Rev George Washington Graham, 1879-1953

 Rev. George Washington Graham
20th Pastor of Herrin FBC
1928-1934

Born: February 20, 1879… Big Creek, Missouri

Died: October 15, 1953… Lebanon, Missouri

Licensed by the Hickory Grove Church (Missouri) at age 15, and ordained by the First Church in Farmington (Missouri) at age 36.

Rev Graham (age 39) married Miss Lillian Nina Renfroe (age 37) in St. Louis, 1918.  They had no known children.

St. Louis in 1918

During WWI, Graham served as a Chaplain at

Camp Funston in Kansas.  Camp Funston was a

training camp located on the grounds of

Fort Riley.  It was one of 16 camps that were

established at the outbreak of WWI for use as

infantry division training camps.  During WWII,

he was promoted all the way up to Major in

the Chaplain’s Reserve Corp.

Camp Funston during WWI

In the 1930 census (the only census taken while

Graham lived in Herrin), the family lived at

420 South 14th Street.

420 South 14th St, Herrin

The building that Rev Graham served in, 1928-1934

Rev Graham’s father John, was taken from his

home by a group of Confederate guerillas in late

1864.  In a statement later made by a neighbor

(who was also taken at the same time), the

Confederates took the men from their homes

and “compelled” them to leave.  The men were

taken south into Arkansas and kept to the

countryside.  The Missouri men were able to

escape about 50 miles from Memphis, on the

Arkansas side of the river. The men that escaped

became Union soldiers after their ordeal.

Rev. Graham’s grandfather Carter Graham,  was a

pioneer Baptist in Southeast Missouri.  In 1835,

with the help of William Settle, the Big Creek

Baptist Church was founded.  Both Graham and

Settle would serve as Pastor.  The Big Creek Baptist

Church is still around, and just celebrated their

190th anniversary in April 2025.  

Today's Big Creek Baptist Church