Truman Doud son of Reuben Doud 1788-1828

Truman Doud son of Reuben Doud and Polly Griffin, was probably born in Madison Connecticut, East Guilford, about 1788. He moved with his family to Cortland, New York sometime around 1795. His brief obituary appears in a Cortland newspaper dated August 23, 1828 “Truman Doud d. this town, 21st inst, age 40”. He married Rhoda Hotchkiss they raised a large family of 7 Children in Homer, New York, Almira, Adaline, Lavinia, Truman, Enock, Bela, and Josephine. The towns of Homer, Cortland and McGraw all shared common borders. The three Doud brothers Truman, Henry, and Reuben G. were listed in census records as “dovers”. The town history records that Truman was responsible for driving large herds of cattle from Pennsylvania. Their are multiple references to buildings that were built of bricks manufactured by Truman Doud’s brick works. His brother Reuben G. owned and operated the local grist mill. Among the land deeds there are a least a dozen land records involving Truman. In one he is buying 4 ½ acres for sixty-five dollars. In another he is selling property valued at one thousand dollars. He and his wife Rhoda are listed together on a few of the deeds. The signatures we show were probably written by the clerk with Truman and Rhoda adding their seal.

Abraham and Mary Bishop Doud / Reuben's Date of Birth

Abraham Doud was born to Abraham and Sarah Doud on April 25, 1718. He married Mary Bishop. The birth records for their children, including Reuben, can be found in the original town records of Guilford. Reuben, Anna, Ruth, Olive, Eber and the twins Henry and Lemuel. Some records list Mary’s name as Mercy. From these records it is clear her name was Mary. The various Doud histories included several different dates of birth for Reuben. A close examination of the original town record shows the date to be February 25, 1748. The dates are in somewhat of a chronological order with the dates on the two consecutive pages ranging from 1747 to 1749. When viewing the original record you can clearly make out that the date is 1748 and not 1743 or 1745. Reuben married Polly Griffin June 24, 1779 in Killingworth Connecticut. Doud histories written in the 1800s state that he died in 1805 in Cortland New York.

Thomas and Abraham Doud Documentation

Thomas Doud, son of Henry Doude, was born in England making the journey to America with his father. He married Ruth Johnson on December 11, 1679. I have also added the birth records for Thomas and Ruth’s sons Joseph and Abraham. Abraham, born August 22, 1691 was Reuben Doud’s grandfather. These records are from the same volume that contained the “burial” record for Henry Doude. Thomas's death record is found within the pages of the original town records.Also presented is the registration of the earmarks used by Abraham. Registration of the earmark used by each man was essential since the use of a common grazing ground was part of the design of most New England towns. Abraham married his cousin Sarah Doud on May 1, 1712 their marriage is also found in the original Guilford town records. Reuben/ Abraham/ ABRAHAM/THOMAS/Henry.

Henry Doude Documentation

Henry Doude’s name is found on numerous pages in the recorded history of Guilford. I have included here the record of his death. The record is found in one of the earliest town records that include some very early wills and the earliest vital records. Judging by the style of writing I think it may be a transcription of an early record that no longer exists. On the other hand the court records and wills suggest that it may be in fact the original record. His death or “burial” is recorded as 31 August 1668. On the same page is the death notice for his son Jeremiah. Note his name is spelled with an “e” on the end Doude. I have also added a court document that includes his name.

The Emigrant Henry Doude

Henry Doud is numbered among those who are considered the founding fathers of America. New England in 1639 was made up of three colonies Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Haven. The New Haven Colony had seen its first settlers,who arrived in 1638, who founded the city of New Haven. In 1639 the Reverend Henry Whitfield organized a company with the intent of also settling in the New Haven Colony. They arrived August 31, 1639 to establish a new community that they named Guilford. As they approached the new world they signed a covenant binding them to a common cause.------ “We whose names are here underwritten, intended by God’s gracious permission to plant ourselves in New England. And if it may be, in the southerly part about Quinnipak, do faithfully promise each, for ourselves and our families and those that belong to us, that we will, the Lord assisting us, sit down and join ourselves together in one entire plantation and be helpful each to the other in any common work, according to every man’s ability, and as need shall require, and we promise not to desert or leave each other or the plantation, but with the consent of the rest, or the greater part of the company who have entered into this engagement. As to our gathering together in a church way the choice of officers and members to be joined in that way we do refer ourselves, until such time as it please God to settle us in our plantation. In witness whereof we subscribe our names”. ------One of the names so subscribed is Henry Doude. These compacts set the stage for the new political viewpoint that came out of the new world. The religious convictions that led these men to leave Europe became the driving force behind the Congregational Societies that dominated American life for the next two hundred years. These men became the founding fathers for a new country, a new political philosophy, a new religious sensibility, and established family names that are interwoven into the history of America. The town history of Guilford writes of him “He was located on land which lies about one quarter mile from the northeast corner of the Green, on the road extended, which passes up the east side of the Green, It is not far distant from the house now occupied by William Doud, one of his descendants, Whether he lived there at the time of his death or not, and where he was buried is unknown”. Henry died in 1668. To those of us who have spent time in Guilford that is an easy map to follow. The original Green is still the center of the community and is lined with houses constructed in the early history of the town. ------Two of Henry’s grandsons took Griffin girls to wed. Lyman Doud, Lyman/Joseph/Joseph/ Thomas/Thomas/Henry, married Fanny Griffin, Fanny/Edward/ James/ Samuel. Reuben Doud, Reuben/Abraham/Abraham/Thomas/Henry, married Polly Griffin, Polly/ Samuel/ Samuel. The Doud’s, like the Griffins, were serious about their religion. The Congregational mindset that we have described on the blog applies equally to the Douds. Their names fill the pages of the records of the Congregational Societies in Guilford and Madison. The depth of their religious convictions is illustrated in this article submitted by one of Henry Doud’s and Reuben Doud’s great grandson Terry Collins. It comes from a history written in 1950s by an author who was using material compiled by the Collins family over several generations.----------“Henry Doud was probably born of folk who had lived and died in that same small part of England since the dawn of history. He was of the blood of those who had first put stone to stone to build the parish church in Saxon times, near a thousand years ago. Thirty miles South of Guildford was the sea. It is unlikely that he had ever seen it, or a ship upon it. The sea to him was many months of unimaginable dangers westing to America. America was a place where dangerous sea met dangerous forest. Only a blazing belief in the exhortations of Preacher Whitfield, and a great personal force and courage, could assert that this of America was not a madness.------Henry Doud was a true “Puritan”. He was not simply a non-conformist to the state religion as were the kindly Brownists, who left England for Holland, and then for America on the Mayflower, because they believed that all men should be free to worship God as they thought right. He was one of those grim, fanatical people who were sure that their way of worship was the only right way, and who would dare an ocean to make a new country where their way was absolute. Had Henry Doud remained in England for another three years it is unlikely that he would ever had become the progenitor of an American family. For by then, the battle was joined in England, the Puritan flood to America dammed, Puritans were busy defeating and beheading the king-and were to enforce their way upon England until people wearied of it grimness.”

