I am looking for information on several generations of the Groves family that lived in the Cranbury/Jamesburg areas. The earliest ancestor for whom I have reasonably reliable (confirmed by multiple sources) information is Gideon Groves, who lived from about 1810/1812 to 1902. His death certificate lists his parents as Richard Groves and Hannah others in the family, it is a big deal. So, to get to the point, does anyone have information about this family, or would anyone be Lyons Groves. There are many references on Internet databases to the marriage of Richard and Hannah, so, although I do not have any original records to support this fact, I accept it as valid. There are also many references to a couple named John Groves and Ann (Anne/Anna) Runyon (also with spelling variations), who had children named Richard, Samuel, Martha, and Sarah (Sally/Sallie). I have never found any source besides the death certificate that connects Gideon with Richard and Hannah, and some of my husband's relatives are skeptical of this alleged relationship. They also seem to have a problem with the will of a John Grove (no S), in which his children (Samuel, Richard, Martha, and Sarah) are also listed as Grove (no S). I find it difficult to believe that there were both a John Grove and a John Groves with four children bearing the same names, living in the same, presumably small community in the early 1800s. The names Grove and Groves seem to be used almost interchangeably in many of the records I've seen, whether that is because of normal variations in spelling in an era when literacy was less than it is today or because of transcription and clerical errors over the years. To me, this is not a sticking point, but to willing to check a few records, to prove or disprove a relationship between Gideon, Richard, and John? I have never found any other likely suspect to be Gideon's father, but I am certainly willing to admit that my attempts to link these three men may be wrong.