Hello David, I am surprised to hear from you again after we discussed your Hessian on this list in 2001. Seems not much more information has come in since, and I can understand your frustration. Looking at your dates, there seems to be a small discrepency as far as his date of marriage is concerned. Our mail list archives show in a posting of 12.Nov.2001 that he married Dolly on 1. June 1784 and their first son David was born exactly 9 months later on 1. March 1785. This information was given by our subscriber Jane Curci, who is still participating on our list, perhaps she still has the sources of her data. Trusting that you will make some progress, I remain yours ruly, John Helmut Merz. ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Sisson" <dsisson2@rochester.rr.com> Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2005 3:54 PM > Source: CTMIDDLE-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Dolly GRAVES of 18th century Middletown > > Dorothy/Dolly Graves, widow of William Graves, of Middletown, CT, is my > most difficult brick wall. > > I descend from Dolly and her second husband. I am seeking her maiden > name and parentage. > > I have found no record of marriage for anyone named Dolly or Dorothy to > any William Graves in New England. There is only one record of such a > marriage anywhere in America during the right time, in the 1760s or > 1770s - the marriage of a William Graves and a Dolly Barker - which took > place on 20 September 1770 in Swedes' Church, Philadelphia. > > The "son of William and Dolly," a second William Graves, was born on 1 > August 1776 in Middletown (Barbour index). On 7 October 1782 Dolly was > named administratrix of William Graves' estate. > > On 6 July 1783 Dolly married John David Arent (aka Arnd and Arndt, a > Hessian soldier who had deserted his regiment) in Christ Church > (Episcopal), Middletown. The Middletown Vital Records call her "Dolly > Graves," widow of William Graves, and they date the marriage on 1 June > 1783, probably the date of their "intention" to marry. The records of > Christ Church, Middletown, show that "David Arnd" and "Mrs. Dorothy > Graves" were married 6 July 1783. (The church records are now held by > Holy Trinity (Episcopal) Church, Middletown, which absorbed Christ Church.) > > I'd appreciate any research ideas and would jump for joy for anyone's > recognition of Dolly or William. Thanks, > > David Sisson >