Person:Joseph Gray (15)

Little is known about Joseph's origins, he never talked about his childhood perhaps because it was so unhappy. He was born to Scottish parents in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. His mother died when he was very young. His father remarried, but Joseph did not get along with his step-mother. He was apprenticed to a farmer who apparently abused him. He ran away at the age of 9 and somehow boarded a ship to Canada where he had a married sister living in Montreal. eventually he found his way to the United States and settled in Brass Ball, Wisconsin and married there. He ended up with a farm in Lake Villa, IL in Antioch Twp. He was said to be a shrewd investor and left substantial real estate holdings.

From 1880 U.S. census: Joseph GRAY Household Male Other Information: Birth Year <1828> Birthplace IRELAND Age 52 Occupation Farmer, Marital Status M <Married> Race W <White> Head of Household Joseph GRAY Relation Self Father's Birthplace SCOTLAND Mother's Birthplace SCOT

Source Information: Census Place Antioch, Lake, Illinois Family History Library Film 1254221 NA Film Number T9-0221 Page Number 632D

1.   Name: Thomas Gray
   Home in 1880: Antioch, Lake, Illinois
   Age: 12
   Estimated Birth Year: abt 1868
   Birthplace: Illinois
   Household Members: Name Age
   Joseph Gray 52
   Eliza Gray 48
   Adelbert Gray 17
   Mary Gray 15
   Thomas Gray 12
   Henry Gray 10
   Mabel Gray 8
   
   Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Antioch, Lake, Illinois; Roll: T9_221; Family History Film: 1254221; Page: 632.4000; Enumeration District: 242; .
   
   Source Information:
   
   Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. All use is subject to the limited use license and other terms and conditions applicable to this site. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1880. T9, 1,454 rolls.