52 Ancestors: Charles Graham - Reflections on a Complex Legacy

 

Charles Graham’s life spanned decades that reshaped the American nation. Born in 1792 in Randolph County, North Carolina, and dying in 1875 on his farm in Texas, his 83-year life spanned the early Republic, westward expansion, and the Civil War. While his story reveals the typical pioneer experience of many 19th-century Americans, it also confronts us with the uncomfortable realities of that era.

Early Life and Military Service

Charles was born on January 29, 1792, to John R. Graham and Sarah Bunten in Randolph County, North Carolina. Like many young men of his generation, Charles answered the call to serve his country during the War of 1812. Records show he enlisted on January 28, 1814, in Tennessee, serving as a private in Williams' Mounted Regiment of East Tennessee Volunteers. His service was brief but significant—he was discharged on May 10, 1814, just as the war was winding down.

A Pioneer's Journey West

Charles's adult life was marked by the restless movement that characterized the American frontier experience. By the 1820s, he had settled in Tennessee, where land records from April 4, 1822, place him in Warren County with warrant numbers 16848 and 16849.

Personal tragedy struck early in Charles's life. He married his first wife sometime before 1815, and they had at least three children together—two daughters whose names are lost to history (both born around 1815) and a son, Tillman Williamson "T.W." Graham, born May 15, 1817, near Nunnley in Hickman County, Tennessee. Sadly, his first wife died before 1823, leaving Charles a widower with young children.

In September 1823, Charles remarried, this time to Janett "Jane" Rayburn, born in 1801. The couple would have at least one daughter together, A.E. (Graham) Slean, born November 4, 1840, in Tennessee.

Life in Tennessee

In the 1830s and 1840s, Charles was established in Perry County, Tennessee. Census records and tax lists from 1830, 1837, and 1840 consistently place him there, suggesting a period of stability after his early years of loss and adjustment. During this time, he was building his life as a farmer and family man.

The Texas Migration

Sometime in the 1840s, Charles made the significant decision to join the thousands of Americans migrating to Texas. By 1850, census records place him in Cass County, Texas, where he would spend the remainder of his life. This move represented both opportunity and challenge—Texas offered cheap land and new beginnings, but also the hardships of frontier life.

The 1860 census provides a detailed glimpse into Charles's life at age 68. Listed as a farmer in Beat 1 of Cass County, he had clearly established himself in the community. However, this period of his life also presents us with difficult historical realities that cannot be overlooked.

Confronting Difficult Truths

Like many farmers of his era and region, Charles owned enslaved people, as evidenced by slave schedule records. This aspect of his life forces us to confront the moral complexities of our ancestors' lives. While we cannot judge historical figures entirely by today's standards, neither can we ignore or excuse the participation in systems of human bondage that caused immeasurable suffering.

Understanding this part of Charles's story is crucial for a complete picture of who he was and the world he inhabited. It reminds us that our ancestors, like all people, were complex individuals capable of both everyday kindness and participation in systemic injustice.

Civil War and Later Years

Even in his late 60s, Charles found himself caught up in the Civil War. Records show he served in the Confederate Army with the 22nd Regiment, Texas Cavalry (1st Indian-Texas Regiment), Company B, as a private. His advanced age makes this service particularly notable—most men his age would have been exempt from military duty.

Personal tragedy struck again in 1861 when his second wife, Jane, died on January 26 at their home in Cass County. At age 69, Charles faced widowhood once more.

The 1870 census, taken when Charles was 79, shows him still farming in Precinct 1 of Davis County (formerly Cass County), Texas. He was also enumerated in the agricultural schedule that year, indicating he was still actively working his land despite his advanced age.

Final Years

Charles Graham died on September 8, 1875, on his farm located five miles northeast of Linden in Cass County, Texas. He was 83 years old and had witnessed the transformation of America from a young republic to a reunified nation emerging from civil war. He was buried in Red Hill Cemetery in Cass County.

His daughter A.E. Slean survived him by many decades, not dying until June 22, 1930, in Cass County—a span that connected the pioneer era to the modern age.

His son by his first marriage, Tillman "T.W." Graham, would move his family to Bradley, Oklahoma, where he also farmed like his father. T.W. died in Bradley in 1893. Many more generations would continue to farm and live in the Pauls Valley area of Oklahoma, and many are still there today.

Reflections on a Complex Legacy

Charles Graham's life story embodies both the aspirations and the moral failings of 19th-century America. He was a veteran, a pioneer, a family man who overcame personal tragedies, and someone who persevered through decades of change and challenge. He was also a participant in the institution of slavery, a reality that shaped the lives of countless enslaved individuals whose stories we may never fully know.

