Thankful Griffin Buell of Killingworth

Thankful Griffin, the daughter of Samuel Griffin and his wife Mary Beckwith, was born in Killingworth, October 14, 1731. Her birth is recorded in the concise little family record written on a page set aside for that purpose in the land deed ledgers. Her death is recorded in the Congregational Second Society records “The widow Thankful Buell” January 16, 1816. She was married December 4, 1751 to Nathan Buell, the son of Daniel and Elizabeth Buell, who was born September 24, 1728. Nathan died at the young age of 42 on June 12, 1770. The Buell family history writes of Nathan “He was a man of great native shrewdness, and many of his sayings continue to be quoted in the neighborhood where he lived”. Thankful, contrary to the norms and demands of the day, never remarried. Nathan and Thankful are buried in the Union Cemetery which borders her brother Samuel’s house------ Thankful was the 2nd child born into the Griffin family but historical evidence suggests her older sister Mary did not survive into her teens thus Thankful became the older sister to her siblings with her sister Jerusha eventually becoming part of her household until her own marriage. Her father Samuel died in 1846 leaving the family to fend without a husband in the house. For most of her life it seems that Thankful assumed the role of the strong pioneer woman exercising an independence seldom experienced by women in early America even to the point of raising a family of six by her own wits. Her independent status is noted in the record of her death where the entry reads Thankful Buell rather than the traditional reference as the wife of her husband. Her independent nature is further highlighted in the Congregational records where she is listed as having assumed the Congregational Covenant awhile still in her teens. From the histories written concerning the Buell family we learn that Thankful’s father in law, Deacon Daniel Buell, was so impressed by Thankful’s grit that he determined to take her family into his home and help raise her children in a fitting manner. Thus Thankful lived out her remaining days in the ancestral Buell home among the fields and orchards mentioned in Daniel Buell’s will. The Buell house is described as being large enough to serve at times as a tavern and gathering place. The Buell homestead was located on Roast Meat Hill a sort distance from her brother Samuel’s home which we have shown elsewhere on the Blog. In his will Daniel Buell left control of the home-lot to Thankful and her son Asa who raised his family there. A hint of the influence of her presence in the household can be found in the names of Asa’s children. He named his oldest daughter Thankful and a son Jeremiah Griffin Buell after his mother’s baby brother Jeremiah who had died at a young age. Thankful and Nathan were the parents of five children.------ The oldest child Gordon /Gurdon was born February 21, 1752. Gordon married Martha Whittlsey. They had four children; Charles, Horatio Gates, Martha and Sarah Josepha (Hale) who went on to a life of some prominence in America. Sarah’s story is found on the Blog.------ Mary married Jeremiah Kelsey. The Kelseys lived in Newport, New Hampshire near Gordon.------ Amanda married Constant Redfield and they raised their eleven children in Killingworth. -------Asa married Mercy Porter. Together they had a family of nine children. They shared the Buell homestead with his mother until moving their family to LeRoy, New York in 1806.------ Siba never married living a singular existence into her 90s in Killingworth. ------Nathan married Hannah Turner and they lived in New Milford, Pennsylvania.------We have a few documents from Thankful’s life. The 1st is the Griffin family record found in the land deed ledgers which contains the birth date for “Thankful ye daughter of Samuel and Mary Griffin”. The 2nd is the notation in the Killingworth 2nd Society records for the souls, including Thankful, who on their Profession of Faith were granted Full Communion. The 3rd document is the marriage record for Thankful and Nathan Buell. From the land deed ledgers we have the record of Thankful’s children. The next few documents are the notations in the Congregational records for the baptism of Thankful and Nathan Buell’s children. The last record is also from the land deed ledgers it is the record of her son Asa’s family. Asa’s son Jeremiah Griffin Buell published a family history in 1885 that we hope to post in the near future.------Click on images to enlarge.