton, Monroe Co., N. Y., 

 and Mrs. Francis Briglin, of Prattsburgh. The mother died 

 July 2, 1824, aged twenty-two. 



For his second wife he married Charlotte Cooper, of Pratts- 

 burgh, Oct. 28, 1824. Of this union were born two sons, 

 Martin Luther and Asher Allis (deceased), and one daughter, 

 Jemima Elizabeth (died young). The mother died May 17,. 

 1843. 



For his third wife he married. May 23, 1844, Rebecca Sturte- 

 vant, of Prattsburgh, whose portrait may be seen above. She 

 died August, 1 878, aged seventy-eight. 



For sixty-three years Mr. Graves has owned and managed 

 his farm, although for the past fourteen years he has done no 

 labor himself on it, but has resided in the village of Prattsburgh. 



Born during the latter part of the eighteenth century, Mr. 

 Graves has lived under the administration of every President 

 of the United States. 



He was a member of the old Whig party, and is now a 

 Republican. 



His life has been one of quiet and labor, self-sacrifice and 

 industry. He assisted in the erection of the first school- 

 house in -his neighborhood, in making the first roads, and 

 in building the first church edifice, and for over half a cen- 

 tury has been a member of the Presbyterian Church of 

 Prattsburgh. 



A view of his farm-residence may be seen on another page of 

 this work, showing the result of a life of toil. 



