George Rex Graham (1813 - 1894)

Born 18 Jan 1813 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth P (Fry) Graham — married 23 Apr 1839 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Died 13 Jul 1894 at age 81 in Orange, New Jersey, United States

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Biography

George Graham is Notable.

George Graham is a member of Clan Graham.

George was born on the 18th of January 1813.^{[1][2] [1] [3]} He was the son of William Graham, a merchant.^[1] Market collapse left William destitute, and he died, likely by his own hand, in 1828 when George was only 15^[1], forcing George to abandon his studies for the bar. George was subsequently placed with and raised by his maternal uncle, George Rex, a farmer in Montgomery County, Pensylvania.^[2][1] George initially resumed his studies for the bar, but in 1832, returned to Philadelphia and assumed the occupation of cabinet making, simultaneously continuing his studies for the bar, to which he was admitted in 1839.^[1]. He developed an interest in the literary world, and in the same year became the editor of the Saturday Evening Post. In 1840, he became joint proprietor of the magazine but sold his interest in 1846. In 1840, George, partnering with his brother William as "Messrs Graham & Company"^[4], also bought The Casket, a monthly magazine which in 1841 he combined with The Gentleman's Magazine, forming a new monthly magazine - Graham's Magazine. Graham's magazine went on to publish many of the notable authors of the day, including Poe, Longfellow, Cooper and Bryant.^[1]

Around 1846, George's brother William moved to New York, where he opened a bookshop and acted as an agent of Graham's magazine^[4]. William also published two volumes of a magazine of humor, Yankee Doodle^[5]. Volume was 1 published in 1847 covered events in 1846 and 1847.

George also published a newspaper, the North American, from 1846 to 1848. In 1847 he took Morton McMichael as a partner. In 1848 George began to speculate in stocks and suffered significant financial loss. He was forced to sell his interest in the newspaper to his partners in 1848.^[4] George was able to repurchase the newspaper in 1850^[1]. In 1854 George left Graham's Magazine, which ceased publication in 1858.^[2]

On April 23, 1839, George married Elizbeth P. Fry of Philadelphia. Robbins' biography notes in a footnote (on page 281) that George likely met Ms. Fry at the Fifth Presbyterian church, which they both attended and where they were married.^[4] Elizabeth died on 19 Jul 1871^[6]in New York, New York, United States^[6] and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetary on July 24, 1871.^[4][6][7]

In 1872, George moved to Orange, New Jersey to live with his wife's nephew, Harry Rockafellar.^[4] George died on July 13, 1894, at a hospital in Orange, New Jersey.^{[8] [9]}He was buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[13]^{[3] [9][7][8]}

Research Notes

• There are no records of Elizabeth's death or burial in either the Laurel Hill Cemetery Burial Records Online or Findagrave Records for that period.
• The FindAGrave memorial,Find A Grave: Memorial #81753638, for George Rex mentions that his Grave was unmarked for many years, until the Friends of Laurel Hill placed a stone for him in 2010.
• The image of the Burial Record^[7] shows that she was buried in the same Section and Lot as her husband, so it is likely that her grave is also unmarked and nearby.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7} "George R. Graham", author Charles J. Peterson; Publisher: Grahams's Magazine; Vol XXXVII, no 1. ; Philadelphia July1850; pages 43 & 44.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Biography entry at Wikipedia
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 21 December 2018), memorial page for George Rex Graham (18 Jan 1813–13 Jul 1894), Find A Grave: Memorial #81753638, citing Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Find A Grave
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} Robbins, J. Albert. "George R. Graham, Philadelphia Publisher." The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 75, no. 3 (1951): 279-94. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20088271.
5. ↑ Title: "Yankee Doodle"; Contributor: American Wit and Humor Collection (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library). Franklin J. Meine Collection; v. 1-2; URL: https://books.google.com/books?id=itc6AQAAMAAJ: Published:1847; Publisher: William H. Graham
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2} Title: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Death Certificates Index, 1803-1915. Author: Ancestry.com; Publisher: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.Original data - "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803–1915." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2008, 2010. From originals housed at the Philadelphia City. Record details: Name: Elizabeth P Graham; Birth Date: 1820; Birth Place: Penn; Death Date: 19 Jul 1871; Death Place: New York, New York; Age at Death: 51; Burial Date: 24 Jul 1871; Burial Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Gender: Female; Street Address: 137 E 39th St: Cemetery: Laurel Hill: FHL Film Number2020943. Ancestry Record fsphilpadeath #1940818
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} Source Citation: Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1669-2013 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Methodist Church Records. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Eastern Pennsylvania United Methodist Church Commission on Archives and History. Record Details: Name: Elizabeth P Graham; Event Type: Burial; Death Date: abt 1871; Burial Date: 24 Jul 1871; Burial Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Organization Name: Laurel Hill Cemetery. Note: The image of the original church record shows that she was buried in Section II, Lot 174, along with Asa G. Rockafellar, Levi Fry, Harry Rockafellar, Mary M. Rockafellar, and George R. Graham
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} "Pennsylvania, Philadelphia City Death Certificates, 1803-1915," database with images, FamilySearch Record: JD2V-DL5 (accessed 8 April 2024) FamilySearch Image: S3HT-DYL9-9P5, George Rex Graham death 13 Jul 1894 (age 81) in Orange, Essex, New Jersey; citing cn 1282, Philadelphia City Archives and Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia; FHL microfilm 1,871,873.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Oberholtzer, Ellis Paxson. The Literary History of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: George W. Jacobs & Co., 1906: 284. ISBN 1-932109-45-5

See also:

• Wikipedia: George Rex Graham
• Wikidata: Item Q3101860, en:Wikipedia