Blann-Watts Genealogy

Welcome to The Graham Family Page, which furnishes historical detail beyond the site index, exploring three generations of Grahams in the line of John Graham of Scotland.
 

5. Nancy Catherine Graham (Boone) --Kate Graham, as she was known, was the mother of John Marvin Boone and wife of John (Jack) Daniel Boone. She lived from May 13, 1853 to Jan.17,1920; born in Big Sandy, Benton Co., TN, and died in Erin, TN. Her parents were Robert Marshall Graham and Mary Ann McRae, both from Tennessee.  Kate Graham was the first-born of 7 children (two died in infancy). Her siblings were: Mary Elizabeth "Lizzy" (1848-1935, TN), Thomas E. Newton Graham (b.1856, TN), Daniel Jackson (1850-1935, TN), Martha Ann "Mattie" (1839-1885, TN) and Clinton. Her half-siblings from her father's first marriage were: Susannah and John Burwell Graham. Kate's death notice in the Nashville Banner (Jan.18, 1920) states: "Mrs. Boone was a lovable Christian woman and was loved by all whom came in contact with her. She was a devout member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church in Erin and was very active in church activities."
 

6. Robert Marshall Graham --The father of Kate Graham, Robert was born in 1819 in Stewart, TN. and died Dec. 22, 1895 in Big Sandy. A lawyer by profession, he seems to have been married at least four times. His first wife was Miss (Mary?) Alsup whom he married in 1839. She died in 1845 after having two children: Susannah Angeline Margaret and John Burwell Graham. On Oct. 14, 1846, Robert married Mary Ann McRae, daughter of Alexander McRae and  Jane McLeod, in Benton Co. TN  (Tennessee, Marriage Records, 1780-2002; the marriage record gives her name as Mary Ann Melton, as she was the widow of a marriage to Joseph C. Melton.). Mary Ann was the mother of Kate Graham Boone and four of her siblings. In 1874, after Mary Ann’s death in 1873, Robert married a third time to Mary Ann’s sister, Elizabeth McRae Greer, widow of William Greer. His fourth and final wife was Rebecca Chandler whom he married in 1884. 

     Upon his passing, the Camden Chronicle carried an article about Robert Marshall Graham which included the following details about his spiritual affiliations:  "Brother Graham professed religion at the age of 14 and joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in which church he served nearly all his life as trustee, and a number of years as steward. He was one of the pioneer class-leasers of Methodism in this country, and was a licensed exhorter for about ten years. He discharged all his christian duties in the fear of God and for the good of humanity. Of his own free will and accord he made application for the lights, rights, and benefits of Ancient Free Masonry, and was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason [Big Sandy Lodge, No.290]. He lived as a Mason as he had a christian: all his actions, words, and general deportment were seemingly prompted by the mainspring of principle acting from within. ...."

     Note: U.S., Confederate Soldiers Compiled Service Records, 1861-1865 show a 20 year old Robert M. Graham as enlisting in the Confederate army in Murfresboro, TN on Oct, 21, 1862 as a private in the Eighteenth Infantry. U.S., Civil War Prisoner of War Records, 1861-1865 further indicate that he was captured by the Union army, imprisoned and released after the war's end May 6, 1865. However, this 20 year old recruit was not Robert Marshall Graham but another individual named Robert Marren Graham, born in 1844 in Cannon, Tennessee to James and Sophia Graham.
 