Mercy Bailey Griffin

Mercy Bailey Griffin wife of Samuel/Samuel------Mercy Griffin was the granddaughter of two of the founding fathers of Killingworth, Benjamin Wright and Henry Farnam. Benjamin was one of the founding fathers of the new colony of New Haven, which was later absorbed into Connecticut. He was living in Killingworth before the original land grant was authorized. Henry Farnam, original spelling Ffarnam, is one of the names on the original plat map of Killingworth that was located on what is now the main street in Clinton. Henry’s grandson Peter married Benjamin’s granddaughter Marcy Wright in Killingworth March 27, 1717. Peter Farnam had previously married Rebecca Rutty marrying Marcy Wright on her death. There are some family trees that mistakenly list Marcy Farnam's mother as Rebecca Rutty. Peter and Marcy's daughter, also named Marcy, was born February 5, 1718. Marcy Farnam married John Bailey, spelled Bayley at the time, on December 29, 1737. The first Bayley to come to Killingworth was the Reverend James Bayley of Salem, Massachusetts. He had left that community just before the infamous witch trails started. His story is posted elsewhere on the blog. The Bayley's had a daughter Marcy born May 22, 1739. On March 20, 1760 she married James Steevens 3rd. As James's young widow she met and married the recently widowed Samuel Griffin, ( Mercy Nettleton) March 15, 1770. In their marriage record she is listed as Mercy Steevens. At some point in the linguistic history the name Marcy became written as Mercy. Mercy was always referred to as Mercy Bailey in the histories written by her descendants. Mercy brought a rich family heritage into Samuel’s home. She gave Samuel six more children, Mercy, Molle, Worden, John, Samuel, and Daniel. Mercy is buried next to Samuel in the Essex Common Burial Ground in Essex, Vermont. A picture of their headstones is posted on the Blog.

