Who was Mary Griffin

Who was Mary Griffin?

The Griffin history starts with a little document that begins with, “Mary ye daughter of Samuel and Mary Griffin’. We still know very little of Samuel and Mary. We have Samuel’s last name, a name we all inherited, but who was “Mary”? Her name appears only one more time, in Samuel’s will, “At a Court of Probate held in Guilford Dec 8^th 1746……….to Mary Griffin of Killingworth widow”. In the notice for her daughter Thankfull’s marriage Thankfull is identified only as the daughter of Mr. Griffin. The knowledge of who she was and where she came from existed only in the memory of her children and grandchildren. But those memories give us some very useful insights. Her daughter Jerusha married Asa Landon in Litchfield, Connecticut. As loyalists they were forced to flee to Canada after the Revolutionary War. There they raised a large family. Many branches of their family immigrated back into the United States primarily in Upper New York. Within these multiple families there exists a strong oral tradition that “Mary” was in fact Mary Beckwith. Her granddaughter Polly married Reuben Doud; another granddaughter Mercy married Ithamar Pelton. Within the Doud family is an oral tradition of “Mary” as Mary Beckwith. In the Pelton family the same tradition exists and it is also found in an older written history. So who was Mary Beckwith? As these families have written their genealogies in the latter part of the 20^th Century most identify her as the daughter of Joseph and Marah/Mary Lee Beckwith of Lyme, Connecticut. The dates and location make this a very reasonable assumption but the fact of the matter is that the documentation argues otherwise.

The Beckwith family is well documented in a number of books and early genealogies. Joseph and Marah Beckwith are well documented in Lyme and indeed had a daughter Mary, in fact, they had two. In the Barbour records we have recorded, “Mary dau. of Joseph & Marah b. Aug 20,1706”. Also, “Mary dau. of Joseph & Marah b. Apr 3, 1710”. The first Mary probably died at a young age and as was the tradition the next daughter was also named Mary. Both dates appear in various Mary Beckwith records but the 1710 date is the correct date of birth. But also, in the Barbour records, we have recorded the marriage of Mary.  “Mary Beckwith m. Mathew Marvin April 20, 1732 by Rev Jonathan Parsons”. The marriage is documented in a number of different places including a state record where they were quarantined for small pox. In the marriage record for their daughter Phebe she is identified as the daughter of Mathew Marvin and Mary Beckwith.  They had a large family all born in Lyme starting with Seth in 1733 the year after their marriage. Mary died in Lyme December 25, 1760. Of note is a common pattern born 1710 married 1732 at age 22. A review of marriages from that time reveals a very strong tradition of marriage at age 21 or 22. With Mary Griffin being born 1728 “Mary” was probably born 1705/6.

So now we again raise the question who was “Mary”? In 1700’s Connecticut there are only two Beckwith families that seem a possible choice as the family of “Mary”.  The brothers Matthew and Stephen were early setters in Hartford. Matthew later moved to New London/Lyme and is the grandfather of the previously discussed Joseph. Stephen settled in Norwalk and was documented as being there at late as 1687. While Mathew’s family is well documented almost nothing remains concerning Stephen or his family. We know he had a family.  We find one reference in the book,  “Ralph Keller of Norwalk CT and Some of His Descendants”, “ he married -------- daughter of Stephen Beckwith an early settler of Norwalk”. We have another sideways reference that appears in the Probate Records. A Nathaniel Beckwith, part of the Matthew Beckwith family tree, assumes guardianship for the family of a cousin also named Nathaniel from Haddem.  The Nathaniel from Haddam does not appear in any of the “Matthew Beckwith” family documentation or records. Was this a member of the Matthew family reaching out to a member of Stephen’s family? Of note is the fact that the oldest daughter was named Jerusha.  The oldest son or daughter very often carried on a family name. Our “Mary” also names a daughter Jerusha. The birth dates in the two families make Nathaniel a candidate to be “Mary’s” brother.  I hope this little bit of information helps one of “Mary’s” grandchildren discover who our “Mary” truly was and introduce her of all of us.