Asahel and Joel Griffin

The history of brothers Asahel and Joel Griffin are closely linked. They followed the American dream of opening new lands, moving on several times in their lifetimes. But they always lived close to each other. They were the only children born of Samuel and Mercy Nettleton, Mercy dying soon after Asahel’s birth. They grew up with the children from their father’s other two marriages on the farm on Roast Meat Hill in Killingworth Connecticut. The recorded history of the Griffins starts on page 336 of the Land Book. Samuel Griffin and his wife Mary recorded the births of their children. It starts Mary the daughter of Samuel & Mary Griffin was born December the 7th 1728. The other children are listed Thankful, Jerusha, James, Jeremiah and Samuel born February 10, 1739. Samuel married Marah Griffen (her family name was Griffen with an “en”) May 17, 1759 the marriage recorded in the Land Book. They had three daughters Lois, Phebe/Polly and Azubah. Marah died August 13, 1763. Samuel then married Mercy Nettleton the marriage is recorded in the church records, as May 15, 1766. The church records give the baptismal dates of their two boys as Joel, s Samuel Griffin bp Oct 4 1767 and Asahel, s Samuel Griffin bp Jan 29, 1769. Asahel is named after his mothers brother who went on to play a large role in the Second Great Awakening, a movement to revive religious life in America. Mercy must have passed away not long after that because we have the record of Samuel marrying Mercy Stevens (Bailey) March 15, 1770. Mercy and Samuel had six children together. The two brothers grew up as part of the Griffin clan of eleven in Killingworth. As young men seeking land and fortune they moved together to New Haven, Addison County, Vermont. They later moved together to Franklin County, New York. Asahel is buried in Moira, New York and Joel in Rushford, New York. Asahel’s genealogy is well document and widely distributed, Joel’s family history has been a bit of a mystery. What follows is information that has come forth in the past few years. There is very little direct evidence or sources but what evidence is available is quite compelling in its testimony of the family of Joel Griffin.

Samuel and Mercy raised their clan of eleven Children on the farm on Roast meat Hill. Samuel bought the first 2 1/2 acres from his brother in law Benjamin Turner in 1761. The original deed describes the property as north of the burying yard and west of the highway. In five subsequent purchases he acquired twenty acres surround the original lot and had some twenty plus acres near by. The location was and is still called Wolf Meadow and form 1761 to the present only one house site has been occupied. The current house sits on the original foundation and the design fits the period, except for parts of the flooring that have been replaced, it is possible that it is the original structure built by Samuel. The main floor consisted of a small foyer and one large room dominated by a large fireplace covering most of the north end. All the cooking was done in the fireplace facilitated by built in swinging arms and fire grates. There is a trap door giving access to the basement. The walls are built of shaped stone and the beams are large hand hewn timbers. A small staircase off the foyer leads to the second story room. The whole interior of the house was covered in bead board. Additional rooms have been added on, first by Worden Griffin, and then by later occupants. It is still a very beautiful little house still being enjoyed by its current occupants. The original 2 1/2 acre site consists of forested gently rolling hills borded on one side by low swampy ground south by the burying yard and east by the original road all in all a very peaceful beautiful place to raise a family.

Killingworth by 1735 had divided into two separate congregations. The people of the northern second society were referred to as the “farmers”. The economy seems to have revolved around dairy cows with the farms growing crops to support the animals. Hay, grain, corn and garden crops were said to do very well and fruit orchards seemed numerous and highly valued. The original land grant for Killingworth is now the city of Clinton, Starting in the early 1700’s the city in order to attract new settlers and give land to their offspring, began awarding land grants in the unoccupied northern part of the city. The cost to the settler was a simple filing fee. By 1750 most of the property had been allocated. The years between 1750 and 1800 saw the land further subdivided and in some cases consolidated. By the time Samuel’s boys were old enough to strike out on their own most of the available land in Killingworth was taken. As a result all of Samuel’s boys, except Worden, left for Vermont. Worden bought his fathers farm and stayed in Killingworth he is buried next to the house in the “burying yard”. Samuel and three of his boys ended up in Essex, Vermont and Joel and Asahel ended by close by in New Haven, Vermont. In the 1790 Census we find Joel married with a daughter. He married Submit Alvord, daughter of John Alvord, who is also listed in the 1790 Census in New Haven. The marriage is noted in the history of the family of Alexander Alvord. It notes “Married Joel Griffin of St. Lawrence Co. NY, Res. Bangor Franklin Co. NY” . Asahel stayed in New Haven but Joel moved on to Swanton, Vermont. On page 15 of the land book is recorded the birth of three more children. “Oramel Griffin son of Joel & Submit born in Swanton March 26th. 1794”. Milton born January 18th 1796, Lois October 8th 1797. Joel owned several large tracts of land and had a concession to maintain the bridge over the river that divided the town. Joel and Asahel lived within 20 miles of their father and half brothers in Essex, Vermont. Family names suggest that they maintained a close relationship. Dan named a son Joel and Asahel named a son Worden. Joel gave his sister’s name to his daughter Lois. All are listed in their father’s will.