Polly Griffin and Reuben Doud

Polly/ Polly/Samuel/Samuel Griffin of Killingworth------Reuben Doud and Polly Griffin were married June 24, 1779 their marriage noted in the Killingworth Second Society Ledger. Polly was the daughter of Samuel Griffin Jr. of Killingworth and his wife Marah Griffen, referred to in some records as Mariah or Mary. Samuel and Marah had three children together, Lois, Polly, the subject of this article, and Azuba. On Marah's early death Samuel remarried taking Mercy Nettleton as his second wife on May 15, 1766. There has been a good deal of confusion concerning Polly’s name. Her birth/baptism is recorded in the Second Society Ledger on August 15, 1762 as are the records for her two sisters. If you will note on the original document, that we have included, her name was written as Polle and the name on the line above her is a Phebe the daughter of a Mr. Graves. A transcription error involving this record is the source of all of the confusion surrounding her name. The town of Killingworth maintained a tradition that involved gathering all of the birth dates, primarily from church records, for any one family and adding them as a single entry in the town records. This is true for the family of Samuel and Marah. We have posted the original town record and as you can see it has an ink stain on it. If you are reading the original you can make out the name of Lois the” daughter of Samuel and Marah” under the stain. Also listed are Azuba and the name Phebe born August 13, 1762. The name Phebe comes from the line above the original Polle in the church records, the original date of “15” has been misread as a “13”. The transcribers who created the Barbour Collection further compound the error. They in turn took their data from the entry in the town records mistaking the “Phebe” for “Robe” the daughter of Samuel born August 13, 1762 that you see in the Barbour Collection for Killingworth. A final verification of her name is provided in her father’s will, which is posted on the blog, in which he names his daughters Lois Kelsey, Azuba Davis and Polly Doud. In the small world that was the Killingworth Congregational Second Society there was only one Samuel Griffin family in the church records. There is no Phebe Griffin there is no Robe Griffin there is one Polly (Polle) Griffin and she married Reuben Doud. Some histories knowing only that Reuben was married to a Polly Griffin mistakenly show him married to Edward Griffin’s daughter Polly who was born in 1784. Edward’s Polly married Timothy Gaylord.------Polly and Reuben lived a short distance from Killingworth in Guilford/Madison. According to an obituary for their son Henry they had thirteen children together. Most family profiles only list nine. Birth records from that era show a distinct pattern of a child born about every two years. There are gaps in that pattern that would certainly allow for the existence of additional children. The 1790 Census lists Reuben in the records for Guilford listed on the line next to his father Abraham. It records a family of seven, Reuben, three boys under the age of sixteen, Eber, Gaylord, and Truman and three females Lois, Polly and his wife Polly. Their daughters Vesta and Azuba were also probably born in Connecticut.------ In about 1795 the family made the move to Cortland in Cortland County, New York which is a little south of Syracuse. There, at least two more boys were born, Henry and Reuben G. The “G” in all likelihood stands for Griffin. The history of Cortland notes that Reuben Doud was among the earliest settlers. Four of his children and their generations remained in the communities of, Cortland, Cortlandville and McGrawville that were part of Cortland County, New York. Vesta and her husband Samuel Hitchcock, Henry, although listed as a widower in census records, town records state that he had no children. Truman and his wife Rhoda Hotchkiss and Reuben G. and his wife Betsy McGraw. McGrawville was named after Betsy’s father. Land records show them in possession of large farms. New York census records list them as drovers. The Cortland history writes of Truman “purchaser of large droves of cattle”. The brothers were associated with a number of businesses.------ Two of the brothers Eber and Gaylord moved on to Hillsdale County in Michigan in the communities of Reading and Cambria. Eber and Gaylord along with many of their children are buried in the Willits cemetery in Cambria. Both had large families. The familiar family names of Polly, Henry and Vesta appear among the children. The Michigan census records indicate that they were successful farmers. The 1850 Census shows Gaylord living on 120 acres. The farm included 11 cows and 12 sheep.------ Polly married Ezra Walton. They had a large family together including a son Griffin Doud Walton. On his death she married Jonathan Whitney. Their life together is well documented in the Whitney family history. They are buried in the Wellwood Cemetery, Mexico, Oswego, New York. ------ Azuba married Ithamar Ketchum in Cortland. They later moved to Ketchumville, Tioga, New York where Ithamar gained notoriety as a Methodist Minister. Their vital records are recorded in a family bible that has survived. They are buried in the Ketchumville Cemetery. Among their children are Reuben, Henry and Vesta.------ Lois married Joshua Harrington some histories mistakenly link her to his brother Nathaniel. They raised their family in Stockbridge, New York.------ We have found very little in the way of original documentation for the family of Polly and Reuben. What information we have found indicates that even though much of their history has been lost to us they were not strangers to each other remaining very close as a family as the shared family names suggest. Polly and Reuben seemed to fade into history. Family history hints that Reuben died about 1805. Family history lists Polly’s death in 1832 at the age of 70. We invite their descendants to submit their family stories to the Blog for publication. ------ We have gathered birth and death dates from a variety of sources, headstones, histories, census records, state death records, bible records and cemetery records.------ Lois, born June 4, 1779 died December 4, 1847 in Stockbridge, Madison, New York married Joshua Harrington.------Eber, 1783 to November 20, 1853.------Truman,his obituary "Truman Doud d. this town, 21st inst. age 40" the newspaper was dated August 23, 1828.------Gaylord, 1787 to April 29, 1852 at age of 65.------Polly 1792 to June 13 1856.------Vesta, October 10, 1794 to July 27, 1861.------Azuba, September 17, 1795 to November 20, 1862.------Henry, April 1797 to October 5, 1869.------Reuben G, 1800/1 to April 25,1870 age 70.

