James N. Griffin and Jemima Rossiter

James N. Griffin was always referred to as James “N.” rather than James in town records to differentiate him from his father James Needham Griffin. James N. married Jemima Rossiter in Clinton probably about 1811. James N. was the last of the Griffin line to occupy the ancestral Griffin home of Samuel and Mary. The deed records concerning his property were almost always referenced as either the Samuel Griffin property or the property of the descendants of Mary Griffin. The story of the family of James and Jemima takes place in somewhat of a historical vacuum. James and Jemima raised their family in Clinton, Connecticut, Clinton and Killingworth having, by then, become two separate communities. For those of us doing historical research in this time frame it is the worst of worlds. The documentary history of Killingworth starts in the 1660s when the original charter was granted. There are two early historical volumes that provide the bulk of documentary evidence that we can use to trace our ancestry. Within these two volumes we have the original charter, town organization, town minutes, the earliest deed records and mixed in among these papers is the records of the earliest births, deaths, marriages and wills. As the town grew the record keeping evolved. By about 1715 the 2nd and 3rd generations were creating a demand for their own property and a expansion northward began in earnest. On a yearly basis the town fathers would organize a survey and would grant land in the undeveloped portion of the land grant to the younger men seeking to build a home of their own. In addition older men were also granted additional property and property was also awarded for public and military service. This new distribution of land was recorded in a separate set of volumes. Within the first several volumes we still find the tradition of adding vital records but by in large these volumes are restricted to the recording of land deeds and land transactions. These volumes, however, are still very valuable as sources for family history. By this time the Congregational Societies had also begun to keep more detailed records. Sadly a good portion of the original records from the First Congregational Society have been lost. To our good fortune a fair amount of the earliest records had been copied in the land records. So what was the status of record keeping at the time James and Jemima were starting to raise their family? For this time frame the bulk of the records were among those lost records but unlike the earliest records they had never been recopied elsewhere. Even in the Second Society based in Killingworth the record keeping became very spotty. In the early days of Killingworth/Clinton keeping record of church membership was very important. By 1815 that mindset was not nearly as strong. In the early 1800’s the keeping of town records throughout Connecticut relied on the personal initiative of individual town clerks. Some kept excellent records some very poor records. The only item that was recorded on a somewhat consistent basis was marriages. By the 1840s and 1850s states began passing laws mandating that towns keep detailed records of births, deaths and marriages. But sadly for us the family of James and Jemima were born in those years for which there is very little documentary evidence. Our search for the family of James N. and Jemima starts with the census records. They first appear as a family in the 1820 Federal Census. This census shows the family with one boy and four girls all under the age of ten. The 1830 Census shows a family of one boy and five girls. In 1840 they are living next to Julius Brooks. Their household has only one child a female. Starting with the 1850 Census the census included the name and age of each member of the household. In 1850 James and Jemima are living next to Louisa M. Brooks and have as part of their household two children Nancy Dix age two and Charles Dix age 7 months. In the 1860 Census James N. Griffin, age 75, is listed as part of the household of Zerah Brooks and his wife Susan. The early census records provided the number of males and females in a family and some indication of the distribution of their ages. With each succeeding census the information became more and more specific. Later census records are divided into male and female sections and are organized in columns. Each column has a corresponding age range. The organization of the census records varied from year to year in the early censuses. In our case these differences have proven to be helpful in establishing the age range of the children. Within each ten-year period it’s easy to track each