- Richland County, Chapter XXVII, Town of Marshall, Biographical
- Thomas GRAHAM, one of the pioneer settlers of Horse creek
valley, is a native of England, born
- in Cambridgeshire, Dec. 8, 1831, and where his younger days
were spent. In 1851 he was married to Elizabeth MARTIN, whose
maiden name was Elizabeth MALTPRESS. She had previously been
married to William MARTIN, who died in 1850. Two children were
born to them - Sarah and Mary J. Sarah died Dec. 24, 1854; Mary
J. died Dec. 4, 1883. Thomas and Elizabeth GRAHAM started in
1851 to America, in company with his parents. They landed in
New York and immediately proceeded west. At the city of Buffalo
they were obliged to stop, on account of the illness of his mother,
who had been taken sick on board ship. She continued to grow
worse and died in a few days. The bereaved family continued
their journey to the west, until reaching Wisconsin, they stopped
at East Troy, and remained a short time, and the subject of this
sketch obtained work on the Chicago & Milwaukee railroad,
then moved to Palmyra, and remained one year, and next to Rock
county, living there till 1854. In that year they came to Richland
county. He and those that came with him were obliged to cut
three miles of road before they got to the farms they now own.
Mr. GRAHAM entered land on section 35. He first built a log
cabin, then set to work to clear the land. This part of the
country at that time was a "howling wilderness," but
soon other settlers came in who like him set to work to clear
the land and make for themselves homes. He has lived to see a
well developed country, supplied with good schools and churches.
Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. GRAHAM - Maria
S., Celina S., Alzena E., John T. and Alice L. All of whom had
been well educated, some receiving there education in a district
school, and some at college. Alzena was born May 13, 1856, and
died at the home of her parents June 7, 1883. Mr. GRAHAM has
been an industrious, hard-working man, has cleared quite a large
farm. His pioneer cabin is replaced by a two-story hewed log
house, which is located on sections 34 and 35. His son, John
T., was born in the town of Marshall, April, 1859, and has always
made this his home. He was married in 1880 to Martha Bannister,
a native of Milwaukee. They have one child - Oscar G. His farm
joins his father's on section 35. On June 11, 1883, a cyclone
passed through the farms of Thomas and John GRAHAM, Jr., destroying
a large a large amount of timber. Large trees were uprooted
and torn to pieces by the storm.
Taken from "The History of Crawford and Richland Counties,
Wisconsin," (c)1884 Union Publishing Company, Springfield,
Ill., pp. 1118-1119.
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- Courtesy of Carol
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