Ira G. Graham, 1844-1921 [RG5794.AM]

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG5794.AM:  Ira G. Graham, 1844-1921

Papers:  1850s-1920s; mostly 1890s

York & Loup Counties, Neb.:  Farmer, merchant, Civil War veteran

Size:  3 boxes; 1.5 cu.ft.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Ira G. Graham was born to David and Mary Graham on July 22, 1844 in Brown County, Ohio. His siblings included (but were not limited to) a brother, Cyrus, and sisters, Caroline, Amanda, Ellen, Emma (Eppley), and Tillie (Wilson). In 1862 he moved to Wataga in Knox County, Illinois and enlisted in the 83rd Illinois Infantry, Company K on August 1. During 1864-1865 he was stationed at Clarksville, Tennessee, along with Cyrus. Cyrus died in late March or early April 1865, and Ira returned to Illinois with Cyrus’s body. He was honorably discharged on June 26, 1865. In the 1890 Special Census of Civil War Veteran’s, he listed “heart disease” as an incurred disability from the war and that he received a pension of $16 per month.

Ira, his father, his mother, and some of his siblings moved to Batavia, Iowa in 1867. Ira married Miriam Deene (or Dean) in 1868. Ira and Miriam were in Cromwell, Iowa (Union County) in 1875 and then Clearfield, Iowa (Taylor County) by 1883. They had one son who died in infancy. Ira and Miriam moved near Kent, Nebraska (Loup County) by October 1888 and then to York County by November 1890 near his father and mother. Miriam died in 1892. Ira’s mother, Mary, died in 1895.

In early 1896, he married Carrie Ogden in York County and then moved to Kent (Loup County). There, they operated a store until 1900 when they sold it to Mary McCormick. They bought a farm one mile northwest of Kent from Odesse McIntyre, where they lived the remainder of their lives. They had five children – Ernest I. (Nov. 1896-1942), Erwin G. (Feb. 1898-?), Edna E. (Maring) (November 1899-?), and twin sons who died in infancy (1904).

Ira Graham died on February 5, 1921. Carrie died on January 21, 1954. Both are buried in Kent Cemetery.

Sources:

1. 1. Boag, Pearl, Fletcher, Roy, and Peters, Charlotte. Kent, 1874-1978. (Call# 978.268 B662k)
      
        Biographies of Ira and Carrie Graham (pgs. 60-61)
      
        Ad for Graham’s store (pg. 211)
      
        Contract between Ira G. Graham and Minnie McCormick for sale of store (pg. 212)

1. 1. Obituary for Ira G. Graham, The Taylor Chronicle, Friday, February 11, 1921, pg. 1 col. 1.

1. 1. Ira G. and Carrie Graham family on the 1900 Census, Loup County, Kent Precinct, ED 157, Sheet 4.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The collection is arranged in four series: 1) Correspondence; 2) Diary; 3) Business Records; and 4) Miscellaneous.

Most of the materials consist of letters to Ira G. Graham from family and friends. There are also some to friends and family from various people. There is a photographic copy of a map of a Civil War encampment at Dover, Tennessee. Most of the material reflects happenings of family and friends in Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, and Kansas City. Letters from family discuss Nebraska life as early as 1874, including the grasshopper plagues. The bulk of the letters finish by mid-1896.

Note:   See also the photo component [RG5794.PH] for related images.

DESCRIPTION

Series 1 – Correspondence

Box 1

Folder

1. 1. Correspondence, 1861-1865

1. 1. Correspondence, 1866-1869

1. 1. Correspondence, 1870-1879

1. 1. Correspondence, 1883-1889

1. 1. Correspondence, 1890-1891

1. 1. Correspondence, 1892

Box 2

Folder

1. 1. Correspondence, 1893

1. 1. Correspondence, 1894

1. 1. Correspondence, 1895

1. 1. Correspondence, 1896-1924

Series 2 – Diary

5. 5. Diary, 1864-1865

Series 3 – Business Records

6. 6. Business Records, 1859-1895

6. 6. Ledger, 1866-1869

Series 4 – Miscellaneous

8. 8. G.A.R. Resolutions of Respect

8. 8. Invitations, Notes, Announcements

Box 3

Folder

1. 1. Poems & Songs

1. 1. Map of Civil War Encampment at Dover, Tennessee

1. 1. Autograph Album

1. 1. Student Ledgers

1. 1. Newspaper Clippings, Announcements

1. 1. Newspaper Clippings

1. 1. Printed Material

ADDED ENTRIES:

Farm life — Nebraska

Graham, David

Graham, Ira G., 1844-1921

Graham, Mary, ?-1895

Graham, Miriam (Deene), ?-1892

Grand Army of the Republic. Dept. of Nebraska, post no. 96

Kent (Neb.) — History

Loup County (Neb.) — History

United States. Army. Illinois Infantry Regiment, 83rd, Co. K (1864-1865)

York (Neb.) — History

York County (Neb.) — History

ALP   07-10-2012

Encoded TMM   07-11-2012