child age six in one census age sixteen in the next. Present in one census and gone in the next. One of the major flaws in using census records is that it is impossible to account for that child that was born and died between censuses. Using the information from the 1820, 1830, and 1840 Census records we can draw a picture of the family of James and Jemima. Knowing how many boys and girls are in the family and their approximate ages provides a very good base as we begin to identify each of them by name. The records indicate that they had one boy born about 1815/16, a girl born 1817, a girl born 1819, a girl born 1821, two girls born about 1823, and a baby girl born just before the 1830 Census. This follows a very common pattern for families of that era with a child born about every two years. The 1820 Census listed four girls under the age of ten. We have only been able to account for two girls. So despite our best efforts there may still be two missing girls who according to the age distribution were probably born before 1815. The other key record we have to work with is from the Barbour Collection for Clinton. It is based primarily on the only records that survived, marriage records. Under the heading of Griffin is listed thirteen separate Griffins. Clinton in 1840 is a small place. It is very likely that most of James and Jemima’s children should be among these thirteen Griffins. GRIFFING, GRIFFIN • Caroline A., m. John W. PARKS, Dec 3, 1854, by Rev. Fra[nci]s Bottom. • Eliza A., m. Edwin PARKS, Apr 24, 1853, by Rev. Henry Camp. • Elizabeth, m. Giles GRINNELL, both of Clinton, Jun 10, 1846, by Rev. E. S. Huntington. • Emma, of Clinton, m. Charles AUSTIN, of Catskill, Sep 29, 1840, by James Hepburn. • George, of Clinton, m. Antoinette M. JONES, of Saybrook, Oct 22, 1854, by A. E. Dennison. • Harriet, of Clinton, m. Abel CHITTENDEN, of Mt. Pleasant, Pa., Sep 26, 1850, by Rev. James D. Moore. • Louisa M., milliner, d. Feb [ ], 1848, ae 22. • Maria L., m. Julius BROOKS, both of Clinton, Sep 22, 1839, by Lewis Foster. • Mary Jane, of Clinton, m. Moses SANTER, of Mereden, Dec 31, 1845, by Rev. E. S. Huntington. • Nancy J., of Clinton, m. Chauncey DIX, of Wethersfield, Feb 25, 1849, by Rev. E. S. Huntington. • Nancy J., ae 19, of Clinton, m. Chauncey B. DIX, joiner, ae 23, of Wethersfield, Feb 25, 1849, by E. S. Huntington. • Polly, b. Feb 9, 1787, m. Nathaniel HURD, Oct 13, 1806. • Robert, joiner, b. in Westbrook, d. Nov 17, 1848, ae 75. • Susan C., m. Zerah C. BROOKS, both of Clinton, Dec 31, 1843, by Rev. E. S. Huntington. Lets start our analysis of the Barbour list by eliminating those persons who we know are not related to our Griffins. Caroline, who married John Parks, according to marriage and census records, was born in 1833, too late to be a child of James and Jemima. I have found no evidence as to her parentage. Eliza A, who became the second wife of Edwin Parks, John’s father, is well documented in Clinton. She was born Elizabeth Ann Griffin. She is the daughter of Samuel and Jemima Griffin. There are two Griffin clans in Clinton, The descendants of Samuel and Mary and the family that traces its ancestry back to Jasper Griffin of Southold, Long Island, New York. Jasper had a number of grandsons living in Killingworth/Clinton including the above-mentioned Samuel along with Daniel and Robert. This family has left a detailed genealogy. Using their material and dates from vital records it’s quite easy to identify Jasper’s grandchildren. Emma who married Charles Austin is the daughter of Robert Griffin and Abigail Peck born in Clinton in 1808. Harriet who married Abel Chittenden is also Robert’s daughter. “Louisa M, milliner” is the daughter of Daniel Griffin and Maria Jones. Then we also have George Griffin who town and census records indicate was from Madison, Connecticut born about 1830. The Polly listed is James’s sister Polly. This process of elimination leaves us with five girls who could be five of possibly eight girls likely to have been born to James and Jemima. Taking each child separately we can add up the bits and pieces to created a picture of the family of James N. and Jemima Griffin. Our discussion needs to start with Jemima, James’s wife. We do not have a marriage record for this couple. Our first hint of Jemima’s name came from the 1850 Census, which lists James N. Griffin age 64, and his wife Jemima age 61. While reviewing deed records for Clinton we came across a deed listed in James’s name that recorded a transfer of land to James and Jemima from David Rossiter who is identified as her father. Having discovered the name of David Rossiter we went in search of his Will. In the probate