GRAVES, Sewell Fogg^[1]

1841 - 1924  (83 years)

• Name	GRAVES, Sewell Fogg  [2]
  Birth	17 Feb 1841	Lawrence, MA, USA   [2, 3]
  	Town records indicate Methuen, MA, but family bible record shows Lawrence, MA. From MA vital records: “Sewell Fogg Graves, son of John Graves and Delilah his wife was born Feb 17th, 1841.”
  Gender	Male
  Military	1863-1865  [4]
  	Masters Mate, US Navy, Civil War
  Census	13 Jul 1870	Table Rock, Sierra, CA USA   [5]
  	Graves, S. F. / Age 29 / Male / White / Occupation - Design Artist / Value of Real Estate $15 / Value of Personal Estate $100 / Birthplace Mass-
  Census	23 Jun 1880	Empire City, Coos, OR, USA   [6]
  	Graves, Sewell F / W / M / 39 / Head / / Married / / Sailor / Mass / Mass / NH
  Obituary	From Santa Cruz Evening News, 12 Sep 1924 Captain graves Dies At Home During Morning After being confined to his bed for the past week as the result of a gradually ailing physique, Captain S. F. Graves died early this morning at the home of his daughter, Mrs. George G. Byrne, at 320 King Street. Captain Graves, during his residence in this city for more than the past ten years, built up a host of friends who, besides the members of his family survive him, were deeply sorrowed by the news of his passing this morning. The deceased, who was eighty-three years of age when death came, had been a sea captain during the greater part of his active career. In the civil war he served as an ensign in the Union Navy. For the past thirty years he had been in retirement from active service. He came to Santa Cruz from Alameda, being born in Massachusetts, where he spent his youth. Besides his daughter, Mrs. George G. Byrne, with whom he had been residing, Captain Graves leaves his wife, Mrs. S. F. Graves, who resides with another daughter, Mrs. E. P. Bemis of 112 Cleveland avenue in this city. A daughter, Miss Anna Graves of Berkeley, and a son, A. M. Graves of Oakland, also survive. The funeral, which will be held from the undertaking parlors of Wesendorf & Son, will take place on Monday, the hour not yet being decided upon.  [7]
  Occupation	Sailor & Artist  [6, 8]
  Residence	1904	Alameda, Alameda, CA, USA   [9]
  Death	12 Sep 1924	Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA   [2]
  Notes	From the Morning Astorian, 2 Nov 1890: Caught On Fire Out At Sea The Steamer "Michigan" Arrives in Port with a Hot Cargo A Lively Race for the River Considerable excitement was created in this city early yesterday morning when a dispatch was received from Ft Canby announcing that the steam schooner Michigan was coming in on fire. E. A. Noyes, agent of the Union Pacific Company which owns the vessel, at once dispatched tug boats to meet the incoming steamer. The boats picked the distressed vessel up at the mouth of the river, but Captain S. F. Graves, who was in command of the Michigan, said that all he required was for the tugs to stand by. He reported that his vessel was afire in the forehold and had been burning for several hours. He had the hatches all battened down and the fire smothered in such away that he could make port and turn her over to the agents and underwriters. The tugs stood by and escorted the vessel up the river. The scene was an exciting one. Wild reportsliad proceeded the arrival of the Michigan, and hundreds flocked to the wharves to see -the burning vessel come up. The crowd was disappointed for save for puffs of smoke issuing from the seams at the bow, through the forward hatch and through the dead light holes of the freight deck, no fire was visible. The vessel came up the river at full speed, and by 12 o'clock had a line ashore at the Union Pacific dock. The few passengers on board were landed, and then the underwriters' agent, Chief Stockton of the fire department, and others, together with the Union Pacific representatives, went on board. A consultation followed, and the result was that it was decided to scuttle the vessel forward, or rather to sink her by the bow and thus smother the flames. Lines were run out, and with the aid of a tug the vessel was Warped around into a position between the west end of the Union Pacific wharf and the old sturgeon wharf. No. 1 and No. 2 engines were called out, but considerable delay was occasioned by the fact that the burning vessel was stuck in the mud, and the tugs made an effort to tow her off. This, it was found, could not be done, so orders were given and two lines of hose from each engine were put on board and the work of flooding the steamer commenced. The hose was put down through the hatch and as the first stream of water struck the fire, a mass of thick black smoke accompanied by a strong odor of burning fish was wafted to the wharf. Throughout the afternoon the engines pumped water into the hold. It was a veritable volcano. The fire was confined among 500 barrels of lime and 2,300 cases of salmon, with a lot of coal on one side to help it out The combined efforts- of the local engine companies told on the fire after several hours and at 7 o'clock last evening the fire was out. The damage could not be estimated last night but it will amount to probably 15,000. The vessel is considerably damaged, and of the cargo, the 2,300 cases of salmon, which belonged to Morgan & Sherman, are almost a total loss. The fish was insured for its full value, about $9,000. The lime, to which the origin of the fire is attributed, is also a total loss, but outside of this and the damage to the ship the loss is comparatively small. Captain Graves, master of the Michigan, stated that the fire was discovered about 2 o'clock yesterday morning when the vessel was about fifty miles off the entrance to Gray's Harbor. The hatches were at once battened down and all the ventilators turned. It was intended to kill the fire at once and the entire crew were summoned. The first attempt showed that this would be impossible, with the appliances at hand so the hatches were battened down again, the course laid direct for the Columbia river and the engineer told to open her wide. This was done, and the little steamer came along at a rate of speed she had seldom attained. The few passeugers were somewhat "frightened but they put their trust in Captain Graves and he saw them through. At first they insisted on the vessel being beached at once, but the skipper preferred to stay by his ship and get her into a place where if it was necessary to scuttle her he could find her again. Seeing he was determined, the passengers withdrew their objections, and the Michigan arrived here as state. With the exception of the salmon, the lime and other cargo is destined to Portland. [10]
  Person ID	I1781	Hugh Byrne and Nanette Asimov Lines
  Last Modified	16 Feb 2024

