The Seagraves Family

This is A Work in Progress Jim Seagraves and Louanne Seagraves Love are working on this. Contact us at louanne.love@yahoo.com or jfsea@hotmail.com

Henry (Gil 2) SEAGRAVES

Male Abt 1830 - 1881  (~ 51 years)


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  • Name Henry (Gil 2) SEAGRAVES 
    • The Seagraves surname presented for this person is based on the dominant spelling found in the various records researched, but primarily on the name carved on the person's gravestone. HOWEVER, for the common variations of the Seagraves family name of which there are over 20, such as Cegrave(s) Segrave(s), Seagreave(s), Seegrave(s), Segrove(s), Seagrove(s), etc. all of which have been given the Seagraves spelling for clarity and ease of analysis.
      Certain variations are used so consistently within a family that they have been retained in this analysis, specifically, SAGRAVES (which also includes Sagrove(s)) and SEAGRAVE. Sagraves was adopted by the early settlers of eastern Kentucky about 1800. Seagrave was the version brought to Massachusetts by the John & Sarah Seagrave family who settled there about 1725.
      The Seagraves version is the most common found (about 39%) of all those found on the 1940 census.
      A discussion of the name spelling variations can be found on the Home Page of this website.
    Migration Abt 1839-40  North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Henry is believed to have moved from Surry County, North Carolina to parts of Tennessee shortly after his birth. 
    • It is believed, based on the 1840 census listing for Gilbert's family in Surry County, North Carolina, that Gilbert's older sons, William, Lewis L., Maxwell C., and Samuel Tilman left the family and migrated to central Tennessee in the late 1830's, paving the way for Gilbert and Sarah to move there after 1840. Henry seems to have stayed home and was the male child in the age group 10 to 14 on the 1840 census.
    Birth Abt 1830  North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Henry's year of birth is estimated base on his age of 30 on the 1860 census which suggests a birth year of 1830; his age of 45 on the 1870 census which suggests a birth year of 1825; and his of 53 on the 1880 census which suggests a birth year of 1827. The 1830 date seems to be a reasonable assumption since the male child on the 1830 census in the age group 0 to 4 years old, seems to fit Henry if he had been recently born.
      Henry was probably born in Surry County, North Carolina since his father was listed on the 1830 census for Surry County.
    Gender Male 
    Marriage #1 5 Apr 1852  Wilson County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Henry Seagraves married Martha Robertson. 
    Child born Abt 1854  [2
    first named child born: George T. Seagraves. 
    • Since Henry and Martha were married in Wilson County, Tennessee in 1852 and were there on the 1860 census, I believe that this child was born in Wilson County.
    Child born Abt 1856  [2
    second named child born: Mary E. Seagraves. 
    • Since Henry and Martha were married in Wilson County, Tennessee in 1852 and were there on the 1860 census, I believe that this child was born in Wilson County.
    Child born Abt 1857  [2
    third named child born: Robert L. Seagraves. 
    • Since Henry and Martha were married in Wilson County, Tennessee in 1852 and were there on the 1860 census, I believe that this child was born in Wilson County.
    1860 US census 1860  Wilson County, District #10, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location 
    recorded as Henry Segraves, 30, born in North Carolina, brick layer, brother of S. T. Segraves, 34. 
    Marriage #2 24 May 1862  Dekalb County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Henry Seagraves married Phariliza Seay. 
    1870 US census 1870  Macon County, District #1, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location 
    recorded as Henry Seegraves, 45, born in North Carolina, Brick-maker with Pharliza Seegraves, 35, born in Tennessee; George T. Seegraves, 16, born in Tennessee; Mary E. Seegraves, 14, born in Tennessee; Robert L. Seegraves, 13, born in Tennessee. 
    1880 US census 1880  Macon County, District #2, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location 
    recorded as Henry Segraves, 53, born in North Carolina, both parents born in North Carolina, brick layer; Ferry Segraves, wife, 40, born in Tennessee, father born in Virginia, mother born in Tennessee, housekeeping; Robert L. Segraves, son, 22, born in Tennessee, father born in North Carolina, mother born in Tennessee, brick layer. 
    Death notices 8 Apr 1881  Macon County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location  [3, 4
    Henry was murdered in ambush by outlaws on return to Macon County, Tennessee while on duty as U.S. Deputy Marshal. 
    • "Deputy Marshal Seagraves was shot and killed after he and another deputy marshal were ambushed during a robbery attempt. The two marshals were returning from Sumner Co. and stopped at a house in Macon Co., Tennessee, for the night. While inside two men went to a nearby cabin and fired two shots in the air to attract the two men out. As both deputy marshals went to investigate the shot the suspect shot in their direction, striking Deputy Marshal Seagraves in the chest, killing him. The suspects then robbed his body and fled. Deputy Marshal Seagraves had served with the agency for 2 years. He was survived by his wife and three children."
      From an article in the New York Times dated 12 April 1881
    • Henry is believed to be buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery in Sumner County, Tennessee; however a search of the cemetery did not reveal his tombstone.
    Death 8 Apr 1881  Macon County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location  [3, 4
    Comment 22 Jun 1885  DeKalb County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    F. (very likely Fary for Phariliza) Seagraves [Henry's widow] married William Preston.  
    Burial Mount Vernon Cemetery, Sumner County, Tennessee, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • Henry is believed to be buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery in Sumner Co., Tennessee; however a physical search of the cemetery did not reveal his tombstone.
    Person ID I113  Seagraves Database
    Last Modified 20 Dec 2020 

