Family History
The Great Escape
From Muhammad’s Hajj to Hegira, Kentucky: a flight or journey to a more desirable place.
In 622 AD, the Islamic prophet Muhammad was informed of an assassination plot. Under the cover of night, he secretly left his home and immigrated along with his companion, Abu Bakr. In Arabic, a hegira or (hijrah) represents an escape or refuge. Muhammad’s hegira was made to the start of the new Islamic Calendar, set April 19th, 622, in the Julian Calendar.
The name Hegira was also chosen for a small town in Southern Kentucky where my family originates. In all hegiras, there is the common theme of escape. The Graham’s were seeking refugee from border wars, and centuries of pillaging between Scotland and England, just as Muhammad and other Muslims were fleeing persecution themselves.
The name Graham is derived from an English place that means “grey home” and “gravelly homestead.” This name was first used in the 12th century from Scotland. According to my great uncle, “We are descendants of James Graham of Montrose in Scotland and the first Graham from our line to come to America was a bound-boy who had to work seven years to pay his passage.” There are many interesting backgrounds from the long blood-line of the Graham family, but the journey from Scotland to Cumberland County is the key embarkment to my specific line.
Family History: The journey from Virginia settlers to Cumberland County
John Graham and his wife Sarah were the aboriginal ancestors of the Hegira Grahams. Their birth dates are estimated between 1760 and 1770, in the American colonies before the American Revolution was under way. They eventually married before the year of 1800, and made their way to Middle Tennessee, stopping on the Wolf River (present day Byrdstown in Pickett County). John ended up dying in either late 1829 or early 1830. In February 1847, his descendant Henry applied for a land-grant in Cumberland County, Kentucky, and was eventually issued warrant number 57. He ended up receiving 50 acres of land in Cumberland County.
Hegira, Kentucky
The Hegira Post Office was established on October 1881. In 1885, Hegira was incorporated into Cumberland County. The area is now bordered by Dale Hollow Lake, (where many Graham family reunions are held, and near the burial of my grandfather and most other Graham family members). This lake was created by the Wolf and Obey Rivers as a result of the Flood Control Act of 1938, and Harbor Act of 1946. Most importantly, Hegira was the birthplace of my grandfather, Carlos Delton Graham.
Who was Carlos Delton Graham?
Carlos Delton Graham was born on November 27th, 1928 to his father Alfred Crusoe Graham and mother, Mattie Hogan Graham. I obviously did not know my grandpa when he was a young man, but I am grateful to have been able to spend time with him for 15 years. As a kid my grandpa loved to fish. Fishing was the culprit of him struggling in school because his love for fishing was greater than his love for school. He was known for skipping many days of school. Luckily, he was not hard to find because everyone knew he was down by the lake having fun.
With his father being the postmaster in Hegira, (was appointed the job in 1922), Alfred Crusoe had no time during the day to go find Carlos, but he made sure to let Carlos know that fishing was not tolerated when he arrived home at night. Crusoe was very tough on him; through high expectations and firm rules, he shaped Carlos into a hard-working, disciplined young man.
Carlos was the youngest child in his family; he had 5 siblings that were all older than him. As Alfred Crusoe tried and tried again to tell his son that fishing was not permitted, Carlos would continuously walk down to the River where Cumberland and Dale Hollow Lake would meet each other. Eventually, the fishing would come to a screeching haul when Carlos discovered his older sister, Tessie Alice Graham, started dating, (and eventually married) the Superintendent of Schools in Cumberland County.
Grandpa Carlos, as I called him, was a man of few words during my tenure with him. Whenever I would make the trip to Indianapolis, Indiana, he would always be sitting on the front porch of the small stone house, smoking a cigar and enjoying the weather. This was classic grandpa Carlos, one of my favorite memories.
When I would wake up in the morning I would quietly make my way down the old, wooden, screeching stairs, and grandpa would be sitting back in his rocking chair, studying Kentucky basketball. He had a super engaging personality; he was funny and always enjoyed life. Grandpa loved to go down to the horse track, collect antiques, and was always fiddling with his vintage red truck in the garage. Carlos was an unbelievable competitor, but was especially serious when playing the card game, Rook. Each time my family and I would travel to his house, one of the first things we would do was head out to his favorite restaurant, Cracker Barrel, to eat and play checkers. He was accompanied by his wife, Marry Blincoe Graham, for 55 years as well as being a father to his sons; Sam, Patrick, David, Kevin, and his daughters; Kay, Fay, and Anna Graham.
