Brief Life History of James J.
James J. Gray was born on 10 May 1855, in Oswego, Oswego, New York, United States as the son of James Gray and Mary Clark. He married Mary Jane Watson on 1 December 1881, in Grundy, Illinois, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Saratoga Township, Grundy, Illinois, United States in 1880 and Estherville Township, Emmet, Iowa, United States in 1900. He died on 27 June 1930, in Davenport, Scott, Iowa, United States, at the age of 75, and was buried in Fairmount Cemetery, Davenport, Scott, Iowa, United States.
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Family Time Line
Sources (41)
- James Gray, "United States Census, 1880"
- Legacy NFS Source: James J. Gray - Individual or family possessions: Family genealogies: birth: 10 May 1855; Oswego, New York, United States
- James Gray, "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940"
Spouse and Children
Children (7)
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Parents and Siblings
World Events (8)
1856 · The Largest Map Company in the World
William Rand opened a small printing shop in Chicago. Doing most of the work himself for the first two years he decided to hire some help. Rand Hired Andrew McNally, an Irish Immigrant, to work in his shop. After doing business with the Chicago Tribune, Rand and McNally were hired to run the Tribune's entire printing operation. Years later, Rand and McNally established Rand McNally & Co after purchasing the Tribune's printing business. They focused mainly on printing tickets, complete railroad guides and timetables for the booming railroad industry around the city. What made the company successful was the detailed maps of roadways, along with directions to certain places. Rand McNally was the first major map publisher to embrace a system of numbered highways and erected many of the roadside highway signs that have been adopted by state and federal highway authorities. The company is still making and updating the world maps that are looked at every day.
1863
Abraham Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slaves in Confederate states to be free.
1875 · A Treaty with Hawaii
In the Mid 1870s, The United States sought out the Kingdom of Hawaii to make a free trade agreement. The Treaty gave the Hawaiians access to the United States agricultural markets and it gave the United States a part of land which later became Pearl Harbor.
Name Meaning
English, Scottish, and Irish (especially Eastern Ulster; of Norman origin): habitational name from Graye in Calvados, France, named from the Gallo-Roman personal name Graec(i)us, meaning ‘Greek’ + the locative suffix -acum. This is probably the chief source of the surname in Britain.
English: nickname for someone with gray hair or a gray beard, from Middle English grey (Old English grǣg, grēg) ‘gray’. In Ireland it has been used as a translation of various Gaelic surnames derived from riabhach ‘brindled, gray’, including Mac Giolla Riabhaigh; see McGreevy . In North America, this surname has assimilated names with similar meaning from other languages.
French: habitational name from Gray in Haute-Saône or Le Gray in Seine-Maritime.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
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