Susan Cecelia Griffin October 23, 1823

Susan Cecelia Griffin was born in Clinton October 23, 1823. She and her siblings were born in somewhat of a historical vacuum. Tracing the family has been a game of clearly identifying one of the siblings and then establishing ties to that standard bearer. Susan’s ties to her parents James and Jemima Griffin are very well established. The Barbour Collection, which has provided a base line for many of our projects, does not include any baptismal records for James and Jemima Griffin’s family making it difficult to identify their children. The collection did however include a record of Griffin marriages including one for a “Susan C. Griffin m. Zerah C. Brooks, both of Clinton, December 31, 1843 by E.L. Huntington”. In the 1860 census as part of the household of Susan and Zerah we found James N Griffin age 75. We have subsequently found a death record from Volume 2 to the Clinton town records that reads, “Susan C. Brooks died March 25, 1899 at 75 years, 5 months, 2 days, Married, born in Clinton, died in Clinton, parents, father James N Griffin, mother Jemima Rossiter”. In the records of the, US Sons of the American Revolution her sons identify her as Susan “Cecelia” Brooks. In a biography for her husband she is identified as Susan Cecelia Griffin daughter of James Needham Griffin and Jemima Rossiter. In the history of the Simon Church family, concerning the Brooks family, she is listed as Susan C. Griffin the wife of Zerah Brooks. She and Zerah are buried next to each other in the Indian River Cemetery, “Susan C. Griffin, wife of Zerah, b Oct 23, 1823, d Mar 25, 1899”. Contained in the collection of biographies titled “Genealogical and family history of the state of Connecticut” is a description of Susan, “She was a women of lovable disposition. She possessed bright intellectual qualities, a keen sense of humor and was beloved by all”. ------Susan married Zerah Clark Brooks. Her sister Maria Louisa married his brother Julius. Zerah was the son of Nathan Brooks and Nancy Clark. He was born in Chester and moved with his family at an early age to Clinton. His biography reads, “Zerah Clark Brooks: born Chester October 19, 1817. From his father he learned the trade of stone cutting and stonemason work. Later he established a stone yard in Clinton and carried on the business of stone cutting and stone construction work up to within a few years of his death. He was a man of high moral standing, strict integrity, and was highly respected in his community and by all who came in contact with him. He died at the home of his son James Weston Brooks, in Derby, Connecticut, May 14, 1903 and was buried in Clinton. He married December 31, 1843 Susan Cecelia Griffin”. Just a word about the biographical collection we have sited. It covers a very small fraction of the heads of household in the state of Connecticut. To be included in its pages seems to imply that those so covered had made a significant mark in their communities.------ Susan and Zerah had 3 sons together. The oldest John Henry is buried next to them in Indian River his headstone reads “John H. Brooks, b. Oct 18, 1846, d. Apr 17, 1851”. His death is also recorded in the Hurd Collection. “Zerah Brooks his child d. April 17, 1851”. In the town records his death is also recorded, “April 17, 1851, John H. Brooks, M, 4 1/2, lung fever”. ------The second son to be born into the family was James Weston Brooks named after 3 generations of grandfathers. The Genealogical and Family History collection also has a biography for James, “James Weston Brooks, son of Zerah Clark Brooks, was born in Clinton, March 21, 1850. He attended the public schools of his native town, and the academy. He began his business career in the employment of the Hull & Wright, manufactures of ornamental tinwork. Afterwards he was with the New Haven Organ Company and became an expert in tuning organs. For a number of years he had the contract for tuning of the Monroe Organ Reed Company………was engaged to develop and perfect the tone qualities of the Vocalion Organ. The inventor of the organ James Hamilton having in several years of experimenting in Europe and a number of trials in this county had been unable to find anyone who could satisfactorily do this work. Mr. Brooks successfully completed this undertaking in about one year……….In 1887 when he resigned and came to Derby under contract with the Sterling Company, piano manufactures in charge of their tuning department……In December of 1894 the Huntington Piano Company was organized in Shelton, Connecticut and Mr. Brooks became Secretary and General Manager. Largely through his efforts and executive abilities this concern has grown rapidly and prospered greatly. He is a member of the Board of Trade of Derby…..The Golf Club…A Unitarian…. A Republican…. He is past Senior Warden of Jephtha Lodge, No. 95 Free Masons, of Clinton”. The piano companies became the focal point in the lives of James and his brother Ancel. The Sterling Organ Company was founded in 1845. Organs and pianos were the number one source of entertainment in American households. In 1860 Sterling added pianos to its line and in 1884 they changed their name to the Sterling Piano Company located in Derby. In 1894 the Sterling Company recognized a need for a line of less expensive pianos and formed a subsidiary, the Huntington Piano Company, across the river in Shelton. These two companies shipped pianos all across the county and all over the world especially South America. They are considered collector items today. At some point in time James’s brother Ansel became the President of the Sterling Company and brought James on board . The two brothers then ran the two companies for 30 odd years. They were the single biggest employer in the region. James lived the majority of his life in Derby with the exception of the 1920 census, which finds him living in Montclair, New Jersey close to the companies’ main show rooms in Brooklyn, New York. James Married Sarah Ester Platt on April 13, 1870. They had 7 children, John, Edith Louise, James Ansel, Susan May, Grace Elizabeth Platt and Ethel Chapman. Their births are all found in the Clinton town records. It is my estimation that the family lived in very comfortable circumstances. James Ansel graduated from Yale and became a well know college professor. In 1917 Edith Louise applied for a passport with a list of destinations that included British South Africa, Ceylon, Indian, Egypt and Palestine as a representative of the American Red Cross. In his World War I draft registration James is listed as 66 years old, 5 ft. 10 1/2 inches tall, 150 pounds. I found it interesting that he stated he could not ride a horse. We obtained his death record from his Masonic Lodge, December 8, 1929. ------Ansel Jones Brooks was born, according to his father’s biography, November 16, 1853. Ansel’s date of birth and genealogy are also found in his application to the US Sons of the American Revolution. In the Clinton town records we find “ 16 Nov 1853, no name, male, Zerah & Susan Brooks, age 35/29”. Also in the Clinton marriage records, “1880, February 10, Ansel J. Brooks, Jessica B. Sturges, 29/28, both of Clinton”. According to Zerah’s biography the couple did not have any children. Ansel was named after his father’s brother in law Ansel Jones. Ansel was married to James N Griffin’s sister Charlotte for 4 short years but retained a strong family connection throughout the remainder of his life. Ansel Brooks is listed in the 1900 census in New Haven as “ President Piano Company”. At various times in his life he was referred to as President of the Sterling Piano Company or of the Huntington Piano Company. What ever his title he seems to have been the leading figure in those enterprises. As such he is referenced in the New Haven City Directories. Brooks, Ansel J. (Jessica B) again with reference to the Sterling Company. The only record of his death is found in the 1934 New Haven Directory. “Brooks, Ansel J. Died September 3, 1934 age 80”; I find it an interesting salute that the city would choose to make that notation in their city directory. ------We only have a few documents to present. We have a marriage record. As pointed out in Zerah’s biography Zerah and Susan broke from the long line of Congregationalism when they joined the Methodist Congregation in Clinton. There is a baptismal record for the couple as well as James Weston. There is a death record for John Henry and a birth record available for Ansel Jones.