Thomas Eaton Graham

[Diane Merkel]

Hammer's Men with Custer shows Private Thomas Eaton Graham of Company G as born on November 20, 1831, in Alton, Ohio. His death is listed as February 17, 1907, in Columbus, Ohio. He was in the valley and hilltop fights. Hammer goes on to say:

The son of James Graham, who served two terms as sheriff in Columbus in the 1840s. Served in the army from 1848 to 1853, including the construction of Fort Laramie. Married on February 23, 1854. Served in the 40th Ohio Infantry in the Civil War. Enlisted on November 4, 1872, at a listed age of 18 in Columbus, by Lieutenant James Wheelan. . . .

There is a bit more dealing with his later life. A website visitor wrote: "Thomas E. Graham, born in 1831, was the uncle of Thomas E. Graham, born about 1853-1854. The elder Graham was a Civil War pensioner and farmer and I just don't see him enlisting in the 7th Cav. at age 41."

I have heard of young men saying that they were older in order to serve but could a 41 year old pass as an 18 year old? It seems that the two Thomas E. Grahams have been confused over the years. Can anyone clarify this?

[stevewilk]

Diane; if Graham first enlisted on 4 Nov 1848, he was sixteen days shy of turning eighteen. Don't know offhand what the enlistment age was in 1848 but if it was 18 and he was that close, he either lied or the recruiter overlooked it and let him join.

I don't have a copy of Heitmann's Register of officers; it may clear things up to look up Lt. James Wheelan and find out when/where he served. If he served in the 1840s then it solves the mixup. Hammer may have mistaken his 1872 enlistment date with his 1848 enlistment.

This would make Graham 45 yrs old at LBH. According to the book _They Died With Custer_, there were seven men aged 45 serving in the regiment at the time.

[stevewilk]

Or, like your visitor said, it is his nephew who was at LBH. To confuse things a bit more, Hammer has his date of death as 17 Feb 1907, while John Carroll's _They Rode With Custer_ has him dying on 15 July 1907. Hammer lists civil occupation as railroad brakeman while Carroll lists previous occupation as laborer. (Brakeman may have been his job after the army?) Hammer cites his burial as being on 19 Feb 1907 at the Veteran's Cemetery in Dayton. Carroll has him interred on 17 July 1907 at the National Military Home in Columbus.

[markland]

Wheelan information from Heitman:

"sergt 9 1 N Y mtd rifles 18 July 1861;
2 It 7 Dee 1861; capt 7 Feb 1862; maj 13
Aug 1862; It co1 17 Aug 1865; bvt co1 vols
13 Mar 1865 for gal and mer ser dur the
war; hon must out 29 Nov 1865; 2 It 2
cav 23 Feb 1866; 1 It 28 July 1866; capt
15 Dee 1873; maj 8 cav 7 Mar 1893; It co1
7 cav 9 June 1899; co1 12 cav 2 Feb 1901;
bvt maj 27 Feb 1890 for gal ser in action
against Inds on the Rosebud Mont 7
May 1877; retd 6 Dee 1901."

From the National Gravesite Locator for U.S. National Cemeteries:

" GRAHAM, THOMAS
PVT CAVALRY
DATE OF DEATH: 07/15/1907
BURIED AT: SECTION P ROW 17 SITE 35
DAYTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
VA MEDICAL CENTER 4100 WEST THIRD STREET DAYTON, OH 45428
[phone]"

That was the only Thomas Graham buried in a national cemetery who had died in 1907.

The URL is:

gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1

Best of wishes,

Billy

[Diane Merkel]

Let's muddy the waters some more!

www.findagrave.com lists two Thomas Grahams in the Dayton Cemetery:

Birth: unknown
Death: Apr. 6, 1929
PVT, US ARMY

Burial:
Dayton National Cemetery
Dayton
Montgomery County
Ohio, USA
Plot: 4, 6, 26


Birth: unknown
Death: Jul. 15, 1907
PVT, CAVALRY

Burial:
Dayton National Cemetery
Dayton
Montgomery County
Ohio, USA
Plot: P, 17, 35

There are two other Thomas Grahams listed in Ohio. One is in Alton, so he is probably related.

[ephriam]

We are clearly dealing with two different individuals. I did a little digging and found listings for the older Thomas Graham in the 1860, 1870, 1880 and 1900 Ohio census. The 1900 census confirms that he was born in November 1831 and that he had been married for 46 years (c.1854). This information matches Hammer's biography. If you look at the age distribution of his children, however, it appears unlikely that he served in the 7th Cavalry between 1872-77. His daughter was born in Dec. 1872 and his next son in Feb. 1874, both in Ohio.

In the 1880 census for Columbus, Ohio, there is a second man named Thomas Graham. His age is given as 26, suggesting that he was born about 1854. The Seventh Cavalry enlistment record says that Graham was 18 at the time of his enlistment in 1872, putting his birth also about 1854. In addition, the enlistment record lists his former occupation as "brakeman". Guess what this Thomas Graham's occupation is listed as in the 1880 census: "RR brakeman".

I suspect that Hammer has accidentally mixed up two different individuals in writing the biographical note for this soldier. It will take a little more research to sort this all out.

ephriam

[Diane Merkel]

Great detective work, Ephriam! Thank you.

I just bought a year's worth of time on ancestry.com, so perhaps I can do a bit a research as well -- AFTER I get caught up with the website updates. I haven't forgotten about your pending contributions!

Best wishes,
Diane

[charliesue22]

Forgive me, as I am a total newbie at this. I was the one who made the original inquiry about Thomas Graham. I am writing a biographical piece about Graham, Miles O'Harra and Weston Harrington, who were friends. There were two Thomas Grahams in the Prairie Township (Alton), Franklin County, Ohio census in 1870. The elder Graham was a respected farmer--a landowner who also had considerable cash assets and a family. Graham the elder applied for a civil war pension. I have a copy of a letter written by Miles O'Harra's father attesting to the elder Graham's injuries incurred during the civil war. (The O'Harras, Harringtons and Grahams all fought together in the Civil War). I'm going to stick with my story that Graham was 18 years old when he enlisted in 1872. I really appreciate everybodys' comments. You guys really are experts! If anybody knows anything else about Graham's later life I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

[charliesue22]

I finally had a chance to get back to the census. Thomas Graham, the younger, is the son of Nathan and Ellen Graham. In the 1880 Franklin County, Ohio census he is listed with his mother, Ellen, a widow. His occupation: brakeman. I've searched high and low for any memoirs, etc. and have found nothing. I'm going to look for a death certificate and burial location as I have time, but I believe Carroll is right. Thomas Eaton Graham's (the elder) military service was with the 95th Infantry, not the 7th Cav.

[randy]

I see this is an old thread, but for what it is worth:

(from the interment record)  Thomas Eaton Graham, b. 20 NOV 1831 (Alton, OH), d. 17 FEB 1907 (pneumonia - presumably in Columbus, OH), parents James and Isabelle Martin Graham, is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus, OH, section T, lot 20.  His wife, Susan, is beside him.  Markings on his stone indicate he may have been a member of the Knights Pythias.

It appears that this is the uncle of the LBH survivor of the same name, and the veteran of the 40th Ohio during the Civil War, but the cemetery records to not tell us any of this. We do have an old article from Columbus Monthly that is poor history and indicates that it was this older TEG who was at the LBH, and the citation in the book on LBH participants by Frederick Wagner III seems to also combine the histories of what seems to be an uncle/nephew combo.