Grandpa’s Relation to Tobacco:
Poof, the grey cloud floats into the seemingly peaceful air as my grandpa lays the cigar on his plate. Grandpa was always a big smoker. As he grew older, he moved from cigarettes to cigars because he thought it would be beneficial for his health.
Tobacco, of course, has long been central to Kentucky’s economy. On grandpa’s farm, the main job was for him to be a “sucker”: a person who manually removed buds between the stalk and stems. Sucking tobacco was an intense job in Kentucky. It was physically demanding, but resulted in a massive amount of valuable leaves.
In the early 20th century, tobacco production skyrocketed when blended cigarettes allowed a smoother, better taste. The Great Depression, however, planted its mark on Kentucky farmers, who lost massive amounts of land due to the huge crash in the stock market. Some people used growing tobacco for show, but interestingly enough a fair amount of Natives/Westerners used tobacco for pain relief.
Starting around 1964, it was found that smoking tobacco led to the following diseases: lung disease, nicotine addiction, and cancer in general. Obviously when the people of Kentucky found out about these various effects, it changed their perspective on tobacco, but growing tobacco still remained significantly important in Kentucky’s culture and economy. While Grandpa Carlos watched others lose their lands, he continued to pick tobacco with his relatives, and smoke tobacco himself.
Tobacco will always having a lasting history in Kentucky, as it should. Tobacco was a vital part of their economy as well as their social activities. Back then, smoking was normal and enjoyed by many. The people of Kentucky, (and the rest of the US) did not know the many long term implications that we know today. After years of research, we know the negative effects, and we should strive to utilize tobacco for useful/non-harmful products.
Today, the effects of tobacco are widely known. Each year, tobacco causes an estimated 480,000 deaths and accounts for 90% of lung cancer cases. Most people think the use of vaping is a perfect substitute for smoking, but it turns out the results of deaths turn up much quicker when vaping, rather than smoking cigarettes. Both are quite toxic, and can lead to seizures, various cancers, and heart disease. Deaths usually occur after complications from decades of smoking.
As I proceed in my research, I hope to discover how past events effected my grandpa and his family when he was living on their farm. Another goal of mine is to find out what kind of crops he grew on the farm, and in particular, if he grew tobacco.
The “sucker “ of the bunch
A conversation with my father
The sky began to darken as I sat down in the club house after a long day of golf out in the hot, humid weather of Anderson, SC. I was at a golf tournament on September 14th, 2019, waiting to put my clubs in the car as soon as the torrential down-pour had stopped. The classic summer storm was right on top of the club house, and did not look like it was going to ease up anytime soon. After waiting inside gazing at my phone for a while, my dad sent me a picture of himself and his four brothers from an annual golf trip they have every year during the month of September. I was not leaving the club house anytime soon so I decided to give him a call.
I thought this would be the perfect time to interview him about grandpa Carlos. He seemed to be having a great time with his brothers while he was golfing at Dale Hollow Lake, where his whole family spent much time together. This conversation was going to be very beneficial for my project because with my father being in Dale Hollow Lake with his brothers, more and more memories would arise from his current circumstances. Memories could pop up in his head that he might not have been able to draw out if he was sitting in Asheville, NC. Unfortunately due to health and his advanced age, Grandpa Carlos had only traveled to Asheville for my older sister and brothers’ high school graduations.
Interview Questions:
Can you please state Grandpa’s full name and date of birth?
Answer: Carlos Delton Graham; November 27th, 1928.
According to my research, the Graham’s migrated from Scotland to Virginia, why do you think that is?
Answer: Ooh that’s a tough one but times were difficult in Europe. It would probably be the same reason a lot of other people migrated from Scotland. People had a hard time growing crops and finding jobs, so they came to America looking for a fresh start with new jobs and farm land.
What was life like growing in a small town in Cumberland County for Grandpa?
Answer: It was a simple farm life, very rural. Everyone knew everyone. Most people grew their own food and owned their own barns etc. I think they spent much of their time outside, many families did not have a car so they used horses. They were always outside for entertainment because of the lack of technology, not having TVs, etc.
Did the Great Depression have any effect on Grandpa?
Answer: Only that times were tough for everyone, including those living in rural Kentucky. He was quite young when The Depression came about and probably would not have remembered too much about it, only what he was told by his parents. His family had a farm and ran the post office and general store so I think they did ok during this time. But most of their customers probably had a hard time paying for things.
How many jobs did he have?
Answer: He worked at the Ford plant in Louisville after he graduating high school. Then he married grandma Mary; he worked for about 20 years as a manager at a store called McAtees in Owensboro. McAtees was mini version of Walmart, just a local store. He worked at the main office in the hospital in Owensboro, Kentucky. He later worked a few years in the business department at an automotive plant.