7. John Graham --John Graham, the father of Robert Graham, was born in Scotland (or perhaps Cumberland Co., NC  around 1764 or 1767.) In 1833, when John had moved to Henry Co., TN and was age 69, he applied for his military pension. From this we learn that he had residence in Cumberland Co. NC by 1781. John was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, enlisting at age 17 on Dec. 13, 1781 in the First North Carolina Regiment. He served under Capt. Hadley, Gen. Green and others and was discharged at Wilmington, New Hanover Co., NC in 1783. John returned to Cumberland County for a time, and might be the "John Grimes" who appears in the 1790 Cumberland Co. census as a male over 16 with 2 females and 4 slaves in his  household. There is a 1785 Rowan Co. NC marriage bond for a John Graham to Sarah Bunten (b.1768), but it is debatable whether this is our John Graham, as explained below. There are 3 John Grahams in the 1800 Cumberland Co. census and the one closest to the known members of his household has 1 male 26-44 (John), 1 female 16-26 (John's wife) and 1 female under 10 (Ethemy?) . However, John's first child, Catherine Ethemy Graham was born in North Carolina ca. 1785, and would have been around age 15 at the time of the 1800 census, so John may have already moved to Tennessee by 1800. (I show over 30 DNA matches between Ethemy's descendants and my Graham line which strengthens the likelihood that Catherine Ethemy was John's child.) Catherine's first child, Addie Isabell Buchanan, was born in ca.1800-02, from which it follows that Ethemy was born no later than 1785-87. If she was John's daughter and born ca. 1785, then John must have married by 1785. (As John's next documented child, Daniel Graham, wasn't born until 15 years later in 1800, this may suggest the death of a wife and later remarriage.) There are 2 land deeds in 1797 that show John Graham as a witness in Montgomery Co. TN. Going by the census, John's second and third children appear to have been born in different states: Daniel in North Carolina ca. 1800 and Isabella in TN in 1802.
     Sometime between 1797 and 1800, John appears to have moved to Montgomery Co. TN.; then to Erin, in Stewart Co. TN. He is shown on the 1810 tax roles in Stewart Co. TN and the 1820 Stewart Co. census with an unknown wife between  the ages  of 26-44 (thus his wife was born between 1776-1794; at the earliest she would have been around 16 in 1792 if born in 1776). In 1821, John moved to the newly formed Henry Co. TN where he lived until his death in late 1844, (Late in 1835, Benton Co., TN was formed from Henry and Humphries counties and John's property near the county border became designated as Benton Co., TN.) In his old age (1833), John drew a pension for his war services (National Archives S 3422) in which he gave his birthdate as 1764. The 1830 census shows "John Grayham," age 60-69 (b.1761-1770), with several children and a female age 40-49 (b.1781-90). Three possibilities can be inferred from the age of this female:  either the census age was off by about 6 years, or this infers a younger second (or third) wife, or a third possibility is that his oldest daughter, Ethemy might have been visiting and was counted in the census if John's earlier wife had died. (We know that their last child, Caroline, was born in 1825, so John could have been a widower after that date; also there is a 9 year gap between the 1810 birth of their son John Burwell Graham and their next child, Robert M. Graham, born in 1819, which suggests a possible further marriage.) The 1840 census shows John as a widower age 70-80 living  near his sons, John B., Daniel and Robert. In Nov.1844 John entered an 80 acre tract of land, being half of 160 acres claimed by his son-in-law Daniel Buchanan, husband of Catherine Ethemy Graham. (Under the Homestead Act of 1862, settlers could claim or "enter" up to 160 acres of public land.) John died soon after that without a will so his children went to court to divide up his inheritance.

    The children of  John Graham were (in order): Catherine Ethemy Buchanan (b.ca.1787), Daniel  Graham (b.1800), Isabella Watkins (b.1802), Anna Cathey (b.1806),  John Burwell Graham (b.ca.1810), Robert Marshall Graham (b.1819) and Caroline L. Alsup (b.1825). Anna Graham married a George Cathey (b.1806) who appears related to my Cathey line. It is uncertain who John Graham's wife and parents were. Robert M. Graham reports in the 1880 census that his father was born in Scotland and his mother in North Carolina. It is certainly possible that John was born in Scotland and immigrated at a very young age, possibly along with a sister named Ann. Records show that a number of Grahams arrived in Cumberland Co. NC between 1766 and 1768, coming from Knapdale, Scotland in Argyllshire. The information below is more of a more speculative nature and partially supported by DNA matches.

