Samuel Griffin Lot 81

Samuel Griffin Jun. moved to Essex, Vermont with his father Samuel and brothers John and Dan. In Essex he married Sylvia Bradley. Samuel and Sylvia raised a family of 9. Samuel Sen. picked a lot in the prime central part of the valley. Samuel Jun. picked a lot, Lot 81, which was in a more remote part of Essex. From The History of The town of Essex, “In the western part of town nicknamed “Lost Nation” by the early settlers, beginning on the Reservoir road opposite Moses Yandow farm, the first farm was settled by Samuel Griffin. His house stood on the south side of the road”. The Reservoir road runs through the top of Lot 81. Running through the middle of the lot is “Indian Brook”. Samuel eventual purchased lots 80 and 82 along with portions of lots 102 and 103 in addition to other area properties. He sold 3 acres of Lot 103 where it borders on Lot 81 to his son Orlow for a home lot. The upper part of lot 81 is level with the surround terrain but Indian Brook has cut a valley through the bottom portion that is 100 or more feet lower than the surround terrain. It is this classic bottom land that attracted Samuel to the Lost Nation. The current occupants describe it as incredible fertile land. Family letters indicate that the family occupied a couple of different home sites on Samuel’s properties. The original on the upper terrace of Lot 81 the second home was on Lot 82. There is a description of the home lot in a letter written by Samuel’s daughter Rosetta to her brother Albert who had left Essex. “I sometime stop & look down the old well & see the old cellar where we used to pick and eat our winter apples. The old orchard looks very natural. I think the woods is all cut away where father used to sugar when he moved to the new house, so now when we are at our childhood home, or where it lay, we can look down and & see the house and farm where we all lived when you went away”. A feature of the second home site is a rock formation. In a letter from Rosetta, “Mother was with us a good deal & enjoyed being at her old home again on the Rocky”. Samuel’s children purchased most of his farmland and occupied it for another generation. We have a few photographs of Samuel’s property. The 1st is Reservoir road, which has probably not changed much since the days Samuel drove along it. There are sections of old rock fence still visible on the property. A building that is still in use shows parts of Samuel’s original foundation stones and timbers for his out buildings. The next picture shows the rocky outcropping that marked the second home location. We then have a view from Lot 82 ie “Rocky” down toward Lot 81. Reservoir road is just out of sight. Crossing Reservoir road the lot drops down into the river bottom where it spreads out into beautiful farmland. The photos are of land that Samuel owned. ____________Samuel / Samuel / Samuel Griffin of Killingworth