Roswell Graves

"The church at Little Shasta seems to be his last as his health began to fail according to letters written by my grandfather Oldham to Ella" ¹⁵
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"Grandfather Graves left Iowa in April 1863 for California in a covered wagon with a young wife and 3 small children. Ella was 5, Eddie (3) and Lillian about 1 year old. I understand they were sent out by the Methodist church as missionaries to N California. There were few churches and Grandfather Graves was expected to start as many as he could. He later changed to the Congregational church because he thought they adhered more closely to the Bible teachings.

"I believe he started no less than 5 churches. Perhaps one of the hardest places to work was Alturas in the far northeastern part of the state. It was considered a rough pioneer town and few concerned themselves with religion. The Catholics had tried to start a chuch and had even put in a foundation for a church. After a few years they gave up and left town. Grandfather came into the community and within a year had a nice congregation of 100 and the new church building all completed.

"Aunt May all but worshipped her father and has spoken many times of his beautiful baritone singing voice and his wonderful ability as a speaker."⁷
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Rev. Roswell Graves crossed the plains to California by wagon train in 1864 with his wife and oldest three children. At that time he was a minister of the Methodist Protestant Church. He was asked to fill a temporary vacancy at the Congregational Church in Antioch, Contra Costa County, Calif. and decided that the views of that denomination were more compatable with his. However, Congregational ministers had to have gone to divinity school, and Rev. Graves had been ordained by a "laying on of hands." He was hired by the Board of Home Missions to serve as a missionary, to establish new Congregational churches in newly settled parts of California which would then be staffed by a permanent minister. Rev. Graves attempted to establish churches in what is now Brentwood, Contra Costa County; Battle Creek, Tehama County; Weaverville, Trinity County; Etna, Siskiyou County; Redding, Shasta County; Little Shasta, Siskiyou County; Susanville, Lassen County; and finally Alturas, Modoc County.

Rev. Graves performed the first wedding that ever took place in Redding in 1873. The church he built at Little Shasta, near Montague, Calif., still stands and a memorial to him is on the pulpit. This church sits on a treeless plain with a dramatic view of Mount Shasta to the south behind it. It is only used for special events today.

His youngest daughter [May] recalled that he was of slender build, with hazel eyes and brown hair (going bald). His last words were "Let me pass over." ¹⁶