Welcome to the Graham Family website
We are the proud descendants of William Graham Sr. born in 1790 and Sarah Jacobs born in 1794 of Bladen County, North Carolina. William and Sarah were both born in North Carolina and were free persons of color prior to the Emancipation Proclamation signed in 1863 by United States President Abraham Lincoln.
William and Sarah first appear together in the United States Federal Census in Bladen County, North Carolina in 1840 with a household of seven. They lived near their oldest son, John Graham b. 1810 with a household of six and their oldest daughter Elizabeth Graham b. 1819 and her husband Henry Bowen with a household of three. In the United States Federal Census of 1850, William and Sarah appear in the household with two of their sons and a grandson and were racially classified as Mulatto, a title given to Indians, mixed-blood Blacks, mixed-blood Whites, and mixed-blood Indians by the United States Government.
We trace our origin to the original inhabitants of the United States, Native-Americans, whom lived here thousands of years before the first White Europeans arrived. With thousands of viewed documents and thousands of research hours, evidence shows that Sarah Jacobs family members purchased land in Duplin, New Hanover, Bladen, and Brunswick Counties North Carolina in the mid 1700s. Also, recorded war pension documents indicate that her father Zachariah Jacobs (Holmes) Sr. (1753-1847), uncles and cousins such as Primus Jacobs (1760-1834) and Hezekiah Jacobs (1755) fought in the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) “Sons of the American Revolution {SAR} certified”.
Many of her cousins are currently members of the Lumbee Indian Tribe of Robeson County, North Carolina, the Coharie Indian Tribe of Sampson County and Harnett County, North Carolina, and the Waccamaw Siouan Indian Tribe of Bladen and Columbus Counties, North Carolina. Much is not known of William Graham Sr., other than he was born in North Carolina, he was of mixed-blood, he was a free person of color, and he was NOT A SLAVE . It can also be assumed that William was mixed with either Black/Indian or Black/White/Indian because many of his children lived Black/African-American and/or Native American lives. William and Sarah's son, James Graham is one of the founders of Graham Chapel Church which was established in 1872 - {Graham Chapel AME Zion Church} located in East Arcadia, North Carolina). Another of their son’s Henry Graham born in 1830 was one of the founders of Tabernacle Believers Holiness Church located in the Youngstown Community of Bladen County North Carolina.
William and Sarah had at least eight known children and our research indicates that there may have been more! Their children names were John Graham b. 1810, James Graham (1814-1884), Elizabeth Graham-Bowen-Freeman (1819-1911), Joseph Graham b. 1827, Margaret "Peggy" Graham-Baldwin b. 1827, Henry Graham b. 1830, Martha G. Graham b. 1835, and William “Jack” Graham Jr. b. 1836. William Graham Sr. last appeared on the 1850 United States Federal Census living in Bladen County, North Carolina and is believed to be buried between the Buckhead and the Youngstown Communities. His wife, Sarah last appeared in the 1860 United States Federal Census at the age of 73 being cared for by her daughter Elizabeth. It is believed that Sarah is buried near her husband William.
Thank you for visiting our site. This information has been gathered and compiled with passion and love for our family and in search of truth. We welcome comments and further information to continue to validate our family's rich and valuable heritage.