Polly Griffin and Timothy Gaylord of Norfolk

Polly/Edward/James/Samuel of Killingworth------ Of all of the family wills I have discovered the will of Edward Griffin is by far the most detailed and descriptive. It contains a narrative of his wishes for his family. From it you can gain a detailed picture of his views on life. From it you can gain a picture of him as a person, for example, the fact that he left his Masonic badges of office to his sons. It also contains a detailed section for each of his children. It then became a quirk of history that given the detail in his will there was so very little known about the actual lives of his children, where and when they were born, who they married, and where they lived out their days. I would like to share with you the story of his daughter Polly. If you add up the evidence from dates throughout her life it is a calculated guess that she was born in 1784. Census and other records put her in Killingworth at her birth. At some time near his death her father Edward built a large home in nearby Madison. After his death her mother, Submit DeWolf Griffin, moved the family to Colebrook, Litchfield, Connecticut to be near her brothers. There is no record of Polly’s marriage but early family historians, from her husband’s family, place it in 1808, in Colebrook. The reason there is so much mystery surrounding these events is the fact that there are very few original records that have survived from the early history of Colebrook. With no birth records, no church records, no marriage records, how did we find the married Polly Griffin? As the final act in Edward’s will in 1826 Submit deeded the remainder of the family’s property to her children. On that deed is listed the names of her married daughters Polly and Timothy Gaylord of Norfolk being among those listed. Given that hint it was then quite easy to find evidence of Polly and Timothy in the nearby town of Norfolk where the Gaylord’s were a very prominent family.------ It seems appropriate to introduce Timothy Gaylord. This is a task that is not as simple as it seems. Timothy was a legacy name in the Gaylord family. Almost every branch of the family had a Timothy. There are large groups of Gaylords in the adjoining towns of Goshen and Norfolk. As a result various histories have Timothy connected to several different family lines from both towns with a number of different dates of birth. We have included a number of documents that I hope will help establish an accurate identity for the husband of Polly Griffin, Timothy Gaylord. Timothy’s father Roys, subsequently written Royce, was born according to the vital records in Wallingford July 17, 1737. In 1765 he married Sarah Norton. We find Roys and Sarah in Norfolk in 1768. On page 15 in the Norfolk Town Records we find a notation for the birth of the oldest child, Wait, dated “April 19, 1768 son of Roys and Sarah”. Roys and Sarah had six boys, Wait, Amasa, Samuel Norton, named for his mother’s family, David, Roys and Timothy, his date of birth recorded on page 24 as February 28, 1775. We have included the records for Wait and Timothy. The notations included the date of birth and lists their parents as Roys and Sarah. The record for Timothy is hard to read but when viewing the original the date is quite easy to make out. We have also included two other documents. One is an original church record from the Church of Christ in Norfolk from 1784, which notes that Roys and Sarah had all of the listed children, including Timothy, baptized on that date. The last document dates from the 1820s. At that time the clerks for the Church of Christ edited the early records and rerecorded many of them. You can see the 1820 record is a transcription of the original 1784 record but written in a very beautiful hand. I hope these records help to firmly establish the identity of our Timothy Gaylord born in Norfolk, February 28, 1775, to Roys and Sarah Norton Gaylord. We have included the documents for his death on May 6, 1848 at age 73. There is a brief note in the probate records concerning his estate, which was not finalized until some years later. Managed by his son Edward is appears that his estate was seamlessly passed on to his family. Polly and Timothy set up house in Norfolk building their house on the Greenwoods Turnpike. From her father Polly had inherited enough fine furniture and home furnishing to provide a comfortable start to her married life. There are multiple citations for Timothy in the histories written of Norfolk. Timothy is numbered among the men who were honored for serving their country. Timothy is also noted as the owner of a prominent tavern a feature of which was a large ballroom. From the multiple references to the tavern it seems to have served as a prominent landmark and played a conspicuous role in the public life of Norfolk including service as the Masonic Lodge ------ The historical work, “The History and Pedigrees of the House of Gaillard or Gaylord”, serves as the background source for much of our remaining narrative. I use it here because there is not a lot of original documentation for their children. Using a 3rd person source always introduces an element of uncertainty. Family trees that are not based on original records are full of mistakes repeated from 3rd person sources. In this case there is a good argument for accepting the data contained in the history. The main author added the following to his description of Polly and Timothy’s family. “His widow, WITH WHOM I CONVERSED, age 84, lives in Norfolk, her faculties unimpaired, she never used spectacles, can do fine sewing and read fine print still”. I have not discovered any birth records, but he gives the dates of birth for Polly’s children as-------Edward L, November 21, 1809;------Caroline S, January 29, 1812;------Charles, May 21, 1817;------Julia Ann, 1821;------Fanny, 1825. As you may have noted Polly named each of her children after one of her siblings. The “S” in Caroline’s name is for Submit.------Polly and Timothy’s oldest child was Edward Lyman, the Lyman after her sister Fanny’s husband. We have included two documents from Norfolk. Edward Lyman and his sister Caroline were baptized in the Church of Christ August 8, 1812 the year their mother joined the congregation. The second document is the 1820s rewriting of the earlier record. This notation provides us with the full name for Edward and his sister Caroline Submit. Edward was the only child who married. He married Jane Seymour in Colebrook May 13, 1841. They had three children, Francis Edward, James and Isabella. The Gaylord history writes of him. “He resides in Hartford, Ct. Principal of the Pension Agency”. Imagine that, an insurance business in Hartford, Connecticut. His life seems to indicate that he grew up in a home that had the resources to make education a life choice. In the town history written in the latter part of the 19th Century his name appears frequently as a source of information. He died in Rock Hill, Connecticut, a town just outside of Hartford, February 1, 1901. He and his wife are buried with the family in Norfolk.------Caroline Submit never married. Census records indicate that she lived with her mother until her death. In the 1880 census she is living on her own her occupation listed as “dressmaker”. Cemetery records from Norfolk list her year of death as 1890 at age 78. Death records extracted from original source material by the state of Connecticut also list her death as 1890 with no month or day and her parents as Timothy and Polly Gaylord. She and the rest of the family are buried together in the Center Cemetery in Norfolk.------Charles; He and Julia Ann are listed on the same page in the town records for Norfolk. His death is noted as November 15, 1849 at the age of 33.------Julia Ann; we do not have a birth record for her but we have her death record from the town records from Norfolk. She died September 26, 1849 age listed as 29.------Fanny; The History of Norfolk contains a comprehensive list of deaths in Norfolk. All of the Gaylords are listed. The history lists her death as June, 1843. The state record also lists her death as 1843 at the age of 19, her parents as Timothy and Polly Gaylord.------ And what of Polly Griffin Gaylord? Born in the Killingworth Second Society in 1784 to a sea captain. Raised in what was probably a very comfortable circumstance. Meeting up with the cousins for the holidays at Grandma Mary’s house. Losing her father at the age of 18. Growing to maturity within the family circle in Colebrook where she met and married Timothy Gaylord. From the records it seems she lived to a ripe old age. We have included several documents recording her death on December 10, 1867 in her eighty-third year.