What were all the places Grandpa moved to during adult-hood?
Answer: Louisville and Owensboro, Kentucky, Rockport, Indiana, and then Greenfield, Indiana. Greenville is where my grandma Mary lives now.
Did he live on a farm his whole life growing up?
Answer: The answer is yes, he lived on about 150 acre farm in Cumberland County. The county seat was Burkesville, and the community was Hegira.
Where did he go to school?
Answer: He went to a one room school house- until 8th grade, I believe that was called the Bow School; then he went to Cumberland County High School.
How did Grandpa and Grandma Mary meet each other?
Answer: Um he worked at the Ford plant in Louisville, grandma Mary worked at the Norton Infirmary, now Louisville’s Children’s Hospital. They were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend, you got it? (Me) Yup.
Were there any heart-stopping moments that happened to Grandpa in his childhood?
Answer: That’s an interesting question, let me tell you a story. Just after graduating High School grandpa Carlos was in Myrtle beach with his best friend Howard. He was out in the ocean too far drowning, Howard came to rescue him. He dragged him in by his hair. Grandpa Carlos always said he “owed his life to Howard”; I met him one time.
Did he learn any specific/valuable lessons on the farm?
He learned many practical skills about planting, growing, and harvesting crops such as corn and tobacco. He learned how to drive a tractor and a bush-hog, as well as, he learned how to build fences and furniture. He learned the value of hard work and did not mind one bit working out in the sun all day.
What kinds of jobs did he have on the farm?
Answer: Planting crops; Suckering, cutting, and hanging tobacco. Feeding cattle and pigs. He was often found working at his parents general store. Sucking tobacco means you pull out the top of the plant to allow the bigger leaves to grow better and then you would spike it and hang it up to dry. I did a little of that myself when I was a kid too.
How did he feel being the youngest child by a fair amount of years?
Answer: Everybody said he was the “baby” and was treated very well. He had 3 older sisters that helped raise him, and he had 2 older brothers that he seemed to admire and look up to every day.
Was the farm close to his school/city?
Answer: The farm was about 5 miles from school. When he was young he had to walk about 2 miles to a place on the Cumberland River near his Aunt’s house; there he would get on a ferry to take across the Cumberland River. There was no bridge across the river for many miles in either direction. Once he crossed the river on the small ferry, he then took a bus the remaining miles to school. He did that both ways. The closest town was Burkesville which was 8 to 10 miles away. He would ride a horse or a wagon to get to town and later in an automobile when his older brother, James, bought the first car in the family.
How often would he skip school to go fishing?
Answer: I would say apparently many times, haha, he was crazy. Unfortunately his sister, Golda, was married to the superintendent, who would go and find him and his friends, I think Howard too, that was his bud, and make them go to school. He usually did not get into too much trouble back then. It was a different time back then, you cannot do that now can ya?
Did he play on any sports teams in high school?
Answer: He played on the men’s volleyball team and basketball team in high school. He told me part of their practice was to walk the length of the court on their hands. He said once he did it a few times he could do it no problem, what do you think about that? (Me), Impressive.
What type of music did he listen to?
Answer: Country music! He used to listen to something called the Grand Ole Opry on the radio, broadcast from Nashville, Tennessee. Many of the older folks would know exactly what that is. I’ll tell ya someone who would know it, Keith Cable would for sure!
What was his relationship like with his father?
Answer: I do not know too much about it. I think his dad was a lot older and his sisters raised him just as much as his parents did. Since his parents were older and worked so much, the older siblings did the majority of the raising. His mother was known to be a serious, stern woman.
Did he ever have any military experience?
Answer: He was never in the military, so the answer is no to that one. His older brother was in the army and fought in WWII. He was stationed in Germany and lived there, working for the US Army for the rest of his life.
Did he go to college?
Answer: Yes he did as a matter of fact.
If so, where did he go to college?
Answer: He received a 2 year degree from a business school in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Does he have any other reasons for liking the University of Kentucky other than him living in the state?
Answer: Not really, he loved the University of Kentucky because he lived there, growing up to be a life-long sports fan.
Why was he big into going down to the horse track?
Answer: I’m not 100% sure other than knowing almost everyone in Kentucky were horse-racing fans. The Kentucky Derby was a great reason for this passion. I became one of those fans too.
What was his reason for loving Cracker Barrel so much?
Answer: I would just say he loved that type of country meals; breakfast food was his absolute favorite!
Who influenced him to smoke cigars?
Answer: I’m not sure but I think he smoked Cigars as a way to stop smoking cigarettes to lower his cancer rate.
Did he struggle as a student?
