This subseries covers the 17-year period from the beginning of Graham's legal career until his move from Hillsborough to Oxford.

Material from the 1870s consists largely of letters to Graham from relatives and friends concerning family matters, such as the death of Graham's father, events in the careers of his brothers (especially William, who was farming in Lincoln County, N.C.), travels and sicknesses, etc.; upper class social life of those in their twenties in Hillsborough, including courtships, parties, and weddings (including Graham's own); and Orange County and North Carolina politics. There is also some correspondence about legal cases Graham was handling; other North Carolina affairs, including a Ku Klux lynching in 1875; and the conclusion of the Maryland/Virginia border arbitration. Chief correspondents include Graham's brothers; his sister; his parents; some of his sisters-in-law; his brother-in-law Walter Clark (1879); and numerous cousins, especially Alfred J. Morrison and A. W. Knox. Also included are two letters in 1879 from Paul A. Michailowskey, a resident of Odessa, Russia, discussing immigration prospects.

Correspondence for 1880-1887 continues to deal with Graham's law practice, county and state politics, and family affairs. Other topics discussed substantially include mining interests, both in North Carolina and in Mexico (see especially letters of December 1881, November 1885, and March 1887) and land deals and speculation. Other topics are running telephone lines in Hillsborough (May 1883), affairs of Paul A. Michailowskey, hunting dogs, the University of North Carolina, and Graham's move to Oxford (late 1887). Letters about Graham's legal work relate to a variety of cases, mostly in Durham and Orange counties, including estate settlements, debt collections, divorces, pardons of prisoners, and land claims.

Political affairs are covered in numerous letters about Democratic Party affairs in Orange County and elsewhere; Graham's election to the state Senate in 1884 and activities in 1885 while he was in the Senate, especially the Stock Law; his brother John's unsuccessful campaign for the United States House in 1886; and judicial and other appointments. Among Graham's many correspondents on legal and political matters were Walter Clark (about 50 letters during this period); his brothers, especially James, Robert, and William, who also wrote about family matters; Kemp Battle; George T. Winston; E. J. Parrish; Bennehan and Paul Cameron; H. G. Conner (1886); and Josephus Daniels (25 May 1887). Additional correspondents include Graham's mother, his other brothers, and various cousins.

This subseries covers the period from Graham's partnership with Robert W. Winston, 1888-1890, through his tenure on the state superior court, 1895-1897. Law, business, and politics are major topics, with little in the way of intimate family material. In addition to his brothers (mainly George), correspondents include Kemp Battle, Bennehan Cameron, Walter Clark, Josephus Daniels, S. H. Webb, and Zebulon Vance. There is also a letter from Jefferson Davis requesting a copy of speeches by Graham's father William Alexander Graham (30 September 1889).

Items related to Graham's judgeship chiefly include commissions to hold court and requests for jobs as clerks of court. Among legal matters covered is a case against a "New York yankee" who was acting as George Vanderbilt's agent in buying land in western North Carolina (June and July 1891, especially 9 June 1891).

Business matters include Graham's interest in railroads (e.g., 9 September 1895) and in a cigarette-making machine apparently developed by his brother Robert (16, 20, and 21 April 1897 and 1 and 11 May 1897).

There are many political letters from January to October 1893 and a few thereafter about the disputed outcome of the 1892 congressional election between Archibald H. A. Williams and Thomas Settle. Williams, the incumbent Democrat who lost to Republican Settle, claimed that many African-Americans had voted illegally; Graham served as Williams's attorney when he challenged the election result. In an early letter about this election, S. H. Webb wrote Graham about the "general conspiracy to defeat Williams" and how "every negro from 18 years old up voted for Settle." He also noted that "[Benjamin?] Duke's money seemed to have been used against Williams with considerable effect" (13 January 1893 [misdated internally as 1892 but filed with 1893]). Some of the correspondence between Williams and Graham concerns a dispute about Graham's fee for his services.

In 1894, Graham himself unsuccessfully challenged Thomas Settle for this congressional seat (see especially September-October 1894). Much of his opposition came from Populists (see July, 16 August, 17 October, November-December 1894). A related topic covered is the North Carolina State Farmers' Alliance (e.g., 10 September 1890 and 11 May 1893).

