1 TO MY ANCESTORS I see you toiling down the tedious years, You bearded, bent and gaunt old pioneers, Sowing and reaping, sowing once again, In patience for an unborn race of men. I see you struggling in the wilderness, Where failure meant starvation and success A cabin in a clearing, rough-hewn, rude, Garments of homespun and a humblesy food. Tradition scarely tells me whence you came; I only know a few of you by name; I only know you lived and multiplied, Quite profligate in progency, and died. Yet in my heart, I know that most of you Were strong and steadfast, and that one or two, At least had weaknesses that still may be Traced in the trend of atavistic me. One I am sure, was blessed with wit (I am thankful he transmitted some of it) That helped him dodge Dame Trouble’s swiftest dart, And meet misfortune with merry heart. One was a rather worthless wight, I fear, Who when the bluebird spring was near, Forsook his plow—a shiftless sluggard one— And roamed the woods alone with rod and gun. And one a gentle dreamer was, I know, Who lured by shadows, let the substance go. “twas he who dared the raging western sea,”— I’m glad he handed down his dreams to me. Unknown “I ever had a pleasure in obtaining any little anecdotes of my ancestors.” —Benjamin Franklin. “He only deserves to be remembered by posterity who treasures up and preserves the history of his ancestors.”—Edmund Burke. 2 PREFACE In the spring of 1963 I began to think of my ancestors. I wondered who is born who loved and married, who died, and who fought for their country, in order that I might be here. What was my heritage? I felt a strong desire to know all I could about my ancestors. I started work on my various family trees, and the first one started was my maiden name “Gray” and it was also the last to be completed. Others that I compiled were: “Markowski,” maiden name of my mother—“Painter,” maiden name of my paternal grandmother—“Priddy,” maiden name of my great grandmother—“Ronald,” maiden name of another great grandmother—“Haines,” maiden name of my great-great grandmother—also doing “Neely,” My son’s name and “Brewster,” my son’s paternal grandmother. My mother told me to visit Robert K. Gray, great-great grandson of Robert Gray, our progenitor. From him I copied almost the entire book, “The Ronald Clan, “ and Robert also gave me other data which helped me, He had in his possession work that the Judge George Law Gray, great grandson of Robert Gray, had begun. The Judge should live in our memory because without the work which he started many of the records might have been lost in time. Later I went to see Melvin Gray, great-great-great grandson of Robert Gray who also had work that his grandfather, the Judge had written, I went to graveyards and began to write to people. I believe I am the first one in about 35 years to go into the family history very deeply. William C. Gray the grandson of Robert Gray, and Leonora Irene Gray Tucker, great granddaughter of Robert Gray were also inter- ested in family. I want to thank my mother who did my earliest typing for me, and my cousin James J. Ripley III of Pacific Palisade, Calif., who through he is in the Markowski branch of the family and no relation to the Grays offered help and suggestions. He also made a Coat-of-Arms for me from the description of our Gray Coat-of-Arms. I want to specially thank the following listed in order as contacted – Robert K. Gray, Melvin Gray, Dorothy Gray Rose, Archibald Gray, Sabra Gray Hobbs, Jane Gray Jeffery, Lola Gray Stevens, Maxine Gray Alcorn, Blanche Gray Birky, Helen Hinchman Osting, Katherine Ryburn Hinchman, Nell Ryburn, Wm. Wylie Gray, Lena Gray Strong, Olive Gray Epply, Vera Collum, Lois Good. Dora Gray Ritchie Graham, James L. Douglas, Anna Cole Smith McFarland, Eliose Smith Corts, Katherine Smith Bolt, Dorothy Smith James, Mary Smith French, Glenn O. Pope, Marjorie Smith Smith, Opal Douglas McKeen, Mary Anna Pope Boutilier, Jerrie Pope Wells, Elizabeth Pope Whitsitt, Hazel Wagner Hammond, Arthur E. Hirschler, Herman Wayman Gray, Marian Doyn Reder Scruggs, James D. Kennedy, Vard Vernett Gray, Ethel Glenn Cilley Downs, Ruth Tucker, Phillis Hammond Paul, Ralph Lorado Gray, Helen Leonore Reder Patterson, Robert Russell Gray, Robert W. Gray, William J. Paris, Margaret Gray Hall, Marilee Paris Kochs, Coral Kate Douglas Moore, Charlene Marie Gray Woltanski, Max Johnson Paris, Jean McAlpine Hopkins, Gertrude Anne McAlpine Prostka, Betty Jane Ramsey Hockett, Betty Gray Mortier, Lois Lucille Steinman Lessenger Bonnichsen, Loren Lee Stineman, Dr. & Mrs. Wm. C. French, Jeanne Margaret Pope Maxey, Margaret Ann Hogan Sharp, Vivian Huff