Asahel Griffin 1769 to 1851

In the records of the Killingworth Congregational 2nd Society is a small notation “Asahel son of Samuel Griffin”. The notation is the handiwork of the Rev. William Seward. The record is in chronological order for the year 1769, the date is January 29. There are three names that are included in the January 29 bracket. In all likelihood this date was a baptismal date with Asahel having been born earlier. Asahel joined a household that included his brother Joel and his father Samuel’s three girls Lois, Polly and Azubah. Samuel had married the girls mother Marah Griffen , yes her last name was Griffen, in 1759. With her passing he was left to raise three little girls on the homestead on Roast Meat Hill. His sister Thankful lived nearby and I imagine that he called on her for help. But Samuel had a farm to run, animals that required his attention and a joiners shop. Such men were hard pressed to take care of three young girls. Killingworth was made up of scattered farms. In 1770 there was less than 1800 people scattered along its nine-mile length. Samuel however had a close neighbor Samuel Nettleton and his wife Dinah Healy. The Nettleton’s had a daughter Mercy. The Barbour Collection lists her as “Marcy Nettleton Dau. Samuel & Dinah b. June 11, 1741”. This record is a compilation made by the state of Connecticut in 1903. In all of the original church records from Killingworth her name is written as Mercy. Within a year Samuel had brought Mercy Nettleton into his home their marriage recorded in the church records on May 15, 1766. They had a son Joel born in 1767 and in 1769 a second son was born to be named after Mercy’s brother, Asahel Nettleton. In the records of the Killingworth 2nd Congregational Society Samuel and Mercy were recorded as being O.C. indicating that they Owned the Congregational Covenant. O.C. was granted to a couple, or an individual, on their Profession of Faith. This indicated that they accepted the Congregational Charter with its clearly defined religious precepts. It indicated that they were committed to leading an active, God fearing, Christian life. For Asahel his parents standing meant that he was granted the privilege of baptism thus the notation on January 29, 1769. For Congregationalists baptism, as described in the Bible, was essential for those seeking to enter Heaven. To be granted Full Communion, to Own the Covenant, to become a full church member, at some point in his life Asahel would be required to make his own Profession of Faith. Samuel and Mercy did not enjoy a long life together. The records show Samuel marrying for a 3rd time on March 17, 1770 to Mercy Bailey Stevens some 15 months after Asahel’s birth. Mercy herself was a young widow having lost her husband James Stevens. Samuel added two more girls and four more boys to his family. Mercy and Molly, Worden, John, Samuel and Dan. Their baptisms are all recorded in the church records and Mercy Bailey Griffin also was granted the O.C. an indication that the family was raised within the Congregational circle. Asahel grew up in a very beautiful spot in Killingworth. The home lot is about 2 ½ acres. It is isolated by its surroundings and stands as a little island. Asahel's father did not own enough property to be a full time farmer. Deed records indicate that he had a joiners shop next to the house. His will lists a loom and joiners tools. I think Asahel grew up helping his father in his shop. Today we would probably list him as a cabinetmaker or finish carpenter. Killingworth is still full of beautiful all wood houses. Doors, windows and sashes all hand crafted. The Griffin house itself is lined with elegant two-inch tongue and grove bead board. The loom was used to produce homespun cloth that represented a real source of ready cash for early families. The family had enough property to support the cows, pigs, sheep and other animals needed in a world of self-reliance. The foundation for a corncrib is found on the home lot.. The corn was harvested and thrown into the crib to dry. It was then ground throughout the winter for corn meal or used as a source of feed for the animals. Root crops were common in Killingworth, potatoes, and turnips. Dairy was a major industry cheese and good butter for bread. There are hints of cranberry bogs, cherry trees, dry beans and sugar maples. If a trip was made the few miles down to the coast to see the cousins oysters were probably added to the table fare. A letter mentioning a bean and pork supper, mince pies. Pigs to slaughter, pigs to sell and gatherings to make sausage. Flax and wool to be harvested to feed the loom. For those of us raised in the country we recognize a very traditional farm life. I am sure there were plenty of chores to keep a young Asahel busy. A house garden to hoe, wood to split, cows to milk, animals to feed. With six boys in the house there was probably more than a bit of mischief. I can imagine nights in front of the big fireplace. His dad telling stories of the French and Indian War, a tomahawk, a bit of beadwork, a French knapsack. The history of Killingworth suggests that the focal point of society was the Congregational Church. The Griffins would have listened to the Rev. William Seward and in starting in 1782 the Yale educated Henry Ely. It also indicates that there was time and resources to go to school. There are a number of Asahel’s contemporaries who went on to Yale and the life of an intellectual. The church and school were located a few hundred yards out of the Griffin’s back door. It was not a life filled with extras but it is my sense that it was a life free from privation. It was a life that prepared Asahel for a life on the frontier. It prepared him for a life of self-reliance. His story indicates that he carved out a successful existence for he and his family. From a family history perspective it should be noted that the identity of the two separate Mercys have been merged to some degree. For the record Samuel was married to two separate women who shared the same first name of Mercy, Mercy Nettleton, Asahel’s mother and on her passing Mercy Bailey Stevens, with Stevens being her name from her first marriage. We can only guess as to the exact date of Mercy Nettelton Griffin’s death, sometime before 1770. It is my assumption that she lies under one of the unreadable headstones in the Burying Yard, now Union Cemetery, next to the house. That being one of the reasons Samuel purchased the property from the city when he made the move to Vermont. But we do know where Mercy Baily is buried she died in 1822 and is buried next to Samuel in the Essex Common Burial Ground, in Essex Vermont. The baptismal record is the only record of Asahel in Killingworth. The next record for Asahel is the 1790 census in Vermont. Why did we think it was Asahel? He is listed on the line next to his brother Joel. Five of the Griffin boys moved to Vermont with their father before 1790. Asahel and Joel in New Haven, a short trip away from their father, in Essex. Joel moved on to Swanton, Vermont and Asahel settled down to raise a family in New Haven. By the 1790 Census he has two boys and a girl. The oldest boy was named Loyal after the family of his wife Polly Loyal. Records indicate that Polly Loyal was from Vermont but a detailed search has failed to turn up any families with that surname. My guess is that she is originally from the New Hampshire area that fed a number of families into Vermont. She probably came with an uncle or aunt the only member of her family to immigrate thus leaving no family trail. They had seven children in New Haven. Loyal, who after coming to New York with his father, later moved on west. Worden, named after Asahel’s half-brother, lived in Moira and has a family linage in the Midwest. A sister whose name has been lost. Sarah who moved on to Ohio. Sylvester Griffin who moved on to Ohio and then Iowa. His story of joining the Civil War at an advanced age is quite remarkable. He died as a result of wounds that he received at the battle of Shiloh. He left a large family and has a large progeny. One of his sons David Sylvester Griffin died at a very young age leaving behind one son John. John moved west ending up in Kansas. From this one branch grew a large family that is still involved with each other to this day. Abigail, Leicester and the last of the children, Joseph, born in New York, established a strong Griffin presence in Moira, New York. All of us should have the goal of attending one of their reunions. Asahel stayed in Vermont until about 1807/8. His leaving coincided with the death of his father. He is named as one of the six sons in Samuel’s will. His legacy was to inherit the carpenter’s tools that he had used with his father in his shop in Killingworth. The story of his life in New York needs to be told at another time. His early life is taken from the pages of Americana. If you want to measure his legacy log on to a genealogy site such as Ancestry.Com and count the number of families that trace their roots back to Asahel Griffin.