The Gray Family

Peter Gray was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1800. He escaped to Canada, but left behind his daughter Catherine. He was one of the first settlers of Buxton. On December 6, 1849, he made a down payment for Lot 11 on Concession 10 in Raleigh. In 1866, he made his final payment for the land.

In 1861, Peter was 60 years old and lived with his wife Sally, who was older than he was.  In those days, families took in orphans and raised them as their own children.  In the 1850’s there were about thirty orphans living in the Buxton Settlement. The Grays took in Joseph Mitchum who was 13 years old.  Joseph helped Peter on the farm and went to school. Two other Mitchum children lived in Buxton in 1861; Ann, age 14, lived with the Watts family and Catherine, age 16, lived with the Stringer family. These two girls were probably Joseph’s sisters.  In 1880, Joseph was married and lived in Michigan with his family.

Sally Gray died around 1868. After her death, Peter Gray married Edie Frances Freeman, who was much younger than he was.  They never had any children, but Peter adopted Edie’s daughter, Mary Frances. Peter kept in touch with his daughter Catherine and his two grandchildren and left them money in his will.

Peter Gray died on May 13, 1880. He is buried in the B.M.E. Cemetery in North Buxton. After Peter’s death, his widow, Edie married William Henry in 1882. They sold the farm in Buxton and moved away.