Display Patriot - P-168919

William GRAHAM

SAR Patriot #: P-168919

The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.

State of Service: NC Qualifying Service: Soldier / Civil Service / Patriotic Service

DAR #: A046820

Birth: 02 Jun 1740 Ulster / / Ireland
Death: 17 Jul 1818 / Mecklenburg / NC

Qualifying Service Description:

Signer of Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence 20 May 1775
Soldier-NC Militita

Additional References:

Letter or E-mail reporting grave
WHEELER, HIST OF MECKLENBURG CO, pg 70
MECKLENBURG CO NC COURT MIN, BK 1 1774-1780, pg 118
RAY, THE MECKLENBURG SIGNERS & THEIR NEIGHBORS, pg 421

Spouse: Margaret Graham
Children: Ezekiel; William; Samuel;

Members Who Share This Ancestor

Date Approved	Society	ACN	SAR Member Info	Lineage via Child	View Application Detail
2007-12-17	TX	30353	William O. Graham (170725)	Ezekiel

Burial:

Hopewell Presbyterian Church Cemetery_(C-0371215)

Location:

Huntersville / Mecklenburg / NC / USA

Find A Grave Cemetery #:

174139

Grave Plot #:

Grave GPS Coordinates:

35.364770 / -80.898220

Find A Grave Memorial #:

8582052

Marker Type:

SAR Granite Marker

SAR Grave Dedication Date:

28 Jan 2017

Comments:

Photo courtesy of Jay A. Joyce

Directions to Cemetery / Gravesite:

Photo: 1 of 1

Author: David Alan Alls
William Graham was one of the original signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.

His ancestors were Scotch-Irish and first settled in Pennsylvania before coming to Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Born in Ulster, Ireland, he married Margaret Graham of Rowan County. Her grandfather, James Graham, Sr., was from Inverrary, Scotland. Whether William and Margaret were related or just coincidentally had the same surname is unknown.

They settled in the Hopewell section of Mecklenburg County, where he is believed to have been a founder and elder of the Hopewell Presbyterian Church. His name appears as a signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence in the church. He owned a considerable amount of property and some slaves. Tradition says he was an observer of the Sabbath and did not allow any work, even meal preparation, on that day.

Graham also served his community as a soldier in the battle of King’s Mountain. He and his wife had nine sons, many who immigrated to Tennessee, Mississippi and Georgia. William’s tombstone states he was “An obliging neighbor and useful citizen.” His son, William, who died in Mississippi in 1858, has a statement on his tombstone that he was the “Son of the Signer of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.”

King, Victor C. Lives and Times of the 27 Signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775. Charlotte, NC, 1956.
http://www.cmstory.org/content/william-graham-1740-7171818

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