Catherine Lee (Graves) - Has two husbands, which one is right?

Actually, make that *three* husbands - she has an Unknown husband with a flock of children including another Richard Lee who married a Celia Settles. (Pattern match to a couple who were until recently slotted under descendants of William Lee of Ulster!)

Here is a profile for William Lee m. Ave/Ava Noel.

William Lee

I believe Ann "Nancy" (Lee) Price belongs to William Lee and Ave Noel.

Here is the profile now attached to William Lee and Catherine Graves:

Ann Nancy Lee

Suggest merging with this profile (added today), which has the dates from her tombstone (see photo at Find A Grave). 1791 d.o.b. unlikely, but not impossible, given the age of her mother Ave Noel (1743).

Ann "Nancy" Price (Lee)

Don't know if James Lee and Mary Clarke are proven for the parents of William Lee m. Ave Noel. Notes here refer to them repeatedly as his "supposed" parents: http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/lee/19306/

Here is what the Graves Family Association has for Catherine Graves Lea/Lee--looks like she's still something of a mystery!

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Gen. 610, DESCENDANTS OF CATHERINE GRAVES AND WILLIAM LEE OF VA

Catherine Graves (1) was born about 1737 in Spotsylvania Co., VA. She married William Lee, son of Charles Lee and Ann Dabbs. He was born about 1738 in King and Queen Co., VA, and died in Nov. 1808 in Shelby Co., KY.

It seems likely that Catherine was a daughter of Thomas Graves (born 1691) and Ann Davenport, descended from Capt. Thomas Graves of VA (gen. 169), but there is presently no proof of that. It is possible that she is the daughter who married William Lea, brother of Isabella Lea, rather than Nancy Graves shown in gen. 169. [I think they mean Gen. 270, see below.--ANC] She is listed by some researchers as a daughter of Thomas Graves and Eleanor, but no proof for that can be found either.

It is also possible that Catherine was not a Graves at all. No proof has been provided that she was a Graves. (R-1, R-2, R-3)

Children - Lee

+2. Samuel Lee, b. 26 April 1763, m(1) Olive Willis, 15 July 1798, m(2) Mary Margaret Mitchell, 15 Jan. 1813, d.c. 1844.

+3. William Lee, b. 28 Aug. 1768, m. Jane Mitchell, 11 Feb. 1792, d. 26 Dec. 1844.

4. Nancy Lee, b. 1765-70, m. James Lawler, 12 July 1790, d. after 1830.

+5. John Lee, b.c. 1766-71, m. Elizabeth Mitchell, 18 Oct. 1798, d. 1844.

6. Winney Lee, b.c. 1772, m. Samuel Wilson, 18 Oct. 1792, d. 1850.

7. Caty Lee, b.c. 1774.

8. Richard Lee, b.c. 1776, m. Celia Settles.

http://www.gravesfa.org/gen610.htm

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Gen. 270

JOHN GRAVES/GREAVES OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND & VIRGINIA

Nancy Graves (22) was born about 1735, and died by 1809 in Wilkes Co., GA. (Mrs. Hiden had suggested the possibility that this was Catherine or Katherine Graves.) She married William Lea, brother of Isabella Lea. They moved to and lived in Caswell Co., N.C. William died testate May-July 1794 in Wilkes Co., Ga.

Nancy is not documented as a daughter of Thomas and Ann, but there is circumstantial evidence. A daughter did marry a William Lea, and this William was a brother of Isabella Lea who married John Graves. The names used in this family are names used by this Graves line. (R‑14)

Children - Lea

174. Thomas Lea, m. Sally Lea.

175. John Lea, m. Elizabeth Bradley.

176. Jonathan Lea, m. Mary Hightower.

177. Nancy Lea

178. Solomon Lea

179. Rosanna Lea, m. Gene Sherwood, d. before 1809.

180. Sarah Lea, m. William Roper, d. before 1794.

181. Jean (Jane) Lea

http://www.gravesfa.org/gen270.htm

We have at least three William Lees on the loose in this time period, with conflicting information:

William Lee, son of Charles Lee and Ann Dabbs;

William Lee, son of James Lee and Mary Clarke Garnett;

William Lee, son of William Lee III and either Anne Nn or Mary Thornton

One of the first two was the husband of Avery "Ave" Noel and had a son named James Garnett Early Lee, a Methodist circuit rider and preacher in Bedford County, VA.

One of the other two married Catherine Graves.

As for the third one...???

"James Garnett Early Lee" dumped two of his forenames and generally went by just "Garnett Lee". He stuck around in Bedford County most of his life.

It doesn't help a bit that Cumberland County records are so sketchy as to be nearly useless.

William Lee and Ave Noel settled in Bedford County, VA and stayed there, populating a small family graveyard where lie William, Ave, Garnett, and a scattering of other relatives.

The William Lee who married Catherine Graves seems to have wound up in Shelby County, Kentucky, first going through North Carolina (where Catherine died and was buried).

Some older genealogies insist on entangling these lines with THE Lees, to whom they were *not* related.