Documents from the Griffin grandchildren in Essex

Here are a few records from the Griffin grandchildren who grew up in Essex, Vermont. The first is the marriage record for Samuel and Mercy Griffin’s son Daniel to Catherine Merriam. The second document is for their son John’s daughter Mary who married her mother’s nephew Erastus Tyler. The third is the marriage of their son Samuel’s daughter Sylvia to Willard Fuller. The last two are for the sons of Samuel’s son Orlow. We have a marriage record for Orlow’s son Henry and the birth record for his son David.

Samuel and Mary Griffin of Killingworth Connecticut

Presented here is what I consider to be the definitive document for the family of Samuel and Mary Griffin of Killingworth, Middlesex, Connecticut. To the best of my knowledge it had remained undiscovered in the Killingworth records until about 2006. The information it containes is part of the Barbour Collection but seeing it as a whole puts the family picture into a clearer prospective firmly establishing a location and time line. Before its discovery there existed a degree of uncertainty as to the true ancestry of their children. There are Samuel Griffins from both New London and Middletown that at times have been considered the grand parents of our Griffin Clan. This document places the origins of our family tree firmly in the town of Killingworth. In Killingworth Samuel Griffin and Mary Beckwith’s first child Mary was born in 1728. But where were Samuel and Mary born? If you pick out any other person from their generation, that was born in Killingworth, and trace their family history it is fairly easy to find multiple references to them and their family in the town records, church records, land deeds, probate records, etc. Other than this list of their children that was inscribed on a page in the land deeds there is no such documentary trail for Samuel and Mary. By contrast there is just such a trail for their children. Samuel is mentioned in the town history at the marriage of his daughter Thankfull listed simple as “Mr. Griffin”. He is also mentioned as a party in a court case. There are several deed records from Clinton that reference the property of Samuel Griffin or Mary Griffin. And in Samuel’s probate file from Killingworth we have documents naming his sons and identify Mary as his widow. But unlike their contemporaries there is very little else. It is my conclusion that they were both born in some other community and met and married somewhere other than Killingworth. The Griffin DNA project provides a definitive connection to the family of Edward Griffin of Flushing, New York. Time lines from their family tree suggests Samuel was probably born somewhere in New York. That information can be referenced on the web sites maintained by Theresa Griffin and Paul Griffin under the heading Edward Griffin of Flushing on the web. Having researched the Beckwiths in the area surrounding Killingworth and finding no demonstrable connection other than similar names and dates I am left with the conclusion that the other possible location for her birth is the Stephen Beckwith family of Norwalk, Connecticut, which is near the border of New York, for which there is a very faint trail. But we in fact do have a starting point for a wonderful family tree. At some point in the history of Killingworth someone gathered all of the birth dates for Samuel and Mary Griffin’s children and wrote them down in one little concise record on a page set aside for that purpose in the land records. The record starts “Mary ye daughter of Samuel and Mary Griffin was born December ye 7th 1728. The notation “of Samuel and Mary” is repeated with each child. This is the only mention of Samuel’s daughter Mary in the Killingworth records. Her sisters Thankfull and Jerusha are noted in church records as teenagers but there is no mention of Mary. The same is true of Jeremiah. When Samuel died in 1746 both James and Samuel Jr. are listed in his probate file but there is no mention of Jeremiah. My conclusion is that Mary and Jeremiah both passed away at a young age. Samuel and Mary’s other children have left behind a very large posterity that has spread far and wide across America.------ Thankfull married Nathan Buell of the prominent Buell family and although her family spread out there is still a strong Buell presence in Killingworth. Her most noted grandchild is Sara Josepha Hale editor of Godey’s Lady’s Book, the forerunner to the Ladies Home Journal. She was the author, of among other things, the poem Mary Had A Little Lamb.------ Jerusha left her sister Thankfull’s home in Killingworth and met and married Asa Landon in Salisbury, Connecticut. Asa Landon was a supporter of the English Crown and after the Revolutionary War was forced to flee with his family to Canada ending up in the Brockville, Ontario area. He left behind his married daughter Lois who married James Selleck. The Landon’s have a strong presence in Canada and the upper Midwest. The Landon ancestry is very active in the family history world. Douglas Nelson, a descendant from Lois, maintains seceral great family trees on Ancestry.Com, the Lowell, Selleck, Nelson families.------ As the oldest son James inherited the family home in what was the Killingworth First Society in what is now Clinton. The house passed on to his son James Needham and grandson James N. James and Polly Needham’s grandchildren spread out among the towns surrounding Killingworth at least one branch followed the sea to Boston. Evidence suggests his children, Polly and Allan, did not survive to adulthood. His son Edward and his wife Submit’s family, with its roots in Killingworth, also scattered across Connecticut. We have documented Edward’s sons Charles and Edward Jr. in Ohio. James and Polly’s family is well documented on Ancestry.Com by Michael Clark. Look for the Clark Family Tree.------ Samuel Griffin and the children from his three wives Marah Griffen, Mercy Nettleton, and Mercy “Stevens” Bailey scattered across America. Portions of Samuel’s family maintained a presence in Killingworth. Worden and members of his extended family are buried next to the home lot. Marah’s daughter Lois and husband Stephen Kelsey’s descendants stayed in the area for several generations, as did the family of her sister Azuba and Henry Davis. Lois’s great granddaughter Barbara Poole maintains one of the most widely recognized family history blogs in America,TREES4U. Marah’s daughter Polly and husband Reuben Doud started their large family in nearby Guilford and Madison before moving on to Cortland, New York. Mercy Bailey’s daughter Mercy and Ithamar Pelton left Vermont and moved on to Ohio. There are communities in Ohio in which there is still a recognizable Pelton presence. Samuel’s boys, with the exception of Worden, all left Killingworth moving on to the new frontier in Vermont. I recently came across an obituary for one of Worden’s great grandchildren written in 2010. Part of the obituary notice recognized his lifelong service to the local Society of the Congregational Church how appropriate given the family’s deep early connection to the Killingworth Congregational Societies. There are still families with Griffin roots in the communities surrounding Essex, Vermont. A few branches made it to the far west including my own. My grandfather carried the middle name of Bailey after his grandmother Mercy Bailey. My family’s quest for its history began from material gathered from letters written by the family in Essex, Vermont in the 1800’s. Asahel and Joel (Mercy Nettleton), after their sojourn in Vermont, moved west to Franklin County, New York in the communities of Moira, Bangor and Malone where they still have a family presence. David Griffin is their lead historian his tour of Moira was featured on the blog. Their extended families spread across the whole of the Midwest with Joel’s ending up around Rushford, Allegany County, New York. Their genealogy can also be found in abundance on Ancestry.Com. Look for, among others, the trees maintained by Michael James, James/Griffin Family Tree. For those Griffins who trace their roots through John Griffin in Kansas, John/David/Sylvester/ Asahel/ Samuel/ Samuel, Mervyn Griffin has a very detailed web site, Descendants of Ahasel (Asahel) Griffin. If Samuel and Mary were with us today it would take them some time and many miles to visit all of their grandchildren. I hope all of their grandchildren get the chance to visit them on this Blog. And I hope that you will all submit your family stories for them to read.

