Holt County, MO Biography
V. L. GRAHAM of Forest City is well known throughout the county
for being connected with the Grange interests. He was born in
Richland Co., Ohio on April 9, 1836 and was of Scotch ancestry.
His father, John GRAHAM, was from Bedford Co., Penn., moved at
age 21 to Richland Co., Ohio and there married Ruth Sanders who
was a resident of the state of New Jersey. V. L. GRAHAM was second
youngest of 13 children, was raised in Richland and Knox counties,
and married Hannah Z. McDONNALD in 1861. He was a carpenter and
joiner, a trade he followed in Knox and Morrow Cos.
He came to Holt Co., Mo. in Oct., 1868 and has resided here
since. In the winter of 1868-69, he had his home at Nickell's
Grove and the following spring bought a farm at the Union schoolhouse,
4 miles north of Oregon. He engaged in farming in Lewis township
three years, came to Oregon in the fall of 1873, and the next
fall moved to Forest City where he has since lived. He was one
of the first men of the county to identify with the Grange, or
farmers' movement, and has been involved in the progress of the
organization known as the Patrons of Husbandry. He gave his attention
to projects bettering the prospects of farmers and was chairman
of the first county meeting called in Holt Co. In Sept., 1872
he was appointed county agent and for three years was actively
engaged in disposing of farm products and purchasing of supplies
under the auspices of the Grange organization. He shipped the
first load of grain from the county three months after becoming
county agent and has handled the greater part of grain and stock
shipped from the county. He has obtained good prices and gave
general satisfaction to the agricultural classes. He also extensively
purchased supplies for the farmers and made the farmers' movement
a success throughout the county.
He is now engaged in the manufacture of cement and cooper
stuff and is connected with the Forest City Cement and Stave Factory,
a firm composed of himself, Philip SNIDER and Philip SCHLOTZHAUER.
The factory is located on the railroad two miles below Forest
City. The factory is a thriving business, turning out as good
a quality of cement as can be made in the United States. Mr. GRAHAM
has always been a Democrat, though conservative in his policies
and never willing to sacrifice principle to party.