NOTE: This findagrave.com site was recently transferred to me. It previously had mistakenly noted this Robert Graham was the son of Hugh Graham of Lancaster or Dauphin County, Pennsylvania (Hanover, present-day Grantsville). I do not have a correct birthdate for Robert Graham. It was before June 1799 which is when his father died.

Almost nothing can be found in history for Robert Graham or it is attributed incorrectly as was this findagrave.com site previous. I have added a LONG memorial below to connect him with his relatives and history. Much more famous and well-known was his brother Dr. Christopher Columbus Graham. findagrave.com Memorial: 57523914

His parents were: James Graham and Mary Ann Worthington Graham.

James was reportedly born in 1754 and died in June 1799.

Mary Ann was born in 1760. It is not clear when she died.

James Graham was one of the famous 1769-1774 Knox Long Hunters described in Oren F. Morton's 1926 book: A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia. The book can be found on-line in a readable format. James Graham's name is also found on the Camp Knox Memorial, memorializing the 22-Long Hunters in the 1771 Long Hunt, at Mt. Gilead Christian Church at the Adair/Green County line at the following link: Adair and Green County, KY Line - Camp Knox and Long Hunters - Photos (rootsweb.com). Also shown on the memorial is a man misnamed as CHRIS STOPH. His correct name was Christopher Graham. He was the older brother of James Graham. The memorial only captures 16 of the 22 men on this hunt. One of the missing names was Captain Edward Worthington. He would become James Graham's brother-in-law in early 1778 when James Graham married his sister Mary Ann Worthington.

Long Hunter James Graham is also noted by authors: 1) Brent Altsheler (two Filson Club articles: one about the Knox Long Hunters; the other about James Graham's son: Dr. Christopher Columbus Graham), 2) Richard H. Collins (1874 book-History of Kentucky); and 3) William B. Allens (1872 book-also named History of Kentucky.)

James and Mary Ann Worthington had five known children:

1) Dr. Christopher Columbus Graham; findagrave.com Memorial 57523914

2) Nancy Graham (Harrel and Moore); Feb. 15, 1786-December 7, 1882

3) Judge John Worthington Graham; F.A.G. Memorial 84637586

4) Elizabeth Graham (Weathers); findagrave.com Memorial 141293543

Elizabeth's F.A.G. site is probably incorrect. Her birth year is the same as

her brother-Christopher's birth year. Her husband appears to have

remarried in 1832 indicating a proximal date of her death. Their last

known child was born in 1829.

5) and this Robert Graham

James Graham and Mary Ann Worthington are elusive in records. Neither has a findagrave.com site. He was reportedly born about 1754 in Augusta County, Virginia to John Graham (Jr.) b. about 1726 and Florence (Walkup) Graham. Mary Ann's parents died when she was a late teenager and left her an orphan. Her mother died before her father's February 1778 death in Zanesville, now West Virginia. Her brother-Edward Worthington moved her to Fort Pitt. James Graham was at Fort Pitt serving as a Revolutionary War soldier. They married at Fort Pitt in early 1778.

In May 1778, Colonel George Rogers Clark had the Virginia Governor's permission to conduct an Illinois Campaign against the Ohio River Indians. He took 10-flatboats, 150 soldiers, and 13-settler families down the Ohio River. They landed on Corn Island at present-day Louisville on May 27, 1778. They established a fort at this location and planted corn. In June 1778, Clark led his army to attack Indian villages leaving behind the settlers and some soldiers. He had a successful campaign and captured three British villages and forts. Most significant was Fort Sackville at Vincennes. The British retook this Fort that fall.

In February 1779, Colonel Clark led a band of about 160-170 men, half volunteers, to retake Fort Sackville. Two of the volunteers were Edward Worthington and Long Hunter James Graham. Clark was successful and captured both the Fort and the British Governor. In a celebration accident, Worthington was injured when a spike cannon blew up. Clark's second in command was killed. Worthing was able to make it back to Corn Island.