  
  

  Father	GRAVES, John,   b. 27 Sep 1800, New Market, Rockingham, NH, USA d. 23 Nov 1880, Palmer, Hampden, MA, USA (Age 80 years)
  Mother	SMITH, Delilah,   b. 12 Apr 1798, Wolfborough, Carroll, NH, USA d. 4 Jun 1873, Palmer, Hampden, MA, USA (Age 75 years)
  Marriage	3 Feb 1822	Boston, MA, USA   [11, 12]
  	John Grave m. Delilah Smith married by the Rev. Elias Smith, 3 Feb 1822
  Photos		4 women (Graves family)
  		Family Group (possibly Graves family)
  Family ID	F2805	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	BATCHELDER, Amelia Aldea,   b. 1 May 1841, Bath, Maine, USA d. 18 Feb 1926, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA (Age 84 years)
  Marriage	6 Mar 1866	Bath, Maine, USA   [13]
  Children	1. GRAVES, Helen Fidelia,   b. 28 Sep 1867, Bath, Maine, USA d. 25 Sep 1948, ALAMEDA, California (Age 80 years)   2. GRAVES, Mattie Octavia,   b. 1 Aug 1869, CA, USA d. 7 Jul 1950, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA (Age 80 years)   3. GRAVES, Annie C,   b. 17 Jan 1871, CA, USA d. 20 Nov 1955, Alameda Co, CA (Age 84 years)   4. GRAVES, Alonzo McFarland,   b. 17 Jul 1880, Oregon, USA d. 30 Dec 1956, Lafayette, Alameda CA USA (Age 76 years)
  Photos		Sewell & Amelia Graves
  Family ID	F684	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	15 Aug 2023

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - 17 Feb 1841 - Lawrence, MA, USA Marriage - 6 Mar 1866 - Bath, Maine, USA Census - 13 Jul 1870 - Table Rock, Sierra, CA USA Census - 23 Jun 1880 - Empire City, Coos, OR, USA Residence - 1904 - Alameda, Alameda, CA, USA Death - 12 Sep 1924 - Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Sewell Fogg Graves and Howard Sewell Byrne Sewell Fogg Graves & Howard Sewell Byrne
  		SewellGravesHowardByrneabt1920
  		Sewell Fogg Graves, Artist Captain of the Pacific
  		Sewell Graves & Walter
  		Sewell-Graves-Painting Painting by Sewell Fogg Graves

  
  

• Sources

  [S35] Ancestry.com, California Death Index, 1940-1997, (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000), Online publication - Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2000.Original data - State of California. California Death Index, 1940-1997. Sacramento, CA, USA: State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics. [S311] Family Bible George G Byrne & Helen Graves, Sewell Fogg Graves born Lawrence Mass Feb 17th 1841, Died Sept 12 1924 Santa Cruz. [S613] Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records., Sewell Fogg Graves, son of John Graves and Delilah his wife was born Feb 17th, 1841. [S39] National Archives and Records Administration, Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934, (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000), Roll T288_183: . [S1401] Sewell Graves in the 1870 Census, Graves, S. F. / Age 29 / Male / White / Occupation - Design Artist / Value of Real Estate $15 / Value of Personal Estate $100 / Birthplace Mass-. [S606] Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880 United States Federal Census, (Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005), Graves, Sewell F / W / M / 39 / Head / / Married / / Sailor / Mass / Mass / NH. [S1122] Captain Graves Dies At Home During Morning. [S1401] Sewell Graves in the 1870 Census. [S614] Julia Ward Howe, Mary Hannah Graves, (New England Historical Publishing Company, New England, 1904), Mrs. Davis has one sister living, namely: Sarah Abbie Graves, whose home is in Indiana; another sister, Octavia McFarland, who resided in San Francisco, died June 5, 1893. Her only brother, Sewell F. Graves, resides in Alameda, Cal. [S1402] Caught On Fire Out At Sea. [S614] Julia Ward Howe, Mary Hannah Graves, (New England Historical Publishing Company, New England, 1904), John Graves and Delilah Smith were married in 1821 in Boston, where Mr. Graves was engaged in the livery business. [S613] Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records., John Grave m. Delilah Smith married by the Rev. Elias Smith, 3 Feb 1822. [S311] Family Bible George G Byrne & Helen Graves, Married March 6, 1866 Bath Maine.