My Genealogy Hound

P. R. Gray. In giving a brief sketch of this gentleman, it is but the truth to say that he is one of the prominent men of the county, and has been quite successful in his enterprises. He was born in Switzerland County, Ind., October 7, 1836, and is the youngest of a family of eight children, six now living, born to Truman and Lorina (Bradford) Gray, who were born near Middlebury, Vt., and Massachusetts, respectively, the former’s birth occurring in 1795. When a boy he moved with his parents to New York State, and was a resident of Lawrence County, where he was married when about twenty-five years of age. They afterward located in Switzerland County, Ind., where the father was successfully engaged in tilling the soil. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, participating in the battle of Plattsburg, and was a Whig in his political views until 1879, when he became a Republican, and as such remained until his death in 1879. The mother of our subject was a daughter of Joel and Tryphena (Smith) Bradford, natives of Massachusetts. Joel was a son of Simeon and Phoebe (Whiting) Bradford; Simeon was the son of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Bartlett) Bradford; Ephraim, a son of Major William and his third wife Mary (Holmes) Bradford; Major William was a son of Gov. William and Alice (Southwart) Bradford, Gov. William Bradford being one of the Puritans who came to this country in that famous old ship, the “Mayflower.” Truman Gray was a deacon in the Presbyterian Church, his wife being a member of the Methodist Church. Their children are as follows: Joel, a retired farmer of Washington, Iowa, is a stockholder in the First National Bank of that place; Robert, a farmer of Barton County, Mo.; Lucinda, widow of William Waite, now residing in Reynolds, Ill.; Theda, wife of John C. Moore, a retired farmer of Reynolds, Ill.; and P. R. Gray, whose name heads this sketch. The latter was educated in Switzerland County, Ind., principally, and when fifteen years of age went to Iowa, and farmed with an older brother for four years, after which he went to Rock Island, Ill., from there to the State of Mississippi, then back to Indiana and Illinois, and in 1866 came to Barton County, Mo. While a resident of Rock Island he was engaged in the hotel business, but after coming to Barton County he turned his attention to farming and stock-raising, and has been quite successful, owning at the present time 450 acres of as good land as there is in the county. On the 8th of June, 1863, he was married to Mary Walsh, a daughter of Daniel and Matilda Walsh, who were born in County Antrim, Ireland, and Pennsylvania, respectively. She was born in Indiana County, Penn., December 12, 1840; and her union with Mr. Gray has resulted in the birth of ten children: Norman C., Celina, Freeman W., Olive, Fred J., Mark Lee and Cora A., living; and Scott P., Eva, and Frank W., who died in childhood. Mr. Gray is a stanch Republican, a strict temperance man, and he and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.