Bunten: Many on-line trees list the wife of John Graham as Sarah Bunten (Buntin, Buntain). I have five DNA matches between my Graham line and Sarah's brother, Andrew Bunten (two are 20 & 23 cM on 1 segment) as well as one match to two other brothers,  James and William George Buntin, and a match to Mary Buntin, an aunt of Sarah. Sarah may have been born ca. 1768 in North Carolina, to James William Bunten (1744-1793) and Mary Elizabeth Byers (1745-1800). North Carolina marriage records show a marriage bond between Sarah Bunten and John Graham on January 25, 1785 in Rowan County, NC with John Bunten listed as bondsman (North Carolina Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868). There is also a Rowan Co. marriage listed for John Graham and Sarah Bunten on 25 Jan 1793 (North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Index, 1741-2004), which may either be the marriage following 8 years after the marriage bond was issued, or it could possibly indicate the marriage of a second couple of the same name (It is interesting that both documents give the date as Jan 25 but 8 years apart). There is yet another marriage record on Ancestry.com which shows the groom as John Graham and the bride as "Sarah Buntin," which further states that Sarah was born in North Carolina in 1765 and they were married in Tennessee (U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900), however this record provides no marriage date. Sarah's father is often identified as James William Bunten, born in 1744 in Rowan County, NC. and died in 1793 in Nicholas Co., KY. He lived in Madison Co, KY during the Revolutionary and then moved to Nicholas Co. where he was killed during a Indian uprising. He married Mary Byers in Rowan Co, NC on June 23, 1763, who, according to a genealogy book, was the daughter of James Byers  (b.1719 in North Carolina) and Mary (Polly) Sykes (b. 1723 in VA). Polly Sykes was the daughter of James Sykes (1686-1742) of Norfolk, VA. and Mary Smith (1690-1742), also of Norfolk. A book entitled Collins History of Kentucky gives the following information; the Buntens had 7 children of whom Sarah (b.1768 or 1770-1861) was the 4th and Andrew (1877-1801) was the 6th. However, it says Sarah married Manny Madme and states that Sarah's younger sister, Mary Bunten (b.1773) married John Graham Jan.25,1785 (at age 12?) and remarried Robert McMayhan Dec. 17, 1795 in Bourbon, KY. Since the date of Jan.25,1785 is specified in marriage records as the date of John Graham and Sarah Bunten's marriage it appears the book may have switched the sisters in error but retained the correct date. John's sons Daniel and John B. Graham both named one of their daughters Sarah.
    Graham researcher Curtis Graham wrote to me that he thinks Sarah Bunten married a different John Graham, John Robert Graham (1764- 26 October, 1827), who died in Davidson County, Tennessee and who is the son of John Brandon Graham (1726–1779). However. other researchers show this John Robert Graham's parents as James Richard Graham (1730-1800) and Asenath Mary Hall (1730-1787), both of North Carolina. I have also found a 1797 will for a John Graham of North Carolina whose wife is named Sarah but whose listed children are all different than my John Graham. The evidence seems to suggest that there were a number of John Grahams and Sarah Buntens around this time period in North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky, which makes verifying my John Graham's wife challenging. All of the marriage records that I've seen showing Sarah Bunten and John Graham do not differentiate (with any middle names) between my John Graham and the other 3 John Grahams in Rowan county in 1790. However my DNA matches to Sarah Bunten's brothers do seem to keep open the possibility that a Sarah Bunten could have married my John Graham.

Who are the parents of John Graham?

  The U.S. Presbyterian Church Records 1701-1970 show two births recorded in the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia: Daniel Graham, born June 24, 1763, and John Graham, born Dec.28, 1764. (These dates match the birth dates of my John Graham and Daniel Graham. Daniel appears to be a close relative since I show 16 DNA matches of Daniel to John's line, 5 of more than 20 cM on 1 segment.) Possible parents: William and Elizabeth Graham are listed in the church records as the parents of both John and Daniel. Some Ancestry trees show a William and Elizabeth Graham and give Elizabeth's last name as Bellamy, daughter of John Dillard Bellamy (1720-192) and Elizabeth Jordan (1730-1795), both of South Carolina, but the family's South Carolina location makes it doubtful that this is the same Elizabeth who is the wife of William Graham of Philadelphia. The Philadelphia birth records raise the possibility that William and Elizabeth Graham might have immigrated from Scotland to Pennsylvania before 1763 and given birth to these two brothers in Philadelphia before their sons grew up and moved to Cumberland County, NC, where John and Daniel appear on the 1790 and 1800 censuses. While this is an attractive speculation, the evidence doesn't support William and Elizabeth moving to Cumberland Co. (the 1790 North Carolina census shows 8 William Grahams but none in Cumberland Co. NC). Contrary evidence: neither my John nor Daniel appear to have named any children William or Elizabeth;  also Daniel Graham's grave in Cumberland County states he was born in Scotland in 1763 and John's son Robert states on the 1880 census that his father was born in Scotland. As there are many William Grahams in Pennsylvania and Scotland at this time, further tracking of them would be difficult. Both John and Daniel did name their first born Daniel. If they used Scottish naming conventions, this would suggest a possible father named Daniel Graham. Find-a-Grave (with no  supporting documents) shows a Daniel Graham of the right age to be John's father. "Born in Knapdale, Argyll, Scotland in 1763 to Margaret McLeod (1737-1820) and Daniel Graham (1740-1765). Came to North Carolina with mother, brother Neill, and sister Christine."  (I find this interesting because I also have 20 DNA matches to Christian Graham Stewart (b.1760), 11 of which are over 20 cM on 1 segment.) I discuss Daniel and Christian further below.                       