Answer: I do not think he struggled, but I do not think he ever got too serious about school work haha not a great decision was it? (Me), nope.
What influenced him to be a business major?
Answer: Not sure but I think he just thought it would be a good and easy way to get a job and make a living. (Me) Ah, ok.
Did different jobs make him move around the state of Kentucky a lot?
Answer: He worked at a Ford plant in Louisville, Kentucky. When he was laid off, he moved to Owensboro with Grandma Mary to find work, this is kind of a repeat but he worked at McAtees and the hospital. Then, he finally worked in Greenfield, Indiana.
Besides Grandma and his family of course, what was his greatest love in life?
Answer: I would guess probably horse-racing. He loved horse-racing but he also loved buying and selling furniture. He loved going to auctions, garage sales, and estate sales to find a great treasure. He was sort of what people today call a “picker”, you know what that means? (Me) Nope I do not. They are people that go through their own junk, to others people’s houses to buy and sell stuff.
Was Grandpa poor as a kid?
Answer: Um in general, rural Kentucky was poor. Having said that he was probably better off than many of his friends since his family had a working farm and owned and ran a general store and post office. I do not think they were particularly well off but I do not think he ever went hungry.
Was food shortage a problem on the farm during the Great Depression and or any other point in his life?
Answer: I do not think so. He had a fairly large family, he was the youngest by about 10 years in his family. They seemed to do ok during the Depression. You know during the Depression people lost their money and jobs but it was not awful for Cumberland County because there were not that many jobs. All people did was work and live on farms so I think they were ok.
Me: I appreciate you doing that with me Dad.
D: Yea, no problem, I hope you did this to learn more about your grandad and not just for school.
Me: Nah I wanted to learn. I’m very interested in him.
D: Good, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, goodbye Drew.
Me: Later dad.
My Reflection:
How did your perception of community history change, from before the interview to now?
Before the interview took place I initially thought my grandpa was a normal kid like me living a traditional life like me. But times were different back when he was a kid, living on a farm working from the crack of dawn to sun-down. Learning about my grandpa working on a farm in his community all the time taught me the true definition of hard work. His circumstances also reminded me how blessed I am. In the 1930s in Cumberland County, not everyone could drive to school and back in a car without it being a great daily journey. Grandpa had to find ways to get around town, grinding non-stop.
How did this project inspire you to learn more about your family and community?
This project inspired me to learn more about my family history because after seeing my English teacher’s experience with his family history, I thought it would be super insightful to do one of my own. By putting together a project like my English teacher’s project, I thought it would be beneficial to my present and future relatives to see. They could obtain a better appreciation and view of what our family’s history is like.
What were some of the challenges you faced during this project? What could you do differently in your next oral history interview?
During this process I faced a fair amount of challenges, I struggled choosing a particular topic to base my project, I had a hard time making up interview questions because I was unable to interview the person my project was based upon. I was initially going to interview my grandmother (the wife of Carlos) since I knew she could tell me a little more details about grandpa but I was unable to get ahold of her. She is a bit hard of hearing, and interviewing her on the phone wold have been an even greater challenge.
What could you do differently in your next oral history interview?
During my next oral history interview I would love to conduct the interview in person so I would an opportunity to further investigate topics in person. I would not have to deal with the hassle of when to call my father at a convenient time. If I were able to do the interview in person listening to the stories of my grandpa I believe I could obtain more information and a true feel of the setting and circumstances my grandpa lived.
If the roles were reversed and you became the tradition-bearer, what stories would you like to tell?
If I were telling stories to my dad, the first story I would explain is how I would always wake up early at grandpa’s house to have “yodeling contest” with him. Of course grandpa was the champion every time, but I enjoyed the classic times we would have together; both of us laughing because he would constantly make fun of how bad I was at yodeling and how he was going to give me lessons so I could be way ahead of my brother’s if we all ever had contest together. He was always wanting to spend quality one on one time together. We may not have had as much time as I would have liked, but Grandpa and make the lost of that time. We would often joke around with one another, but the “yodeling contest” were some of the most awesome times that I will cherish forever.
Works Cited
Devasher, Jessica. “Carlos Delton Graham Obituary.” WCLU.Radio.com, 6 Sept. 2017.
Library of Congress. “Cultivating the Tobacco Plant, near Lexington, Ky., U.S.A.” Library of Congress, 1904.
Med, Annu. “The Past, Present, and Future of Nicotine Addiction Therapy.” NCBI, 26 Aug. 2015.
Campbell, Tracy. “Industrial Kentucky (1870–1970) Tobacco Traditions.”
Kyleidoscope, 13 Oct. 2008.
