December 29, 2003:

Is it possible to obtain more information on Fire Chief John Graham who is my 
great grandfather,  and his father Francis Graham ,first to die on duty in 1877.  
As well, information on John Graham's son, William  who also served as a 
firefighter in the 1930's and 40's.  
 
If you are able to help in anyway, or point me in some direction, please let me know.
 
Many thanks
 
Kathleen Graham Levasseur
__________________________
Hi Kathleen:
 
Thanks for your e-mail regarding your Graham ancestors.
 
There are about a dozen John Grahams living in Ottawa at the time of the 1881 census.
Here is a possibility:
 
 1881 Census Place: St George's Ward (Sandy Hill), Ottawa, Carleton, Ontario, Canada
 Source: FHL Film 1375866  NAC C-13230  Dist 105  SubDist C  Div 3  Page 46  Family 197
 Sex Marr Age Origin Birthplace

Sarah GRAHAM F  40 Irish, born in Ireland
 Occ: Widow  Religion: Church of England 

John GRAHAM M  14 Irish, born in Ontario
 Occ: Messenger Religion: Church of England 

Frank D. GRAHAM M  11 Irish, born in Ontario
   Religion: Church of England 
 
Do you know if Francis Graham's wife was named Sarah? The above Sarah is a widow in 1881. 
She has two sons, John and Frank (Francis Jr.?).
 
Do you mind if I start a new page on my web site for the Grahams and add your 
e-mail to it?
There were quite a few Grahams who came to the Ottawa area quite early and some 
other researchers may be interested in sorting them out.
 
... Al Lewis
____________________________
Hi Al,
 
Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.  
 
I'm only just starting the search of the Graham family.  
All I have to go on is the following:
 
Francis Graham died on July 25, 1877 while on duty with the Ottawa 
Fire Brigade.  His son John W. Graham was the fourth Fire Chief in 
Ottawa 1910-1921,  he died May 27, 1921.
 
I don't believe Sarah is the widow of Francis as the date of death 
is not the same.  
 
I don't mind you adding on to your web site, any help would be appreciated. 
 
If you have any other info on the Grahams in the Ottawa area or any other 
contacts or website I can visit, I would be delighted and grateful.
 
Many thanks for your assistance. 
Kathleen
February 12, 2004:
Hi Kathleen;

Members of Ottawa Fire Department

Francis Graham 1874-1877 Guardian (Captain) Number 3 Station

John W. Graham 1891-1921 named Fire Chief March 1, 1910 (unanimous vote of
Council)

William Graham 1923-1953


John Graham had three uncles on the Ottawa Fire Department

John Graham was honoured as the first president of the Dominion Fire Chiefs
association 1915

Chief Graham dies May 27 1921 at 54 years of age

Number 19 Fire Hall on Sunnyside Avenue, the present day community centre is
named after John Graham.

Chief Graham had badgered the Federal Government about the conditions of
their buildings and his warnings were not heeded until after the Parliament
Buildings burnt to the ground in 1916.

Chief Graham ranks amongst the very best fire chiefs Ottawa ever had and
brought in many revolutionary ideas.

William Graham joined the Fire Department after his fathers death. William
born Jan 3,1896 joined the Department Jan 15, 1923

There were other Graham's on the Department in the 50's and 60's Keith and
Clayton, I'm not sure if they were a relative or not.


Hope this is of some help.

D.A.Smith
September 9, 2004:
Attention - Kathleen Graham Levasseur:  
I just was reading the entry from 'Bytown or Bust', under the Ottawa Fire Department
history.  Just to let you know, the late Fire Chief Graham was my grandfather, 
however needless to say I never met him as he died before I was born.  
My mother was Edith May Graham, who passed away while visiting us in White Rock, 
B.C. on Aug. 22nd, 1968, although she is burried in Beechwood Cem. in Ottawa.  
If I can be of any assistance to you on the 'Graham' side, let me know, as I 
have some family history incl. pictures etc., of my mother's family.
 
Regards - Frank Kelley 
July 5, 2005:
Hello:

My name is Leo Doyle.

As a volunteer with the non-profit Ottawa South Community Association, I am conducting 
research on our community association building: Number 10 Graham Station (The Old Fire Hall) 
see: www.oldottawasouth.ca

Note: The preceding link provides an excellent history of the old Ottawa 
South neighbourhood ... Al

I want to write some articles and to make a short documentary film on No. Graham 
Station that includes a profile Chief Graham. In my view, Chief Graham does not get 
the recognition he deserves as an early visionary and leader of the Ottawa Fire Department.

To secure the long-term future of No. 10 Graham Station, I want to dig into the 
historical sources that connect the building to fire fighting in Ottawa and to Chief 
Graham. As Chief, he won the support of the City to have this station built, by one 
of the Ottawa's top architects W.E. Noffke, to serve the needs of Ottawa South which 
grew rapidly following WWI.

