The Graham family originated in Scotland, emigrating to Canada about 1851.

They lived in York County, near Uxbridge for a time and moved to Drayton about 1862 where John Graham was raised. Their neighbours were the Hilborns, and Fawcett's.

John married Lavina Fawcett in 1872 at Elora. (Her sister Elizabeth married W.J. McPherson).

Their children who grew to manhood on Lot 23, Con. 6, East Luther (where Bernard, Wicks live) were Elma, William, Melville, Frank, Roy and Oliver. This family worshipped at Tarbert Methodist Church and assisted in the erection of the brick church there.

  Elma married John Baird and lived just north of this church until her death when her first child was born.

  Melville married Annie Henderson, Con. 9 and they and Roy went to Caro, Michigan where they engaged in dairying and bean and sugar beet growing.

William married to Viola Billings, Monticello and Frank, husband of Ethel Henderson, went to Manitoba and engaged in wheat farming.

Oliver also went to Manitoba about 1910 returning to marry Minnie Sime Lot 24, Con. 1. Together they farmed in the Swan River district and at Melfort, Sask. where their children Harvey, Howard, Elma (Mrs. Arthur Kellogg) and Verna (Mrs. Chester Rennick) were borm. Oliver used to relate that on Jan. 10, 1913 when Harvey was born, the temperature dipped to 60 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, to welcome the newborn child in a tarpaper shack. He had to go to the nearest town twenty miles away for the doctor on this occasion.

In 1920 they returned to East Luther, buying the farm on Con. 9 where Laverne Moumahan now lives, from Edward Townsend. Here they engaged in mixed farming using horses until a few years before they sold the farm.

Minnie died in her early thirties. In 1925 Oliver married- Lavina Crane to whom Kenneth and Greta (Boswell) were born. This family worshipped at Tarbert United Church, where Oliver served as steward and his wives as Sunday School teachers. Oliver was active in township affairs during the depression years when he acted as tax collector, a very difficult task at that time. Occasionally he assisted a trustworthy taxpayer by buying a cow or horse from the farmer so that he could pay the amount required.

  In 1948 when the farm was sold because of Oliver's indifferent health, they moved to Orangeville where Oliver passed away in 1952. Lavina now resides at Dufferin Oaks, Shelburne.

  Of this family of six, only Harvey, the oldest, resides in East Luther now, with Howard in nearby Marsville and Greta (Boswell) in Grand Valley.