The Gray Family
Deliverance Gray was born in 1770, and died in 1840. He was a member of the Tennessee Mounted Militia, was in several battles with Indians, was wounded near Nashville, Tennessee.
He was also in War of 1812, and was in the Battle of New Orleans. He was in Captain Robert Evan’s Company of Mounted Gunmen of Colonel Robert Dyer’s Regiment of General Coffee’s Brigade under General Stonewall Jackson.
He was married 29 June 1791, in Davidson County, Tennessee, to Tamer Parmer Koen, who was born in Tennessee, daughter of Daniel and Grace Koen. Tamer had been married/1 to Mr. Halstead, in Davidson County, Tennessee.
Children:
Daniel Gray, son of Deliverance Gray and Tamer Parmer Koen, was born in 1792, in Davidson County, Tennessee, and died 22 June 1848, in Bastrop County, Texas, an early Texas settler and soldier.
He was married 13 November 1810, in Williamson County, Tennessee, to Nancy Pewitt, (Prewitt) who was born in 1788 in Lunenberg County, Virginia, and died in 1874 in Texas, the daughter of Joel Pewitt and Ann Blackwell.
During the War of 1812, he served in Colonel Pipkin’s First Regiment of West Tennessee Militia. In 1830, his and many other families of the Nashville area were recruited as members of Robertson’s colony in Texas.
The next year, Gray and his wife and 7 children joined Sterling C Robertson and other families on the steamboat Criterion to begin their journey to Texas. Gray settled on Walnut Creek in Bastrop County, and also had three town lots in Mina. He was caught in the middle of a lawsuit between Robertson and Stephen F Austin over the question of ownership of land in the Bastrop area that became known as Austin’s Little Colony.
Gray and 2 of his sons, Thomas and Joshua, are found in Austin’s Register of Families.
In the Texas Revolution, Daniel, Thomas, and Joshua Gray served in Captain John J Turnlinson’s rangers. During the Runaway Scrape, Daniel’s family fled to the far side of the Brazos river, while Daniel, Thomas, and Joshua acted as scouts for Major Robert M (“Three-Legged Willie”) Williamson, commanding officer of the Ranging Corps.
On 27 April 1836, Williamson stated in a letter to General Sam Houston that one of his spies, Daniel Gray, had just returned and reported being chased by Mexicans. The Grays missed the battle of San Jacinto on 21 April 1836, but were part of the army that followed the retreating Mexican army.
Joshua Gray “died in service” on 27 April. Thomas Gray left the rangers and escorted his family back to Bastrop County. Daniel Gray joined Colonel Edward Burleson’s detachment of rangers in June and served until 20 November. For their service the Grays received bounty grants. Daniel got 960 acres, Thomas 320 acres, and Joshua (whose land went to Daniel) 1,280 acres plus an augmentation of 640 acres, which suggests that Joshua died of combat wounds.
Daniel Gray joined as a farmer. In 1837, responding to Camanche raids in the area, he served with Captain Micah Andrews’s rangers for 25 days on an Indian campaign. Gray was a member and trustee of the Methodist Episcopal church.
He died on 22 June 1848, in Bastrop County and was buried Alum Creek Cemetery, Bastrop County, Texas His wife died in 1874 in Lee County. They had eight children who lived to adulthood.
Children:
John Wesley Gray, son of Daniel Gray and Nancy Pewitt, was born in 1812 in Stewart County, Tennessee, and died in 1854, in Bastrop County, Texas, and buried in Red Rock Cemetery in Bastrop County.
He was married in Bastrop County, to Mary McAfee, who was the stepmother to the children. He was in the Mexican War, but not much is known of him.
Children:
John Davis Gray, son of John Wesley Gray, was born 10 April 1838, in Davidson County,Tennessee, and died 3 April 1919, in Aspermont Texas, buried Aspermont.
He was married to Mary Winfred Millsap, who was born 2 December 1844 in Missouri, and died 15 February 1906, in Stevens County, Texas, buried Necessity, Texas.
Children:
Hiram Damon Gray, son of John Davis Gray and Mar Winfred Millsap, was born 5 Sep 1873, in Ilano, Texas.
He was married to Mattie Jane Faulkner, born 26 November 1872, Denton County, Texas, the daughter of John Faulkner and Mary Wilson.
Hiram died 27 February 1939; she died 30 January 1953, both in Breckenridge, Texas.
Children:
John Thomas (Man) Gray, son of Hiram Damon Gray and Mattie Jane Faulkner, was born 23 Dec 1899, and died 2 November 1934 in Perry Oklahoma, and buried there.
He was married in 1923 in Eliasville, Texas, to Mary Leta Dossett, who was born 18 December 1905, in Uncas, Oklahoma Territory, and died 20 Dececember 1990, in Apopka, Florida, buried in Orlando Florida.
Children:
Donald Ray Gray, son of John Thomas (Man) Gray and Mary Leta Dossett, was born 2 October 1934, in Perry Oklahoma.
He was married 2 June 1952 in Arcadia, Galveston County, Texas, to Jane Lee Bruce, who was born 26 December 1935, in Como, Missouri, the daughter of James Bruce and Ava Neal.
Children:
Donald Lee Gray, son of Donald Ray Gray and Jane Lee Bruce, was born 24 January 1953, in Galveston, Texas.
He was married to Brenda Kay Bayless, who was born 7 August 1954, in Beaumont, Texas
Children:
Terry Ray Gray, son of Donald Ray Gray and Jane Lee Bruce, was born 5 April1956, in Pasadena, Texas.
He was married to Kathy Jane Brown, who was born 18 September 1958, in Houston, Texas
Children:
Gina Gale Gray, daughter of Donald Ray Gray and Jane Lee Bruce, was born 11 January 1964, in Iuka, Mississippi.
She was married/1 in Lumberton Texas, to Franklin Lafayette McCray, who was born 2 February 1961, in Nederland, Texas.
She married/2 in Lumberton Texas, to Timothy Jack Venable, who was born 11 May 1961, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
She was married/3 in Lumberton Texas, 2 April 1982, to Donald Allen Simmons, who was born 7 August 1962, and adopted.
Children:
Bibliography:
Audited claims, Texas State Archives
Austin County Grant Records
Texas General Land office, Austin, by John H Jenkins, editor
The papers of the Texas Revolution, 1835-1836, (10 vols, Austin Presidial Press 1973) by Malcolm D McLean, comp, and ed.
Papers Concerning Robertson’s Colony, in Texas; (19 vols, Fort Worth: Texas Christian University Press, 1974-76, and Arlington University of Texas at Arlington Press, 1977-92)