David Graham's 
History of the Graham Family (1899)
Joseph and Rebecca Graham's children

Florence, the oldest daughter, married John Nowlan, who was a native of Carrick on Suir Kilkenny county, Ireland, about 1835. After his marriage Nowlan settled about two miles southward from his father-in-law’s, where he lived until his death in 1876. To them were born four children, one daughter and three sons. The oldest, Rebecca, married George W. Hedrick, [75] brother of Moses Hedrick, previously mentioned. Rebecca Hedrick died in June 1863, leaving her husband and two children, Mary F. and Patrick, the latter dying unmarried in the winter of 1884 at about the age of twenty-three years. Mary Florence, the only remaining child of G. W. and Rebecca Hedrick, married Wm. Sherwood and is living about two miles from Talcott this county.

Joseph, the oldest son of John and Florence Nowlan, married Mary Keeney, of Kanawha county, in the spring of 1865, and now lives on the farm near Stock Yard, owned eighty years ago by his greatuncle, Samuel Graham. To them were born a large family, among whom are John C., who is now a justice of the Peace of this county; S. J., who lives at Stock Yard; Rebecca Florence, who is now the wife of Rev. C. T. Kirtner, an able Baptist minister; Kellus P., who is a telegraph operator and agent for the C. & 0. R’y. Co.; Wm. C., is a practicing physician at Talcott, W. Va.; Elmer is a lawyer with [76] his office at Hinton, W. Va.; Mac is engaged in the lumber business, and those still at home are Lawrence, George, Anna and Homer. John Nowlan, Jr., second son of John and Florence Nowlan, died in 1862 unmarried at the age of 22 years. He died in Fayette county from the result of exposure incident to the Civil War which was then in progress.

Patrick, the third son, was drowned January 8, 1877, while crossing Greenbrier river at Haynes’ Ford, at the exact point where his great uncle, Samuel Graham, met the same fate nearly sixty years before. The river, being much swollen in each instance, washed their horses into deep water below the ford.

Florence Nowlan died January 21, 1869, aged 64 years. John Nowlan, Sr., died November 4, 1876, having been born June 24, 1793, and was therefore in his eighty-fourth year.

Lanty Graham, the oldest son of Joseph and Rebecca Graham, married Sarah Ellis, daughter of James Ellis, in the year 1833, and first settled [77] on Greenbrier river, on a portion of what is now known as the Riffe farm. In the year 1836, he settled at the foot of Keeney’s Knob, a short distance west of his father’s, where he lived until his death in 1880. He had a large family several of whom died in their youth. Among those living and who have descendants now living, are James N., the oldest, who now lives at Huntington, W. Va., and is about sixty-four years old, he being the oldest grandson of Joseph Graham now living. He is engaged in keeping a dairy and doing a successful business. The names of his children are: Laura, a teacher in the public schools of the city of Huntington; Thomas C., who lives near Huntington; James Lewis, a soldier in the U. S. Army, who has recently seen service in the Spanish American War; and one or two others not grown.

Joseph Allen, the second son of Lanty Graham, lives near his father’s homestead. He married Susan Dubois in the year 1859, and has five children, all of whom are still living. Their [78] names are: Susan, a wife of J. L. Meadows of Alderson, W. Va.; Martha J., wife of M. V. Wheeler; David U. and Allen B. C., who live in this county; and George W. of Fayette county.

Rebecca J., eldest daughter of Lanty Graham, married Andrew Honaker May 18, 1865, and died in January, 1882, leaving four sons, viz: Calvin L., lumber manufacturer; Oscar T., merchant; Marion and Charles W., all of whom are living near New Richmond, W. Va. There were two daughters, Rebecca and Lelia, both of whom are dead.

Jehu Shannon Graham, third of the living sons of Lanty, married Frances Alderson and now lives near Clayton, this county; they have several children most of whom are yet small. Their names are: Minnie; Clark L.; Floyd; Homer; Bertha; Hattie and Elmer. Jehu S. is a blacksmith.