Ann Avery New London, Connecticut

The first document presented below is a transcription of a record held in the Connecticut State Library. It is significant in that it documents the passing of Samuel Griffin, the son of Ebenezer Griffin, born June 9, 1705 in New London, New London, Connecticut the husband of Ann Avery. It indicates that his ship was lost within the five days following its departure on December 29, 1731. The court case is dated in 1737. The 1737 date is listed in many family histories as his date of death. What that date actually represent is the date the court officially pronounced his death opening the way for Ann to remarry. From the second article we can see that she then married Sylvanus Miner ending up eventually in Nova Scotia. Due to the vagaries of early family history research Ann Avery has also been linked to our ancestor Samuel Griffin who with his wife Mary raised their family in Killingworth, Middlesex, Connecticut. A common link is the fact that they both had a son named Samuel. Ann Avery’s son was born November 16, 1727 in New London. Samuel of Killingworth’s son was born February 10, 1739 in Killingworth, they are two distinctly different people. The information in these two documents, including a time line, should help clear up some of the confusion surrounding the merging of these two separate families. ---------------------“Ann Griffin (maiden name Avery) m. Samuel Griffin 16 Nov 1727 - who sailed on Brigatine called Lebanon (Benjamin Shapley of New London, Master) 29 Dec 1731 for Barbados - storm - presumed dead - appl. New London Sept 1735.- "Connecticut Divorces, Superior Court Records for the Counties of New London, Tolland, & Windham 1719-1910", Knox & Ferris.“To the Honorable Superior Court holden at New London term 1735. The humble request of Ann Griffin of New London in New London County: follows Samuel Griffin sailed out of this port of New London as mate on board the Brigantine called Lebanon whereof Mr. Benjamin Shapley of said New London was then Master on the day of December 1731. where was bound for the Island of Barbadoes from there to Sal Tortuga and so back to this Port of New London No intelligence since their departure from New London aforesaid except what was heard five days after such their departure concerning this report by one Captain Boulder then accompanying them in their passage. But by then in great distress in a storm. Since no is given of them. When now is almost four years. Why it is now beyond doubt that your petitious husband is dead. Wherefore the news to this Honorable Court that according to one certain law of this Colony page 224/225 – she may be esteemed single and unmarried and may have the liberty with and by said statute this Honorable Court are authorized to grant and your honorable petition as is duty bound with due prayer. Mrs. Griffing”- Superior Court Divorce, New London County 1719-1875, Gates to Houghton, Microfilm RG 3, Connecticut State Library.” ---------------- Thomas AVERY (1679-ca.1710) died before 24 Nov. 1711, who was born around 1679 to Thomas and Hannah Miner Avery, married Ann SHAPLEY on July 12 1704. Ann was born in 1685; died June 17, 1751; daughter of Benjamin and Mary Picket Shapley. After her husband Thomas AVERY died around 1710, his widow, Ann (SHAPLEY) AVERY, married a Jonathan ROSS. "In the inventory of the estate of Thomas AVERY, taken at New London, 11 Dec. 1711, the widow is called Ann RUFF (or RUSS) and the children are Thomas, aged 6, and Ann, age 4." She may have married a third time to a James Morgan. Thomas and Ann Shapley Avery had 2 known children: Thomas AVERY (1705-1712); Ann AVERY (b. 1707). Their son, Thomas AVERY, was born 31 March 1705. He died 3 July 1712 "while swimming." Their daughter, Ann AVERY, was born 12 May 1707 at Montville, New London Co., CT; she was baptized on May 25th at the 1st Church of New London. Ann married Samuel GRIFFING Nov 16, 1727 at New London, CT by the Rev. Eliphalet Adams of the First Church. Intention of marriage was published in New Long on June 18, 1727. Sam and Ann Avery Griffing had two sons, Samuel "Griffin" and Thomas "Griffin". Samuel Griffing, died 10 years after marrying Ann Avery. Samuel GRIFFIN (June 8, 1705-1737; baptized First Church New London June 10, 1705) was a mariner. He was lost at sea before 27 January 1737. After Samuel died Ann married her cousin Sylvanus MINER (b. March 3, 1709) on October 6th of the same year at Stonington CT. Sylvanus was the son of Thomas and Hannah (AVERY) MINER. Sylvanus MINER and Ann moved ultimately to Nova Scotia where Sylvanus died on March 15, 1786 in Stonington at the fine age of 77 years. From: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ctnewlon/billc1700.html"Samuel GRIFFIN (1728-1800) m. 28 March 1753 Desire, dau. of Peter CRARY; and Thomas GRIFFIN married 20 Sept. 1753 to Jerusha CHIPMAN. - COLLECTIONS of the NEW YORK GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, Vol. VI, Part II, "Register of Pedigrees", V.II, p.134-135; Wurts' MAGNA CHARTA, v.5, pp.1368-1370."

