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L. B. Graves collection

 Collection
Identifier: L378

Scope and Contents

The collection largely consists of almanacs and diaries of Lamson B. Graves in Johnson County, Indiana, ranging from 1881 to 19. With the exception of Barker’s Illustrated Almanac, L. B. Graves used almanacs as diaries, which include notations of farm chores or conditions and the social obligations of the Graves family, the latter related to such activities as church attendance, the Methodist Men’s Club, a temperance union, and Red Cross sewing. Brief accounts of goods and livestock are sometimes kept separately in the front or back of a diary. After January of 1961, the diaries reflect activities within the Franklin Methodist Home.

Assorted items, dating from 1886 to 1961, include a variety of materials such as diaries of family members; a thank-you letter to Mary (probably Graves) from her sister Emma for condolences offered at the bereavement for a dead husband who had been a member of State Fencibles’ Battalion, headquartered in Philadelphia; materials relating to Nellie Graves’ interest in Stradivarius violins; the last will and testament of Florence Platt Swanson with a bequest for Kate Graves; and the photograph of an unidentified house.

Dates

  • 1881-1956

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Biographical Note

Lamson Burch Graves was born October 31, 1847, to Hiram (1810-1855) and Anna (Botsford) Graves (1812-1892) in Indiana. They lived in Brown County in 1850 but moved to Johnson County by 1860. Graves attended high school in Nineveh Township, Franklin County, Indiana. Graves married Mary Elizabeth Ryan (1848-1932) on September 24, 1868, in Indiana and they had three daughters: Anna L. (1869-1950), Nellie Burch (1871-1965), and Katherine "Kate" M. (1874-1970). Kate Graves attended Franklin College and became a public school teacher in Johnshon County, along with her sister, Nellie. The Graves family farmed in Johnson County, where they raised sheep and cattle. Lamson and Mary Graves, with their daughters Nellie and Kate, moved to Franklin in 1894. Annie L. Graves married William Monroe Layne.

Sources:

Items in the collection.

Ancestry.com. "Lamson B. Graves." 1850 United States Federal Census. Accessed March 28, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lamson B. Graves." 1860 United States Federal Census. Accessed March 28, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lamson B. Graves." 1870 United States Federal Census. Accessed March 28, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lamson B. Graves." 1880 United States Federal Census. Accessed March 28, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lamson B. Graves." 1900 United States Federal Census. Accessed March 28, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lamson B. Graves." 1910 United States Federal Census. Accessed March 28, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lamson B. Graves." 1920 United States Federal Census. Accessed March 28, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lamson B. Graves." 1930 United States Federal Census. Accessed March 28, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Ancestry.com. "Lamson B. Graves." Indiana, U.S., Marriage Index, 1800-1941. Accessed March 28, 2025. http://www.ancestrylibrary.com.

Findagrave.com. "Katherine M. Graves." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed March 28, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38766134/katherine-m-graves.

Findagrave.com. "Lamson Burch Graves." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed March 28, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132658946/lamson-burch-graves.

Findagrave.com. "Nellie B. Graves." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed March 28, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38766085/nellie-burch-graves.

Findagrave.com. "Anna L. Graves Layne." Find a Grave Memorial. Accessed March 28, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132658898/anna-l-layne.

Extent

0.6 Cubic Feet (2 manuscript boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by subject.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed in 1999 by Philip N. Williams. EAD finding aid created 2018/05/07 by Lauren Patton. EAD finding aid revised 2025/03/28 by Brittany Kropf.

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
L. B. Graves collection
Status
Under Revision
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

http://www.in.gov/library/manuscripts.htm
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