Graves, Charles Iverson, 1838-1896.

Charles Iverson Graves of Newton and Floyd counties, Ga., and Caswell County, N.C., attended the U.S. Naval Academy; served as a U.S. and Confederate naval officer; taught school and operated a farm near Rome, Ga.; spent 1875-1878 in Egypt as an officer in the Egyptian army; and worked as a civil engineer on construction of the Georgia Pacific and Memphis & Vicksburg railroads, 1881-1884. Charles and his wife, Margaret (Lea) Graves (fl. 1860-1898), had five children: Charles Iverson, Jr., William Lea, Mary Hinton, Robert William, and Anne Parke.

From the description of Charles Iverson Graves papers, 1831-1962 [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 25280970

Charles Iverson Graves (1838-1896) was the son of John Williams (d. 1847) and Martha Hinton Graves (fl. 1838-1854) of North Carolina. Sometime before his birth, his parents joined relatives living in Newton County, Ga., among them John's cousin, Iverson Lewis Graves and Martha's brother John Hinton. John's brother, Calvin Graves remained at Locust Hill in Caswell County, N.C., near Yanceyville. Calvin often advised his nephew Charles after the death of John Graves.

Charles attended the U.S. Naval Academy; served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy until 1861 when he became an officer in the Confederate Navy; taught school and operated a vegetable farm near Rome, Ga.; spent three years in Egypt as a lieutenant-colonel in the Egyptian army, 1875-1878; and worked as a civil engineer on construction of the Georgia Pacific, and Memphis & Vicksburg railroads, 1881-1884. He married Margaret Rockwell Lea in November 1862. They had five children: Charles Iverson, Jr., William Lea, Mary Hinton, Robert William, and Anne Parke.

Margaret Rockwell Lea (fl. 1860-1898) was the daughter of William (d. 1856) and Mary Lea (fl. 1850-1868). When William Lea died, his wife and daughter lived with relatives in Mississippi and Tennessee until Mary married Calvin Graves, whose first wife Elizabeth had been her aunt. Mary and Maggie, as Margaret was called by the family, moved to Locust Hill, where she met and married Calvin's nephew Charles on 10 November 1862. Charles's pet name for Margaret was Chi Chi.

From the guide to the Charles Iverson Graves Papers, 1831-1962, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)