FAM HIST: Graham - Willard, Carter Co

>From an article in the Van Buren County Democrat, Clinton, Arkansas by Robert
Ham,
Mountain Talk: 1979

Rachel Webb Graham's goals in life were to have 12 children and live to be 100
years old. She did have 12 children and almost reached her goal to be one
hundred, she lived to be ninety-nine years and nine months old.
    
Her daughter, Maggie Bradford, said that these were also two of her goals in
life. However, Aunt Maggie had only eleven children but she is now 105 years
old. She has 161 living descendants. She now has 34 grandchildren, 67 great-
grandchildren, 49 great-great-grandchildren, and 2 great-great-great-
grandchildren. Therefore, there are six living generations that are part of
Aunt Maggie's family. To show pictures of her grandchildren and great-
grandchildren she needs either a slide projector or a film projector.

    
Aunt Maggie  (Margaret Leah Graham) was born in Willard, Kentucky, July 13,
1874. She moved to Van Buren County in 1885. One of the reasons that her
family moved from Kentucky to Arkansas was because the railroad right-of-way
was being built next to her parent's house. One of her memories of over one
hundred years ago was of the men working on the railroad. She said. "I can see
all those pretty flowers that mother had in her yard. the railroad men came in
and started digging up the flowers to build the railroad. I asked my mother
what the men were saying when they were working and she said, Heave-ho."

Aunt Maggie has been blind for the past twenty years. her memory is still
excellent. She can remember my great grandfather and she also asked me some
questions to let me know that she knew me very well. She still has a sense of
humor. In fact, my father  was with me when I was interviewing her. She told
him, "It looks like I am going to outlive my pallbearer that I picked out
several years ago." Some of these men are now in their seventies. Aunt Maggie
was teasing my father about how she was going to outlive him and my uncle who
she had picked out to be pallbearers. It may be that she will have second
generation pallbearers, if so, my cousin and I would be next in line.

For two of the great events in her life, Aunt Maggie said that she was
dressed in white. And there is a third event that she would like to be dressed
white for the occasion. She said she was baptized wearing white and she was
wearing white when she was married to David Crockett Bradford in 1894. Now she
wants to be buried in white. Some of her children have objected to the idea
since it is not traditional to be buried in white. She was baptized in white
and has lived a faithful Christian life. She was married in white and was a
faithful wife and is a loving mother to her children. Now that she has lived a
long and fruitful life, why not allow her to be buried wearing white? I do
hope her request is honored. She, of all people, should know that the great
events that occur in one's life and how one should be dressed for them. She
may live until the custom changes to where people are buried wearing white. In
fact, she told me that she is now planning on living to be 150 years old.

About three years ago Aunt Maggie had to move to the Van Buren County Nursing
Home in Clinton, Arkansas. She was living with her children up to this time
but they could no longer take care of her because they are getting to the age
that they are senior citizens themselves.

When I left the nursing home I remembered that I was the one that was suppose
to be interviewing Aunt Maggie, yet she asked me as many questions as I asked
her. I also was the person, the friend that was suppose to cheer her up, yet I
was the one that was in a cheerful mood, in that, her wit and sense of humor
had cheered me.

When Aunt Maggie Bradford's birthday rolls around on July 13, and the Lord is
willing, there will be a large birthday cake that will say "Happy 106
Birthday, Aunt Maggie". Hopefully, we will still be living when that happy
event takes place.

Note from Granddaughter JoAnn Bradford Garrett: Grandma Maggie died on August
17/1981 just ought JoAnn Bradford Garrett past her 107th birthday. At the time
of her passing she left 154 direct descendants living. 

Grandma Maggie was the daughter of Rachel Webb and Richard Francis Graham.
Rachel was the daughter of  John Martin Webb and Elizabeth Sturgill. Richard
was the son of  Benjamine Franklin Graham and Margaret White, all Kentucky
families.


Date: Sun, 2 Aug 1998 
From: JGarr76361@aol.com