Joel last appears on the tax records in Swanton in 1804. Some information indicates that he maintained some presences there until 1807. By 1810 he and Asahel are both living in Franklin County, New York some 80 miles west. Asahel settled in Moira and several generations of his family remained there. Joel is listed as one of the earliest inhabitants of Bangor most subsequent records list his residence as Malone. It seems that the impetus for the New York move may have originated with his brother in law Wolcott Alvord who was involved in a project to survey part of Franklin County and received an invitation to settle. The lure of land was still a driving force in early 19th century America. From the biography of his son Oramel it appears that the large tracts of land that Joel acquired were raw forested land that the family was obliged to clear. The families circumstance are described in the biography of Oramel “ His parents, thought not poor were not in affluent circumstances, and he engaged actively in clearing land and all the labors incident to the struggles of pioneers in a a new colony”. The family spent the next 20 plus years farming the recovered property.

Putting together a picture of Joel’s family has proven very difficult. The only recorded births are those of Oramel, Milton and Lois. The search for the rest of Joel and Submit’s children begins with the 1810 Federal Census. The 1810 census lists Joel and Submit’s residence as Bangor, New York. It lists one boy under the age of 10, two boys age 10-16, and two boys age 16-26 and Joel. It lists four girls under the age of 10, one girl age 10-16 and one girl age 16 to 26 and Submit. Eleven children in all. Drawing information from previous and later Census records it appears that the 1810 census shows the family in its entirety. From these sources I have drawn the following conclusions. Of the girls the oldest was born in New Haven, Vermont and listed in the 1790 Census making her about age 21 in 1810. Lois was 13 in 1810 and must be the girl listed age 10-16. A daughter Sophia was born in Swanton, Vermont about 1803. The last three daughters were born in Bangor only one of whom has been identified, Saphronia. Of the boys the two boys listed as age 16-26 are probably Oramel age 16 and Milton even though he was only 14 or 15. Of the two boys listed ages 10-16 we have Joel Jr. born about 1800 in Swanton and Aaron born about 1798/99 in Swanton. There is no information available on the youngest boy probably also born in Bangor.

The next 30 years in the history of Joel and Submit’s family and the stories behind identifying their children revolves around their son Oramel. Tracing Oramel began with the discovery of his name on a list of men who served in the war of 1812 from Franklin County. The record states that he moved to Livingston Co, NY by 1821. Oramel moved to the Livingston and Allegany County area of Western New York and over the next 60 years became very successful becoming one of the leading citizens in those counties. Describing his early years his biography states, “ often pursued his studies by the light of burning brands on the land he was engaged in clearing”. It seems that he left the hard farming life behind and made his way via his intellect. He worked as a clerk and teacher and by dint of his hard efforts was invited by his employer to become a partner. He later struck out on his own, opening a dry good store in Rushford, New York. The history Rushford and Rushford People writes of him, “Oramel earned his 1st hundred dollars by falling trees for a living. With this money he early opened a store in Rushford and continued in that business over 25 years, accumulating it was supposed $100,000.”. He married the daughter of a prominent family Caroline Gary and they had a family of four. With his success Oramel began to accumulate property. He bought a large tract of land next to the Genesee Valley Canal, a part of the canal system that fed into the Erie Canal. The area and town he started was named in his honor, Oramel, New York. The location of the town of Oramel was at one of the locks on the canal system and served the area as a “port”. where goods were loaded and unloaded. Oramel was a fee collector for the canal. As the area grew he developed the adjoining property adding to his wealth. Later he expanded his land purchases into Michigan. Having achieved a good deal of success Oramel reached out to his family. The county history writes of him, “ He removed his parents and several members of his family to Rushford and rendered them such assistance as they required”. And so it is that we find the bulk of Joel and Submit's family gathered in Allegany County, New York. Joel and Submit are buried in the family plot in Rushford along side Oramel and Caroline, Joel Jr. and his wife Clarissa and Oramel's two boys Jackson and Solon.