files we found a detailed probate packet. Among the papers we discovered that one of the executors of David’s Will is James N. Griffin. In his Will David names as one of his daughters Jemima Griffin. The Will also identifies Jemima’s mother as Abigail Buell. A record of Jemima’s death is part of the Hale Collection. The Hale Collection was put together as part of an effort by the state of Connecticut to preserve old records in the 1930s. The original sources have been lost and the collection is troubled with transcription errors but still provides valuable historical material. The Hale Collection lists her death. “James N. Griffin, his wife d. Aug 30, 1851, age 63. “ The record for Jemima should read born in Clinton, Connecticut 1788/89 to David and Abigail Rossiter, died Aug 30, 1851. The first hint of the identity of the oldest son came from Michael Clark. Michael traces his ancestry back to a Joseph A. Griffin who married Susan Dearborn November 10, 1834 in Massachusetts. After the death of his first wife Joseph married Mary Jane Dearborn and raised his family in Boston. Michael has a well-researched Family Tree on Ancestry.Com. The key document from the life of Joseph A. Griffin is the record of Massachusetts Deaths 1841 to 1915. It lists Joseph’s death as January 10, 1895; born Clinton, Connecticut, father JAMES. An obituary in the Boston Herald list his age as 79. In subsequent records concerning his children their father’s place of birth is listed as Clinton, Connecticut. Census records confirm his age and indicate a date of birth as 1815/16 and indicate that he was born in Connecticut. The records also indicate that Joseph was a shipwright following in the family tradition of woodworking and involvement with the sea. If you review the actual census records for Clinton it’s easy to ascertain that there was one and only one James Griffin living in that time frame, the subject of this project James N. Griffin. While there are no records in Clinton for Joseph, which is explained by the fact that he had followed the shipbuilding trades to Boston; the weight of this evidence indicates that Joseph A. Griffin is the son born according to census records in 1815/16. A final piece of the puzzle for me is the fact that Joseph named a son James after his father and a son William Ansel after the family’s favorite uncle Ancel Jones, the husband of James’s sister, Charlotte. Another sister of Joseph’s named a son Ansel Jones Brooks. I would direct your attention to the article we published on the family of James Needham Griffin, James N.’s father. The second child in the family is Maria Louisa. Maria L. married Julius Brooks in 1839. Maria and Julius lived next door to James N. and Jemima. In the 1840 Census Julius is the head of the house. Julius died in 1849 at age 33 and in the 1850 Census the head of the house is listed as Louisa M. Brooks age 33. Maria later married John Simpson and moved to New Haven where her children grew up and lived as adults. In a number of land deeds she uses her full name Maria Louisa Brooks. She is buried next to Julius in the Indian River Cemetery in Clinton. Her headstone reads “Brooks, Maria Louisa Griffin, widow of Julius, also wife of John N Simpson, Died May 29, 1887, age 70”. These records indicate that she is the daughter born in 1817. The third child is Mary Jane. She is buried in the Indian River Cemetery next to her maternal grandfather David Rossiter. Her headstone reads “Mary Jane Griffin, daughter of James and Jemima d. Oct 3, 1820 age 15 months”. That gives her a date of birth of July 1819. The fourth child was also named Mary Jane. The tradition of naming a child after another child who died young is very strong in early Connecticut. There are several examples in our own family tree. The Barbour Record lists her marriage to Moses Santer of Mereden in 1845. Married by the Rev. E. S. Huntington. The name Santer was transcribed incorrectly. His name was Moses Santy. Mary and Moses made there home in Meriden, New Haven County, Connecticut. In fact their house is on the national historic registry. Moses was a stonemason and the house is listed as a good example of Greek Revival Architecture. Her headstone lists her date of birth as June 8, 1821 and her death as February 27, 1903. She is buried in the Meriden West Cemetery. Mary and Moses only had one son who did not outlive his parents. As a result we see listed as beneficiaries in her will Charlie ( Charles) Brooks and his brother George, sons of her sister Maria Louisa, whom she identifies as my nephews. Also listed is her nephew James Brooks the son of her sister Susan. The fifth child is Susan Cecelia. She married Zerah