Alexander Graham and Mary Katherine McCormick
The most promising autosomal DNA evidence of Grahams who are closely related to John Graham centers around two individuals, Daniel Graham Sr. (1763-1851) and Christian Graham Stewart (1760-1813). They are identified in many Ancestry.com family trees as children of Alexander Graham (1739-1794) and Mary Katherine McCormick (1745-1826), who immigrated from Knapdale, Argyle, Scotland to Cumberland County, NC. around 1780. I have over 100 DNA matches to the children of this couple, 31 of which (primarily Daniel and Christian and another likely sibling named Sarah “Pretty Sallie” Graham McNeil) range between 20 and 50 cMs, a strong indication of a close relation to John Graham. Daniel and Christian are the right age to be siblings of John, (John named his first son Daniel) and they all lived in Cumberland County, NC during the period of 1780-18o0. It is possible that John, like Daniel and Christian, was born in Scotland. John also has a daughter named Isabella, which is the name of Alexander and Mary Graham's oldest child.
    Most of what is known about the family of Alexander Graham and his family is derived from a short document about the family of Alexander and Mary Graham, written by geneologist, Mable S. Lovin, which purports to be based primarily on information communicated in 1866 by Sally Graham McNeil, a daughter of Alexander and Mary Graham (Sally is one of Lovin's direct ancestors) to her nephew, Alexander Graham. This source article on the Graham family was written in 1888 by Archibald McL. Graham and is attributed to Alexander's grandson, Alexander Graham.The article, which appeared in a Robeson County, NC. newspaper called the Scottish Chief  reads like it was written by a historian or reporter rather than a first person recollection of a family member, and it makes no mention of Sally Graham McNeill or Alexander's father as a source of the information.
    Lovin's account says that Alexander and Mary Graham had at least one son named John, but that little is known about him. Lovin's worksheet identifies him as John Graham (1773-1853) who lived in South Carolina and married Mary Finlayson, based on a suggestion by the above mentioned Archibald Graham in the 1950s. Lovin thus identifed Alexander's son John with a different individual from my John Graham, but it appears that this is simply a best guess, for there are no details about John in her source article by Alexander nor is John's identity proven through a will.  This John Graham appears on the 1810-1850 censuses in Chesterfield, South Carolina but never in North Carolina. His grave states he was born in Knapdale, Scotland, which is about the only evidence that might suggest a filial connection to Alexander. A 1785 Alexander Graham land sale to Daniel McLeod in Cumberland Co. NC,, witnessed by John Graham, implies that John Graham is an adult, and possibly a family member. Alexander’s son, John (b. 1773), per Lovin, would be too young to serve as witness, but my John (b.1764) would be of the right age. (Cumberland. Deeds 1776–1788 on FamilySearch). A Graham Clan article on Ancestry states that John, son of Alexander and Mary Graham, stayed in Scotland until 1837 and married Catherine McCormick and had a son named Duncan. While this might be true, it is further unverified information about John that seems to show how little is known about him that is certain.
      The following biographical information is based on Lovin's document, even though it contains some information that conflicts with other data points, as we shall see. The parents of Alexander Graham are Daniel Graham and Christian (or Christine) Munn. Daniel (sometimes called Donald) was born in 1708 in Isle Knapdale, across Jura Skye, Scotland and died after Jan.17, 1799 (the date of his will) in Cumberland Co. NC, where he appears on the 1790 census. Mable Lovin states that Daniel is descended from the Montrose line of Grahams, descending from "William Graham, the third Lord Graham, who was created Earl of Montrose in 1504 by King James IV..." (which may or may not be accurate.) His parents are listed on Ancestry.com as James Graham, Earl of Montrose (1664-1731) and Elizabeth Smith (or Windebank; 1660-1731). Christian Munn was born in 1715 in North Knapdale, Argyll, Scotland and died in Scotland in 1807, the daughter of Robert Munn and Christian Taylor. Christian Graham's brother, Angus Munn, immigrated from Scotland to America in 1779 along with his nephew, Alexander Graham, and his family.
      Alexander Graham Sr. (or Alisair Graeme as he was called in the Highlands) was born ca. 1739 in Knapdale, Argyle, Scotland and died Sept 29, 1794 in Cumberland County, NC. (His dates are confirmed by his grave inscription, pictured on Find-a-Grave, which states: "ALEXANDER GRAHAM departed this life Sept 29, 1794, aged 55 years.") Around 1763-68 he married Mary (Katherine) McCormick (1745-1826), the daughter of John McCormick (1731-1758) and Sally McLeod (b.1731), both of Scotland.  (Mary's dates are confirmed by an obituary in the North Carolina Journal of Wed. Oct. 4, 1826, which reads: "Birth: unknown, Death: Oct. 2, 1826. DIED, on the 2nd inst., Mrs. Mary Graham, relict of the late Mr. Alexander Graham, aged 77 years. During the course of her exemplary life, she has reared and educated a family of 12 children, by her own unremitting industry.")  Another source, an article entitled "The Last Clan Gathering" in Argyll Colony Plus (by JoAnn Norman on Ancestry), states that Mary was 81 at her death, which would make her 4 years older. A Graham Clan document on Ancestry states that Alexander had two siblings, Duncan (b.1745), and Catherine.  Two of his second cousins, Neal (b.1736) and Edward, came to Cumberland Co. (I have not been able to confirm the accuracy of these statements). Another individual who is often listed as a brother of Alexander is Archibald (Major "Baldy"; b.1754.) with whom I have 2 DNA matches, however other sources identify him as the son of John Graham "the Schoolmaster," a Scottish immigrant to Cumberland Co. in the 1770s.
     Lovin states that although Alexander was too young to have participated in the 1745 Battle of Culloden (which unsuccessfully aimed at placing Charles Stewart II on the English throne), his father may have engaged in the rebellion against the British, for Alexander became wanted by British soldiers and had to hide periodically in the Highlands to avoid capture until he could secure passage off the Island. This went on for 35 years until in 1780 he and his family secured passage to America on a ship named "The Dalton," manned by John Paul Jones and bound for Charleston, Halifax County, NC. According to Lovin, Alexander and Mary's first child, Isabella, was 10 years old at the time the family emigrated from Scotland (b.1770). The other children who made the crossing were: Daniel (b.ca.1773), Duncan (b.1777), John, and Sarah ("Sallie"; b. 1778) McNeill--there is no mention of Christian (ca. b.1765?) until the list of children born in America is given. These are named as: Margaret, Flora, Christian, Mary ("Polly"; 1787), Neal (b.1789), Archibald (b.1791) and Alexander Jr. The 1888 article attributed to grandson Alexander Graham gives a slightly different account which (questionably) makes Alexander of Knapdale somewhat older:
    "Alexander Graham, or as the old Scotch yet call him, Alistair Graeme, was born and reared in the Scottish Highlands, and in 1745 enlisted in the attempt to place Charles Edward on the throne of his ancestors. Alexander Graham was a man of some consequence in the Highlands, being a landholder, and a person of considerable influence. After the disastrous battle of Culloden he escaped to his native hills, and being among those for whom a reward was offered was compelled for a great many years to remain in concealment." According to his grave marker Alexander was born ca. 1739 and would have been 6 years old at the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie's defeat at Culloden in 1745, which may indicate that this part of the account with its 35 years of concealment is more legendary than factual--that is, unless Alexander were actually about a decade older, which would make the story more plausible. The family's immigration from Scotland to North Carolina on the Dalton appears reasonable on its face. Of Alexander Graham, the article states: he "was a rigid Presbytarian, a "believer in John Knox," and in the Solemn League and Covenant, and fully believed Charles Edward entitled to the British throne by all the rules of descent established in the British Kingdom."