This subseries covers 15 years during which Graham, for the most part, practiced law with William A. Devin in Oxford, N.C. Graham also served in the North Carolina House of Representatives, 1901-1905, and again in 1909 when he was speaker. Correspondents include George Graham, Julian Carr, Walter Clark, and Samuel M. Gattis.

Graham's business ventures are the subject of much of the correspondence in this subseries. For instance, beginning around September 1898 and continuing through 1907, letters document his involvement in several mining companies--the Boston and Carolina Copper Mining Company, the Blue Wing Mining Company, and Seaboard Copper--all with operations near the North Carolina-Virginia border. Graham's railroad dealings are also covered, including his appointment by Governor Aycock as a director of the North Carolina Railroad in June 1901 and his interest in the Oxford and Coast Line Railroad in 1902 and thereafter.

Political correspondence during this period not only covers Graham's own legislative races and his election as speaker of the North Carolina House in January 1909, but also his role as an informal adviser to Walter Clark in his races for supreme court chief justice and, in 1912, for the United States Senate. Letters also document Graham's unsuccessful efforts to obtain the Democratic nomination for State Corporation Commissioner (see May-June 1910). Earlier, there is some material about the Republican-Populist fusion (e.g., 15 and 28 September 1898).

The "Kilgo trial" ( Gattis vs. Kilgo ) is the subject of numerous letters beginning in the fall of 1901 and continuing through at least January 1906. (See Subseries 2.1 for more information on this trial.)

A number of letters relate to Civil War veterans' affairs. They document Graham's efforts to publish a Confederate regimental history (June 1901) and C. C. Wheeler's efforts to enlist Graham's aid in obtaining a Civil War pension (20 June and 19 October 1901, 27 August 1902). Among other veteran-related correspondence is a letter from the commander-in-chief of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans comparing the movement to encourage the commercial development of the South to the cause for which their fathers had fought (18 February 1911). Another letter sought the reappointment of General James Longstreet's widow as postmaster of Gainesville, Ga. (22 November 1912). Other materials related to Confederate veterans may be found in Subseries 2.6.

As a trustee of the University of North Carolina, Graham corresponded with others on the selection of a new University president in 1900. Graham's brother George suggested some informal religious criteria for the job: "For President of the University get a Presbyterian if you can, next an Episcopalian or a sinner without a God or a church. For as soon as you elect either a Baptist or a Methodist the devil is going to get the institution and the fullness thereof" (18 April 1900).

This subseries covers the last 24 years of Graham's life. Graham formed a law partnership with his son at the beginning of this period that he maintained until his death. During these years, Graham served as cotton futures attorney for the United States Internal Revenue Service, February 1915-August 1919, and as president of the American Cotton and Grain Exchange, September 1919-September 1922, both of these positions generating a great deal of correspondence.

Much correspondence in 1913 concerns the efforts of Graham and W. H. Osborn to obtain positions in Woodrow Wilson's administration. By July 1913, Osborn became commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, and Graham was appointed cotton futures attorney for the Internal Revenue Service in February 1915.

This subseries also contains correspondence between Graham as cotton futures attorney and other cotton futures officials. Their correspondence contains information concerning the New York and New Orleans Cotton Exchanges and suggestions for modifications to the Cotton Futures Act and improvements in handling cotton exchange transactions. This correspondence is mainly from C. B. Griffith and W. R. Cochran.

Despite living in Washington, D.C., and New York during much of this period, Graham maintained a keen interest in North Carolina politics, where he continued to vote. Included is correspondence about the Granville County Democratic convention in 1916 (20 April 1916). There is also an account of a near riot that occurred just after the 1920 elections when Republican mill workers from Carrboro, N.C., paraded through Chapel Hill, where they clashed with egg-throwing, Democrat college boys (13 November 1920). Other important political letters outline Graham's opposition to women's suffrage (7 June 1920, 1 June 1920), document textile executive W. S. Forbes's complaints about labor's gains under Woodrow Wilson (1 November 1920), and reveal Graham's own unhappiness with Wilson (e.g., 7 January 1922). In a letter written during the closing days of World War I, Walter Clark suggested his appointment to the Peace Commission (6 November 1918).

