Biography:

Dr. William John Graham was born near Florence (Lambton County), Ontario on the 17th of April, 1846.  Dr. Graham’s parents were John Graham and the former Margaret Patterson.

Dr. Graham graduated from the Victoria College Medical School located in Coburg, Ontario in 1867.  He went on to study at The University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and graduated in 1872.  Dr. Graham practiced medicine in Bothwell and Duart in Chatham-Kent and in Florence, which is located in Lambton County.

Dr. Graham married Penelope Gordon in 1868.  Mrs. Graham was born in Cayuga, Ontario on the 22nd of November, 1848.  She was the 4th of 5 children born to James Gordon and the former Margaret Milne.  Her parents were farmers and her siblings were; Alexander, Marion, William and Jessie.

Dr. and Mrs. Graham had a son William John Graham born to them in Duart on the 2nd of September, 1868.  A son named Arthur Graham was born in October of 1870 and died at the age of 11 days.  He was buried at the Butler Cemetery, 30452 Brick Road in Croton (Chatham-Kent).

Dr. Graham advertised his medical medical practice in Duart, in the Ontario Gazetteer and Directory.  According to the 1874-1875 Kent County Directory, Dr. Graham was practicing medicine in Florence.

According to the 1900 U.S. Census Dr. and Mrs. Graham had emigrated to the United States in 1884 and were living in Walhalla, Pembina Co., North Dakota where Dr. Graham was working as a physician.

Dr. and Mrs. Graham moved to Anoka, Minnesota in 1908.  Dr. Graham died in Anoka on the 29th of June, 1909.  After the death of her husband, Mrs. Graham lived with their son William, his wife Alice and their 6 children.  Mrs. Graham died on the 13th of September, 1925 in Anoka, Minnesota, U.S.A.  Dr. and Mrs. Graham were buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Anoka.

*Dr. Graham’s son, William John Graham died on the 6th of March, 1960 in Minneapolis, Minnesota leaving behind 3 children including a son named William John Graham.  According to family lore, Dr. Graham was actually William John Graham X and the name has carried on beyond him.  

 Tombstone of baby Arthur Graham