In April 1779, Clark and his men, and the settlers moved off of Corn Island and established Louisville. They drew for city lots. Men in the drawing were recorded: Edward Worthington, Long Hunter James Graham, Squire Boone (brother of Daniel Boone), frontiersman-Bland Ballard, Jacob Reager (married to Elizabeth Worthington); and Captain James Patton. Jacob Reager died in 1790 in Louisville, and Captain Patton married a widowed Elizabeth Worthington Reager, the sister of Mary Ann and Edward.

In 1779, Edward Worthington went to Harrodsburg. He built his own Fort or Station (Worthington Station) a few miles from Danville in Boyle County. His family would take refuge at Fort Harrod or Fort Worthington for the next four or five years while Edward Worthington served as one of George Rogers Clark's Captains during the entire Revolutionary War. Clark called Worthington "My Irish Captain."

James Graham must have left his wife Mary Ann at Harrodsburg or Fort Worthington. He returned to Augusta County and joined his brothers in fighting the Revolutionary War's Southern Campaign. He disappeared from Kentucky records. More significantly, he and his wife have no children until October 1784 which was six and one-half years after they married suggesting they were separated. Their first child, Dr. Christopher Columbus Graham was born on October 10, 1784, at Fort Worthington.

By the end of the Revolutionary War, James Graham's brother Ensign Christopher Graham had acquired almost 9,000 acres of Kentucky land for his Revolutionary War service. He moved to Nelson County, Kentucky in September 1791. James Graham followed him to Nelson County about 1792. Their brother John Graham III, a surveyor, had been there for some time before. He would eventually settle and become famous as Judge John Graham of Floyd County, Kentucky. The brothers were followed to Nelson County by their brother Robert Graham (about 1800, but exact date not known) and William C. Graham (b. 1763-in Augusta County).

These Nelson County Grahams intermarried with the Grigsby, Wakefield and Duncan families who were their neighbors. Also living close by was the Thomas and Nancy (Hanks) Lincoln family-parents of Abraham and Sarah Lincoln. Ensign Christopher Graham's eldest daughter married Joseph Grigsby. They were cotton growers and owned several slaves. They later moved to Texas.

After the War of 1812 ended (1815), several Nelson County families moved to either Missouri or Indiana. The Lincoln family and one branch of the Grigsby family moved to Southern Indiana (Spencer County). Sarah Lincoln married a Grigsby but died in childbirth with their first child. Also moving to Spencer County was Ensign Christopher Graham's son John P. Graham; his two Wakefield brothers-in-law; Long Hunter James Graham's two sons: Judge John W. Graham and Robert Graham; and their uncle William C. Graham. Long Hunter James Graham's son Dr. Christopher Graham was found in Spencer County, Indiana briefly in 1848.

Robert Graham married Roxanna Winchell. She had been orphaned as a teenager and was living with her brother, Loring "SMITH" Winchell in Spencer County. After their marriage (date not known), they moved to Louisville Kentucky. The Graham brothers owned commercial cotton milling equipment they somehow had obtained in Boyle County. Once Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin was perfected, the manufacture of cotton textiles became feasible. Robert Graham opened a huge cotton milling plant in Louisville in partnership with John Snead. Snead was known for providing capital in business operations and probably was the money man to build the milling plant while Graham providing the milling equipment.

In 1835, Snead was worried the Eastern cotton milling plants would put them out of business. Robert Graham bought out Snead and moved the equipment to Meade County, Kentucky. This was about 45-50 miles down the Ohio River from Louisville to Otter Creek. The Louisville mill had used steam for its operation. Robert Graham drug him equipment about four miles inland and used a 300-foot waterfall on Otter Creek to power his cotton milling operation. He became very wealthy, and he and his mill was prosperous. During the Mexican American War, he manufactured the cloth for soldiers' pants and tents. Immediately upon this war's end, the 1849 California Gold Rush began which opened a new market for his surplus pants and tents.

Robert's connection have to examined with the history of the Louisville Mill, but more importantly with a research and connection of his wife's family. The Indiana history can be found in the 1885 book: History of Warrick, Spencer, and Perry Counties, Indiana. It is readable on-line:

History of Warrick, Spencer, and Perry Counties, Indiana : from the earliest time to the present ; together with interesting biographical sketches, reminiscences, notes, etc : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The entire family history is obscurely found. Contact me if you have any questions and I will try and fill in the gaps.