There is also Civil War-related material, including items documenting Graham's attendance at the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1913 and letters about a United Confederate Veterans convention in San Antonio (March 1913).

Correspondence also documents Graham's continued interest in the University of North Carolina, including his efforts to arrange an alumni directory in time for his class's 50th reunion (May 1918). Other organizations with which Graham was involved included the North Carolina Good Roads Association (e.g., 11 June 1917) and the New York Southern Society (e.g., its 31 August 1920 financial statement).

There are several letters about a memorial to Stephen Moore, Graham's Revolutionary War ancestor (October-November 1925) and a letter to Graham from a Frank Fleming about his observations in Russia, where he worked for a tobacco export firm during shortly before the revolution (12 January 1914).

Undated letters to Graham from Walter Clark, George W. Graham, W. A. Graham, and R. W. Lassiter, and others. There are also a few carbon copies of letters written by Graham.

Arrangement: roughly chronological.

Copies of legal documents and notes pertaining to the suit the Reverend Thomas J. Gattis brought against John C. Kilgo and B. N. Duke in the early 1900s. Gattis sued Kilgo and Duke on charges of libel. Two juries in Granville County heard the case as did the North Carolina Supreme Court. Supreme Court Justice Moore ruled, at a pre-trial hearing, that there was not sufficient evidence for a trial by jury. Ironically, two men were found guilty of trying to influence the juries to rule in favor of Kilgo and Duke. A petition to rehear the case was denied. Correspondence related to this case may be found in Subseries 1.3.

Arrangement: chronological.

Information about the lawsuit Bennehan Cameron and others brought against the North Carolina State Highway Commission and others. The purpose of the suit was to halt the grading, construction, and hard surfacing of the Creedmoor Route. Included are a petition of the plaintiffs to rehear the case, affidavits, and an explanation of the State Highway Commission Act. There is also a copy of Senate Bill 2470, which provided for the repair and construction of North Carolina's highways; a memo on alternative routes between Durham and Oxford; and a copy of the Road Fund by Bond Issue for Orange County. Correspondence related to this case may be found in Subseries 1.4.

Arrangement: chronological.

Documents about Hubbard Brothers and Company vs. John Z. Lowe Jr. , which tested the validity of the United States Cotton Futures Act. Also included are excerpts from the Act concerning the Open Board of Trade. There is also a document entitled "Rules and Regulations for Collection of Tax on Transfers of Stock and on Sales for Future Delivery," as well as material concerning the trust for Mintie Companies Limited.

Arrangement: chronological.

Documents pertaining to Graham's work as cotton futures attorney for the United States Internal Revenue Service, including a chart plotting the number of contracts for the cotton exchange as well as statements of transactions on the New Orleans Cotton Exchange. There is also a fiscal report from 1917 on the number of bales of cotton raised and a scrapbook containing articles about the Cotton Futures Act and cotton productions. Correspondence related to Graham's work as cotton futures attorney may be found in Subseries 1.4.

Arrangement: chronological.

Reports on income, debts, and mortgages of the American Cotton Exchange. There are also numerous letters notifying members of the Cotton Exchange of board of directors elections and many proxy letters. There is a list of by-laws of the American Cotton Exchange, a copy of the lawsuit C. R. Doughtery vs. A. W. Graham, and a copy of the fixed charges of the American Cotton and Grain Exchange. Also included are papers relating to legal affairs and other business of the Exchange, 1916-1922 and undated; a report, "John Doe Cotton Exchange Investigation," which contains a transcript of testimony in New York City Magistrate's Court charging the American Cotton Exchange with "bucket shop" operations in cotton. There are also a Cotton Exchange notebook and a 1922 diary kept by Graham as president of the American Cotton Exchange, which includes notes on his daily business activities, especially legal problems and board meetings. Letters, other than proxies, related to the American Cotton Exchange are filed in Series 1.

Arrangement: chronological.

Personal accounts from soldiers who served in the Civil War and information concerning the United Confederate Veterans reunions of Confederate soldiers. Included are papers promoting membership in the United Confederate Veterans and camps for Confederate Veterans or disabled soldiers. There are also lists of Granville County Confederate Veterans. Correspondence about the United Confederate Veterans is filed in Series 1.

Arrangement: chronological.

