Week 42 - Fire - Conner/Graham

Isaac Graham was around 19 years old when he immigrated from Canada into Marion township, Michigan to join his older brother John in 1862. The two brothers had purchased land using funds that their father had supplied. Land was becoming too expensive in Canada, so he had sent them to Michigan to settle. Isaac's twin brother Charles had come with them, but after a bad winter and getting sickly from working in the woods, he decided to go back to Canada.

Isaac purchased 80 acres in what became the town of Deckerville in Sanilac County, located in the thumb of Michigan. He cleared some acres, planted an orchard and built a small wood frame home. In 1871 Isaac returned home to Taylor's Corner in Victoria county, Ontario, Canada and there he married Charlotte Harmon on July 17th. 

During the year of 1871, there was a severe drought that ran from the Dakotas, across Minnesota and into Wisconsin and also included the state of Michigan. Following lightning strikes in the Dakotas, fires began burning and decimated towns, woods, and killing not only people, but the livelihoods of many. Cinders from those fires fell around the mid-west and eventually burned the town of Peshtigo in Wisconsin to the ground. Over 800 lives were lost. The fire in Peshtigo was usurped by the great Chicago fire that happened at the same time. 

Upon the westerly winds, cinders continued over Lake Michigan and landed in the Traverse City area and burned hundreds of acres in that area. There were also fires that hit in Holland and Ludington along the lake shore. From there, lone cinders continued into the Thumb of Michigan and today the fires there are known as The Port Huron Fire that burned all the way to Lake Huron. Total, over 2.25 million acres were burned, and 1,200 lives were lost.

The newlyweds settled into their home in Michigan just in time for the fire of 1871 to hit. Luckily, the house was saved although their orchards and most of the fields were lost.  Over the next ten years, they expanded their fields, added livestock and turned their original house into the kitchen of the large brick house that they built.  

In 1881, fires once again hit in their area. Drought, hurricane-force winds, heat, and the ecological damage from logging combined to fuel the flames. Over a million acres burned in less than a day and 282 lives were lost. Following the Great Thumb Fire, people realized that they needed to organize firefighting and fire safety plans. The newly formed American Red Cross organized its first official disaster relief response for this horrific event.

Again, Isaac and Charlotte survived the fire and although they suffered some loss, their home was saved.  Today the house still stands and is owned by Arthur Caswell's descendants. Arthur was a cousin of Isaac's.

Isaac Graham brick home       Deckerville, Michigan      Charlotte Graham - left

NOTE: Isaac's parents were Andrew and Delilah (Conner) Graham. Delilah and my husband Dan's 3x great grandmother Diantha Graham became double related.  Diantha became Delilah's niece, and Diantha became Delilah's cousin. All because a Conner married a Graham and a Graham married a Conner.

Barbie