Help please. John Graham J.P. and Henry Tomes Major U.S. Army

[Wendy]

I have a photo of the memorial for John Graham he was born in1810 at Hillside, Main Street in Aberdeenshire. He died at Tylsley Grange Acocks Green in 1869. I know little about this man as he seemed very private. The people who attended his funeral were important people in Birmingham. The funeral had eight mourning and two private carriages. Amongst the pall bearers were Thomas Avery and William Middlemore. It seems most of the great and good attended his funeral.

At the foot of the memorial is a slab in memory of Henry Tooms, major U.S. Army born Oxford in 1807. Henry died at Acocks Green in 1874.
Any information on the two above would be brilliant.

 

[Shera]

on the 1871 census i wonder if this is him, living 31 balmoral rd. west derby lancs.

john graham 63 minister reformed presbyterian church, shaw street b. scotland
jessie graham 60 b. scotland

he had a visitor john hamilton 40 minister reform church presbyterian kenton dunbarton b. scotland
and 2 servants

 

[Wendy]

Shera I am sorry I edited the post when I realised I had a record of the date of his death it was 1869 not 1880. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Shera]

this could be henry in 1871 living well lane yardley

henri tomes 62 american merchant b. oxfordshire american citizen
mary a tomes 58 b. london
isabella 17 b. united states
matilda 15 b. united states
george 19 b. united states
and 2 servants

 

[Shera]

there are a few that would fit with the john graham. maybe one of these two??
in 1861 finsbury middlesex

john graham 49 (visitor) H M MINT b. "glasgow" scotland (so may not be correct)

or this one living 6 beech st. liverpool
john graham 49 sugar refining (men employed refiner? by his partner mclee) i think thats what it says! b. scotland
with wife penelope 48 and children

 

[Wendy]

Fantastic info Shera I will follow it up. I think the John Graham visiting the Mint looks good as I have an idea he was involved in banking. Thanks again for your help where would we be without your expertise. xx

 

[Shera]

theres not much expertise in looking up a census but thanks anyway

when it states H M MINT that was his occupation.

 

[Arkrite]

Wendy, you do "dig up" some interesting characters in that cemetery of yours

 

[Wendy]

I must admit I didn't think I would find a Major in the US army buried at Key Hill.

 

[Wendy]

I have been doing a bit more digging (excuse the pun) into Major Henry Tomes. In Whites directory of 1873 he is listed as a merchant at 14 Whittal Street home address Cumberland House, Acocks Green. Armed with this and other info from this thread I have done a search on Ancestry and found a tree with his family on. I have sent a message to the tree holder so fingers crossed.

 

[AlexCrewe]

Only just found your query about John Graham (1811?-1869).

I have been researching the Birmingham Town Council in the 1870s and his name cropped up, through he was one of the quietest members there. He was a Councillor from 1863, returned twice for St Paul's ward before resigning just before his death.

He has an obituary in the Birmingham Daily Post for Saturday 25 December 1869 (published Christmas day?!), which says he was in his 60th year, came to Birmingham from Scotland in 1843, was prominent in the Carr Lane Presbyterian church and a founder and director of the Birmingham Joint Stock Bank (merged with Lloyds), and with a son (Walter) as merchants on Ludgate Hill. Touchingly it says "many a deserving poor family will miss [his] benevolence... [which] made glad their cheerless fireside". (I love the Victorian gift for written language and their unforgiving paternalism...).

I, too, have found him very elusive in the Censuses. I am sure you have found the obit by now, but if you have more information about him to share, I would love to hear it.

AlexCrewe