Robert Graham ~ Same Name Over 4 Generations

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2025: Week 45 (MULTIPLE)

Scottish family naming patterns can make it challenging to keep who is who accurately recorded.

As shown here I have 4 generations in a row of Robert Graham, and all have no middle name.

When researching multiplie relatives with the same name over many generations it becomes a bit challenging to be sure sources, documents, and facts are assigned to the correct person.

Over many years of researching I have full confidence the above generations are accurate

Looking back to ensure all is correct!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Clip from Ancestry, retrived November 4th 2025

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Robert Graham ~ Grocer

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2023: Week 46 (THIS ANCESTOR WENT TO MARKET)

My X2 Great Grandfather, Robert Graham, was born December 23rd 1884 in Carluke, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

His parents were Robert & Maggie (nee Burt) Graham. 

In the 1901 Scottish Census my X2 great grandfather, Robert Graham, is 17 years old with his Occupation listed as Grocer's Assistant residing at Imrie's Land, Holytown, Scotland with his mother & 2 of his siblings. I have not found where his father was for this Census.

He immigrated to Canada in 1911 with his wife Jessie Crawford Gray, and their 3 oldest children. 

Robert & Jessie Crawford (nee Gray) Graham

My Great Grandfather Robert (Bob) (Bobby) Graham was their oldest child (born May 3rd 1906 in Holytown, Scotland). 

In the 1916 Canadian Prairie Census X2 Great Grandpa, Robert Graham's,  Occupation is Grocer, and residing at 250 Washington Ave, East Kildonan (Winnipeg), Manitoba. 

In the 1921 Canadian Census X2 Great Grandpa, Robert Graham's, Occupation is Manager of a Co-Op Store, and still residing at 250 Washington Ave, East Kildonan (Winnipeg), Manitoba.   

The family is found in the Canadian Prairie Census 1926, but employment is not recorded. 

On November 16th 1927 (exactly 96 years ago today) my Great Grandfather, Bob Graham, married my Great Grandmother, Nellie May Cannon. 

On the marriage registry Bob's father was listed as a Store-Keeper.

We are unable to find X2 Great Grandpa in the 1931 Census because he died in 19292 years after the wedding X2 Great Grandpa Robert Graham died.

We do find X2 Great Grandma, Jessie, with 8 of their 10 children ranging in age from 4 to 21. Their 2 oldest were married by 1931, and are found with their spouse and firstborn child enumerated separately. 

X2 great grandpa Robert Graham's Official Notice Of Death lists his occupation as Grocer. It further notes he had been in the hospital for 10 days.  

His Medical Certificate Of Death notes he died of Influenza Pneumonia with Myocarditis as contributory. 

He was only 44 years old when he died of Influenza on January 13th 1929 at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. 

3 generations of Robert Grahams with no middle name makes researching challenging!!! 

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Photos:

Personal

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

______________________________________________________________

Leaving the Old & Embracing the New ~ Canada Bound

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 30 (THE OLD COUNTRY)

This week's prompt THE OLD COUNTRY had be searching through my tree on my mother's paternal line looking for how far back in the old country I had gotten in my research. I found the line below that I have been stuck for many years.

I decided to blog as cousin bait.
It worked last time.
I hope it will again!

My 5th great grandmother Marion Weir. I have quite a bit of confirmed information, and DNA matches to support my research this far. 

Marion Weir (my 5th great grandmother)
BIRTH 14 JUL 1781 • Lesmahagow, Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 17 AUG 1826 • Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland


her parents (my 6th great grandparents)
John Weir 
BIRTH ABT. 1755 • Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH Scotland
and 
Anne Stark 
BIRTH ABT. 1757 • Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH Scotland

This is where I am stuck on this family line. I have tugged on ancestry, but with such common names of the time I am not confident the records or trees are for the correct person.
I only have 4 other children besides Marion


Marion Weir married
Andrew Hamilton (my 5th great grandfather)
BIRTH 2 SEP 1775 • Baddom, Douglas, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 28 JAN 1836/37 • Goathouse, Lesmahagow, Lanark, Scotland

I descend through their child 
Susanah (Susan) Hamilton
BIRTH 03 NOV 1814 • Carnwath, Lanarkshire
DEATH 11 APR 1894 • Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland
and
Robert Graham
BIRTH 16 JAN 1814 • Thornhill, Closeburn, Dumfries-shire, Scotland
DEATH 24 MAR 1892 • Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Skipping a few generations forward - it's Marion and Andrew's great grandchild, Robert Graham) who brought my family line to Canada.