      "The Last Clan Gathering" article in Argyll Colony Plus adds further details to the story, saying, "Discovering that Charleston was in the hands of the English, the captain of the Dalton quickly dropped of his passengers and set sail. ... Shortly after arrival in May 1779, the Grahams bought farm land near Cross Creek, just across the highway from the present location of Methodist College.  However, in 1781 this farm was partly destroyed by Lord Cornwallis and his soliders as they travelled south to Wilmington.  The Grahams bought a farm to raise cattle which they called 'cowpens.'  A saddler by trade, Alexander found himself quite busy as industry and trade increased. The family increased in size with the additions of Margret, Flora, Christian, Mary, Neill, Archibald and Alexander, Jr.  Through marriages with several prominent families of the Cape Fear region, Alexander and Mary's descendants significantly contributed to the development of the Cape Fear region and North Carolina. Alexander died on 15 September 1794 and Mary at the age of 81 was buried in the Longstreet Cemetery in 1826."
       Now, with the background we have furnished, let us look closer at the two earlier mentioned strong DNA matches to my John Graham line, Christian and Daniel Graham, in order to identify them. Lovin provides a genealogical worksheet listing the children of Alexander and Mary Graham, but 5 of the children, including Daniel and Christian show no birth and death dates, an indication that she had not researched their lines. The list posits that Christian Graham married Duncan McKeller (1776-1827). An 1803 Cumberland Co., NC marriage bond confirming the marriage of a Christian Graham to McKeller and giving Dec. 21, 1803 as the date of their marriage was probably the extent of Lovin's information. The 1840 census show  Christan McKeller in Perry, Alabama. Then in the 1850 census she appears in Cornie, Union, Arkansas as a widow, age 65, born in North Carolina, living with two of her children, Edwin and Susan, both in their 20s. Finally in the 1860 census she is in Texas. Find-a-grave lists her as born in Cumberland County, NC., died on July 18, 1863, and buried in Frankston, Anderson County, Texas. So, according to Lovin, Alexander and Katherine McCormick Graham's daughter, Christian, lived from 1785-1863 and married Duncan McKeller. I have only a couple of questionable matches to Christian McKeller.
     There is however a second Christian (or Christina) Graham, often identified as a child of Alexander and Katherine McCormick Graham, whose dates are ca. 1765-1813. In 1798, this Christian Graham married Alexander Stewart, who was born in 1756 in Glenorchy, Argyll, Scotland and died in 1820 in Cumberland Co., NC. Among their children is a daughter named Catherine Ann Stewart (1798-1860) who in 1818 married Donald Angus McLellan (1794-1860) of Cumberland County, NC. From their children  (Alexander, Manning, Daniel, Christian, William and Angus) come many of my largest Graham DNA matches at the 5th cousin level. I have 44 DNA matches between the descendants of Christian Graham Stewart and my John Graham, 16 of which are over 20 cMs.
    According to Lovin's worksheet, Alexander and Mary Graham's son, Daniel, was born sometime after their first-born Isabella's birth in 1760. She identifies him as the Daniel Graham (b. ca.1770) who first married Belle Crawford, then Nancy Black in 1814. There is an additional detail related in the Alexander Graham article concerning the Graham family's arrival in America: "In leaving the ship Mrs. Graham fell into the sea, holding her infant son, Donald Graham in her arms. Both were rescued by sailors...." Some researchers think that Donald refers to Daniel, since these names are often used interchangeably. If  he is Daniel, and he was an infant in 1779, this would make his date of birth around 1777. Other evidence suggests that Daniel may have been about 14 years old at the time. The Daniel Graham Sr. (b.1763), with whom I have 33 DNA matches of his line to my John Graham line (13 over 20 cM) , married Nancy Ann Calhoun or Colquhoun (1762-1838). There exists an 1829 Cumberland Co. NC will (probated in 1852) for Daniel Graham Sr. in which he appoints Archibald Colquhoun and his son Daniel Graham Jr. as executors of his estate. He gives the name of another son as Angus, and leaves his daughter Rachel money and leaves land to Angus, and his daughters, Jennet and Christian. Per Find-a-grave, Daniel was born in 1763 and died on Nov. 8, 1851. His grave inscription reads: DANIEL GRAHAM SR. a native of Scotland , departed this life in full faith and hope in the Glorious Resurrection on Nov.8, 1851, aged 88 years." The 1850 census of Cumberland County, NC. shows this Daniel living alone at age 90. His birth year on the census is given as 1760 in Scotland. Of the many children of Daniel and Nancy Ann Colquhoun Graham, the descendant line of Bain is particularly numerous in DNA matches through the line of Donald S. Bain (1801-1882) and his wife, Margaret "Peggy" Graham (1802-1893) of Fayetteville NC., a daughter of Daniel Graham Sr.who is mentioned in her father's probate documents.
    Based on the above documentation and in light of the multiple atDNA matches I have between Daniel and Christian and my line of John Graham, I tend to question whether Lovin was correct in identifying the Daniel Graham who married Nancy Black and the Christian Graham who married Duncan McKellar as children of Alexander and Mary McCormick Graham. Lovin suggests that Alexander and Mary were probably married about 1770 (when Daniel was around 30 years old) but if Daniel, Christian and John were siblings born to them in Knapdale, then the marriage would have taken place around 1763 when Alexander was 24 years old and Mary was 14-15 years old. I also have DNA matches to a number of other children of Alexander who are listed by Lovin, including 12 DNA matches to Sarah "Sallie" Graham McNeill (1778-1867) and 3 DNA matches to Mary "Polly" Graham McNair (1787-1872) of Cumberland Co. NC, a daughter of Alexander and Mary McCormick Graham. (Acoording to Lovin, she descended from both Sallie and Polly.)According to a Graham Clan document on Ancestry.com, Alexander Graham's siblings were Duncan (b.1745), and Catherine (another possible sibling was Archibald  or Major "Baldy" Graham; b.1754.); Alexander's two second cousins were Neal (b.1736) and Edward Graham.
    I have laid out a scenario that could account for my 100 DNA matches to the line of Alexander and Mary Graham, yet it must remain a hypothesis unless more definite evidence is found. If there were a well established brother of Alexander Graham, perhaps he could be an alternative father of my matches and account for the DNA matches, but I haven't found any evidence of a brother of Alexander who might have fathered Christian, Daniel and my John. Another solution would be to speculate that Alexander might have had an unknown first marriage in Scotland in the early 1760s that produced Christian, Daniel and my John (especially if Alexander was old enough to fight in the rebellion of 1745) and the other children, including the infant Donald, were of a second marriage to Mary McCormick around 1770 when Alexander was at least 31 years old.
    Note: I submitted the above analysis of my hypothesis that my John Graham is one of the sons of Alexander and Mary Graham, along with the relevant DNA match clusters to CHATgpt. It analyzed the data and responded that the evidence pointed toward a 90% chance that the Daniel, Christian, "Pretty Sallie," and my John Graham were all children of Alexander and Mary Graham. The reasoning given for the 90% estimation was: "based on strong DNA clusters, shared matches, and the absence of conflicting Graham families. Strong interconnections [shared matches] between John’s, Daniel’s, and Christian’s descendants. Significant shared DNA with other children of Alexander Graham.  No significant clusters pointing to another Graham family as John’s origin. ... Your DNA evidence aligns with the conclusion that John, Daniel, and Christian were siblings, making it highly likely that John was a son of Alexander Graham (1739–1794)."