It seems that Oramel’s family joined him gradually in western New York. Joel died in Rushford, September 15, 1833. We discover his brother, Joel Jr. when in 1838 a Presbyterian congregation was formed, listing among its founding members, Joel Jr. and Clarissa and Submit Griffin. Joel Jr. and Oramel are also linked as brothers in the town history, Joel Jr. being described as a small farmer and produce dealer. He was also clerk for the local chapter of the anti-slavery society. We find his brother Milton in nearby New Hudson. Census records list him as a goldsmith. The census records indicate that he was born in Vermont in 1796. In the 1860’s we find Milton’s daughter living with Oramel’s sons in Michigan. Referring to Milton the local history writes, “One of the Griffins who came to Rushford was a little peculiar, unlike the other members of the family, and some one, knowing his name was Griffin asked “Uncle Joel” if he were his brother. “Yes,” said he, but quickly added, He’s Oramel’s brother too.” This reply became one of the proverbs of the town.”. The only evidence connecting the fourth brother Aaron to Joel’s family is the 1820 and 1830 Census records in Malone. The original records are organized by neighborhoods. We find Milton, his father Joel, and Aaron all living as neighbors, in fact, Aaron and Joel lived next to each other. The dates involved are consistent with Aaron being born in 1798/99 in Swanton. Aaron disappears after the 1840 census. It seems he died before he had a chance to join the family in western New York. The first start in identifying the sisters begins with a notice in the Malone Palladium where we find the wedding announcement for Solon Nichols of Chateaugay and Sophronia Griffin of Malone in October 1828. The Alvord family history also makes note of the marriage, the only bit of information it contains concerning Joel and Submits’s family. In the 1850-60-70 Census records for Allegany County we find Solon and Sophronia living in New Hudson by Milton. Solons full name was Solon Jackson Nichols. It is interesting to note that Oramel named his two boys Solon and Jackson, and that Solons name is on Joel’s will as a witness. Solon is listed in the census records as a merchant. It is my guess that he was a partner with Oramel. In the 1880 Census in Kalamazoo, Michigan we find Solon and Sophronia living in close proximity to Jackson Griffin who had occupied his fathers property there. The clues to the identity of Sophia were found quite by accident. In discussing the history of the area churches in the volume Rushford and Rushford People we find a description of a local choir. In describing its members the author writes, “Mrs. Hitchcock a sister to Joel Griffin”. In the 1850 census we find the only Hitchcock in Oramel (Caneadea), Augustus Hitchcock and his wife Sophia. They have two children Augusta and Jackson. In the 1880 census record for Solon and Sophronia in Michigan we find Sophia Hitchcock as part of the household, listed as age 77. By the time of the 1890 Census all of Joel and Submit’s children have passed from the scene no longer appearing in any Census record. Joel’s generations maintained a presents in Allegany county into the 1970’s. They occupied a place in the highest levels of society. Any one visiting today can introduce themselves as Griffins and will still be recognized as being connected to local history.

It should be noted that the author has reviewed primary sources for all of the records and histories cited in this narrative.

Killingworth Records Vol 1 , 2 Town Clerk

Land Records for Killingworth Town Clerk

Union Cemetery records Killingworth

Church Records First Congregational Church Killingworth Connecticut

Rushford and Rushford people by Mrs. Helen Josephine Gilbert

Allegany County and its People by John S. Minard

History of Allegany County N.Y. by F.W. Beers

History of Allegany County, New York 1806-1879 by Robert M. French

A Genealogy of the Descendants of Alexander Alvord An Early Settler of Windsor, Connecticut and Northampton, Massachusetts by Samuel Morgan Alvord 1908

Land Records Swanton, Vermont

Town Records Swanton, Vermont

1790 Census New Haven, Addison, Vermont

1810, 1820,1830,1840 Census, Franklin County, New York

Extracted marriage records from the Malone Palladium

1840, 1850, 1860, 1870, 1880 Census Allegany County, New York

Church records from Rushford First Presbyterian Church

1880 Census Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo, Michigan

1860 Census Barry, Barry, Michigan