Centre Presbyterian Church - 129 Centre Church Road - Mooresville, NC
Patrick Gracey's Grave
Patrick
Gracey, my 5th Great Grandfather, was born on January 3, 1700, in Coleraine,
Northern Ireland. His father, John, was 20 and his mother, Jean, was 13.
Patrick married Rebecca Barnett in 1731 in Ireland. They had 13 children in 46
years. He died on January 9, 1810, in Mooresville, North Carolina, at the
age of 110, and was buried in Mount Mourne, North Carolina.
The following information was retrieved from the book The
Knox Family published in 1905. The following sketch of Patrick
Gracey, brother-in-law to John Knox, emigrant, was furnished by two of his
great-granddaughters, Mrs. I.R. Alexander, of Mooresville, and Mrs. Dr. J.R.B.
Adams, of Statesville, N.C.
“Patrick
Gracey was born in Ireland, in 1700; emigrated to America, with his sister, Jean
and John Knox, in 1740. It is though her married in this county. He
married a Miss Rebecca Barnett (my 5th Great Grandmother). It is said
that he may have married a second time. They came over in a sail vessel.
The winds being unfavorable, they were three months on the ocean, and ran short
of water and provisions. It is said that Patrick wore a pair of new
buckskin pants that were rather tight for him when he left Ireland, but lapped
over considerably when they landed in America. Patrick Gracy reared a
large family of children. Three of the sons' names were William, Robert
and Joseph. Robert lived near Cool Springs. He was Mrs. Adams'
grandfather. One of the daughters of Patrick Gracy and her babe were
scalped by the Indians. His daughter, Eleanor Gracy, married a Templeton.
Their son, Graecy Templeton, lived to be ninety-four years of age.
Two of the daughters lived in the mountains of North Carolina, near
Pleasant Gardens. Patrick Gracey settled near the head waters of Back Creek, in
what was then Rowan county (now Iredell). North Carolina, some three
miles northeast of Mooresville. And ended his days there in 1810, at the
extreme age of one hundred and ten years. Mrs. Alexander says of him,
"I remember to hear my father say that Patrick Gracy rode horseback a
distance of seven miles, to visit his daughter, my grandmother, just six weeks
before he died. He must have been a remarkable strong man to have made
the journey on horseback at such an advanced age. He was a great lover of
coffee, which was considered a luxury in those days. His daughter would
always try to give him coffee when he visited her, and on handing back his cup
for a second time he would exclaim, as the cup was being filled nearly full,
"That's a vast, that's a vast, Nellie." He had the Irish
brogue, of course. He was a good man. Bibles were very scarce in those
days, so he often would take his Bible and go among his neighbors, reading the
Scriptures to them. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church in
Ireland, and brought his certificate of membership with him. When he
presented it to the pastor of church at Centr, Dr. McRea, he pronounced it all
right. It is said that when Patrick Gracy was buried they had to take
axes and cut out the trees to make a road to the graveyard, there being only
paths. The following is the inscription found on his tombstone, in Centre
Graveyard, near Mooresville. "SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF PATRICK GRACY,
WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE JANUARY 9, 1810, AGED 100 YEARS. 'The busy scene
of life is closed, The body's laid in calm repose; The happy should has gone to
rest, Reclining on its Savior's breast. An active, useful life is o'er,
And sin shall ne'er disturb it more; Where cares no more shall spoil its peace,
It shall enjoy eternal rest. Tis but a few whose days amount To five
score years and ten; And all beyond that same account Are sorrow, toil, and
pain."