Robert & Jessie Crawford (nee Gray) Graham
my X2 great grandparents

Robert Graham
BIRTH 23 DEC 1884 • Carluke, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 13 JAN 1929 • St Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
married to
Jessie Crawford Gray
BIRTH 23 JUN 1884 • Wishaw, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 17 JUL 1952 • Manitoba, Canada

They immigrated to Manitoba in 1911 with their three oldest children. They had 7 more children in Canada. My great grandfather was their oldest child. He was 5 when they immigrated to Canada, and settled in Manitoba.



Robert & Jessie Crawford (nee Gray) Graham's 10 children:


Robert (Bob) (Bobby) Graham (my great grandfather)
BIRTH 3 MAY 1906 • Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 10 AUG 1960 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada


Jessie Crawford Graham
BIRTH 29 JUL 1908 • Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 18 MAY 2001 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada


Margaret Burt (Meg) Graham
BIRTH 29 JUN 1911 • Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH DEC 1985 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada


Charlotte Gray (Dot) Graham
BIRTH 11 JAN 1913 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DEATH 8 DEC 2008 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada


Susan Hamilton (Sue) Graham
BIRTH 5 FEB 1915 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DEATH 15 FEB 2001 • Edmonton, Alberta, Canada


William Gray (Bill) Graham 
BIRTH 15 DEC 1916 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DEATH 1 APR 1993 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada


Douglas Charles (Doug) Graham
BIRTH 19 MAR 1919 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DEATH 11 NOV 1979 • Shoreham, Worthing, West Sussex, England


Andrew Burt (Burt) Graham
BIRTH 2 MAY 1921 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DEATH Ontario, Canada


Georgina (Ina) Gray Graham
BIRTH 20 MAR 1923 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DEATH 13 APR 2011 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada


Jean Gray Graham
1927–2006
BIRTH 21 JAN 1927 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DEATH 2 JUL 2006 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Jessie Crawford (nee Gray) Graham
my X2 great grandmother

Meg Jesse Bill Sue Dot
Burt Doug Ina
Jean

Bill Doug and Burt

Bob Jessie Bill
Doug Burt

My great grandfather, Robert (Bob/Bobby)
is missing from this photo
his ex-wife Nellie and son Jack (my grandfather) are in it

Jessie centre back
Doug's wife Josephine holding son Doug
and others

This is where my story began

My mom with her parents
father Jack is the first Canadian born
in my mother's paternal line

Proudly Canadian because my ancestors chose this country!







This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
















***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***






Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

___________________________________________________________

4 Generations ~ Robert Graham

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2020 Week 6 (SAME NAME)



I never knew my maternal grandfather when I was growing up. He made a brief appearance to walk my mother down the aisle, and then disappeared from mom's family right after. 

My mom and her dad

He had been in and out of their life for many years, but after mom's wedding he never returned. Years later when his mom was dying my mom and her sisters went to see their grandmother. They ended up seeing their dad during that visit, but I wasn't there so never saw John Robert Graham who was known as Jacky as a child & Jack as an adult. 

Jack and his dad (Robert the 4th)

I asked my grandmother what Jack's father's name was, and she told me Bob who was also known as Bobby. I asked her if Bob was his legal name. She said it was. I asked her where Bob was born, and she told me Manitoba. I had entered these details into my tree on Ancestry, but no hints arrived. I waited several months, and did searches without finding any real information. I finally sent away for my great grandparent's marriage license. When it arrived I discovered Bob's legal name was Robert, and he had been born in Scotland and moved to Manitoba as a small child. 

There was a witness who shared his last name. I guessed she was his sister. I added the new information, and immediately the desired shaking green leaves appeared. I began researching the family line using records. I managed to track back 4 generations of Robert Grahams before I hit the brickwall that still stands today.


4 generations of ROBERT GRAHAM!

