Robert Graham - update 8/30/2016

Robert Graham was born 1843 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

It is quite likely that Robert came to Coopersville, Ottawa County, Michigan, in 1858, where he was proprietor of the only billiard and “sample room” (saloon).

Robert stood 5’5” with brown eyes and hair, and a light complexion, and was 22 years old and living in Polkton, Ottawa County or Newaygo County when he enlisted in Company H on May 13, 1861; he was possibly related to Chancey Graham of Company A and/or William H. Graham of Company B, all of whom had lived in Ottawa County prior to the war. (Company H, formerly the “Muskegon Rangers,” was made up largely of men from the vicinity of Muskegon and Newaygo counties.)

Robert was absent sick in the hospital in August of 1862, again from April of 1863 through July, and was reportedly slightly wounded in the right thigh in early May of 1864, probably during the various actions at the Wilderness, Virginia. He was mustered out of service on June 20, 1864. After he left the army Robert returned to Michigan and reentered the service in Hancock’s 1st Army Corps, a Veterans Reserve Corps (VRC) unit, on March 20, 1865, at Grand Rapids, for one year. He was discharged upon expiration of his term of service on March 29, 1866, at Washington, DC, when he was a Corporal of Company A, 8th U.S. Volunteers.

Robert eventually returned to Michigan. He may have been the same Robert Graham (age 27 and born in Pennsylvania) who was working as a lumber manufacturer and living with another lumberman, John Johnson in Eastmanville, Polkton, Ottawa County in 1870.

In 1873 Robert married Margaret Malone (b. 1856), and they had at least one child: Charles (b. 1879).

By 1880 Robert was operating a saloon in Coopersville and living with his wife and son; also living with them was his brother-in-law Thomas Malone. Robert was living in Coopersville in 1888, in Polkton in 1890, and back in Coopersville by 1897 when he became a member of the Old 3rd Michigan Infantry Association and when he applied for and received a pension (no. 1099398). By 1900 he had moved to Bellingham, Washington.

Robert died on February 13, 1910, in Washington and was presumably buried there.

His widow was living in Washington when in March of 1910 when she applied for and received a pension (no. 706947).