Biographical Note

William F. Graves, the son of Peyton Graves, was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia on September 29, 1832. A few years after the death of his father, Graves moved with his family to Bedford County, Virginia, where he became a farmer. In 1858, he married Mary J. Johnson; the couple would have 11 children. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Graves enlisted as a sergeant in Company F of the Second Virginia Cavalry. In August 1861, he was promoted to lieutenant, and soon thereafter elected company captain. Later, he was promoted to major; and just before war's end, to lieutenant colonel. Following the war, Graves returned to Bedford County and resumed farming and milling. In 1871, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates and continued to serve through five consecutive terms. In later years he would serve as mayor of Vinton, Virginia. He died on July 3, 1923.

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