William J. Graham    

WILLIAM J. GRAHAM, farmer, post-office Mercer, was born July 11, 1827, in Mercer, to James and Jane (Patterson) Graham. The father was born in Ireland, and came to the eastern part of Pennsylvania when two years old with his parents, William and Mary (Ewart) Graham. There William died, and Mary married John Patterson. She and her second husband subsequently came to Mercer County. Her two sons, James and John, were bound over to a Squire Irwin, of Buffalo Valley, east of the mountains, with whom they lived until they were-young men. Two brothers of William Graham, Thomas and Dr. Graham, came to Mercer before Mr. and Mrs. Patterson. The doctor practiced only a few years, and returned to Philadelphia. Thomas kept what was known as the Graham Hotel in Mercer for many years. Thompson Graham, the son of Thomas, was the proprietor of a drug store in this city for many years. Mrs. Forker and the mother of C. W. Whistler were also children of Thomas Graham. John and Mary Patterson had four children: Jane, married Andrew Todd; William P., married Catharine McClure; Robert, married Milche Turner; Mary A., married Thomas McElree. John and James Graham came to this county when sixteen and eighteen years old, respectively, and John took up his home with his mother and step-father, Patterson. In 1823 he was married to Mary Barnes, a daughter of John Barnes, and subsequently died. His widow died at the home of our subject. James Graham went to Philadelphia, and there learned carpentering. He returned to this county, and married Jane Patterson, daughter of Hugh Patterson, of Ireland. She came to America at the age of twenty with her brother, James Patterson, and his wife. James Graham settled with his wife in Mercer, and helped to build the old Dr. Magoffin property, where the Magoffin sisters now reside. He died in Mercer in 1828, and his widow married Samuel Cleland, of Butler County, Penn. Both are deceased. By her first husband she had three children: Martha, married Samuel Moore; John, died small, and William J., married Lavina J. Kelty, daughter of David and Catherine (Fisher) Kelty. By her second husband she had three children: Eleanor, married Joseph McKee; Patterson, married Mary J. Patterson, and Mary A., married Joseph Moore. Mrs. Graham and her two husbands were members of the United Presbyterian Church. Mr. and Mrs. Graham have six children: John C., married Celia Newbury; Emma K., married James Hughes; Mary J., Clara N., Lewis K., Violet N. The parents of Mrs. Graham are dead. Their children were Arthur, Mary E., Thomas I., Nancy J. and Lizzie Ann. Mr. Graham farmed in Butler County from 1862 to 1873, when he settled on the farm where he now resides. He has served as school director, assessor, collector and township auditor; is a Prohibitionist, and he and his wife are members of the First United Presbyterian Church of Mercer.

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.