As we research and remember our ancestors, Charles's story reminds us that family history is not just about celebrating the past—it's about understanding it in all its complexity. By acknowledging both the achievements and the failures of those who came before us, we honor the full scope of human experience and perhaps learn something about ourselves in the process.

The records of Charles Graham's life span more than 80 years and multiple states, preserved in census records, military files, land deeds, and death certificates. Each document tells part of his story, but together they reveal a life that was both typical of its time and deeply personal in its joys and sorrows.

Sources for Charles Graham Blog Post

Census Records

"1830 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Chas Graham, Perry, Tennessee; citing Year: 1830; Census Place: Perry, Tennessee; Series: M19; Roll: 179; Page: 228; Family History Library Film: 0024537.

"1840 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham, Perry, Tennessee; citing Year: 1840; Census Place: Perry, Tennessee; Roll: 530; Page: 172; Family History Library Film: 0024547.

"1860 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Chas Graham (68), Farmer, Beat 1, Cass, Texas, born in North Carolina; citing The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Beat 1, Cass, Texas; Roll: M653_1290; Page: 353; Family History Library Film: 805290.

"1870 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham (79), Farmer, Precinct 1, Davis, Texas, born in North Carolina; citing Year: 1870; Census Place: Precinct 1, Davis, Texas; Roll: M593_1582; Page: 17B.

"Texas, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1820-1890," database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham, Cass, Texas, USA, 1850; citing Original data: Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Texas Census, 1850-1890. Page: 277.

"Texas, U.S., Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1820-1890," database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham, Beat 1, Cass, Texas, USA, 1860; citing Original data: Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp.. Texas Census, 1850-1890. Page: 174.

"U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham, Precinct 1, Davis, Texas, USA, enumeration date 21 Sep 1870, Schedule Type: Agriculture; citing National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, DC; U.S. Federal Census Non-population Schedules, Texas, 1850-1880; NAID: 2791276; Record Group Number: 29; Record Group Title: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; OS Page: 11; Line Number: 22.

Military Records

"U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815," database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham; citing Company: WILLIAMS' MTD. REG'T, E. TENNESSEE VOLS.; Rank - Induction: PRIVATE; Rank - Discharge: PRIVATE; Roll Box: 84; Microfilm Publication: M602.

"War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham [Charles John Graham]; citing Widow: Jane Rayborne; Marriage Date: Sep 1823; Date Enlisted: 28 Jan 1814; Date Discharged: 10 May 1814; Military Service Location: Tennessee; Pension Number - #1: SO 28847; Pension Number - #2: SC 21021; Bounty Land Number - #1: 40022 80 50; Bounty Land Number - #2: 45613 80 55; Roll number: 38; Archive Publication Number: M313; Original data: War of 1812 Pension Applications. Washington D.C.: National Archives.

"U.S., Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865," database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles J. Graham; citing Side: Confederate; Regiment State/Origin: Texas; Regiment: 22nd Regiment, Texas Cavalry (1st Indian-Texas Regiment); Company: B; Rank In: Private; Rank Out: Private; Film Number: M227 roll 14; Original data: National Park Service, Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, online http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/, acquired 2007.

Land and Tax Records

"North Carolina and Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Records, 1753-1931," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham, Warren, Tennessee, Record Date: 4 Apr 1822, Warrant Number: 16848; citing Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Early Tennessee/North Carolina Land Records; Roll: 49; Book: Z.

"North Carolina and Tennessee, U.S., Early Land Records, 1753-1931," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham, Warren, Tennessee, Record Date: 4 Apr 1822, Warrant Number: 16849; citing Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Early Tennessee/North Carolina Land Records; Roll: 160; Book: 9.

"Tennessee, U.S., Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham, Perry, Tennessee, USA, Residence Date: 1837; citing The Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Early Tax Lists of Tennessee.

"Texas, U.S., Land Title Abstracts,1700-2008," database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles Graham as Patentee; citing Grantee: Jarius Berry; Certificate: 672; Patent Date: 30 Apr 1861; Acres: 362.28; District: Bowie; County: Cass; File: 168; Patent #: 398; Patent Volume: 16; Class: Bowie 1st; Original data: Texas General Land Office. Abstracts of all original Texas Land Titles comprising Grants and Locations. Austin, TX, USA.

Death and Burial Records

"Web: Texas, Find A Grave Index, 1761-2012," database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), entry for Charles John Graham, Red Hill (Cass County), Cass County, Texas, USA, died 8 Sep 1875, born 29 Jan 1792; citing Original data: Find A Grave. Find A Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/.

"Texas, U.S., Death Certificates, 1903-1982," database with images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 June 2025), death certificate of A E Slean, 22 Jun 1930, Cass, Texas, USA, naming father as Chas Graham, husband of Jennie Raybon; citing Texas Department of State Health Services; Austin Texas, USA; Texas Death Certificates, 1903–1982.