History of Rush County Indiana Brant& Fuller Chicago 1888 Page772 and 773 Surnames mentioned in this biography are: Gray, Nichols, Rayburn, Nickell, Nelson, Nichols,Gerard, JAMES GRAY was born on the farm where he now resides February 8, 1834. His parents were James and Mary (Nichols) Gray, natives of Monroe County, W. Va., of Anglo—Saxon origin mixed with Scotch blood. The former was the son of John and          Mary(Rayburn) Gray, the former of whom was a very prominent worker in political circles.He was Circuit Judge, and held office in the Legislature for fourteen years.His parents were among the pioneer settlers of Virginia. James Gray, the third child of John Gray,was born in Monroe County, W. Va., May 23, 1797, and was reared on the farm. In April,1816, when but nineteen years of age, he was united in marriage with Mary Nickell,daughter of George and Margaret (Nelson) Nickell, natives of West Virginia, where Mary was born October 8, 1798. They located on a rented farm, and in the fall of 1822, resolved to seek a home in the west and removed to Union County, Indiana, but,in 1824,Mr. Gray bought a part of the tract of land, which our subject now owns in Union Township,Rush County, Indiana. He paid $I55 for eighty acres. Here he made a home and resided until their respective deaths. James, our subject, was raised on the farm and          has adopted farming as a life occupation. He received a good education in his youth; and on December 20, 1857, was married to Miss Martha Jane Nichols, daughter of James and Sina E.(Gerard) Nichols, natives of Franklin County, Indiana, where Mrs. Gray was principally reared. This union was blessed with twelve children: John H., William H., RebeccaC., Nancy, George, Andrew, Vincent, Adda, Cary, Minnie, Mary and Madison, of whom George, Mary and Madison are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Gray are members of the Christian Church. Politically, Mr. Gray is a Republican. He owns the old Gray homestead,which was settled in 1824, and upon which he has spent his entire life. Here he has brought up a large family of sons and daughters, half of whom have grown to maturity.