My grandfather, Mershell Cunningham Graham was born in Coosada Station, Alabama about 1888. He didn’t know his exact birthday and chose to celebrate Christmas day. His parents were William and Mary Graham and he had a brother named Bill and a sister named Annie. Aside from that and a few stories about digging sweet potatoes in the rain and sleeping outside the bedroom door of a little girl he was servant to, I don’t know anything about his childhood. He taught himself to read. Eventually worked in the dining car on the railroad. He moved to Montgomery where he met my grandmother, Fannie. He lost an eye in a hunting accident. During WWI he moved to Detroit where there was already a contingent from Montgomery, and got a job at Fords Motor Company. He proposed to Fannie by mail and I still have the letter she wrote back accepting his offer of marriage. He could fix anything and make most things. He always had a wonderful vegetable garden and flowers in the yard.
I can’t find him until the 1910 census when he is single and living in Waycross Georgia with Irwin and Mary Warren’s family as a boarder. He was working as a car repairman in a railroad shop. June 4, 1917 according to his WW 1 draft registration card he was single, responsible for his father, living in Detroit and working as a steward for the D & CAN Co. on the Lakes. Jun 11, 1919 he and Fannie Mae Turner were married in Montgomery, AL. In the 1920 census he and his wife Fannie are boarders in the house of Moses and Jennette Walker in Detroit. He worked as an inspector at an auto factory. By 1930 he owns his home and lives with his wife Fannie and three children, Mary, Doris and Howard on Theodore St. in Detroit. He was a stock keeper in an auto factory. Mershell Graham died peacefully in his sleep at home, September 6, 1973 in Detroit, Michigan.
Today I am posting some entries from his little notebook. Although everything isn’t dated, it begins in 1934. He writes the person’s name first on jobs. Completed jobs are marked through with an X
The Notebook
Spare Radio Tubes
6D6 – 2
27 – 2 47 – 2
80 – 3 43 – 4
77 – 2 2
38 – 2
45 – 1
75 – 2
7Y4 – 2
12SQ7 –1
6F-6 -1
24A – 2
Daisy – 1 set of shelves for attic stairway – 5 ft tall 12 “ wide
Gwen – 1 table for basement 5 ft long 3 ft wide folding legs
Lottie Brandon – 1 porch flower box
Mother – 1 bookcase for house – use any size
1 Bulletin Board for Church – 1934
2 1/2 ft x 2 ft 10 “ Glass Front
Brown Board in Back
clear glass 26 1/2 x 30 7/8
Car struck by M.C. (note: Michigan Central) engine Mar. 10th 1935
At 2:15 P.M. Doris in car with me.
No one hurt very bad.
Doris received small cut on left hand
M.C. RR settled for $25.00 part cost on fixing car.
B.T. Washington
Died Nov. 15, 1915
At Tuskegee Ala.
Social Security Act
Account number
374-20-3906
12-21-1936
62 X 2 –
Rail for Gwen
Curve on each end
Match purchase
10/1/37 Sears
1600 ft.
Transferred from HP (Highland Park) plant to Rouge plant Mar. 14, 1930 Went to work in Elect(rical) Stacks Mr. J.H. Arthiston foreman
38 – S & W, 114597 Special
43588 – Reg
Washing Machine
Name – Easy
Model – M
No – 241505
Table horses for
Plymouth Church
28 1/2 wide – 29” tall
Radio tubes
Daisy’s set
2-45
1/80
2 – 24
2 – 27
Mother’s set
1 – L – 49 – C
1 – 43
1 – 25 –1-5
1 – 6-D-6
1 – 6 – C-6
Doris set
1 7 –E – 6
1 7 – H – 7
1 5 – Y 3 – G
2 6 – K 6 G or 6 – K- 6 – GT
2 6 S – Q – 7 – GT
1 6 – S –K –GT
Badge changed from
T2429 T 5-6460
May 9th 1939 Rouge
Plant Ford Motor Co.
Stock Dept. Moved from B. Bldg to Pres Bldg
May 8th 1939
Lock put on Jim
McCalls front door
1/20/40 – Elgin Rim Night latch
#5815. Sears Roebuck
cost 98 cents + 3 cents tax – $1.01
Bonzo taken away by
Humane Society Sept. 3rd 1940
$1.00 donation made.
This dog was about 12 years old.
Badge changed from J5398 to J 7669 Jan 26, 1943
For Sinus use Glysadco. Dr. Billy
Addresses
Mr. C. Johnson
5675 Loraine
Button C. (radio rep)
There is a town called Coffee, GA
and Sugar Idaho
Creamery in Penn
Creamery in West VA
Detroit Free Press 6/7/40
First Public Motion Picture shown June 1894
5# sugar
6 cans cream
3 gal milk
soup
salt + pepper
wash powder
Frosted glass for church
Size 11 3/16 X 32 13/16
8/31/36 4 frosted glass put in at church.
Mr. Valdry and Doris helping.
Radio Tubes
SLX 171-A
“ 226 – 4 pes
“ 227
6 X 380
For insects on plants
Hammonds Slug Shot
Made by Hammonds
Paint + chemical co. Beacon NY
Bronze liquid m-372
Ford Car – Model A
Motor No – 3068244
License No. 13-520 – 1934
Mileage when purchased
43.985 miles
Size frosted glass
at church 11 3/16 x 32 13/16
