Milton Griffin's family--New Hudson, NY

Milton Griffin’s Family; Milton // Joel // Samuel // Samuel Griffin of Killingworth--------- There are several challenges to overcome in writing a history for Milton Griffin and Eleanore/ Elnore Doty’s family. Eleanore is the spelling used in the death records for her children. Those death records also provide us with Eleanore’s maiden name, Doty. Census records indicate that she was born in about 1810 in Canada. Milton came to Franklin County, New York from Swanton, Vermont with his family in about 1804. He met and married Eleanore Doty in Franklin. By the time of the 1830 census they had one child. During his lifetime Milton and his brothers were always on the frontiers of American. In the communities where they lived there was very little emphasis on record keeping. In both Franklin County and Allegany County, NY there are almost no surviving birth or marriage records. As a result we are left with using census data to track Milton’s children. But in the case of Milton the census data is less than idea. For the average family the census records track the growth of a family in ten-year increments. From census to census you can see a family grow, see children being born and children leaving home. Milton’s family is an exception. The pattern from one census to the next is inconsistent. It seems that Milton’s children spent a lot of time living with the extended family. As a result using census data to reconstruct Milton’s family is fraught with problems. In the 1800s the major problem in tracking people via census records is hindered by the fact that women disappeared behind the identity of their husbands. In the absence of marriage records finding Milton’s girls approached the impossible. The census records place Milton and Eleanore in Bangor/Malone in Franklin County until after the 1840 census. The 1840 census indicates that six children were born in Franklin County. The census records hint that in 1843 the family was living in Erie County, NY. By the time Frederick was born in 1845 the family was living in New Hudson, Allegany, NY. His father Joel’s family had gathered around his older brother, Oramel, in nearby Rushford. Milton and Eleanore lived in New Hudson until at least the time of the 1875 census. We do not have any death or burial records for Milton and Eleanore. Eleanore is living with their daughter, Julia, in the 1894 Michigan Census but she is not there in the 1880 census.-------- Milton’s sister Sophia provides us with the key to unlocking the mystery of Milton’s daughters. Sophia , a widow, did not have any surviving children. As a result in her will, probated in 1881 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Sophia bequeaths her estate to her nieces. In the will she identifies them by their married name and provides their place of residence. The will names Jane A. Webster of Augusta, Michigan, Mary Shean of Ross, Michigan, Julia Willison of Augusta, Michigan and Sophia Winters also living in Michigan. The extended Griffin family had migrated to the neighboring counties of Barry and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Milton’s brother Oramel was a major land speculator in the area. ------------ The search for Milton’s children begins with the 1830 Census taken in Malone, Franklin, New York. The census identifies Milton as the head of the household and records his wife, Eleanore, and a daughter under the age of 5. This daughter, named Jane A. Griffin, had left home by the time of the 1850 Census, which was the first to name each member of a household. As a result her existence was largely unknown until her aunt Sophia’s will.----------- A search for Jane A Webster in Augusta, Michigan eventually turned up a Michigan death record. Jane died November 8, 1898 in Kalamazoo and was buried in nearby Augusta. The record names her parents, Milton Griffin and Eleanore Doty. It records that she was born in Malone, NY and that she was 69 at the time of her death, which calculates to a date of birth in 1829 a match for the 1830 Malone Census. Census records identify Jane’s husband as Alanson/Oland Webster. In the 1855 census, taken in New Hudson, Jane is listed as Jane Ann. In the 1860 Census in Barry, Barry, Mich. we find living in their household Oramel’s boys, Solon and Jackson Griffin, and Jane’s younger sister, Martha Griffin, age 18.---------- There are hints that Milton and Eleanore had another daughter born in Malone in about 1831. Jane was born in 1829 and Sophia in 1834 leaving a five year gap. We have only accounted for three of the four girls recorded in the 1840 census.----------- Sophia is listed in her father’s house in New Hudson in the 1855 census. The census gives her age as 21/ 1834 and indicates that she was born in Franklin County. She is identified by her aunt Sophia as Sophia Winters of Michigan. In the 1860 census in New Hudson we find Sophia age 27/ 1843 and her husband Thomas Winters age 28. We find her death in the Michigan death records. The widow, Sophia Winters, age 65 died April 6, 1898 In Hickory Corners, Barry, Mich. Her parents are listed as Milton Griffin and Eleanore Doty.----------- Julia A Griffin appears in the 1855 and 1860 census records in New Hudson. They indicate that she was born in Franklin County in 1838. Julia is identified by her aunt Sophia as Julia Willison. Julia followed the extended family to Michigan where she married a Michigan boy, Zaphna Willison. The 1900 census records a date of birth as Feb. 1838. Zaphna died in 1886. In the 1894 Michigan State Census we find living with Julia her mother, Eleanore, age 84 born in Canada. Julia and Zaphna are buried in the North Hickory Cemetery in Barry Township. Cemetery records provided us with a birth and death date; February 24, 1838 and September 4, 1919.