Porch Swings, Fireflies, and Jelly Jars: Obituaries of the Children of Charles Henderson and Esther A. (Jernigan) Graham

Sunday, April 23, 2023

Obituaries of the Children of Charles Henderson and Esther A. (Jernigan) Graham

In the interest of leaving no stone unturned, I searched for the obituaries of the children of Charles Henderson Graham and his wife Esther A. Jernigan. This family was living in Johnston County, North Carolina in 1850 and 1860. Henderson Graham's origins are unknown other than he was born in North Carolina in about 1820. The Jernigans had been in Johnston County for decades. Esther had been previously married to Haywood Whitley and had three children with him. I was not able to locate their obituaries.

This group of sibling obituaries was frustratingly lean on information. Parents were not named. Often spouses were not named. Children were rarely named.

Birth order of the children of Charles Henderson Graham and his wife Esther A. Jernigan:

Martha E. Graham b. 1845, married Fredrick E. Wayne
William Henderson Graham b. 1848
Chloe Virginia Graham b. 1849
Edward Bright Graham b. 1852
Thomas Jefferson Graham b. 1854
Mollie Graham
Esther Ann Graham b. 1860 m. Jackson Benjamin Smith

Obituaries were not found for Martha E. (Graham) Wayne or Esther Ann (Graham) Smith.

Published obituaries of the Graham siblings in the order of their death:

1. Mollie F. (Graham) Mozingo died 5 October 1911. This obituary was found in The Times-Dispatch of Richmond, Virginia rather than in a North Carolina paper. Her obituary does not reveal that she was the widow of Jonathan P. Mozingo nor that she had a surviving son, Foy Daniel Mozingo.

2. William Henderson Graham died 27 October 1917 in Ingrams Township, Johnston County, North Carolina. His obituary does not name his parents or any of his nine surviving children. No siblings are mentioned. It does mention his two wives by name: Fannie Upchurch and Mrs. Lucinda Lee. This obituary appeared in the Smithfield Herald of Smithfield, North Carolina on 30 October 1917.

3. Chloe Virginia (Graham) Wayne died on 16 August 1928 at her daughter's home in New Bern, North Carolina. In her obituary, her parents, siblings, and spouse are not named even though she had at least two siblings still living. As was the custom of the time, her daughter is referred to as Mrs. H. M. Buntin of Bridgeton. Her obituary appeared in the News and Record of Greensboro, North Carolina.

4. Edward Bright Graham died on 3 January 1931 in Carlisle, Kentucky. His death notice appeared in The News and Observer of Raleigh, North Carolina because he had two surviving nieces in Johnston County, North Carolina. Even though Rev. E. B. Graham had a long and illustrious career, this is the only obituary I have found to date. It does not mention his own surviving son, William Bright Graham, or his surviving brother, Thomas Jefferson Graham.

5. Thomas Jefferson Graham died on 20 January 1942 in Mangum, Greer County, Oklahoma. His obituary appeared in The Mangum Daily Star on Tuesday, 20 January 1942. It does not name his parents or his deceased wife. However, each of his six surviving children are named along with their residences: Thomas E. Graham and H.E. Graham of Oklahoma City, Carl E. Graham of Denver, Walter B. Graham of Albuquerque, Annie (Graham) Duck of Amarillo, J. M. Graham and H.H. Graham of Floydada, Texas.

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About Me:

My favorite memories from childhood include visits to my grandparents in East Texas. At dusk we'd run around my grandparent's yard, catching fireflies and putting them in jelly jars. When darkness descended, we'd return to the porch. It was a special treat to sit in the porch swing. Inevitably, the adults would launch into family stories of Pink Kelley's brush with Sherman's troops, of Great Uncle Hood Brown's tragic death, and of the Kelley family's wagon trip to Texas, among many others. The stars on those nights were magical.

I began my genealogy research in the summer of 1975, less than a month after my high school graduation. When I married in 1983, I started researching my husband's family as well. I was fortunate to start this hobby as a youngster because it gave me an opportunity to correspond with researchers who are long gone; to ask questions of family members -although not enough, never enough; and travel a bit. The result is a lot of information. I've come to the realization that I will probably never be able to afford to publish, so this is my publication.

This blog contains a mixture of information on my husband's family and mine. I've expanded into a second blog called Flimsies and Frippery with the intention of focusing on quilts and dolls, but I have several historical research entries there with more planned, which is why I don't get more quilting done.

Ultimately, genealogy is my passion. This is where I plan to record family stories, research adventures and misadventures, and those serendipitous moments that happen out of the blue. You should be warned that I have a bad habit of going back and adding information and links to individual entries, so it is beneficial to check back often if there is a family of particular interest to you. If you wander in and discover that you are a cousin, please contact me.

Since many younger family members who are new to genealogy are starting to contact me about their ancestors, I've started adding family trees to help them see how everyone is connected. The trees are divided between my family and my husband's. You will find them below under the label's Family Trees - My Husband's Side and Family Trees - My Family's Side.

For better or worse, this blog reflects the research, thinking, and writing of a human.