John, in early manhood, went to the state of Kentucky, possibly about the year 1780 to 1785, and seems to have been lost sight of by his relatives in later life, but it is now believed that he became a very large landowner, as well as a man of prominence in that state. Recent research discloses the fact that a man by the name of John Graham, who came from Virginia and was of Scotch-Irish descent, located large tracts of land in Lawrence, Johnson, Floyd and other counties of Kentucky. In fact, nearly all the valuable land in the Big Sandy Valley was entered and surveyed by him and one John Preston, he doing the surveying. He was known as Judge Graham and the large tracts of land owned by him in his time are still known as the Graham lands. He married a Miss Whitten of Tazewell county, Virginia, and had one son, Thomas, who was also a surveyor, and six daughters, two of whom are [109] still living, one in Floyd county, Kentucky, and the other in tile Indian Territory. We are indebted to his grandson, John Graham Johns, of Prestonburg, Kentucky*, for this information, who further states that he was one of the pioneer settlers of that state and was there doing business before the state was formed, as this corresponds to the time when Joseph Graham’s brother, John, went to Kentucky, we are inclined to the belief that he is the same man herein described. This John Graham died about the year 1836 and his son, Thomas, preceded him about 4 years, having died in 1832. David Graham, father of John and Joseph, died in early life, in what is now Bath county, Virginia, and had but two children. His widow afterwards married a Mr. Stuart of Augusta county and to them were born several children, one of whom was named David, who, for a time lived at Summersville, Nicholas county. He moved to Galena, Ill., in 1836.
* In answer to a recent inquiry, Mr. Johns, in summing up all the information in his possession concerning his grandfather, says that he has no doubt but that he (judge John Graham) belonged where we have placed him, a son of David Graham, Sr., and a brother to Joseph.