{"id":3895,"date":"2024-02-24T15:07:17","date_gmt":"2024-02-24T15:07:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/?p=3895"},"modified":"2024-02-24T15:07:18","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T15:07:18","slug":"graves-as-an-african-american-last-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/graves-as-an-african-american-last-name\/","title":{"rendered":"Graves As An African American Last Name"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 20,362 black Americans with Graves as their last name. That represented 24% of the total of 84,179 entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Graves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We end with a review of early records of black military service in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/graves-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#After_The_Civil_War\" title=\"After The Civil War\">After The Civil War<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/graves-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Graves_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\" title=\"Graves In The 1900 And 1940 Census\">Graves In The 1900 And 1940 Census<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/graves-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Historic_Black_Figures_With_The_Graves_Surname\" title=\"Historic Black Figures With The Graves Surname\">Historic Black Figures With The Graves Surname<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/graves-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Curtis_Graves\" title=\"Curtis Graves\">Curtis Graves<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/graves-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Graves_In_Black_Military_Records\" title=\"Graves In Black Military Records\">Graves In Black Military Records<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/graves-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Buffalo_Soldiers\" title=\"Buffalo Soldiers\">Buffalo Soldiers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/graves-as-an-african-american-last-name\/#Black_Civil_War_Sailors\" title=\"Black Civil War Sailors\">Black Civil War Sailors<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"After_The_Civil_War\"><\/span>After The Civil War<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The 1870 census was the first survey after the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1850 and 1860, only free African Americans were recorded in the census. The many enslaved were omitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From 1870 onward, all black Americans were included.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>3,289 people named Graves were recorded in the 1870 census as black and 474 as mixed.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There was a total of 19,484 people with the name.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/civil-war-in-letters.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-715\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/civil-war-in-letters.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/civil-war-in-letters-300x250.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Graves_In_The_1900_And_1940_Census\"><\/span>Graves In The 1900 And 1940 Census<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The mixed category was dropped from the census in 1900, so we just need to look at the black numbers this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>The 1900 census recorded 6,049 people with the last name Graves as black within a total of 30,917 that year.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By the way, the mixed category returned in the 1910 and 1920 censuses. It was dropped again in 1930, but replaced with extra categories for colored and non-white in a way that seems confusing now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This changed again in 1940 and we can simply focus on one black category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><b>The 1940 census recorded 7,271 people named Graves as black within a total of 45,078.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Historic_Black_Figures_With_The_Graves_Surname\"><\/span>Historic Black Figures With The Graves Surname<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"536\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Graves-1024x536.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3914\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Graves-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Graves-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Graves-768x402.jpg 768w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Graves.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is a notable African American in history with Graves as their last name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Curtis_Graves\"><\/span>Curtis Graves<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Born: 1938<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From: New Orleans, Louisiana<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Died: 2023<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Curtis Graves was born into a New Orleans Creole household. His father owned a gas station, one of the few black-owned stations in the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Curtis studied at Texas Southern University in the early 1960s. He was heavily involved in the sit-ins and marches of that era of civil rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Graves was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1966. He joined Barbara Jordan and Joe Lockridge as the first black politicians elected to the Texas assembly since Reconstruction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Graves_In_Black_Military_Records\"><\/span>Graves In Black Military Records<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Military records are a rich resource of information for family history research. Here are examples of the Graves surname from military service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Buffalo_Soldiers\"><\/span>Buffalo Soldiers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Buffalo-Soldiers-Stamp.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2647\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Five regiments for black soldiers were formed during the Civil War. They were known as the Buffalo Soldiers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their records are part of the national archive of military monthly returns. The information includes the year and place of birth, where they enlisted, their occupation, and their height.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the earliest military entries for Graves was in June 1873. Clinton Graves was a Private in the U.S. Ninth Cavalry. He was stationed in June 1873 at Fort Brown, Texas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another entry was in January 1914. Bailey Graves was a Private in the U.S. Tenth Cavalry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are researching military ancestors, there is a free index of these records on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/search\/collections\/1934\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ancestry.com<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.familysearch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FamilySearch.org.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You have to create an account on either website, but you do not need to pay for the Buffalo Soldiers archive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Black_Civil_War_Sailors\"><\/span>Black Civil War Sailors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The National Parks Service has a free archive of African American sailors during the Civil War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The information includes their age, height, rank, occupation, and where and when they enlisted. It also includes every ship that they served on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can search the database on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/civilwar\/search-sailors.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Parks website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Three-Black-Sailors.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3441\" srcset=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Three-Black-Sailors.jpg 600w, https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Three-Black-Sailors-300x250.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Edward Graves<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the earliest entries for Graves was for Edward Graves from Wilmington, Delaware. He enlisted in December 1862 at Wilmington when he was aged 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The record shows that Edward was assigned on March 1864 to the ship Patapsco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Waiter. His naval rank was Landsman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>&#8220;Landsman&#8221; was the lowest rank at the time and was given to recruits with little sea experience.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Moses Graves<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the later entries was for a sailor who enlisted at Red River in March 1864. Moses was aged 31 and was from Charles County, Tennessee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was assigned to the ship Fort Hindman on September 1864.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His occupation before enlisting was as a Laborer. His naval rank was 1st Class Boy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i>&#8220;1st Class Boy&#8221; was a rank generally given to seamen in training, who performed various manual tasks and duties aboard a ship under supervision. This could prepare them for promotion to the rank of ordinary seaman.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2010 U.S. Census recorded 20,362 black Americans with Graves as their last name. That represented 24% of the total of 84,179 entries. This article tracks their numbers in the census since the Civil War. We also look at historic African American people named Graves. We end with a review of early records of black &#8230; <a title=\"Graves As An African American Last Name\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/graves-as-an-african-american-last-name\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Graves As An African American Last Name\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3914,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3895"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3895"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3915,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3895\/revisions\/3915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exploreblackheritage.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}