Graham

(from various printed sources)

Peter Graham (1820–1900) came to Canada in 1834 with his father, stepmother, brother and sister, first to Lower Canada and then to Cornwall in Upper Canada. At the age of 16 he joined the militia during the Rebellion of 1837.

In 1840 Peter married Catherine Chambers (–1872), a native of Scotland. He brought his family to Warwick Twp. in 1854, settling on 200 acres at Lot 12, Con. 4 NER. At first he and Catherine erected a log house and stable but in time they built a brick house and good barns. This is where they made their home for 37 years. They had ten children, two dying young. Peter served on Warwick Council, as the first Deputy Reeve elected in the township, and in 1867, the first elected Reeve.

Peter was chairman of the building committee and one of the first organizers of the Methodist Church on Bethel Rd. In 1892, he donated the cornerstone for the new white brick Bethel Methodist Church.

After Catherine died and some of the children were old enough to continue farming, their father went on to serve in the Provincial Parliament until 1890. There he originated the Tile Drainage Act. In 1890 he was appointed Bursar for the asylum for the insane in Hamilton, a position he held until his death. Later he married his second wife, Celestia Jane (Cutler) Ware, and they had three children together.

Peter Graham’s son George Graham (1852–1914) was born in Wentworth County just before his parents moved to Warwick Twp. He operated the 200 acre Warwick homestead on shares for three years and then obtained 100 acres of the Graham farm, which he worked until 1881 when he sold it to his brother Peter. In 1880 George had married Mary (Polly) Maria Lee, daughter of Thaddeus David Lee of Watford. He and Polly eventually went to the Territory of Washington where he farmed. They had four children, Lena, Glen, Harold and Fredrick Peter.

In about 1901 George sold his land and returned to Warwick Twp. to be closer to Toronto doctors who would perhaps be able to help their son Glen, who had damaged his optic nerve from a fall off a wagon. They settled in Birnam. Doctors were not able to help Glen but he did attend the Brantford School for the Blind and became a piano tuner. Polly’s land in Washington State was not sold until 1945. Their daughter Lena had fallen in love in Washington and, although marrying in Watford, returned to the United States.

George Graham purchased the store and post office at Birnam and the family ran it for some years. This is where his niece Mary Luckham and her husband John F. Smith had lived previously. He had purchased 50 acres of the Hagle homestead just north of Birnam; then when he sold the store he bought his brother-in-law Enoch Thomas’s farm at Lot 16, Con. 5 NER.

George and Polly’s son Harold married Ruby Zavitz of Warwick. At first Harold and Ruby owned a farm north of Birnam; then bought Lot 17, Con. 4 NER in 1928. They had four children. One, Maxine, remained in Warwick Twp. She married Ralph Miner in 1950 and they had two sons, Bruce and James. They first lived on the Miner farm on Lot 20, Con. 3 NER and then in 1958 purchased the former William Hall property at Lot 24, Con. 3 NER.

Ralph and Maxine Miner’s son Bruce married Brenda Blain in 1982 and took up residence on the home farm. The next year the big original red brick farmhouse burned and a new house was built. Bruce and Brenda have four children, Lee, Pamela, Scott and Dale. In 1992 Maxine and Ralph Miner moved to a mobile home on the northeast corner of the farm.

George and Polly’s son Fredrick married Edna Scoffin and took over the farm. Their children Dora, Bernice, Ron, Neil and Phyllis were raised on this farm.

Peter Graham’s son Peter Jr. (1860–1925) was born on the pioneer Graham homestead in 1860. He went to Wisconsin to work in the lumber region for a time before coming back to Warwick to farm first 50 acres and then 50 more acres of his brother George’s property when George left for Washington. In 1886 Peter Jr. married Susanna Ross, daughter of David M. Ross. They had nine children. Peter farmed there until 1887 when he sold out to Robert Harper and bought a farm on Lot 15, Con. 5 NER. There he erected buildings and silos and engaged in dairy. In 1892 he sold one acre of land for a dollar to the trustees of Bethel cemetery so that they could enlarge it. He was a Warwick Twp. Councillor for a number of years and a school trustee for 15 years. In 1909 he moved his family to Saskatchewan. In their retirement Peter and Susanna moved back to a small fruit farm near Arkona.

Peter and Susanna’s children were Wilbert, Edward, Stanford, David, Fern, Peter Jr., Cecil, Reba and Neil. Edward Graham became well known in Watford as he served as caretaker of the Watford Arena for many years.

Chapter 24 of 25 - Graham Family

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