Lanty Graham also had a son, Lanty Jackson, who lived to manhood and was a soldier in the Confederate army and died at Jackson, Mississippi in 1863.

[79] There were two grown daughters, Mary and Eliza, who are dead.

Thomas Clay Graham, youngest son of Lanty, married Melsena Bryant in 1871 and now lives at his father’s home place and has two daughters by his first wife: Laura A., wife of James H. Harris, and Jennie, wife of Hugh P. Miller.

For his second wife he married Rosa Taylor in 1895 and by this union has one child whose name is Golda. He was for several years in the lumber business, but now follows the avocation of farming.

John, the second son of Joseph Graham, lived unmarried until he was nearly sixty years of age; he then married Mary J. Crews, daughter of Sedly Crews. They had no children. He lived oh his farm about one mile east of his father’s place. John Graham held many positions of trust and honor during his life. He was a surveyor by profession and was long a deputy surveyor of Greenbrier county, and afterwards held the office of surveyor of Monroe county. [80] In tracing old lines, locating old landmarks or in making true and accurate surveys and maps he had few equals. In his long experience as a surveyor he was often called upon to decide the lines of lands in litigation, which, together with his experience in other legal transactions, as well as his inclination to acquire knowledge of this character, led him to be well posted in law, and his legal counsel was often sought by many with as much confidence as if he had been a practicing lawyer at the bar. He died October 25, 1893, in the eighty-fifth year of his age, leaving his lands and property amounting to several thousand dollars to his widow, who still holds and occupies it. His widow married for her second husband Elijah Meadows in March, 1897.

Jane, the second daughter of Joseph Graham, died unmarried.

James Graham, the third son of Joseph, also lived to an old age unmarried. In the year of 1877, in his sixty-fourth year, he married Rebecca A. Vass, a daughter of Curtis Vass. To this [81] union was born one daughter, Mary Jane, who is now living. James Graham spent several years of his life in the west, in the states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Kentucky. He and his brother, John, visited their many relations in those states who had previously moved from this country. James returned from his last visit at the close of the Civil War and remained in this country until his death, which occurred in 1889. He lived about one mile to the southeast of.his father’s home.

Elizabeth, the third daughter of Joseph Graham, married Archibald Ballengee and settled on a portion of her father’s land. She died January 12th, in the year 1857, leaving her husband and four children. Archibald Ballengee was born November 13th, 1819, and died March 14th, 1894. The names of their children are as follows: Cynthia Jane, who married J. H. Bowden; Martha Florence, the wife of J. H. Harrah; Mary Hicks, wife of Marion Hicks; and one son, Herndon Ballengee. All of these live in this county, ex- [82] cept Martha Harrah, who lives in Rockbridge county, Virginia. All have children whose names are not all known.

Ann Graham, the fourth daughter of Joseph Graham, died in 1837, at the age of nineteen years, unmarried.

David, the youngest son, married Sarah Alderson, daughter of James Alderson, and has six living children, namely: Joseph Ulysses, who married Sarah S. Flint, daughter of Jeremiah Flint, and who now lives in Charleston, West Virginia. He is engaged in the lumber business there and but recently moved from New Richmond, West Virginia, where he operated a saw and planing mill for many years. He has six living children.

Zora E., the oldest, who married Lonnie E. Burdette, and who is doing an extensive lumber business on Elk River.

Hettie A., married Washington Burdette and lives at New Richmond. The names of the four remaining at home are Julia, Mabel, Elbert and Myrtle. They also have four children dead: Emma and Luella both died at about the age of 16 years; the others [83?] died in infancy.

Charles H. Graham, second son of David, lives at Clayton, this county, on the farm formerly owned by his father. He married Minerva S. Ballengee, daughter of John R. Ballengee, and to them were born three children, namely; Other, Clara and Frank; the first two named being students at the Concord Normal School at Athens, West Virginia. He is engaged in the lumber business, farming and other pursuits and has served his county as Justice of the Peace. His wife died in August, 1897.

