Jesse Berry Gray and Theodore S. Gray

During the Civil War, Jesse Berry Gray was severely wounded in the leg. At some point in the war he was imprisoned in a Union prisoner of war camp. Somewhere during this time, he met Sargent Griffin. The photo is of Jesse Berry Gray and his wife, Ann Griffin Gray, the daughter of Sargent Griffin. The photos are courtesy of Robert Gray who lives in Southside, Alabama.

After the war, Jesse Berry Gray, accompanied by his first cousin, Theodore S. Gray (Paw is named after him) left the Carolinas headed for Texas. In passing through Alabama, the cousins decided to stop off in Ohatchee to visit with Sargent Griffin. That was as far as they got. Jesse Berry Gray “fell in love with Sargent Griffin’s daughter”, as Paw tells it.

They were married and eventually moved to Sand Mountain. Theodore S. Gray settled around the Gadsden/Anniston area. Jesse Berry Gray is buried on Sand Mountain somewhere around Boaz. Paw says he has a cousin still living on Sand Mountain who knows where the cemetery is located and we plan to seek it out soon.

This photo is the daughter of Jesse Berry Gray and Ann Griffin Gray. This is Paw's aunt, Cora Alice Gray Dickey and her husband.

One note of interest is that there is a Theodore S. Gray buried in Ten Island Cemetery according to the list of “permanent residents”. You can view the list which is located at the end of the posting about the Ten Island Baptist Church. The list indicates that Theodore S. Gray died on June 30, 1905. What caught my eye about this listing was that Paw’s birthday is on June 30, but in 1928 – not 1905. Paw and I both do not recall ever having seen this grave marker.

Paw said he was not 100% sure about this part of the history, but Theodore S. Gray had a daughter who was the mother of Dr. Thomas Brothers. Dr. Brothers used to have a practice in Ohatchee. That was back in the days when doctors still made house calls. Paw says that Dr. Brothers is still practicing in Anniston, Alabama. Dr. Brothers was Grandma Gray’s doctor. Also, she was the sister to Dr. Hugh Gray who practiced in Anniston. Dr. Hugh Gray was the Gray in Gray and Brown’s Funeral Home in Anniston.