John Solomon Graham - Questions about children?????

I sent this message to profile managers:

"I am contacting you about this profile: John Solomon Graham. I have been working on some profiles leading up to this one and found that John Solomon Graham has two sons named William listed and two sons named John listed. Could everyone look with fresh eyes and perhaps see if they have any clarifying information? I checked the Family Search tree and it still has two Johns, but only one William. I am not sure some merges should have taken place.

I have worked with a number of you and know you are seeking the correct connections and information. I am here to help if I can. Though not a direct descendant, John Solomon is of real interest to so many important connections in my family. His wife Margaret Mary Johnstone is my 7th great aunt. This is but one way that I am related to the Graham family in America - perhaps the earliest."

Susanne

So far, I have had one private reply

"...here's my thought the two Johns and Williams. :
First I have noticed the Inconsistency, and left it alone because I was hoping for some more data on them. I think Williams Sr, death date is wrong. I have a feeling it should also be 1733 not 1833 like his other brother John Jr.. I feel some how
they both died together in Georgia, be it disease or accident. The family moved to South Carolina and started over. Numerous times I have seen duplicate names in a family because of a death. The family had a strong propensity to use a name (like John or William) and they were not going to let the death of a child stop them. Also notice there are no wives for either of the Jr's."

Looking through that reasonable lens as many named subsequent children after deceased and some even had the "George Foreman" naming system, it seems plausible. I found this from "The Grahams of Horry County" by Harmon Graham, something of an addendum to the article posted on sources (and I will put the full document on shortly):

"From A LIST OF EARLY SETTLERS OF GEORGIA. In 1730 King George II of Great Britain sent James Oglethorpe to Georgia to supervise the settlement of the planned community of Savannah. During 1733, several shiploads of people arrived in Savannah, were given a lot on which to build a house, and a tract of land to grow food . This information is all recorded in A LIST OF EARLY SETTLERS OF GEORGIA. On June 15, 1733 a ship left London and arrived in Savannah August 29,1733. According to a publication by Sarah B. Gober Temple and Kenneth Coleman, GEORGIA JOURNEYS, the ship was named "Georgia Pink" and left on the Thames River in London. Among those passengers were John Graham, his wife, Mary, and children, John, Mary, and Will. This man lived in Savannah, was given lot number 98, was a farmer and tanner and left for Carolina December 9,1738. According to records, their children, John and Will died in November 1733, John on the 22nd and Will on the 28th." This confirms the reply by a profile manager that I received and I think that change can be made.

Harmon Graham goes on to note the first generation in Horry County:

1. John Graham, b. About 1710, Scotland. He married Mary Johnstone, b. About 1710, Northern Ireland, (daughter of Gilbert Johnstone and Caroline Johnstone) d. Horry County, South Carolina, buried: Old Graham Cemetery, Horry County, South Carolina. John died 1780, Horry County, South Carolina, buried: on his Plantation, Old Graham Cemetery.

Children:
i. John Graham, d. Nov-22-1733, Savannah, Georgia.
ii. Mary Graham.
iii. William Graham, d. Nov-28-1733, Savannah, Georgia.
iv. John Graham, Sr. b. About 1746.
v. William Graham, Sr. b Dec. 3, 1748
vi.. Gilbert Graham, Sr. b. About 1750.
vii. Joseph Graham, Sr. b. About 1752.
viii. Jennet, b. About 1755.

This is what Harmon Graham says about the duplicate names. "The earliest record I found of Grahams in Horry County was John Graham, who purchased 3300 acres of land on Mitchell Swamp from William Coachman in June 1766. On December 7,1767 a 500 acre tract of land was surveyed and on February 23,1768, he received a Royal Grant for that land. There is no reason not to believe this is the same John Graham who came from Savannah as there were no other Grahams in this area at this early date and he had the same trade.

I believe this first John Graham and his wife, Mary, were the parents of John and William Graham listed in the 1790 census of Horry County. Though they had a John and William that died as children, it was a common practice during that time period to give children the same names as those who had died early in life."

Now, if that settles the question of the first John and William, the dates definitely need to be adjusted for John Graham, Jr., as he showing 103 years of age at death and probably needs to be 3 years old.

This still leaves the issue of who is Mercer Graham? Is he Mercer Joseph Graham as some My Heritage trees suggest? I there any proof of connection. What about youngest child Margaret makes sense with her birth in Scotland? I cannot find Margaret listed anywhere, but she may exist. Families often named a child for the mother during that period. Margaret Mary Johnstone was reputably the sister of Gilbert Johnstone, Sr. who fled from Scotland during Jacobite times to Bladen County, NC and Horry County, SC. If John and Margaret came into Savannah with Ogelthorpe as noted by Harmon Graham, then left for Horry, it seems reasonable as family connections were there.

Harmon Graham notes that he has never found a connection to the Williamsburg County, SC Graham family. I have to wonder if the relationship of the current parents attached to John Solomon Graham needs to be relooked. Did he already have family in Williamsburg County when he came to Savannah? The relationship may be possible, but there is no documentation on the profile of his attached "parents" William Graham III and Elizabeth Graham. In addition, who is the second wife of John Solomon and what proof is there?

The profiles of John Solomon Graham and his wife Margaret Mary Johnstone Graham need to be cleaned up and MPd. They are connected to so many families in a five or six county region and important players in the Colonial Period of that region. I am happy to help as I said, any thoughts on any thing else with these profiles?

William Graham, III

Jane Graham

John Solomon Graham

Margaret Mary Graham

Thanks for any attention to this family. Susanne