From Scotland to Virginia

The first immi­gra­tion of the Gra­hams to this coun­try, of which we have any account, occurred about the year 1720 to 1730, the exact date of which can­not now be known.

It is, how­ev­er, a mat­ter of his­to­ry that one Michael Gra­ham set­tled in Pax­tong Town­ship, Lan­cast­er Coun­ty, Penn­syl­va­nia, about the date referred to and that he was a direct descen­dant of the Earl of Mon­trose, who was behead­ed. The descen­dants of Michael Gra­ham after­wards set­tled in the Val­ley of Vir­ginia, and became not­ed [16] for their schol­ar­ly attain­ments, as well as their reli­gious zeal.

Of these, how­ev­er, we may speak far­ther on. It is known that at or near the same peri­od of the com­ing of Michael to this coun­try, that oth­er mem­bers of the same fam­i­ly, kith and kin, also set­tled in this coun­try, among whom were John Gra­ham, (the writer’s great grand­fa­ther), who set­tled for a time, it is believed, in Penn­syl­va­nia and lat­er moved to the Great Calf Pas­ture Riv­er in Augus­ta Coun­ty, Vir­ginia. It is to be regret­ted that we can­not give the exact date of the set­tle­ment on the Calf Pas­ture Riv­er, but con­clude that not ear­li­er than the year 1740, nor lat­er than 1745.

We find that he pur­chased a tract of six hun­dred and nine­ty-six acres of land in the year 1746, from John Lewis and James Pat­ton. It will be remem­bered that John Lewis was the first set­tler in Augus­ta coun­ty, or rather in the ter­ri­to­ry which after­wards became Augus­ta, hav­ing plant­ed his home in the then remote wilder­ness in the [17] year 1732, at Belle Fontaine Springs near Staunton. He was the father of Gen­er­al Andrew Lewis who com­mand­ed in the famous bat­tle of Point Pleas­ant in 1774. John Gra­ham (whom we will call senior), reared a fam­i­ly of four sons and five daugh­ters on the banks of the Calf Pas­ture and died there about the year 1771, born about the year 1700. His old­est son’s name was Lan­ty (Lancelot). The names of the oth­er three were John, James, and Robert. His daugh­ters’ names were Jane, Eliz­a­beth, Anne, Rebec­ca and Flo­rence, who was the writer’s grand­moth­er on his mother’s side, she hav­ing mar­ried James Gra­ham (her cousin).

Leave a Comment