The name "Garnett", which is so common among the descendants of William and Ave, may have come into the family through the Noels (lots of Noell/Garnett/Guthrey/Lee/Coleman intermarriages in early Essex and Cumberland counties, apparently). This implies some sort of cousinship between Charles Lee m. Ann Dabbs and James Lee m. Mary Garnett, not necessarily in the direct male line (early Virginia had many, many, many Lees).

I am now wondering about the assumption that Ms. Ave Noel Lee was born in "Bristol, England". With evidence for Noels in Virginia going well back into the 17th century, might she instead be home-grown?

There was a John Noel m. Ann (Garnett?) who pulled up stakes and moved into Cumberland County c. 1754. Four documented children: Thomas (c. 1741?), John, Robert, Rebecca. Were they associated in any way with James Lee/Mary Garnett? Did any unrecorded relatives come with them?

The name Avey/Ava also occurs in the Garnett line (one of the daughters of Thomas Garnett, (1675-1748) - she married a Dr. Mark Andrews and, yes, they moved out to Cumberland County, VA. Looks like a lot of people had the same idea....

8. Richard Lee, b.c. 1776, m. Celia Settles.

Recently uncovered evidence indicates that he cannot be a son of Catherine Graves & William Lee - his father was a *Richard* Lee who married one Margaret Reno (Reneau, Reyneau). (The Renos are also found in association with the Philemon Waters line in Northern VA, particularly in and around Prince William County.)

Margaret Lee my 7th great aunt (probably)

https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000013620569177&

Reneau / Reno line had a good study done.

For what it's worth, Richard Lee does not resonate for me as the same person as Richard Lee

"My" Reno / Cargiles went to Wilkes, NC (and then Western Kentucky, then Oregon)

William Cargile

If that isn't Richard son of William III, we have an extra Richard from that generation - and whose is he?

Hmmm...apparently one or more Richards *did* get lost off the tree. Leedna.com shows a Richard Lee born c. 1753 m. Tabitha Wilson as a 100% match to Charles Lee of Orange County (and his father, William Lee "of Ulster").

Now, where did *that* Richard come from? (Some researchers think there was a Richard among Charles Lee of Orange's later sons, born, c. 1754-1756, but the evidence is iffy.)

I think this tree may be the disproved Shipley tree but my computer timed out - I merged the other matches

Joseph Luke Hanks

Who was John Leewright?

www.genealogy.com/ftm/d/a/m/Sue-Reneau-Damewood/BOOK-0001/0004-0004...

     Thomas Reno [father of the Margaret Reno who married a Lee] died on December 24, 1777, and his estate was inventoried in 1778. Will Book G, page 69, for 1777 has an account of his estate by John Leewright, administrator, and mentions coffins for Thomas Reno and Sebret Reno deceased, and payments to Zealey Reno, Mrs. Elizabeth Reno, Francis Reno, and Lewis Reno Jr. No record of his will has been found. Guy Reno thought that Thomas' sons William, Lewis, and Thomas had all died childless, but records have since been found showing that Thomas Reno, Jr. did have children.

Good question! I found a John Leewright who was born a Wright and apparently hung the "Lee" on his last name for prestige reasons (Born in Stafford, Virginia, USA on 1742 to John Wright and Mary Kitchen. John married Elizabeth Coppage and had 7 children. He passed away on 1787 in Prince William, Virginia, USA. )

I also found a John Lee Wright (c. 1700- 27 Feb 1792) of Fauquier County who might have had his middle and last name mashed together (or might have had a "middle" name spliced in later by researchers). On the whole I can't make much of eithe rof them. Yet.
Curiously, some of the land records for Fauquier and Prince William and etc. have wound up in Frederick County(!). Don't ask me how that happened!

The Renos tie into the Philemon Waters line quite early on - in fact the Thomas Waters who fathered Ann (Waters) Reno may be the founder of that line (the timing is about right, and he's in about the right place).

Getting back to the original question of "which William Lee did Catherine Graves marry?", if we rule out William son of Charles Lee/Ann Dabbs, we have to rule *in* William IV (son of William IIII/either Ann Nn or Mary Thornton). I've begun to think that William IV was a bit older than he's generally assumed to be and was actually one of Ann's younger children - he followed Ann's children west rather than following Mary's children south.

Did anyone notice that Ann "Nancy" Price (Lee) is a Zombie?

That's supposed to be another Ann (Lee) Price, found more or less accidentally. Abandoned Tree, I think.

Thanks, I made Ann Lee public / deceased.

Do you think the son of John (Lee)Wright of Stafford could have progressed the name change? :) :)

Born 1742 is too young for our John Lee Wright to be father. Are we looking at a brother Richard? Generally administrators are related or in county position authority?

Re: Joseph Luke Hanks: tree winds up going off in a different direction.

Thanks, Erica, but she now has a rash of Zombie sibs. It never, ever ends, does it!

Bah. I’m going to tickle Geni on that one - cut her loose in the meantime ?

Lucy Shipley Hanks

Looks like disproved Lucy Shipley Hanks & unconnected to Pres Lincoln tree luckily. I think let it drift for now.

Huh. Looks like we need a cross-check with "Anne Arundel Gentry" - Lucy's mother is alleged to be an Anne Arundel Dorsey. Sarah Rachel Shipley

It looks fishy, though.