MAIN  PAGE

Belgians in the Civil War

Emigrants arrival

links

Sources

BELGIANS IN PERRY COUNTY, INDIANA :    Biographies of Belgian families 

Perry County: Albert, Allard, Bel(l), Belva, Bigonville, Bodart, Boly, Claise/clesse, Collignon, Collin, Damin, Dauby, Delaisse, Deom, Devillez, Ducat, Duparque, Dupont, Etienne, Evrard, Fanard, Fays, Flamion, Foury, Francois, Genet, Genlain, Georges, Gillardin, Goffinet, Grave, Gringoire, Guillaume, Hanouille, Harbaville, Houlmont, Hubert, Jacob, Jacques, Kergen, Lagrange, Lambert, Lamquin(lampkin), Lanotte, Laurent, Leclere, Lemaire, Marchal, Masson, Marciliat, Massut, Meunier, Morse, Naviaux, Nicolay, Pierrard, Pierre, Ponsard, Remy, Richard, Rogier, Spirlet, Tassin, Thi(e)ry, Tibessart

GRAVE

 
Jacques Gravé born February 7, 1821, les Bulles; married Marie Helene Goffinet on January 19, 1847, Les Bulles; death September 30, 1904, Tell City, Perry Co
Marie Helene Goffinet born Les Bulles May 29, 1822; death February 17, 1901 Leopold, Perry Co
 
Pierre Adolphe born Les Bulles, October 26, 1847; married Mary Josephine Meunier on February 4, 1873; death 1941 Tell City, Perry Co
Marie Catherine born Les Bulles, January 15, 1849; married Frederick Meunier on November 21, 1866 ; death May 16, 1931, Kokomo, Indiana
Melanie born August 31, 1850, Les Bulles; married Adrien Joseph Meunier on February 7, 1872; death April 2, 1930 Tell City, Perry Co
Victor born August 3, 1853, Perry Co;
Gustave born June 11, 1854, Perry Co; married Sarah H Foster on May 13, 1879; married Alma Marie Elder on August 9, 1887; death January 21, 1926, Perry Co
Amelia Vic born May 7, 1857, Perry Co;
Andrew born December 27, 1858, Perry Co; married Catherine Longley on May 30, 1881; death December 22, 1887, Leopold, Perry Co
John Baptist born March 23, 1861, Leopold, Perry Co; married January 7, 1886 Elizabeth Peter; death December 1, 1945, Detroit, Michigan
Mary Victoria born March 14, 1864; married John Baptist LeClere in 1884; death September 1,  1891, Perry Co
James Joseph born March 25, 1866, Perry Co; married Mary Catherine Longley, April 25, 1888; married Emily Graves Holman; death September 30, 1904 Tell City, Perry Co
 
From the Tell City library: GRAVES FAMILY
 
James Graves and Mary Ellen Goffinet were married and lived in Belgium until approximately 1852.
 
Mary Ellen was a good-looking lady and was classed as a "belle" in Belgium. James may have been an orphan. At least be worked or stayed with a family of some wealth. They wanted him to stay with them and not marry. They told him that if he would stay with them they would give him quite a sum of money. He married anyway and did not get the money.
 
Adolph, Mary Catherine and Melinda were born in Belgium. Gustave, Andrew, Baptist, Mary and James were born in Leopold ` Township, Indiana. It took 82 days for them to cross the ocean. They came by way of New Orleans and came directly from New Orleans to Perry County, Indiana.
 
James and Mary Ellen lived in Leopold at first. They lived in a house that stood where Burke Taylor noon lives. On January 27, 1859 they bought the land which is called the Alfred Peter place. It was purchased from Fr. Augustus Bessonies. 80 acres for 120. (W1/2  of the SE quarter of Sec. 3, Twp. 5R2.)
 
The first winter they had nothing to eat but sorghum, black coffee, and corn bread made with water. Their food supplies had run so low. They lived on this until a new crop could be raised. In the spring they all had rosy cheeks and were as healthy as could be.
 
For several years when fall would come, James would walk to Louisville, Ky, and work in a slaughter and meat packing house all winter. He would return in the spring and plant a crop. They had cleared very little land as they were not used to such a large farm in Belgium. The priest encouraged James to remain at home one winter and clear some more land. He did and from then on they did better.
 