    Father Gilbert (Gil 1) SEAGRAVES,   b. Abt 1797, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 27 May 1887, Clay County, Arkansas Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 90 years) 
    Mother Sarah WILSON,   b. Abt 1796, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 31 Dec 1885, Clay County, Arkansas Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 89 years) 
    Marriage Abt 1815 
    • It is not known where Gilbert and Sarah were married, but since he was noted as a resident of Anson County, NC in 1821, she may have been from that county and they may have possibly married there.
    Notes 
    • The Search for Gilbert's Father
      Numerous postings on the internet (and OneWorldTree) boldly state that the parents of Gilbert Seagraves are William and Polly. But the fact is, so far there is no reliable proof of Gilbert's parents. We want to change that. One of the long range goals of this website is to brainstorm and research to find proof of Gilbert's parents, so we would like to open up a discussion about what we know, where we look and how we get there. Here are our initial thoughts about how we begin.
      When was Gilbert Born? On the first census to record actual ages in 1850 Gilbert reported his age to be 53. On later censuses his age was always rounded: on the 1860 census he was 60; on the 1870 census he was 70; in 1880 he was 80. We think that it is more likely that the age he reported in 1850 was accurate which would make his birth year 1797. If that is true then his father, who was not likely to be less than 17 when Gilbert was born, must have been born no later than 1780. Assuming that Gilbert's father would have been no older than 47 (an arbitrary but reasonable date) when he was born, then the earliest date of birth for Gilbert's father would be 1750.
      Where is Gilbert's family most like to be found? Gilbert always reported his birthplace as North Carolina on the census, and everywhere he is found in the public records prior to 1842 is in North Carolina:
      1817 Birth of son William - NC
      1819 Birth of son Lewis - NC
      1821 Birth of alleged out of wedlock son - Wake Co NC
      1821 Bastardy Bond court record stating Gilbert had "removed to Anson County" NC
      1822 Birth of son Maxwell - NC
      1826 Birth of son Samuel - NC
      1827 Purchase of 100 acres of land - Ashe Co NC
      1828 Birth of son Henry - NC
      1830 Gilbert?s first appearance in the census records - Surry Co NC
      1832 Birth of son John Henderson - Surry Co NC
      1840 On census - Surry Co NC

      So, based on Gilbert's movements outlined above, we see that Gilbert spent much if not all of his early years in NC, mainly in western NC. However, we can't ignore the fact that he "removed" to Anson Co when slapped with a paternity suit, since that suggests he had family there.
      Where do we begin looking for Gilbert's Daddy? We believe that the logical place to start looking for Gilbert's parents is the list of Seagraves on the 1800 census for NC who had young male children in their household. If Gilbert were born in 1797, he would have been counted in the census age range of 0-9 years old - and that narrows our initial search to 6 Seagraves households:

      John Segraves of Anson County husband (former?) of Phoebe below
      Daniel Segraves of Montgomery County who was in Wake Co. in 1790
      Stephen Segraves of Wake County who married Prudence Sevils in Wake in 1795
      William Segraves of Wake County who married Leah Sealey in Wake in 1798 and lived in Montgomery Co. in 1840 and 1850
      John Segraves of Wake County several men named John appear in NC in this era
      Phoebe Segrave of Warren County [I believe that Phoebe was the wife (former?) of John Seagraves of Anson Co.]

      Please let us have your thoughts on what we've said here, and share any other information and ideas you might have about how to prove Gilbert's parentage.

      Jim Seagraves and Louanne Seagraves Love
    Family ID F24  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Martha ROBERTSON,   b. 22 Nov 1830, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 14 Aug 1860, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 29 years) 
    Marriage 5 Apr 1852  Wilson County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
    +1. George Thomas (Gil 3) SEAGRAVES,   b. 28 Sep 1853, Wilson County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 9 May 1900, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 46 years)  [Birth]
    +2. Mary Elizabeth SEAGRAVES,   b. Abt 1856, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location  [Birth]
     3. Robert L. SEAGRAVES,   b. Abt 1857, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 3 Apr 1885, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 28 years)  [Birth]
    Family ID F426  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 22 Oct 2021 

    Family 2 Phariliza SEAY,   b. Abt 1835, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Marriage 24 May 1862  Dekalb County, Tennessee Find all individuals with events at this location  [1
    Family ID F427  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 3 Apr 2016 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsMigration - Henry is believed to have moved from Surry County, North Carolina to parts of Tennessee shortly after his birth. - Abt 1839-40 - North Carolina Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBirth - Abt 1830 - North Carolina Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage #1 - Henry Seagraves married Martha Robertson. - 5 Apr 1852 - Wilson County, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 5 Apr 1852 - Wilson County, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google Maps1860 US census - recorded as Henry Segraves, 30, born in North Carolina, brick layer, brother of S. T. Segraves, 34. - 1860 - Wilson County, District #10, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage #2 - Henry Seagraves married Phariliza Seay. - 24 May 1862 - Dekalb County, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 24 May 1862 - Dekalb County, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google Maps1870 US census - recorded as Henry Seegraves, 45, born in North Carolina, Brick-maker with Pharliza Seegraves, 35, born in Tennessee; George T. Seegraves, 16, born in Tennessee; Mary E. Seegraves, 14, born in Tennessee; Robert L. Seegraves, 13, born in Tennessee. - 1870 - Macon County, District #1, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google Maps1880 US census - recorded as Henry Segraves, 53, born in North Carolina, both parents born in North Carolina, brick layer; Ferry Segraves, wife, 40, born in Tennessee, father born in Virginia, mother born in Tennessee, housekeeping; Robert L. Segraves, son, 22, born in Tennessee, father born in North Carolina, mother born in Tennessee, brick layer. - 1880 - Macon County, District #2, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath notices - Henry was murdered in ambush by outlaws on return to Macon County, Tennessee while on duty as U.S. Deputy Marshal. - 8 Apr 1881 - Macon County, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 8 Apr 1881 - Macon County, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsComment - F. (very likely Fary for Phariliza) Seagraves [Henry's widow] married William Preston. - 22 Jun 1885 - Dekalb County, Tennessee Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - Mount Vernon Cemetery, Sumner County, Tennessee, United States Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Sources 
    1. [S60] Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002, (Ancestry.com).

    2. [s433] 1860 census for Wilson County, Tennessee , (Ancestry.com).

    3. [S441] Article in the New York Times dated 12 April 1881.

    4. [S442] United States, Officer Down Memorials, 1791-2009 , (Ancestry.com).

    5. [S444] Tennessee Marriages, 1851-1900 , (Ancestry.com).