Samuel Griffin Killingworth, Samuel Griffin New London, Samuel Griffin Middletown

By a quirk of history there were three men with what was an uncommon last name for the time born in the early 1700,s in close proximity in Connecticut. Samuel Griffin of Killingworth, Middlesex, Samuel Griffin of Middletown, Middlesex, and Samuel Griffin of New London, New London. Also key for this discussion they in turn each had a son named Samuel. This circumstance has created a good deal of confusion for their ancestry as they have tried to organize their family trees. As America’s vision of itself matured in the later part of the 19th Century there was a great deal of effort put into recording the early American families. Some incredible family histories where written many covering multiple generations and thousands of names. Most of us have inherited our genealogy bug from aunts and uncles who wrote their family histories before the dawn of the information age we now live in drawing mainly on these earlier family histories. Without the access to the wide range of information that we have today, including access to the original documents, the key factors became location and time frame. If the name, the dates and the location made sense by the process of elimination it had to be the correct person. This is certainly true of my own family. From family histories and letters my grandfather knew his grandfather was named Samuel Griffin. The family hired an attorney to help them search for his identity. His search turned up Samuel Griffin of Middletown, Middlesex, Connecticut. Correct name, approximate location, approximate dates no other apparent candidates. This circumstance has repeated itself in many families to the point that the identity of these three Samuels have become intertwined. If you go on a site such as Ancestry.Com today and search under families that have traced their family tree back to what they assume is Samuel Griffin of Killingworth you will find him married to the wives of all of the other Samuels. The same is true of the other two Samuels. As always the purpose of this Blog is to provide a crossroads for an extended family meeting. It is not my intent to preach to the choir. But I do have strong feelings about creating an accurate history for Samuel and Mary Griffin of Killingworth, Middlesex, Connecticut. I hope the families of the other two Samuels join this discussion as well. The most accessible database for Connecticut genealogy is the Barbour Collection. A discussion of what the collection is and is not seems in order. The collection was published in 1903 by the state of Connecticut. The project was authorized by the state legislature concerned over the need to conserve their state’s written history and heritage before it became scattered and lost. Lewis Barbour was chosen to head a state commission to collect and record as many original documents as they could find on a community-by-community basis. So when you look at the data for any given community its important to realize that each piece of information was extracted from an original document, town records, church records, land records, everything that they could find. It was extracted a name at a time, alphabetized and then put in chronological order. But it is also important to understand what the collection is not. Many of the original records that are reflected in the collection have subsequently been misplaced. It is plagued with transcription errors, a 7 written as a 1 and visa versa. Proximity on a page does not correlate to a family connection. The manner of its organization can also be misleading. You may have two Susan Smiths listed in close proximity each with a birth date each with a marriage date, but which marriage goes with which birth? The manner of its organization also clouds family connections. If the data for an entry is incomplete it is sometime hard to place that person within a family context. But given its shortcomings it still represents a gold mine of information for family history researchers. The key for us it that it provides dates and locations. According to Barbour Samuel Griffin of New London, New London, Connecticut was born January 9, 1705 to Ebenezer Griffin and his wife Mary Hubble. Samuel married Ann Avery November 16, 1727. Their first child Samuel Jr. was born September 27, 1728. Samuel Jr. in turn married Desire Crary in 1753 in Stonington, Connecticut. His death is documented in Pennsylvania in 1805. A second son, Thomas, was born to Samuel and Ann in 1730. There are no other children listed by Barbour, the location is New London, the marriage for Samuel and Ann is confirmed in the marriage collection of Fredrick Bailey. There are several well-researched family histories written by their ancestry none include a Killingworth connection. The courts officially recognized Samuel’s death, having died at sea in 1731, on January 27, 1737. The original document is included in the article we have posted on Ann Avery. Ann was subsequently remarried to Sylvanus Miner. This is an identity clearly distinct from the Samuel Griffin who lived in Killingworth. The names, dates and number of children differ dramatically. The dates of birth for the two sons also named Samuel are inconstant. Yet despite these significant differences we see histories where Samuel of Killingworth is shown as married to Ann Avery and his son Samuel is shown married to among others Desire Crary. Despite the new documentation that has recently come to light confirming the name of Mary instead of Ann for the wife of Samuel of Killingworth many histories have simple replace the name Ann Avery with the name Mary Ann Avery.----------- The family history for the original immigrant Matthew Griffin of Charlestown, Massachusetts records that his great grandson Samuel Griffin of Middletown, Middlesex Connecticut, the son of John Griffin and Mary Upham was born May 19, 1717. His marriage to Alice Woodwell is recorded in the family history of Matthew Woodwell of Salem, Massachusetts on November 30, 1738. I have not reviewed the original documentation for Samuel and Alice. Their son Samuel was born December 3, 1739 in Middletown a date quite close to that of our grandfather Samuel born in Killingworth. It is this date that influenced early historians to consider these two Samuels as one and the same person thus the conclusion that Samuel of Killingworth was married to Alice Woodwell. But the names and dates for the family as a whole do not correlate with names and dates for the family of our Samuel. Nor do the marriage records. Samuel and Alice Woodwell were married in 1738 their first child born in 1739 not 1728 like Samuel of Killingworth’s daughter Mary. The Barbour Collection notes the marriage of Samuel Jr. to Mary Bartlett on January 22, 1761 and on her death his marriage to Mehitabel Turner on January 20 1766. Many histories also incorrectly included a marriage for him to our Mercy Bailey. It is these two women who we see in various family trees as married to either Samuel Jr. of Killingworth or even his father. ------------- The third Samuel is Samuel Griffin of Killingworth, Middlesex, Connecticut. Of the three Samuels his history is supported by the least amount of original documentation. As a result, of the three, his identity stayed hidden the longest. Having been lost to history early historians substituted his identity with that of the other two Samuels whose history was more readily available. His children Mary, Thankfull, Jerusha, James, Samuel and Jeremiah are part of the Barbour Collection. What was lost in the interpretation of that collection was the time frame. We now have the original document from which the Barbour Collection was extracted, it provides a distinct time frame and a clearer view of who was or was not in Samuel and Mary’s family. The first child Mary was born December 7th 1728 followed by Thankfull in 1831 then Jerusah and James and Samuel on February 10, 1739 followed by Jeremiah. This list of children, this birth order and these dates do not fit into a pattern consistent with the families of the other two Samuels. The document also places Samuel and Mary’s family firmly in Killingworth. We now also have Samuel’s Probate File, which names his sons James, and Samuel Jr. and his widow Mary. We have the documents for the three marriages of Samuel Jr. to Mariah Griffen, Mercy Nettleton, and Mercy (Stevens) Bailey. We have the accumulated history of Samuel and Mary’s children emanating from Killingworth, not New London and not from Middletown. I would argue that there is a Samuel Griffin who married Mary (Beckwith) and raised his family in Killingworth, Connecticut and that his identify is separate and unique from that of Samuel Griffin of New London or Samuel Griffin of Middletown.