Robert (Bob/Bobby) Graham (the 4th)
BIRTH 3 MAY 1906 • Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 10 AUGUST 1960 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
married
Nellie May (Con) Cannon
BIRTH 4 DEC 1904 • Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
DEATH 14 SEP 1984 • Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

Robert Graham (the 3rd)
BIRTH 23 DEC 1883 • Carluke, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 13 JAN 1929 • St Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
married
Jessie Crawford Gray
BIRTH 23 JUN 1884 • Wishaw, Lanarkshire, Scotland
DEATH 17 JUL 1952 • Manitoba, Canada

Robert (the 3rd) & Jessie Crawford (nee Gray) Graham

Robert Graham (the 2nd)
BIRTH ABT 1851 • Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire
DEATH BEF 1905 • Scotland, United Kingdom
married
Margaret (Maggie) (Mary) Burt
BIRTH 19 APR 1854 • Cambusnethan, Lanarkshire

DEATH 14 JUL 1933 • 61 Church St, Newharthill, Scotland
Robert Graham (the 1st)
BIRTH 16 JAN 1814 • Thornhill, Closeburn, Dumfries-shire, Scotland
DEATH 24 MAR 1892 • Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland
married
Susanah (Susan) Hamilton
BIRTH 03 NOV 1814 • Carnwath, Lanarkshire
DEATH 11 APR 1894 • Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Robert Graham (the 1st) was the child of 
Peter Graham
BIRTH ABT 1788 • Closeburn, Dumfriesshire
DEATH Unknown
&
Ann Kirk
BIRTH ABT 1785
DEATH Unknown

Peter Graham and Ann Kirk are my 5th great grandparents. I have DNA matches that confirm them as the parent of Robert Graham. They are listed as parents on birth registries for 4 children, but those are the only records I can find - no birth, no marriage, no death.


I have made no progress in breaking down this brickwall in the past 7 years of researching. In my tree I have guessed that Robert's parents might be James & Elizabeth, and Ann's might be Robert & Mary. I have made those guesses based on Scottish naming patterns, and have noted that in the placeholders for them. My guesses may be way off because I don't know if I have found all of the children of their marriage. I do know that later generations did follow Scottish naming patterns, but I don't know if Peter & Ann (nee Kirk) Graham did.


Someday I may break through this brickwall.

*******

Jessie Crawford (nee Gray) Graham
with her sons: Bob,  Bill, Doug, Burt

Now back to Robert the 4th's son Jack - my grandfather.

I understood Jack didn't spend much time with his dad's family after his parent's separated and divorced August 19th 1948.

Winnipeg Free Press, Manitoba, Canada, August 20th 1948

The divorce notice above says that Nellie and Bob were married on May 5th 1943, but the marriage record is dated November 16th 1927. Their son, Jack, was born on March 7th 1930.

And Jack's dad remarried October 1948 .

Winnipeg Free Press, Manitoba, Canada, September 11th 1948

Jack was an only child for both his parents. Bob had no children during his second marriage, and Nellie never remarried or had any other children.

John Robert Graham, known as Jacky/Jack

After finally figuring out the family tree, and following the shaking green leaves I was able to connect with the Graham family in Canada, and get the children of Jack's first marriage into the Graham family tree. This was also when I found out that Jack had not stayed connected to his father's family any more than he had the children of his first marriage. Jack's 1st cousin had thought that he died young, and was shocked when I told him that Jack lived until the age of 81.

I found it a bit strange that everyone thought Jack didn't stay connected to the Graham family after I found this family photo that had Jack and Nellie in the photo, but no Bob.

Jack with his first wife and oldest 4 children

Never knowing quite enough about the past to truly understand the present!







This is why I search - 



Cause ... 





You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!
















***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***





Related Previous Blogs:

Somehow Related Blog Spot,
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2019 Week 2 (Challenge)
Brick Wall - researching Grahams from Holytown, Scotland who immigrated to Canada
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/01/brick-wall-researching-grahams-from.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2019 Week 18 (Road Trip)
Robert Graham ~ Scottish Carrier
https://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/05/robert-graham-scottish-carrier.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2019 Week 21 (Military)
Jack (John Robert) Graham ~ Navy Man
http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/05/jack-john-robert-graham-navy-man.html

Somehow Related Blog Spot
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: 2019 Week 38 (COUSINS)
Tale of Two Cousins ~ Ann(e) Kirk Graham
http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/2019/09/tale-of-two-cousins-anne-kirk-graham.html

Links:

Amy Johnson Crow, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge
https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!