Chief Graham died on May 27, 1921 and did not live to see the station completed, 
which was subsequently named after him and opened in September 1921.

No. 10 Graham Station served the City as a fire station till 1974. It is the only 
heritage Fire Station in Ottawa that is still publicly owned and accessible.

I want to bridge Graham Station to the past, present and future.  For example, when 
Graham Station was decommissioned in 1974, it served as one of the first home's of 
the Great Canadian Theatre Company, which is now celebrating its 30th anniversary 
and building a new multi-million dollar facility. http://www.gctc.ca/

The Community Association in Ottawa South in the mid-1970s, using the Fire Hall 
as a base in the centre of the neighbourhood, helped to renew an old neighbourhood 
by providing programming for children, adults and seniors.  We want to continue 
to use this building to provide programming for our community. But we are victims 
of our own success. Our community is growing in population as families with children 
are attracted to the nieghbourhood. Infill housing - approximately 130 new units 
in the last 5 years - is putting event more pressure on existing space.

City of Ottawa staff in the past have argued that we should simply shut down and 
sell-off the Old Fire Hall and move to decomissioned suburban office park near 
the Bronson Freeway.  We love our heritage Fire Hall and instead we want to renovate 
it and expand it. We've raised $100,000 on our own already to do so.

But to attract additional donors and supporters, we need to make a compelling 
case that preserving and renewing this building deserves the support of all 
Ottawans; it is an important part of our past, including our Fire Department's 
past.

As the only heritage Fire Station, that memorializes a prominent Chief who was 
the first President of the Dominion Fire Chief's Association, this building needs 
to be seen in broader terms.  That is why it is important for us to know more 
about Chief Graham.

In addition to Mr. David Smith, who has offered to help and was once posted 
as a fireman at No. 10 Graham Station, I would be delighted if you would be 
willing to share any documents, photos or stories that shed light on Chief Graham, 
his achievements, family and descendants. ( I will pay for necessary copying and 
photo duplication).

Thank you for whatever support and information you're able to provide.

Leo B. Doyle


July 20, 2005:
Re: Fire Chief Graham & Station No.10

Here's an updated on my short film proposal.

Graham Firestation #10

This very short doc will portray how a visionary Fire Chief named John Graham
convinced City of Ottawa officials to hire WE Noffke, a prominent local architect, 
to build a distinctive new station to serve Ottawa South, which was growing rapidly 
following WWI. This Station would serve the Fire Department for over 50 years. It 
would continue to serve the surrounding community as a live theatre, community centre 
and meeting place.
 
I want to focus the story line on Chief Graham as a visionary. I want to encourage 
others to buy-in to the notion that they too can be visionaries by investing in the 
future – a renovated Fire Hall that can serve as a monument to fire fighters, 
civic leaders such as Chief Graham, and all citizens.
 
About Chief Graham
Chief Graham was the son of Irish immigrants. He came from a family of fire fighters 
that included his father and 3 uncles. His Father Francis Graham was a member of 
Ottawa's first professional Fire Department. He was also the first Ottawa fire 
fighter to die in the line of duty in 1877 at age 37. (I've been in touch with 
his grandson who lives in White Rock, BC, and has family photos, etc.) Is there 
a permanent memorial to deceased Ottawa Fire Fighters? - Perhaps the heritage 
fire station can serve that role - looking into it.)

Under Chief Graham's leadership, Ottawa's Fire Department made the transformation 
from a small, modest operation to a professional, motorized service.

Chief Graham pressed for the construction of No. 10 in Ottawa South, to serve the 
City's growing south end. He commissioned renowned Ottawa architect WE Noffke to 
design and build the new station in the Spanish revival style of architecture 
that Noffke used for his own home on Clemow Ave. in the Glebe. Noffke built many 
of Ottawa's best homes and public building such as the Central Post Office, the 
Blackburn Building, Ambassador Apartments, etc. (We tie the Fire Hall to 
architectural heritage of Ottawa. Shannon Ricketts, an expert on Noffke has 
agreed to be interviewed). Indeed, saving No. 10 Graham Station was one of the 
first initiatives of Heritage Ottawa, which was incorporated in 1975.)

I have a copy of the History of the Ottawa Fire Department and am in touch with 
the author as well as a number of local fire department historians, one of 
which, David Smith, was a fire fighter posted at No. 10 Graham Station.

Chief Graham was the founding President of the Dominion Fire Fireman’s Association 
of Canada. He advised Parliament that it had to take fire prevention more 
seriously. That advised was not heeded and in on Februay 3, 1916, the Parliament
Buildings burned down. Under his watch, Ottawa Fire Fighters became unionized 
and Chief Graham convinced the City to install phones in firefighters' homes 
to improve emergency response times.