Wood, George Gibson Rose, and all others who helped make this genealogy possible. In My possession are many pictures, some as early as the 4th generation, all labeled, of past and present generations. Some I already had and quite a few were sent to me by people in the family and several 3 were given to me by persons not related to the family who knew I was interested in all the pictures of our family. Also I have several patents that were in the possession of my paternal grandmother. I did not wish a cut and dried history of just names and dates so whenever possible I included things of interest, anecdotes, biographies and miscellaneous items. Several different spellings of a name or locality may appear, this to the fact that different branches of the family had different data. If I knew the correct spelling I entered it by a note. Since the genealogy goes as high as 11 generations in some branches of family, to help identify I list by generation. To further identify each family is listed and their children directly following. Then each child is taken in order and their family is given. After the head of each family the line directly to Robert Gray is given, in parenthesis, Although the first generation starts with Rev. James Neil Gray, when giving the direct line I stop at Robert. For example my line would read – Diane Joy Gray Neely Witt – (Leslie Ronald Gray - John Ronald Gray - Hugh Gray Sr. - Robert Gray.) Each Child of Robert in a separate chapter. Maiden names of spouses parents are entered in parenthesis. Abbreviations are as follows - b. —born bur. —buried dau. —daughter d. —died div. —divorced m. —married ref. —reference Down through the years the work of the Judge was either miscopied or he made a few errors in the beginning. I wrote it as it was given to me and made corrections by note where I knew it to be in error. Also many other branches of the family gave me sketches of history and the versions sometimes differed, In order that each may be read and pondered I have presented them in the family branch that gave them to me. It will be noted that there are various birth dates for our progenitor Robert Gray and different years of entry into this country this is not uncommon in genealogy research. There is quite a bit of data on the Ronald family due to the fact that two Ronald sisters married two sons of Robert, John and Hugh, this making double cousins of the descendants. Much Ronald data was available to me so I entered it. To the best of my knowledge my data is correct but any additions or corrections will be appreciated. Some Families for reasons known only to themselves would not send me the data I needed to com- plete their branch so it will be noted there are branches that are incomplete. Also some branches are lost to us. __________________________________________ Diane Joy Gray Neely Witt 808 W. 22nd Connersville, Indiana 4 Copied from papers in possession of Robert K. Gray The Genealogy of the Gray Family By Judge George Law Gray The Grays have been a Fayette County, Indiana family for more than a hundred years. The original family pioneer home and habitation is still extant in the Southwestern part of the Country, where the land title has remained in the family for more than a century. It is of interest to trace the family past generation and to know something of your ancestors who have lived and died and vanished from the earth, something of the race to which they belonged. The region of the habitable globe in which they dwelt in the remote centuries gone and to possess and to perpetu- ate as intelligent as intelligent beings a record, history and genealogy of such past generations in your people. While it may be generally known that the Grays are an English, Scotch and Scotch-Irish race, their existance as a people may be more remotely traced into the past. Back of the generations of this family in England Scotland and Ireland the precedent and earlier home of the family was in Northern France. At a still earlier time back of such date, the family home was in Eastern France, on the left bank of the Soane River, as early as the seventh century as now shown by genealogical and historical data. CONNECTION OF THE FAMILY WITH THE NORMANS IN FRANCE In the ninth century Rolf a Norman Chief, from the North Coast of Europe settled in Northern France, opposite the English Channel and King Charles of France gave him and his followers a grant of terri- tory extending back from the coast on both sides of the mouth of the river Seine, and this region at France was therefore called Normandy, because was occupied and ruled by the Normans from the ninth to the twelfth century.