___________________________________________________________

Robert Graham ~ Scottish Carrier

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 18 (Road Trip)

My X4 great grandfather, Robert Graham was born the 16th of January in 1814  in Thornhill, Closeburn, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. His parents were Peter Graham (born about 1788) and Ann(e) Kirk (born about 1785). I have found records for 3 more children born to Peter & Ann (nee Kirk) Graham. I have not been able to find any other records to date, but am confident these are my people. I have a DNA match to Robert's brother James' descendants. No match to either of their sisters (Mary & Elizabeth) at this time. Peter Graham and Ann Kirk are one of my brick walls. I have no record of their birth, marriage or death. Until I found the DNA match to James' descendants I wasn't confident they were actually my X5 great grandparents. I have taken them out of my tree to start researching again only to put them back into my tree at least 5 times. After the DNA match appeared I put a note in their records reminding me to not take them out. I am reasonably exhausted that the research is correct. 

Robert married Susanah (Susan) Hamilton on the 4th of June 1842 in Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Susanah (Susan) was born on the 3rd of November 1814 in Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland.  Susan was the 5th child of 9 children born to Andrew Hamilton (2 Sep 1775 - 28 Jan 1836/37) and Marion Weir (14 Jul 1781 - 17 Aug 1826).

Robert and Susan had 9 children. Their son Robert is my X3 great grandfather who was married to Margaret/Maggie Burt. Their son Robert is my X2 great grandfather who was married to Jessie Crawford Gray, and they immigrated to Canada in 1911. Their son Robert (known as Bob/Bobby) is my great grandfather who was married to Nellie (Con)Cannon. I am the granddaughter of Robert and Nellie's only son John Robert (known as Jack/Jacky).

Have you gotten lost in the long line of Robert Grahams that I descend from?  I know I have been lost among the Robert Grahams many times while researching. 

Now back to Robert Graham, my x4 great grandfather. 

In the 1851 Census we find Robert and family living in Firdon farming 11 acres.

Are you asking what does this have to do with ROAD TRIP yet?  I am so glad you asked.

By 1961 we find Robert and family have moved. They are now residing on Muir Row, but still in Lanarkshire. Their parish is no longer Lesmahagow. They are now in the Carnwath parish. Robert's occupation is no longer a farmer. He is now a Carrier. Robert ROAD TRIPPED everyday all day, and as the future census ecords show he continued road tripping for many years. 

Finding  Robert's occupation assisted in my researching his family. I was able to confirm that the census records I was finding were still for the right family because of Robert's occupation. In 1871 and 1881 he is listed as a Carrier still, and in 1891 he's a Retired Carrier.  

In 1871 they have moved again, and are residing at Heathland. Their parish is still Carnwath. They now have a granddaughter residing with them. This new piece of information provided more clues in my searching. 

By the next census Robert and Susan are 65 years old, and living alone at the same residence. 

By 1891 Robert is retired. He and Susan are still living at the same residence just the two of them.

Neither Robert or Susan can be found in any future census because Robert died the following year in 1892 and Susan in 1894

Robert Graham

January 16th 1814 ~ March 24th 1892

Thornhill, Dumfrieshire, Scotland ~ Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland

Susanah (Susan) Hamilton

November 3rd 1814 ~ April 11th 1894

Carnwath, Lanarkshire, Scotland ~ Forth, Lanarkshire, Scotland

At the time of their death their grandson (my X2 great grandfather) was 8 when his grandfather died, and 11 when his grandmother died. Their grandson grew up about 9 miles from his grandparents. Its seems the family stayed fairly close together until their grandson grew up, married, and moved his family to Canada. One of Robert and Jessie's sons left Canada, and headed back to the United Kingdom (residing in England). It appears as though the rest of the family stayed in Canada, but I am still searching. 

Jack (my grandfather) and his father Robert (great grandson to Robert  & Susan [nee Hamilton] Graham) who was known as Bob/Bobby
(born Holytown Scotland in 1906, and immigrated to Canada in 1911) 

Follow the paper trail to ensure a reasonable exhaustive search.

This is why I search - 

Cause ... 

You can pick your friends, but you can't pick your family you know!

***Any errors are my own. Please send me any updates or corrections via the comments at the bottom of this blog post***

Sources:

Scotland Census records, Retrieved May 1st 2019 from Ancestry.ca

If you reference or use my blog posts in any way please

include a link to the specific blog and

credit http://somehowrelated.blogspot.com/

My blogs are ©Deborah Buchner, 2014 forward.

All rights reserved.

Please & Thank you!