Chief Graham didn't live to see the new No. 10 Station completed in September 1921. 
He died on May 27, 1921. His funeral was a major public event that attracted 
thousands and rivaled the crowds that attended Sir Wilfrid Laurier's funeral in 
1919. It was front page news and recorded by photographer William Topley, whose 
collection is in the National Archives. Chief Graham built the Fire Department 
to respond to the growing needs of a growing national capital. The Department 
expanded from 74 officers in 1910 to 179, when he died in 1921 at the age of 54.

(To illustrate how the station served the community as a fire hall, archival 
photos of Graham Station fire fighters fighting a fire on Bank Street across 
from Hopewell school are available at the National Archives.)

When the Station was decommissioned in 1974, as noted, its preservation was one 
of the first issues addressed by the newly formed organization: Heritage Ottawa. 
The Great Canadian Theatre Company operated out of the Old Fire Hall for a while. 
I've been in touch with current artistic director Arthur Milne and Ottawa South 
resident Larry MacDonald, both of whom are GCTC orginals. The GCTC is celebrating 
30 years this year and building a new multi-million dollar theatre in the Westboro
neighbourhood. But it helped to get started in Old Ottawa South at the Fire Hall. 
Arthur Milne told me they what forced them to leave: a scheduling conflict with the 
OSCA dog obedience program!

The short film will try to show how the Fire Hall served the community over time 
and, even after being decommissioned, took on a new life and contributed to 
revitalizing an inner city neighbourhood. I'll need lots of photos and footage 
of activity.

The conclusion will tie it back to Chief Graham and leadership that made an 
investment in a community to serve growing and changing needs.

Regards,
... Leo Doyle
July 23, 2005:
Hi Al;

Here is an update on Francis Graham the first line of duty death on the
Ottawa Fire Department.
... David Smith


FRANCIS GRAHAM

was born on June 2, 1840 in Ireland and came to Canada with his parents in
1845.

They lived in Montreal until moving to Hamilton in 1853, where he served
three years with the Hamilton Fire Department.

In 1860 he moved to Ottawa where he joined the volunteer department.
On December 8, 1874 the City of Ottawa hired sixteen firefighters to work
under Fire Chief William Young, and the full-time, paid fire department was
born.
Among the original volunteers hired as full-time firefighters was Francis
Graham, who gave up his position with the county jail to become the captain
or "guardian" (Captain) of Station 3 at Besserer and Nicholas Streets.
On June 24, 1877 a fire broke out in the lumberyard of the E. B. Eddy Mill,
which is still located across the river from Ottawa in Hull. A bucket
brigade was formed at first, but the fire quickly grew to enormous
proportions far beyond their capabilities. The alarm was turned in shortly
after seven p.m. and Hull volunteer firefighters responded to the serious
fire in the middle of the twenty-acre lumberyard.

Thousands of Ottawa citizens watched the huge fire from the suspension
bridge and Parliament Hill. Some went across to help at the fire scene
including Chief Young and the Ottawa Fire Department. On arrival the chief,
seeing the dangerous situation facing the firefighters, ordered more
equipment to battle the inferno that would eventually consume ten acres of
piled lumber.

While responding to the fire, Captain Graham and Hose Reel 3 suffered a
broken shaft on the horse-drawn hose reel, but fortunately no accident
occurred and they continued on to the fire. Captain Walsh of Hose Reel 4 was
not as lucky; he was thrown from the reel on Duke Street in almost the exact
spot where John Lowry would be killed in a similar accident nineteen years
later. Captain Walsh fortunately recovered from his injuries.

The firefighters fought gallantly, and although a strong wind threatened to
spread the fire into the city, the blaze was under control and confined to a
ten-acre section around ten p.m. Firefighters, including Captain Graham,
remained on the scene all night extinguishing hot spots before returning to
their stations.
The next day Captain Graham was confined to bed suffering from smoke
inhalation.
His condition slowly deteriorated until he passed away at 11:40 p.m. on
Wednesday July 25,1877.


Captain Francis Graham was a very inventive man. On November 16, 1875 he
introduced time- saving equipment to Station 3.
When an alarm was sounded at night the device would automatically turn up
the gaslights, stop the clock, and open the door for the horse to take its
position in front of the hose reel.

His son John Graham, who was ten years old when his father died, joined the
Ottawa Fire Department June 1, 1891, and was assigned to Station Three.
In 1897 his lifetime goal was achieved when he was appointed captain of his
father's station. He remained there until 1910 when he was named chief of
the department and served until May 27, 1921 when he died suddenly after a
short illness at age fifty-four.
John's son William carried on the Graham tradition, serving the department
from 1923 until 1953.
... David Smith


 August 10, 2011:

Thanks to David Smith who has sent along a copy of The History of the Ottawa Fire Department, written by Captain John Graham, c. 1920.
(More to come from this document)
... Al
John W. Graham, Fire Chief, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada