John Graham

John Graham was born around 1798 in Dromore, County Tyrone, Ireland.  His parents were Francis Graham, a farmer, and Catherine (Kitty) Graham nee Neville.

John married Jane McFarlane who was born around 1804 in Kilskiddy, County Tyrone.  Jane was the daughter of John McFarlane and Margaret Neville. 

They had nine children:

Matilda (born c 1825)

Francis (born c 1826)

John (born c 1826, died 30 Dec 1914)

Edward (born 24 Dec 1828, died 15 May 1904)

Charles (born c 1833, died 1881)

William (born c 1835, died 1902)

Catherine (born c1838, died 1893)

Neville (born c 1842)

Margaret, born c 1843)

John and Jane and their nine children (aged 19 to 10 months) emigrated to Australia in 1844, arriving on the United Kingdom on 29 April 1844.  John's sister Elizabeth Graham had married Thomas Armstrong and emigrated to Australia in 1841.  Elizabeth and Thomas were living at Kiama on the south coast of New South Wales.  John and Elizabeth's younger brother William emigrated with his wife Anne in 1852.

They emigrated as assisted immigrants.  The passenger list described John Graham as:  health good, religion Church of England, can read and write, no complaints.  It noted that he had a sibling, Elizabeth Armstrong, already in the colony.  John's occupation was agricultural labourer and Jane's was domestic servant.  Travelling with the Graham family under their protection were Margaret Davis and Mary Anne Geddes.

For the first two years John Graham managed a farm at Avondale on the south coast of New South Wales belonging to Henry Osborne.  Subsequently he rented a farm from Henry Osborne at the same place, and remained there until his death.  Avondale was a property of 600 acres adjacent to the 'Marshall Mount' estate owned by Henry Osborne.

In 1844 John Graham conducted the first Methodist service at Marshall Mount. An article in The Methodist in 1911 on 'Old-time Local Preachers' describes John Graham as an exhorter: 

"He delivered the Master's message in season and out of season, in homely dwellings and stately churches, and that was all he cared about. The fine-drawn distinction between an exhorter and a local preacher did not trouble him much when the humbler sphere gave him access to all the opportunities he desired to deliver the message of salvation."  In addition to his work as a local preacher and class leader, John devoted time to visiting the sick and dying and those in trouble.

John Graham died on 23 September 1881 as the result of a fall from his horse and was bured in the Wesleyan-Presbyterian section of Wollongong Cemetery on 27 September 1881.  His wife Jane died in 1888.

"At a ripe old age he, finished his course, amid the regrets of all classes of the community. His Roman Catholic neighbours blended their honest tears with those of the staunch Protestants who surrounded his grave, to do honour to the Christ-like man who had moved in and out among them for thirty-five years, and whom they had all learned to love as one of their very own."