WILLIAM W. GRAHAM . After many busy years of travel on the road as a commercial salesman , William W. Graham , of Rochester, has settled down on the old home place which has been in the family for ninety- six years, and is engaged in general farming and stock raising. He finds both pleasure and profit in this line of occupation and is con tinually adding improvements to the place and bringing it up to the highest standard known to modern methods of agriculture. His farm is located on rural route No. I out of Rochester and is one of the show places of the neighborhood.

Mr. Graham was born in Avon township on August 8, 1867, his parents being William and Lydia Jane ( Summers ) Graham. His father a native of Oakland county, and his grandfather, Benjamin Graham, a native of Canada, came here in 1816 and bought this farm from the government in 1818, it comprising about 300 acres at that time. The wife of Benjamin Graham was named Postel, before her marriage. The senior William Graham is now living at Rochester, but his wife died on November 4, 1896. Their family consisted of six children, of whom William W., the subject of this sketch, was the eldest. The others are: Edward S., of Durango, Colorado: Ella , wife of Ward A. Davis, of Amye; Georgiana, wife of Howard V. Johnson, of Rochester; Benjamin A., of Portland, Oregon; and John M., of Detroit, Michigan.

Following his attendance at the district schools William W. Graham was a student at the Union School in Rochester, and afterwards spent two and one-half years at the Lansing, Michigan, Agricultural College. He then traveled out of Detroit for fifteen years with a full line of implements and hardware, going into business for himself in the implement line at Pontiac in 1902. In 1909 he was compelled to give up this business on account of ill-health. He has put in a number of power plants around the lakes in this county.

In 1910 he came to the home place now consisting of 180 acres and is conducting it along the lines of general farming and stock raising. Mr. Graham is independent as to his politics, choosing to vote for the man rather than the party. He is now school director for his district. In a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Woodmen and Royal Neighbors.

Julia A. Sheridan became the wife of Mr. Graham on July 25, 1896. She is a daughter of Owen and Bridget (McCarthy ) Sheridan, both of whom are natives of Ireland, and who came to America when quite young, locating in Jersey City. Her father, who was a first cousin of General Phil Sheridan, died in Toledo, Ohio, in 1875, while her mother survived until 1903. Six children were born to their union, as fol lows: John William, deceased; Margaret L., wife of William J. Byrne, of Bremerton, Washington, a government employe; Mary E., of Toledo, Ohio; Katharine L., deceased; Julia A., wife of William W. Graham and Edward J., of Englewood, New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Graham have two children, Lydia Gertrude, born November 30 , 1898, and William Cletus, born October 8, 1900.