Vitals: William Sylvester Gray & Elisabeth Leslie

William Sylvester (1816-1879) b & r West Deer Twp., PA (son of James & Mary Patterson Gray; Farmer & butcher)

William Sylvester Gray
1816-1879

-military: GAR, Civil War (1861-63) Division Teamster, 63rd Infantry Reg., Co. E  (discharged after Gettysburg Battle on Surgeon’s Certificate at age 47; family tradition suggests that his duty was to put the dead on horse-drawn wagons for burial) served in the war with sons Robert & Samuel
-buried: Bull Creek Cemetery, WDT (See cemetery for GPS)

Elizabeth Davidson(?) Leslie (1818-1895) b & r WDT (daughter of George & Jane Guilliford Leslie; Homemaker)
-buried: Bull Creek cemetery, WDT (See cemetery for GPS)

William S. & Elizabeth Leslie Gray stones, Bull Creek Cemetery

Married: Bull Creek Presbyterian (1837) Rev. Abraham Boyd

Children: 7 children; order uncertain

1. Sarah Jane “Jennie” (1838-1930) unmarried; cared for aged mother until her death then moved to Olympia, WA, with sister Mattie, where she died.
-buried: Bull Creek Cemetery, WDT?
2. George Leslie (1840-1842) died in infancy
-buried: Bull Creek Cemetery
3. Samuel Alexander (1842-1919) b. WDT & r. Missouri (m. Margaret Montgomery; Farmer) Was his middle name from grandparents?
-military: GAR, 63rd PA Infantry Reg., Co. E; Civil War POW at Chancellorsville, 1863
-buried: Chillicothe, MO
4. Robert Patterson (1844-1928) b & r WDT (m. Annie Sims Norris; Farmer; my great-grandfather) went to MO with brother Samuel, but sold him his 50-acre Homestead Act farm and returned to run his father’s WDT farm. Middle name probably from mother.
-military: GAR 6th PA Infantry Reg., Co. A (Heavy Artillery 1864-5)
-buried: Bull Creek Cemetery, WDT
5. Nancy “Nanny” Elizabeth (1849-1879) b. WDT; r. Beaver Falls, PA (m. Rev. Robert M. McKinney)
6. Martha Ann “Mattie” (1853- ) b. WDT & r. Portland, OR & Washington (m. Rev. Robert Edmonds)
7. William Charles Sumner, Jr. (1856/58-1859) died in childhood
-buried: Bull Creek Cemetery, WDT

George & William, Jr. Gray
(died in childhood)
Bull Creek Cemetery

Documentation:

Bull Creek Presbyterian Church Cemetery records

Family tradition & Robert P. Gray family Bible

Notes from Edna Gray to Sally Walters. 18 January 1991

Various U.S. Census records

Various Public Member Family Trees. Ancestry.com

See “Introduction: Gray

RETURN TO OUR GRAY FAMILY TREE

RETURN TO OUR LESLIE FAMILY TREE

Last revised: 2/20/21

2 Responses to Vitals: William Sylvester Gray & Elisabeth Leslie

  1. Tiffani leslie says:

    I’ve been looking up my family history on my grandfather’s side. The furthest I’ve gotten is to my great, great, great grandfather, who’s name is listed as Samuel David Leslie, born in Ireland and moved to the US. My source says that he was listed as fighting in the Civil War for about one year before he was sent home in 1864. Please tell me if this is the same Samuel in this article! It doesn’t have his mother or father listed and we really want to find out how far back we can go!

    • admin says:

      Tiffani,
      You are looking at Vitals for my Gray family. The Samuel (b. 1842) you see did fight in the Civil War but he was a Gray. His mother was a Leslie. If you will look under my associated family of Leslie, and specifically “Introduction” Leslie” (https://e-gen.info/?page_id=494), you will see references to several nearby Leslies of Butler County, PA, both rather public figures: Samuel A. (born before the Civil War) and son Samuel M. (b.1868). Hope that helps in your search. Leslie and Samuel are somewhat common names among the Scots-Irish. Thanks for your interest,
      Larry

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