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    Another Graham family member of special interest is John Graham's first child, Catherine Ethemy Graham, due to her marriage to Daniel Patrick Buchanan (ca. 1775-1844), since Daniel Buchanan's mother is Ann (Amy) Catherine Graham (1760-1820) who is thought by some to be John Graham's sister. (One of John's daughters is named Ann, and I have numerous DNA matches to the line of Ann Catherine and  her husband, John Buchanan Sr., that are difficult to account for if not through this connection.) Both Ann and her husband (Daniel's father), John William Buchanan Sr. (1750-1820), were born in Scotland (per the 1880 Tennessee census) and moved to Stewart Co. TN. (Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950 shows a birth record for John Buchanan in Kirkintilloch, Dunbarton, Scotland, near Glasgow, on Jan.25 1755 to parents John Buchanan and Elizabeth Campbell which may refer to this same John Buchanan.) (Note: Some Ancestry trees shows John Buchanan as born in Augusta, Virginia, but without supporting records.) John Buchanan appears in the 1790 and 1800 Cumberland Co. NC. census and their son, Daniel Buchanan (ca.1775-1844), was born in Cumberland Co. NC. The 1810 Tennessee reconstructed census shows that this Buchanan family had moved to Stewart Co., TN by 1810 (with John Buchanan Sr. listed in the 1810 tax list in Capt. Warden's company). A publication from Houston Co. TN states that John and his family, including a son named Christopher (1789-1886), had arrived in Stewart Co. Tennessee by 1801. So the Grahams and Buchanans seem to have been closely connected and moved to the same areas together and intermarried. What is not certain is the date and place of the marriage of John's son, Daniel Buchanan and his wife, Ethemy Graham. Most likely, they married ca. 1801 in North Carolina where their first child, Addie Isabell, was born in 1802 (in North Carolina, per the 1850-1880 censuses), then joined the Buchanan family in TN by 1802-3.

