David Gray

  Noted events in his life were:

• Birth: From Rural Cemetery Records. Cemetery records show his age as 43. With a date of death of June 6, 1813 from Oswego History, this makes his birth about 1770.

• Residence: From Census, 1800, Milton, Saratoga, New York. Lists David Gray with one male between 26 to 45, one male under 10, and one female between 26 to 45.

However, this probably is not correct David Gray as there is also a David Gray in Milton in 1810 with matching family.

• Residence: From 1810 Census, 1810, Onondaga, New York. Also lists family as follows:

3 males under the age of 10 (George, Jesse, and Harvey)
1 male 10 to under 16 years of age (David D.)
2 males 16 to under 26 years of age (Unknown)
1 male 26 to under 45 years of age (David)
1 male 45 years old or older (Unknown)

1 female under the age of 10 (Abigail)
1 female 26 to under 45 years of age (Clarissa)


Note: In 1816, Oswego was formed from parts of Oneida and Onondaga Counties.

• Parents: Supporting information. Jesse Gray's obituary says his grandfather was Hezekiah Gray who was an officer in the Revolutionary Army. Family history also shows David's father as Hezekiah Gray who served in Colonel Thomas' Regiment in the Revolutionary War. See Military Service for Hezekiah.

The book, Gray Genealogy, does not indicate that Hezekiah Gray who served in the war had a son named David.

War records show that there was a Hezekiah Gray who was an officer in Colonel Thomas' Regiment. After he died in December of 1776, his wife Abigail married a Mr. Barrett. Bedford history indicates that Hezekiah's wife, Abigail was left with four small children when he died. At least two of the known children of Hezekiah and Abigail would have been in their mid-teens in 1776. This allows for additional children not reported in Gray Genealogy. The 1790 census information for Abigail and Samuel Barrett also supports additional children from Abigail's marrage to Hezekiah Gray.

Hezekiah and Abigail's known son was named Hezekiah. Abigail's father's name was David, making David a likely choice for their second son.

From History and Genealogy of the families of Old Fairfield, page 405/6: "Hezekiah Gray and Abigail his wife of Fairfield conveyed to brother David Waterbury III, land in Stamford."

"Of Bedford, he conveyed in 1770 land which his father Samuel gave him by deed in 1763."

"Adm'n granted, 5 Mar. 1784, to Samuel "Barrett." of Bedford, and Abigail his wife, late widow of Hezekiah Gray."

"Children, first rec. Fairfield; bapt. Westport:
Abigail, b. 22 May, bapt. 9 Aug. 1761.
Lucy, bapt. 15 May 1763.
Ellen, bapt. 23 June 1765.
Hezekiah, bapt. 3 May 1767."

This indicates that the family may have moved to Bedford, NY when David Gray was born, making his omission from the above list possible.

The Genealogy of the Gray-Hort Family, 1969, states that David Gray is the son of Hezekiah Gray and Abigail Waterbury. Mary Louise Gray Hort was the granddaughter of David Gray.

History of Bedford from the Bedford Historical Society

On December 23, 1680 twenty two puritans walked up the “cart path”, now known as Long Ridge Road, from Stamford, Connecticut and purchased 7,673 acres from seven Indian Chiefs. Bedford was part of Connecticut in 1697 when a patent fixed the boundaries as a six-mile square. In 1700, England's King William issued a royal decree to settle a boundary dispute and placed placing Bedford in New York. On July 11, 1779, the entire village, with the exception of one house, was burned by 400 horsemen under the command of Lt. Col. Samuel Birch.

Therefore, it is assumed that record of David's birth would have been burned with the rest of the town.

Y-DNA results show that there is a 36 out of 37 marker match between a male descendant of David Gray and another Gray with a direct line to Henry Gray Sr., born about 1618 in England. A 36/37 match between two men who share a common surname (or variant) means they share a common male ancestor. This confirms that David was a son of Hezekiah who was a great grandson of Henry Gray Sr.

• Family History: From The Genealogy of the Gray-Hort Family, 1969. David Gray came to Oswego County in 1812 and died the next year, 1813. His gravestone is still in the Rural Cemetery, Oswego. David settled on Lot 21, in 1812 in Oswego, Village. David D. Gray cleared part of Lot 21, where Mr. Parkinson, from England in 1833, resided in an early day.

David Gray married Clarissa Patchin. They were parents of David, Jr., George, Jesse, Abigail, Harvey, and Clarissa. The eldest son, David, took over the family when his father died in 1813, at the age of fifteen.

• Death: From History of Oswego County, 1877, 1813, Oswego Town, Oswego, New York. A later death was that of David Gray, June 6, 1813.

• Cemetery: Rural Cemetery: Oswego Town, Oswego, New York. Buried in Jesse Gray Lot – Section Acre, Lot 45

• Family Plot: Jesse Gray Plot, Section Acre, Lot 45. Buried in Jesse Gray Lot - Section Acre, Lot 45

Main Stone

Side 1 - Parallel to individual stones

David Gray Died June 6, 1813 Age 43 yrs
Clarissa Gray Died Oct 24, 1856 Age 83 His Wife
Jesse Gray Died Dec 27, 1894 Born Jan 3, 1803
Thyrza Beckwith Died Sep 23, 1905 Born Aug 10, 1802

Side 2 - Right of Side 1

Nathan Beckwith Died June 2, 1844 Age 76 (Rev. War Vet.)
Elizabeth His Wife Died May 30, 1852 Age 82 \His Wife
William D. Case Died Jan 1,1884 Born Dec 6, 1860
Chester O. Case Died Jan 14, 1890 Born Oct 8, 1827
Mary Gray Case Died Mar 26, 1910 Born Oct 4, 1831 Wife of Chester

Side 3 - Opposite Side 1

Jessie Gray Born Nov 29, 1876 Died Jan 18, 1886**

Side 4 - Left of Side 1

Bernard Gray Died Aug 9, 1837 Age 7 yrs, 5 mths, 27 dys
Emily Gray Died Jun 7, 1840 Age 1 yr, 10 mths, 20 days
Henry Gray Died May 28, 1841 Age 9 mths, 6 days
Sarah Gray Died Jul 14, 1861 Age 16 yrs, 4 mths, 5 days

* David Gray, Died Aug 23, 1836, Not listed on monument
** No marker
******************************************************
No markers or inscriptions were found for the following individuals but they are believed to be in same plot

Roseanna S. Gray / died 5-22-1922 / age 74 / died in Minetto, NY
William Gray / died 5-6-1924 / age 85 / died in Minetto, NY
Thyrza Gray / died 11-6-1951 / age 68 / died in Oswego, NY
Margaret Gray / died 1-19-1961 / age 88 / died in Oswego, NY

• Family Plot: Photo of plot, 14 Jun 2012, Oswego Town, Oswego, New York.

• Monument: Side parallel to individual stones. Inscription
David Gray Died June 6, 1813 Age 43 yrs
Clarissa Gray Died Oct 24, 1856 Age 83 His Wife
Jesse Gray Died Dec 27, 1894 Born Jan 3, 1803
Thyrza Beckwith Died Sep 23, 1905 Born Aug 10, 1802

David married Clarissa Patchin, daughter of Jesse Patchin and Abigail. (Clarissa Patchin was born on 7 Apr 1773 in Columbia, New York, died on 24 Oct 1856 in Oswego, New York and was buried in Rural Cemetery, Oswego, New York.)