---------- The only time Joel appears in Milton’s household by name is in the 1860 Census taken in New Hudson, Allegany, NY.. He is listed as age 26 indicating a date of birth in 1834/5. That date is a match for the two young boys recorded in the 1840 census in Malone, Franklin, NY. His Civil war enlistment papers place his date of birth in 1836. There are NY Census records taken in 1870, 1875 and 1880 in Salamanca, Cattaraugus, NY, which records a Joel Griffin born about 1835 in Franklin County and his wife Betsy born in Allegany County. Those dates and places are a match for what you would expect to find for Milton’s son, Joel. The confirmation for his identity is found in his will probated on November 18, 1880. In his will he provides money for Mrs. Milton Griffin, his mother. He also leave money to a nephew, William Shean, son his his sister Mary.----------- Merrit A. Griffin appears in the 1850 census at the age of 9, which suggests a date of birth in 1840/1. He also appears in the 1855 New York census as age 15. Evidence points to the fact the Merrit was born before the 1840 Census, which was taken in June of that year. The 1855 New York Census has been used as evidence for a daughter “Merritte”. A close examination of the original census shows a poorly written Merrit with what looks like an extra “t”. The telling bit of evidence is that the 15 years old child is identified as a “M” ie a male. It is very easy to distinguish between the “F” used to indicate females and the “M” used for males. There are no other confirmable records for Merrit. Some family histories quote a death record for a Merrit in Union, Branch, Mich. who married an Etta Gott. It is an easy to trace documentary trail, which identifies this Merrit as the son of Nelson Griffin. There is a Merrit Griffin in Worchester, Ostego, NY with a date of birth in Sept. 1843 not quite a match. There are also records for a Merrit “A” Griffin in Boxar County Texas born about 1841 in NY. His death certificate dated July 17, 1922 does not list his parents.------------- Most family histories for Milton and Eleanore Griffin’s family include a daughter Merritte. A transcription of the 1855 New York Census has been used as the source for the name. The New York Census records offer several a few valuable insights. One of it unique features is that is records each person’s county of birth. It also clearly indicates if the person listed is male or female. A review of the 1855 New York Census for Milton’s household includes a poorly written version of the name, Merrit, age 15. For our purposes the census clearly indicates that this particular person is a male. It you look at the 1850 Federal census and the 1855 New York Census in combination what you are seeing is the tracking of a son named Merrit. There is in fact no daughter named Merritte.----------- Martha H Griffin appears as a 7-year-old daughter in the 1850 census taken in New Hudson, Allegany, NY. The Burdick family history notes that her name was Martha Helen. In the 1855 New York Census she is listed as age 13 born in Erie, County. In the 1860 census she is part of her sister Jane’s household. Her Michigan death record is dated December 22, 1878 in Ross, Kalamazoo, Michigan. It lists a date of birth in New York in about 1842. The certificate identifies her parents as Milton and Elenor Griffin. Martha married Myron Burdick. They are buried in the East Hickory Corners Cemetery. Her original headstone read Martha H Burdick, b Feb 22, 1843, d. Dec 22, 1878 wf of Myron.----------- A transcription of the 1865 census has been used to identify Mary as Mary “C” Griffin. A closer look at the original show the ‘C” to be and “E’. The Shean family history identifies her as Mary Etta Griffin. Mary’s name is in the census records for her father Milton in 1850, 1855, 1860 and 1865. Mary followed her sisters to Michigan. The 1880 census places her and her husband, John Shean, in Ross, Kalamazoo, Michigan. The 1880 census identifies the birth place of each person listed in the census and their parents. It notes that her father was born in Vermont and her mother in Canada. The 1900 Census places Mary and John Shean in Aurora, Hamilton, Nebraska. That census gives her date of birth as February 1843. It places her birth in New York, her father in Vermont and her mother in Canada. Mary is present in the 1910 Census in Aurora after that the documentary trails for her ends. The Shean family history that identifies Mary’s middle name as Etta provides a date of death for John Shean May 5, 1925 in Aurora who they also note that he was born in Michigan. It notes that some of their children were born in Hickory Groves, Michigan. They admit that they do not have a death date for Mary. The records seem to tell us that Mary and Martha Griffin were twins both were born in Erie County in February 1843.------------ Frederick Griffin appears in the 1850 census as age 5, the 1855 as age 10 and the 1860 as age 15. The New York census indicates that he was born in Allegany County. While conducting a detailed search of the 1865 New York census records we discovered a marriage records for Frederick, "Fredrick Griffin-19-Helen Dunham-18- Dunkirk, NY, January 22, 1865". A search of the 1860 census for Dunkirk turns up a Helen Dunham age 13 along with her mother Jane Dunham. The 1880 census in Denver , Colorado finds a Fred Griffin and his wife Helen as well as his mother-in-law Jane Dunham. Fredrick and Helen are buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Denver. His headstone reads; Fredrick F. Griffin-- 17 January 1845--27 August 1892.------------- There is a single historical note for Lamira. She appears in the 1850 census in New Hudson at the age of 2. Her absence in the 1855 and 1860 census records would seem to argue that she died at a very early age.------------ Samuel Griffin Genealogy Blog // samuelgriffingenealogy.blogspot.com