C. Brooks December 31, 1843. Zerah and Julius Brooks were brothers. They were married by the Rev. E. S. Huntington. Elliot S Huntington became the pastor of the Congregational First Society in Clinton in 1841 too late to have married Maria Louisa. All of the other girls on our list were married by him. Clinton was a small town, the Griffins strong Congregationalists, James’s children the only Griffins in the First Society. This circumstance provides a strong connection between these Griffin girls. Susan names a son James after her father and a son Ansel Jones Brooks after her uncle. In the 1860 Census her father James N. Griffin is part of her household. Her sons filed a petition to become members of the U. S. Sons of the American Revolution. In their application they list their family tree. They identify their parents as Zerah Clark Brooks and Susan Cecelia Griffin giving us Susan’s middle name. She and Zerah are buried in the Indian River cemetery. Her headstone lists her date of birth as October 23, 1823 and her death on March 25, 1899. The sixth child is Phebe Elizabeth. Elizabeth married Giles Grinnell on June 10, 1846 again by the Rev. Huntington. We have very little information on Elizabeth. Her headstone lists her name, as “Phebe Elizabeth Grinnell, wife of Giles, died February 2, 1847 at age 24”. This gives her a date of birth of 1823, which matches the census records. By a twist of fate when Giles’s oldest son Charles died the town clerk recorded his age in years, months and days. When you do the calculations his date of birth turned out to be February 2, 1847. There are other hints that indicate a connection to our family. Her husband Giles and her uncle Ansel Jones were involved in several land transactions together. Giles was himself a great grandson of Jasper Griffin. In the 1840’s it is very unlikely that he would have married a close cousin, which argues that Phebe was not a granddaughter of Jasper’s. Phebe Elizabeth is listed as a cosigner on several land deeds, using the name Phebe Elizabeth Griffin, with a Chauncey Griffin. The manner of the deeds indicates siblings, rather than husband and wife, which was always clearly indicated. On his early death Chauncey left his property to Maria Louisa, Phebe Elizabeth having already died. We need to take a moment and discuss Chauncey Griffin. Census and deaths records indicate he was born in 1821 a date, which does not match census records for James N. Griffin. However, he was very involved with the Griffins. He lived next door to them in Clinton. Having never married he seems to have added Phebe Elizabeth to his land deeds as a means of passing them on to the family in the event of his death. In his will he leaves all of his estate to the care of Maria Louisa. He is buried next to Maria and Julius Brooks. Was he an adopted son? A child born out of wedlock? The last child born into the family is Nancy J.. Nancy J. married Chauncey B. Dix. The Barbour Collections lists two records for the marriage. One from the town clerk and the other as recorded in the church records. They married February 25, 1849. Her age was listed as 19. This indicates a date of birth of 1830 again a match to the census records. The 1850 Census lists her children as part of James N. Griffin’s household. A daughter Nancy Dix age two, who must have been born out of wedlock, and a new baby age 7 months. The 1850 Census shows Chauncey Dix living as a border in his hometown of Wethersfield with no evidence of Nancy. It is my conclusion that she must have died in childbirth. Chauncey Dix must have left the children in their grandparents care until he could make other arraignments. Following the pattern of their contemporaries James and Jemima were probably married 1810/11. Using this as a benchmark I propose the following lists for their children. Female 1811. Female 1813. Joseph A. 1815/16 to January 10, 1895. Maria Louisa 1817 to May 29, 1887. Mary Jane July 1819 to October 3, 1820. Mary Jane June 8, 1821 to February 27, 1903. Susan Cecelia October 23, 1823 to March 25, 1899. Phebe Elizabeth 1823 to February 2, 1847. Nancy J. 1830 to 1849. I hope this list sparks a discussion in the Griffin history community. I hope that the ancestry of James N. and Jemima will send us their family stories and help us fill in the blanks. James N. Griffin/James Needham Griffin/ James Griffin/ Samuel Griffin. James’s death is recorded in great detail in the Clinton town records. December 1, 1863/James N Griffin/ Male/ Age 79/ occupation, mechanic/ born, Clinton/ residence, Clinton/ widowed/ cause of death, injured in a fall. We have included his signature from the probate records for David Rossiter.