    A birth record from Kirk-Linton, Cumberland, England shows an Ann Graham born July 8, 1760 to Thomas Graham (1733-1803). Thomas' wife is thought to be Jean Robertson (1738-1810) of Glasgow, Scotland. Scottish parish records (Parish #644/1) shows that Thomas and Jean were married in Glasgow on Dec.24,1758 and their first child, Robert, was born in 1759 in Glasgow and a son named John was born there March 2, 1769. Whether this is my John Graham cannot be ascertained with certainty. Glasgow is in lower Scotland in the county of Lanarkshire while Cumberland Co. England is on the northern Scottish border of England around 300 miles from Glasgow, so it is somewhat doubtful whether the parents in the English record which shows Ann born in 1760 to Thomas Graham and the Thomas Graham in the Glasgow birth record with a son named John Graham could be the same.  (The birth record for Ann only gives the father's name, Thomas, and not the mother). Although Thomas and Jean did not immigrate to America, Ann Graham did, assuming she was born in Scotland. (John's son, Robert M. Graham stated in the 1880 census that his father was born in Scotland, so it is certainly possible that he immigrated as well, or Robert could have simply meant that his father had Scottish roots.) I show 4 DNA matches to Ann through Daniel Buchanan's brother, Christopher Buchanan (1789-1886) and one through his sister, Jane (1773-1811), as well as 22 matches to the line of Daniel and Ethemy Buchanan (6 matches range from 19-36 cM on 1 segment). At this point I think there is not enough sure evidence to be sure who Ann Catherine Graham Buchanan's parents were; but I suspect there would probably be some record trail if they had immigrated to America. Also, none of her children were named Thomas or Jean.

