Fred Thomas Gray (1895 - 1970)

Born 15 Oct 1895 in Blacksburg, Montgomery, Virginia, United States

Ancestors

Died 3 Jun 1970 at age 74 in Roanoke, Virginia, United States

Biography

Native Virginian

Son of William Wesley Gray and Dora May Keister.

Married wife Telia Coleman after 1940, presumably in VA. No record of children.

Research Notes

• Marriage record was not found
• Obituary was not found

Sources

• Birth - "Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X5V4-94W : 28 January 2020), Fred T. Gray, 1895.
• 1900, age 5 - link not found. (FS source removed.) VA, Montgomery, Blacksburg, ED 65, sheet 21A. Microfilm Roll T623_1718.
• 1910, age 15 - VA, Montgomery, Blacksburg, ED 96, sheet 6A, family 99. "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MPL1-GF7 : accessed 8 February 2022), Fred Gray in household of Willian N Gray, Blacksburg, Montgomery, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 96, sheet 6A, family 99, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1636; FHL microfilm 1,375,649.
• 1917 draft registration - "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K6Z3-83Q : 6 February 2022), Fred Thomas Gray, 1917-1918.
• 1918 enlistment - not found. See VA Index, below.
• 1919 discharge - not found. See VA Index, below.
• 1920, age 25 - VA, Montgomery, Blacksburg, ED 109, sheet 7B, family 134. "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MJJT-YMW : 6 February 2022), Fred T Gray in entry for Wesley W Gray, 1920.
• 1930, age 35 - VA, Montgomery, Blacksburg, ED 61-5, sheet 6B, family 178. "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:CXGD-86Z : accessed 8 February 2022), Fred T Gray in household of Wesley W Gray, Blacksburg, Montgomery, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 5, sheet 6B, line 79, family 178, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2451; FHL microfilm 2,342,185.
• 1940, age 45 - VA, Montgomery, Blacksburg, ED 61-7, sheets 17A+17B, family 369. "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VRBN-BZ3 : 26 July 2019), Fred T Gray, Blacksburg, Blacksburg Magisterial District, Montgomery, Virginia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 61-7, sheet 17A, line 39, family 369, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4277.

• "Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVYG-SQRN : 16 August 2019), Fred Thomas Gray, 03 Jun 1970; from "Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850," database and images, Ancestry (2012); citing Roanoke, , Virginia, United States, entry #, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond.
  • "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JRZ9-XMW : 8 January 2021), Fred Gray, Jun 1970; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
• Burial - Find A Grave: Memorial #74334804
• Family Search - Fred Thomas Gray
• "United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q5C2-B23Z : 6 February 2022), Fred Thomas Gray, 7 May 1919; citing Military Service, NARA microfilm publication 76193916 (St. Louis: National Archives and Records Administration, 1985), various roll numbers.

Sources held over from GEDCOM upload

• Ancestors of Alfred Curtis Gray generated by Amy Gray.  
• Keister Genealogy, by John Taylor Keister. Private (mimeographed originally) Blacksburg, Virginia, 1946; Several copies of body: preface (page 0) through page 25. Full copy: Title page, body (pp. 1-26), appendices (pp. 27-66) received from Janet McAuley via Buddy Keister. Full copy is copied from microfilm. The part called "appendices", pp. 27-66, is actually Price, Harvey Lee: The Keister Family (q.v.), or a major portion thereof.
• Broken URL: https://www.shareie.accessgenealogy.com Descendants of Frederick Keister, by Sherry Lawson.

Email from Amy (Gray) Bazar, 001020

Right now, I want to give you some of the information I have. I'm not going to go into detail because you might already have all this information. That way, the things we don't have we can exchange information on.

My great grandmother is Dora May Keister - b. Feb. 28, 1868, d. Nov.27, 1957. She married William Wesley Gray (a.k.a. Wes) in 1892 - b. June 6,1865, d. May 22, 1940. I have three diaries from Roseanna Croy Dawson who was Wes's aunt. Her sister is Matilda Croy Gray who was Wes's mother. In the diaries she talks about life during that time, she talks a lot about Wes and refers to Dora many times also. She also talks of some of the Keisters in the area at that time. If you're interested I could email you the excerpts about the Keisters and Dora.

Dora and Wes had 7 children:

1. Harvey Walter Gray (my grandfather)

2. Harry Edward Gray

3. Fred Thomas Gray

4. Nellie Margaret Gray

5. Ellett Barkman Gray

6. Claude Angel Gray

7. Mabel Keister Gray (note- died as a child)

Dora's father is David Keister - b. Dec. 9, 1826, d. Mar. 7, 1908 He married Margaret Robinson (don't have marriage date) - b. abt.1833, d. Apr. 2, 1924 There is a lot of information on the Robinson's - a lot of which I haven't even researched fully. While I've been working on other families at the library I have seen many references to the Robinsons - so when I find out all the info. on that family I could pass it on to you if you're interested in that side of the family.

David and Margaret had 9 children:

1. John M. Keister

2. Thomas J. Keister

3. William H. Keister

4. David Harmon Keister

5. Mary LuEmma Keister

6. George W. Keister

7. Dora May Keister

8. Ada Sue Keister

9. Minnie Francis Keister (note- she committed suicide)

David's father is John Keister - b. Oct. 16, 1789, d. Dec. 23, 1857 He married Sarah Martin on Nov. 4, 1814 - b. Apr. 30, 1791 I have some information on the Martin's also - and I'm still researching