Sonoma-Butte-Yuba County CA Archives Biographies.....Graham, J. W. 1835 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com March 3, 2006, 2:17 am

Author: Alley, Bowen & Co. (1880)

Graham, J. W. Born in the English Channel on August 25, 1835, and is of Scotch
and Irish descent. His father being a sea-captain for twenty years, the subject
of this sketch spent the early part of his life with relatives, and resided in
the cities of Glasgow, Scotland, and Belfast, Ireland. When he arrived at the
age of twelve he became convinced that he would like the life of a sailor. The
fond parents at once decided in the negative, and refused to release their son
or give their consent. Accordingly the next morning the youthful son came up
missing, having run away in company with another lad of about the same age. They
proceeded to Belfast, Ireland, bound themselves as apprentices to a ship, and on
the following morning were shipped by steamer to Liverpool, where they boarded a
vessel bound for New Orleans. He followed the sea about two years—some of the
time he served as cabin boy, but most of the two years was before the mast. He
soon learned to box the compass, and could steer the ship as safely as any
sailor, except in stormy weather. In New Orleans he and his companion ran away
from the ship on account of ill treatment from the mate. After remaining two
weeks in a sailors' boarding house, they shipped on an American vessel bound for
Liverpool. Remained on this ship until she drew off from this line of trade and
was about to start for the Arctic seas on a whaling expedition. Not having any
desire to grapple with the king of the finny tribe he left the ship at New
Orleans in 1849, and proceeded up the Mississippi river to St. Louis, with the
intention of prolonging his trip to the Lakes but while at St. Louis he came
across a gentleman from Illinois by the name of Samuel Rannels, who persuaded
him to go to the country and stop with him, saying that he was too young to be a
sailor, and after a good deal of persuasion he accompanied him, with the
understanding that he would take him back to St. Louis. After remaining one
year, he served three years' apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade with Mr.
J. W. Manson, of Morgan county, Illinois. About six months after finishing his
trade, on March 29, 1854, he started in company with Mr. J. O. Hamilton, a
brother-in-law of Mr. Manson, for California, driving five hundred head of
cattle across the plains, and arrived at Sacramento on September 6th. He
immediately proceeded to the mines on Sly creek; he prosecuted mining for a
short time only, as the weather was very severe, and he had no shelter and was
obliged to make his bed on mother earth, often awakening in the morning finding
himself buried under two feet of snow. From here he went to Marysville and found
employment in a blacksmith's shop at five dollars per day. In the Summer of 1855
we find him again at Galena Hill, engaged in blacksmithing, about six months,
then sold out and purchased a gold mine, which he worked until the following
Fall, when he came to Windsor, this county, and visited Mr. Hamilton, the
gentleman he crossed the plains with. Here he worked at his trade for G. P.
Hubbard, a gentleman who was well acquainted with his old blacksmith boss, J. W.
Manson, of Illinois. In the Fall of 1856 we find him working at his claim, where
he extracted eighteen dollars per day. In 1857 he sold his claim and returned to
Windsor, and purchased a one-half interest in the blacksmith shop of Mr.
Hubbard. In the Fall of 1858 he purchased his partner's interest, and has been
engaged in the above business ever since, with the exception of three months,
when he sold to a Mr. Allard and at the expiration of that time bought the
business back, this being in 1860, and has conducted the business continuously
ever since. He was married January 2, 1860, to Miss H. C. Means, of Windsor.

Additional Comments:
Russian River Township

Extracted from:

HISTORY
—OF-
SONOMA COUNTY,
-INCLUDING ITS—
Geology, Topooraphy, Mountains, Valleys and Streams;
—TOGETHER WITH—
A Full and Particular Record of the Spanish Grants; Its Early History and
Settlement, Compiled from the Most Authentic Sources; the Names of Original
Spanish and American Pioneers; a full Political History, Comprising the Tabular
Statements of Elections and Office-holders since the Formation of the County;
Separate Histories of each Township, Showing the Advancement of Grape and Grain
 Growing Interests, and Pisciculture;
ALSO, INCIDENTS OF PIONEER LIFE; THE RAISING OF THE BEAR FLAG; AND BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCHES OF EARLY AND PROMINENT SETTLERS AND REPRESENTATIVE MEN;
—AND OF ITS—
Cities, Towns, Churches, Schools, Secret Societies, Etc., Etc.
ILLUSTRATED.
SAN FRANCISCO:
ALLEY, BOWEN & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1880.


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