The Gravely family first arrived in the Virginia Colonies in the mid-1700’s. From Culpepper County they emigrated to Henry County and began homesteading and farming in that region even prior to the Revolutionary War. The family owned a large expanse of property located some ten miles northeast of Martinsville in a region that came to be known as Leatherwood, named after the plantation home of famous American orator and politician, Patrick Henry.

Payton B. Gravely was born on May 15, 1835, in the Leatherwood Magisterial District in Henry County. Payton, or “Pate” as he was called, was the second eldest of 16 children born to Willis Lewis and Ann Marshall Barrow Gravely.

Although he was opposed to secession, Mr. Gravely signed up the moment war between the states broke out in April of 1861 and served through the entirety of the conflict. He began with Price’s Company of the Virginia Light Artillery and was promoted five times. In 1863 he was given command of Company F as Captain. During the war he was wounded three times: first at Gettysburg in 1863; a year later at Wilderness; and then, six months later, at Fisher’s Hill.

In October of 1871, Mr. Gravely married Mary F. Walters, and eleven months later, the first of five children was born. Perhaps Mary, a native of Danville, brought him here. More likely it was the quickly growing tobacco industry that was soon to make Danville the tobacco capital of the world. According to Sketch Book of Danville, Mr. Gravely arrived in Henry County in 1871, bringing with him those wares that had already set him up as a successful tobacco man. Mr. Gravely entered a partnership in 1873 alongside Mr. C.M. Sublett. By 1880, the Gravely family was living in a stately home at 870 Main Street next door to his partner Mr. Sublett at 878 Main. The tobacco industry had made Mr. Gravely wealthy and by which industry he would eventually be known as one of Danville’s largest manufacturers.

In 1915, Mr. Gravely succumbed to cancer of the face as a result of a wound received to his mouth during the war. That same year, eldest daughter Kate divorced her husband, the wealthy and well-connected Norfolk, Virginia lawyer George Craighead Cabell, Jr.

Kate and George had married in 1892. The Cabell’s, apart from their fame and fortune in the tobacco trade, were also distinguished lawyers (Hartwell Cabell was a wealthy and well-known lawyer in Manhattan) and authors (James Branch Cabell was a famous author of some sixty works of fantasy and escapist fiction). George, too, was a lawyer in Norfolk, Virginia. The family were wealthy and well-connected, and so it was perhaps no surprise that the couple were known to live the high life, attending prohibition era parties in New York City mansions. By 1920, however, Kate and George were divorced. After attending an all-night party with friend and race-track follower William Connors, Kate poured a hot bath for herself. When she was found there shortly after, she was unresponsive and the water was described as “scalding.” An autopsy report later determined that the alcohol she had consumed that night was tainted. Kate had just recently arrived in New York, having taken a job with the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities.

Mr. Gravely’s sons did not carry on the tobacco tradition but returned to Henry County where they resumed the family tradition of farming (Payton Jr. farming poultry, and James maintaining an orchard). The grand family house at 870 Main Street changed hands several times, often serving as rental and investment property. In the 1930’s the property belonged to Dr. H. J. Langston who rented out apartments from the rear of his property. One among his renters was Mrs. Edna Bryant. In August of 1937, a wedding was held in the home for Mrs. Bryant’s son Basil and his bride Gladys Wiladel Sutton. It’s likely Basil and Gladys met while working for Dan River Mills. Both his mother and Gladys’s sister, Ruth, worked there. In the months following the wedding, Edna, Ruth, and another gentleman hatched a plan to burn the Main Street house in order to collect on the insurance. On November 15, 1937, the three people committed arson. They were only caught when, in April of 1940, they set fire to another home, this time on Floyd Street, with the same intention. Together, the three of them collected $1,068.29 from the Main Street property. Mrs. Bryant was charged with a total of nine years prison time. The empty plot of land where the stately home of Payton B. Gravely once stood now serves as overflow parking of First Baptist Church.

Sources:
Census and Vital records found at Familysearch.org
Images and vital information, including biographical sketches found at FindaGrave.com
Death notices and other information found in the Danville Register, Danville Bee and other newspaper archives at Newspapers.com and GenealogyBank.com
Census, Directory, Newspaper, and other information compiled by Paul Liepe