James M. Graham    

JAMES M. GRAHAM, farmer, post-office Mercer, was born November 21, 1842, in Mercer County, on the farm where he now lives. His father, Mark Graham, was born in a house which stood exactly on the line between Washington County, Penn., and Virginia. Arthur Graham, the father of Mark, bought the farm where James Graham now lives of John Hinelight, who got it for services in the Revolutionary War. Arthur came to the county when his son Mark was about sixteen years old. Arthur Graham had three children: Mark, Samuel, and Isabella, who married William Cummins. Mark Graham was born August 30, 1813. He was married May 11, 1837, to Nancy Reed, daughter of William Reed, who settled in East Lackawannock Township, but died in Jackson Township. The children of Mark and Nancy were: Samuel, born March 20, 1838, and died May 14, 1880; Alexander E., born October 31, 1839; Martha E., born October 5, 1841; William R., born August 20, 1843, died October 19, 1861; James M. and Arthur W. The father died April 9, 1870, and his widow March 1, 1885. They were consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their deaths occurred in the house where Arthur W. now resides. Mark was a strong Abolitionist, a Republican, and was once poor director. Our subject was educated in the common schools, and brought up at farm labor. He was married in 1872 to Ella Douglass, and has three boys: Francis, Joseph L. and Herman D. Mr. Graham has been school director and township auditor, and is a stanch Republican. Archibald Douglass, the father of Mrs. Graham, was of Scotch extraction, a native of Pennsylvania, and married for his first wife Maria Parks, by whom he had seven children: Joseph, deceased; Dr. Thomas J., lives in Ottumwa, Iowa; Mary, the wife of Dr. Joseph Lusk, of Butler; Milton, deceased; Sarah, deceased; Nettie, married Col. George Noble, lives in Dallas, Tex., and Lizzie, who lives in Ottumwa, Iowa. Mr. Douglass was married again, to Mary Weaver, a native of Maryland, and had three children: One died when six weeks old; Maria, married Joseph Cochran, and Ella. Her father died in 1869. He was for many years connected with the official business of Mercer County, and is mentioned in the historical chapters of this volume. His last wife died in 1861. They were members of the First Presbyterian Church.

History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present : including its aboriginal history, its early settlement and development, a description of its historic and interesting localities, sketches of its boroughs, townships and villages, neighborhood and family histories, portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, statistics, etc. : also, a condensed history of Pennsylvania. Chicago, Ill.: Brown, Runk & Co., 1888.  Read this book on line - Free Trial  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.