Laura Gray (abt. 1829)

Born about 1829 in Tallahassee, Leon, Florida, United States [uncertain]

Ancestors

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Gary Gray [send private message]

Biography

Laura was born about 1829 or 1830. She is the daughter of Nelson Gray and Jane Smith.

According to records, Nelson and Jane had four children: Nelson, Anna, Lizzie and Laura. Documents indicate that Nelson and Jane had two children when they moved from D.C. to Florida in 1828. His obituary and other sources referencing his death in August of 1829, say he left behind a wife and two children. In the "Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Middlebury College in Middlebury" published in 1917, Rev. Horatio Nelson Gray had four children. Most of the references regarding Rev. Gray's children come from records originating in the northeast. Keeping this in mind, there are a few possible scenarios. First, with slow communication between the southeast and the northeast, the writers in the northeast were unaware that Mrs. Gray had given birth to two additional children sometime between the time they left D.C. and the time Rev. Gray died. The source simply got it wrong. Second, Jane gave birth after Rev. Gray's death. Assuming Jane got pregnant before Rev. Gray died, she could have given birth to Lizzie and Laura (probably twins) at any time between late August of 1829 (the month of Rev. Gray's death) and May of 1830 (nine months after Rev. Gray's death). If either Lizzie or Laura were born before Rev. Gray's death, then there was ample time for a second child to be conceived and born. The last option I can think of, is that Lizzie and Laura either never existed or were not children of Rev. Gray's children. Again, the source simply got it wrong.

Sources

• Catalogue of the Officers and Students of Middlebury College In Middlebury, Vermont and of others who have received Degrees, 1800-1915, Compiled by Edgar J. Wiley, Middlebury, VT., Published by the College 1917 U.S., College Student Lists, 1763-1924 - Ancestry.com

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/115613:2207?tid=&pid=&queryId=7baa2a41-9052-4da1-9591-1a9840af7e95&_phsrc=ydx224&_phstart=successSource