The Ocala evening star., 1919-09-02
ALBERT ANSON GRAHAM

Albert Arson Graham, son of Mr..
and Mrs. L. M. Graham of Graham
vile, died at the home of his parents,
Saturday afternoon, Aug. 30, aged
fCrty-one years. The funeral services
were held at the home Sunday after
noon, Rev. r. Strickland officiating.
The remains were laid to rest in the
family burial ground near Conner. E.
c.. Jordan & Co. had charge of the ar
rangementS.
Mr.. Graham was man well known
on the Oklawaha and the Oklawaha
was we'll known to him. Many men
cannot see the beauties of their birth
place, being too used to them to per-
ceive the unusual which catches the
eye of the newcomer. But Albert,
even in boyhood loved his Oklawaha,
and it doubtless added to the serenity
with which he approached the dark
river to know that his body should
ever sleep almost in sound of the rip
pie of the waters which had been his
lifelong friend.
Albert Graham grew up beside and
OH and in the Oklawaha, and knew its
of its waters and every tree along its
banks. When about twenty years of
age he came to Ocala, where he clerk
ed for some years in one of our stores.
Always courteous and taking a real
pleasure in pleasing, he became the
friend of all who knew him. Some fif-
teen years or more ago, he visited the
Pacific coast Since his return, he had
lived most of the time in his boyhood
home, engaged in boating, rafting and
the other avocations of the river. Two
or three years ago he was attacked
with an illness that steadily weakened
him until it brought him to his grave
Albert wrote a great deal for the
Star, and most of what he wrote was
about the Silver and Oklawaha rivers
If he had had little better chance
If he could have obtained entrance to
the columns of some big northern
paper-he would have done for the
Oklawaha region more than any other
man could He wrote many beautiful
descriptions of the river. descriptions
in which there was poetry as we'll as
accuracy. After his return from
California-after seeing the noun
tains, the prairies of the west. anC
the mighty waters of the Mississippi
and the Columbia, it seemed like the
beauties of his own little home river
took fresh hold upon him, and ht
wrote of them more interestingly anC
appreciatively. We are afraid Mar
ion county has not appreciated Alberr
Anson Graham at his worth. He haC
learned the old Indian legends inter
woven with the history of the Okla
waha, and all the "Indian signs" ant
told them simply but interestingly. He
acted as correspondent for the Star
and his stories of the river were
mingled with his news items, so the!
did not attract attention as much a.
though they had been separate. Blu
we have read many of his description
which if they had been written b!
some northern author would have beer
emblazoned on the pages of som
magazine of national reputation. W.
exaggerate none in saying that SOM
of the things he wrote about our littl
Oklawaha were as faithful and beautl
full in description as those anyone ha
written about the greatest rivers o
history.
He was a quiet, kind, obliging man
the friend of all, and well-liked by al
who knew him we'll. He was clean
souled and chivalrous, and as n
stands by the side of the River Beau
tiful his greatest joy will be to wei
come those whom he loved when h
lived by the waters of the winding Ok
lawaha6k