Kersey Graves

Born in 1813 and dying in 1883, Kersey Graves was an American writer, lecturer, and freethinker associated with reform-minded religious and social circles. He is most often remembered for writing The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors, a controversial work that argued for parallels between Christianity and earlier religious traditions.

Graves also wrote on spiritual and social questions, reflecting the restless, argumentative energy of 19th-century reform culture. His books were aimed at general readers rather than specialists, and they helped make big religious questions part of popular debate.

Though many of his claims have been disputed, his work still attracts attention as an example of outspoken independent thought in American religious history.