Papers of Graham's brother Robert Davidson Graham, primarily material relating to his job as chair of the United States Board of Pension Appeals and as principal examiner of the United States General Land Office. Also included is correspondence with former Confederate soldiers. There is also correspondence concerning the acquisition of land, including some from Seaboard Air Line Railroad and a document about coal and timber in Cullman County, Ala. Letters from Robert Davidson Graham to Augustus Washington Graham are found in Series 1.

Arrangement: by family.

Letters from Mary Stanford to others, especially Richard Stanford, about family history; genealogical records relating to the families of Richard Stanford and General Stephen Moore; and lesser files of genealogical records of other families. Included are typed tombstone records; excerpts from colonial and state records of Stephen Moore; records from the United States War Department; a biographical sketch of W. A. Graham; and miscellaneous notes on other family histories.

Arrangement: chronological.

Information pertaining to the Fisheries Committee of the North Carolina General Assembly. Included are a copy of the general fish laws of North Carolina, a report of a committee appointed to investigate fisheries, and minutes from meetings in coastal counties relating to the fish industry.

Arrangement: chronological within each subject file.

A report from the committee for enlarging the Capitol, a resolution concerning bond money, a copy of resolutions to the North Carolina General Assembly from the Committee on Education of the North Carolina Teacher's Assembly, and a copy of an act to amend the North Carolina Constitution giving the governor veto power.

Records pertaining to the Maryland/Virginia border dispute include Volume S-7, "The Journal of the Board of Arbitrators for the Settlement of the True Boundary Line between the States of Maryland and Virginia," 1875-1876 (81 pages). The Board of Arbitrators met in Washington, D.C., Saratoga Springs, N.Y., and Cape May, N.J. Arbitrators were Jeremiah S. Black, William A. Graham, and Charles J. Jenkins; Graham served as secretary.

There are also documents relating to Cullman County, Ala.; mining projects and to copper mining in North Carolina and Virginia; and Granville County, N.C., canvass books, 1902, 1908, and 1910, listing voters with party affiliation, voting record, and sometimes race.

Arrangement: chronological.

Documents probably collected by Graham. The earliest item is a certificate of the birth and baptism dates of Margaret Jane Taylor. Another items include "General Rules for the Superior Courts 1815 from Supreme Court"; an 1836 inventory of the William Kirkland effects; and letters and other papers of John G. Morgan and S. D. Morgan of Palatka, Fla., and various places in Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas. There are also a few letters of Stephen Moore in 1869 (see also genealogical material in Series 2).

Many items appear to have been used in Graham's law practice. These include numerous deeds and wills and forms claiming pensions for Mexican War service. Briefs and other papers, 1889-1890, relate to the County Board of Education of Granville County vs. the North Carolina State Board of Education .

Other items include minutes of a meeting of the Bethel Grange, 1 July 1876; minutes of a meeting of Centre Grange, 13 April 1876; minutes of a committee to organize the Orange Guards, 18 September 1875; bylaws of the Granville County Farmers Alliance Tobacco Manufacturing Co., [1888?]; and statements from witnesses about events in Stokes County, N.C., following the election of 1892.

Arrangement: chronological.

Invitations to dances, banquets, commencements, weddings, and other functions given by organizations and individuals in Raleigh, Greensboro, Tarboro, Kinston, and other places in North Carolina and in Texas, Georgia, Maryland, and other states.

Arrangement: chronological.

Clippings, mostly from North Carolina newspapers, apparently collected by Graham. Most have to do with political and legal topics.

Arrangement: chronological.

Broadsides, circulars, pamphlets, and other printed material, including the 1875 announcement of the reopening of University of North Carolina listing courses of study; calendars of the superior court of Granville County; printed statements, briefs, and other items from the supreme court, 1889-1895; the constitution of the Farmers' State Alliance of North Carolina, 1892; reports of the secretary and treasurer of the North Carolina Railroad Company, 1901; annual report of the president of the News and Observer Publishing Company, 1901; programs of events at the Horner Military School; circulars of John L. Williams & Sons of Richmond, Va., about the affairs of the Seaboard Air Line Railway, 1905; the American Tobacco Company's circular to security holders, 9 December 1911; Good Roads circulars, 1911-1913; Underwoood for president circulars; and programs and bulletins relating to the Chatauqua of the South.