     Note: The 1860 Benton Co. TN census shows 60 year old widow "Ethemy Buchannon" (born in 1800 rather than ca.1787--probably a census error), living with the family of Stephen Clements (age 42), who shows no wife, but 7 Clement children, one of whom is named Ethemy Clements. In 1844, Stephen Clements married Nancy Buchanan, daughter of Catherine Ethemy Graham and Daniel P. Buchanan, so Ethemy was the 7 Clements children's maternal grandmother, whose daughter (and the 7 children's mother), Nancy, had recently died. Ethemy probably died within the next 6 or 7 years, as Stephen married another granddaughter of John Graham in 1867: Margaret Graham, daughter of Daniel and Christian Graham.
 

     Yet another individual who may be closely related to my John Graham is Lt. John Armstrong Graham. He was born in 1742 in Augusta County, Virginia and died July, 10, 1824 in Gilbert's Creek, Gerrard County, Kentucky. He was a lieutenant in the Revolutionary war who married Margaret Elizabeth Hall (born in 1746 in Pennsylvania and died March 8, 1819 in Gerrard County, Kentucky). While I have found no documentation that would indicate that John Armstrong and Margaret Hall Graham are the parents of John Graham (1764-1844) of Benton Co TN., I have 5 DNA matches to Margaret Hall's siblings (Phoebe Hall and Deborah Hall), one to John Armstrong Graham and two to his presumed brother, Hugh Graham (1745-1784 of NC), which suggests that they are somehow related to my John Graham's line. Some list a son for Lt. John named John Armstrong Graham II (born in Rowan Co. in 1767 and died in Kentucky in 1832). If so, it would reduce the likelihood that Lt. John had another son named John in 1764. Margaret's parents were James Hall (born in 1728 in Kennett, Chester, Pennsylvania and died March 22, 1796 in Orange, North Carolina) and possibly Maria Mary Cleneay (Cheney) (born Jan.17, 1725 in Wilmington, New Castle Co., Delaware and died in 1796 in Christiana, New Castle Co., Delaware). James' parents were Samuel Hall Sr. (1673-1738) and Anna Elisabeth Springer (1693-1786.) Maria's parents were: William Cleneay (1688-1788) and Maria Springer (1691-1790).

 

Further notes: According to Ralph Graham, a nephew of Kate Graham Boone, we are thought to be related to the Montrose line of Grahams, presumably through the famous Scottish clan leader, Sir James Graham (1612-1650), fifth Earl of Montrose (House of Claverhouse), who is related to the Scottish line of Kings, back to King Robert Bruce through the Royal House of Stewart, stemming from the 1413 marriage of Sir William Graham and Princess Mary Stewart, daughter of Robert (Stewart) III and sister of James I, both kings of Scotland. John Graham of Claverhouse, the Scottish hero known as "Bonnie Dundee" is also closely related to James Graham, but no children carried on his line, although there are Graham descendants in America through his brother, David. Ralph mentioned a story, written up in a book by Sir Thomas Lipton, which supposedly recounts how our particular Graham descendants came to America. There were seven Graham brothers in Scotland who had fallen out of political/religious favor with either Oliver Cromwell or Charles II (mid-1600’s). They escaped together on a ship bound for America (NC?) only minutes before royal soldiers on horseback arrived at the shore with orders to arrest and execute them. If the story is true, the failed Jacobite uprising, led by Charles Edward Stewart against George II of England in 1745, would be another period in which the hasty immigration under duress might have occurred. (Of course, family legends tentatively connecting the family with a famous figure of the same last name are quite common in genealogical circles and cannot be given too much weight; more likely, either John Graham, as a youth, or his parents immigrated from Scotland to North Carolina.)