History of Clark County, Wisconsin (1918

A. A. GRAVES, a prominent resident of the village of Loyal, who for years has been closely identified with the manufacturing and other business interests of this part of Clark County, was born at Wautoma, Wis., May 14, 1857, son of John and Lytenia (Caldwell) Graves. The father was born in England, coming to the United States with his parents when six months old. They settled in New York State, where John was reared and educated and where he subsequently married Lytenia Caldwell. For three years after his marriage he remained a resident of that state and there two of his children were born-Hulda and Dwane.

At the age of 35 years he set out for the West, coming with his family and driving a team all the way. On arriving at Iron Ridge, Wis., he halted and bought a piece of wild land, being the first settler in that place. There they resided for about eighteen years, during which time they had another child born to them, whom they named Rosella.

By the end of the period mentioned he had made good progress in the development of his farm. He then removed to Wautoma, where he preached for a year, being a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and it was while living there that the subject of this sketch was born. Subsequently John Graves returned to his farm, but in 1866 he sold it and came to Loyal, Clark County, buying 320 acres of land in sections 15 and 16. All the land in Loyal Township was then covered with woods, and the nearest neighbors of the Graveses were the families of W. J. Hallett and E. Borden.

Seeing opportunities in the lumber industry, Mr. Graves erected a sawmill, which he conducted alone until about 1876, when he took his son, A. A. Graves, in as partner. They put in a big stock of lumber and were prepared to do a rushing business, when ten days later the mill burned. The subject of this sketch then put up another mill, which he operated for about twenty-eight years. For some years this was a saw band, excelsior and heading mill, and the heading mill is still in operation. As early as when he was 14 years of age, A. A. Graves hauled goods between Loyal and Black River Falls. As a young man he had conducted a general store in Loyal, now the store of B. W. Colby, which he later sold to John Wiric and William Mulligan. He built, and for six years operated, a grist mill, which he afterward sold to Ed Murphy. This mill burned down in 1913. Mr. Graves is also a stockholder in the State Bank of Withee and in the Mercantile State Bank of Minneapolis, and is president of the Loyal State Bank. He owns 640 acres of land in Loyal Township and in 1890 he built a fine residence in the village of Loyal, which village he is now serving as a member of its board of trustees.

On Sept. 1, 1878, Mr. Graves was married to Isabelle Hallock, whose father, William, was then a blacksmith. The children born of that marriage were: Elva, now Mrs. R. M. Jenks, of Loyal Maude, who married John Jones and resides in the South and Blanche, who is the wife of Dr. M. Magonigal of Loyal. In 1882 Mrs. Isabelle Graves died and in 1886 Mr. Graves married for his second wife, Dolly Mulvey, whose father, John Mulvey, was a wagonmaker in Loyal. Though Mr. Graves has met with reverses in his business career, he has on the whole been successful and is numbered among the prosperous citizens of Loyal village and township. He has taken an active and useful part in the development of the county and has made many warm friends and acquaintances.

A. A. Graves (From the History of Clark County, Wisconsin (1918)