James bought for each son 80 acres of land and gave the daughters 450. Gustave always said he didn't think some of the girls were satisfied and that he (Gustave) would always treat his children alike.
 
Adolph gof the land where the Terry Post Office once stood. Gustave got land between Adolph's land and the creek. Baptist's land was the part of the old Evrard place that joined Adolph's and Gustave's land. Andrew got land near the sight of the new Perry Co. Central School. Zuelly now lives here. Andrew kept store. Jim married Andrew's widow and continued to keep store. Adolph later purchased this store and moved it to Terry. Gustave was a farmer. Baptist later kept store at Uniontown. Melinda and Kate lived near Leopold after they married. Mary moved to Illinois and lived near Enfield.
 
compiled from the Graves family reunion about 1965 by Mary Duncan, Mary Mosberg and Evelin Graves Janton.

 

Jacques Gravé and Marie Helene Goffinet   Note that Jacques Gravé was born February 7, 1821, not at the date written on his tombstone.  He was born at Les Bulles under the name of his mother as Jacques Soyer. His parents, Thomas Gravé (born Suxy, March 19, 1796) and Marie Joseph Soyer (born Les Bulles, September 12, 1796) were united in marriage some months later, on October 28, 1821, and at that date, Jacques was legitimized as their child.

The following Obituary was copied and kept with family papers without a reference to when or where it was published.  From context, it appears that it was published Friday, 05 Sep 1941.  It is likely that the source was the Tell City News, Tell City, Perry County, Indiana, although this has not been verified.
 
Adolph Graves Dies Here After Lengthy Illness (first child of Jacques Gravé and Marie Helene Goffinet)
Native of Belgium Dies At Home in Tell City at Age of 93
Adolph Graves, 93, died at 5:30 o'clock Tuesday evening at his home on Tenth street following an illness of 18 months.  Funeral services will be held this morning (Friday) at 9 o'clock at St. Paul's Catholic church with the Rev. Theodore Vollmer in charge.  Burial will be in St. Mary's cemetery.
The deceased was born in Les Bulles, Belgium on October 26, 1847.  He was the son of Mary Ellen Goffinet and James Graves.  He came to this country at the age of five, coming direct to Leopold township in this county via New Orleans.  He was one of the few remaining settlers of this part of Perry county. 
Mr. Graves was married to Mary Josephine Meunier on January 8, 1873 at St. Augustine's Catholic church at Leopold.  Ten children were born to them.  Surviving are two sons, Andrew J. and Joseph J. Graves, merchants of Tell City: five daughters: Mrs. E. T,. Marcilliat, Terry; Mrs. Claude Rugg, Kirby, Montana; Miss Clara Graves, Palmerton, Pa.; Miss Julia Graves who lived with her father and sister Josephine, Los Angeles, Calif; also seventeen grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; two brothers, James Graves of Louisville and Baptist Graves of Detroit.  Mrs. Graves passed away February 3, 1937.
Mr. Graves and his wife lived on a farm four miles southwest of Leopold from the time of their marriage until 16 years ago when they moved to this city.  He gained the reputation of being a successful farmer and he also succeeded as a country merchant.
About the year 1890, he opened a store in one room of his residence on his farm and growth of this venture made it necessary to build a store building.  This store became the scene of much activity during timber day.  The store building still stands and houses the Terry postoffice and small store operated by E. T. Marcilliat, a son-in-law.  Mr. Graves was responsible for establishing the Terry postoffice and was its first postmaster.
He was an active citizen.  He took part in poeration threshing machings.  He and his brother-in-law, the late Andrew Meunier, brought into use the first steam threshing engine that was used in Leopold township.  It was a portable type that had to be pulled around with horses.
Mr.. Graves, because of his close friendship with the late John T. Patrick, the first president of the Citizens National Bank, became one of this bank's organizing stockholders, and was one of the few remaining original stockholders.
School facilities in the days when Mr. Graves was growing up were meager and his school amounted to very little.  But by hard work and study he was able to educate himself sufficiently to become one of the county's finest business men.
(Transcribed by George Daniel Woodard on 19 Oct 2010)
Mr. Graves was a devout Catholic and he attended church services regularly until illness prevented.  For many years he was a member of the Holy Name Society.  He aided in building the present stone church at Leopold, helped to do the excavating for the foundation and hauled stone from the countryside with oxen.