Asa Landon and James Selleck Land Deeds in Salisbury

Asa Landon, husband of Jerusha Griffin, and his son in-law, James Selleck, appears only briefly in the land records in Salisbury, Connecticut. Both were given property by their fathers. Most deeds contained the phrase “In consideration” a term that is the precursor to the agreed on amount of money or considerations to be exchanges for the property. In the case of Asa and James the “consideration” was “in consideration of parental love and good will”. With this phrase their fathers passed on to them enough property to set up a household. Asa’s father gave him two separate pieces of property. Most of the property held by Asa was in Vermont where he was quite active in land speculation. Of his Salisbury property it’s interesting to note that he later sold the property given to him by his father. Given his history of being on the Tory side in the Revolutionary War it’s interesting to note that the date on the deed, whereby he sells his Salisbury property, is May 13, 1776. After being forced to leave America for Canada after the war he was unsuccessful in his efforts to retain his property in Vermont. His father Ezra gave James Selleck 43 acres of land in the “Plantation” section of Salisbury on October 4, 1785. He later sells the property February 23, 1787 as he and his wife Lois Landon prepare for their move to New York. Lois/ Jerusha/ Samuel.

Connecticut in the 1800's

The children of Mercy Griffin Stevens, Mercy/Worden/Samuel/Samuel, and her husband Daniel all raised their families in the communities surrounding Killingworth. This is true of the majority of the first 3 generations in Samuel and Mary’s family tree. If you are like me you are probably more than a little curious as to what the communities looked like in the 1800’s. The photo we have added below is from Higganum which is one of the neighborhoods in nearby Haddam. It is in all likelihood very representative of a Connecticut neighborhood. Mercy’s son Samuel Griffin Stevens and his brother Ellis both lived in Haddam. Ellis later moved to North Branford. Samuel and his family are buried in Haddam. The photo was taken within the time frame when they lived there. The road in the photo was the main avenue of travel through the area. At numerous times in their lives these two Griffin grandchildren would have viewed this exact scene. Each of these communities keeps a historical register of old homes. One of those listed in Haddam is that of Samuel Griffin Stevens. His house could be among those shown in the photo.