James A. Graham, third son of David, married Sabina S., only daughter of Ezekial Flint, and now lives in Hinton. Their living children are Hunter, the oldest, who is now a clerk in the Interior Department of the Government, at Washington; those at home are Roscoe, engaged in plumbing business; Cora; Herbert; Mattie; Seymour and Anna. James A. is engaged in the
[84] flouring mill business and also has mercantile and other commercial interests. He has served his county as Justice of the Peace and is now a member of the County Court of Summers County.

Luther P. Graham, fourth son of David, also lives in Hinton and married Madora M. Miller for his first wife, his second wife being Jannie Hamer, daughter of the late A. W. Hamer, of Hinton. The names of his living children are as follows: Cecil, the oldest; Emmons; Carrie and Ernest; the last three named being of his second wife. He is engaged in mercantile and other commercial business of Hinton.

Sydney Ann, only daughter of David Graham, married, first George G. Staton, and after his death, married for her second husband M. L. Duncan. She now lives in Central City, West Virginia, and has several children, whose names are as follows: Georgia G., by the first husband, and Porter, Freddie and Homer, by the second husband. Her husband is engaged in operating a box factory at Central City.

[85] John W., the youngest son of David Graham, married Frankie Lowry, daughter of Lawson Lowry, of Fayette county. They have one living child, whose name is Lowry. He is now living in Hinton and is editor of the Hinton Leader.

David Graham is the only member of Joseph Graham’s family now living. He, like his brother, John, is also a practical surveyor and held the office of deputy surveyor of Monroe county many years ago and other positions of trust and honor.

His wife died February 27, 1878. For several years he has not kept house, but enjoyed himself in his declining days in the homes of his children.

Rebecca, the youngest daughter of Joseph and Rebecca Graham, married in 1842 John R. Ballengee, son of George Ballengee, and settled first at the 
mouth of Greenbrier river. It may here be remarked that George Ballengee was one of the oldest settlers at the mouth of Greenbrier, his father, Isaac Ballengee, having located there about the year 1780, when George was about one year old. They came there from North Carolina and are of French descent.

[86] After living a few years at the mouth of Greenbrier, Rebecca and her husband located on a portion of her father’s land, near the foot of Keeney’s Knob and died there in the year 1852, leaving three children, who are now living, namely: Anna G., the oldest, who married first, John Nowlan, who was a native of Ireland, and secondly, G. W. Burdette. To her last husband were born five children; John L., Bessie; Blanche; Ida and Oscar, all of whom are living and single.

David Graham Ballengee, the oldest son of John and Rebecca, married Delphia Flint, daughter of J. D. Flint, and now lives at the old Joseph Graham homestead at Clayton. He has a large family of five sons and six daughters, all living, and mostly grown. George, the oldest, married Isabelle Mann; David, the second son, married Helen Kelley; John, the third son, married Emma Erskine and is engaged in the lumber business, the other two sons being farmers. The children unmarried and remaining at home are Ella, Sallie, Minor, Dora, Etta, Emma, Homer and Grace.

[87] David G. Ballengee is engaged in farming and is successful in his chosen occupation.

Mary J., youngest daughter of Rebecca and John Ballengee, married, first, Robert Carter and, after his death, married Andrew H. Honaker. She now lives near Clayton and has four living children: Otey C. Carter, the oldest (living); Alice; George and Walter, the three last named being children of her second husband.

Joseph Graham, whose family and descendants we have thus described, died December 8, 1857, at the advanced age of 91 years, two months and eighteen days, having been born September 20th, 1766. His wife Rebecca’s death occurred nearly twenty years later at the age of 90 years, one month and thirteen days. Joseph Graham, together with his wife, was a large landowner, he having accumulated nearly two thousand acres of land in one compact body, besides other outlying lands not contiguous to the main body. Nearly the whole of this land is today in the hands of his descendants. The home tract, on which he [88] lived and containing three hundred and thirty acres was surveyed and patented by James Graham, Sr., in the year 1786 and by him given to his daughter and has been in the family for more than one hundred years.