Joel, son of Dan Griffin of Westford, VT

Joel, the son of Daniel Griffin and Catherine Meriam, was born in Westford, Vermont in about 1805. There is a very faint historical trail for Joel in Vermont. The only record we have is of his marriage to Amelia Hobart, September 18, 1828 in Westford. They were married by ”Simon Parmalee Minister”. Joel as with many young men of that generation saw his future in the west. For the young men in Chittenden County, Vermont the first move was often one hundred or so miles west into upper New York. Many then moved on to other places further west mainly in the upper Midwest. Tracing this generation of young men is to say the least problematic. The new communities they formed or joined did not have the governmental infrastructure needed to record vital records. The search for this generation relies heavily on the census records. A primary source for more detailed information is death records. By the time this generation died there was sufficient government structure in place that detailed death records were kept. The result of this set of circumstances is that researching the lives of these people usually starts with information gleaned from a death record and then moves backward. The key challenge is gathering enough hints to allow you to place them in a location many years and several states away from places like Westford, Vermont. The key hint for tracing Joel came in a letter written by his cousin, Rosetta Griffin Hunt (Samuel) to her brother Albert Griffin in 1870. In the letter she wrote, “The last I knew of cousin Joel he was living in Wentworth, Lake Co. Ill. He is all that is left of that family.”--------- Starting with the 1860 Federal Census we find Joel Griffin, age 55, born in Vermont, living in Warren, Lake, Illinois, Post Office Wentworth. Included in his household is his wife Thyphena. In the several census records her name is present with several phonetic spellings, Trifina, Triphena. ---------- There are a number of historical sources for the life of Joel Griffin in Warren, Ill. The first is a marriage record recorded in Lake County to Tryphena Dunlap dated May 7, 1859. This leads to a conclusion that his first two wives, Amelia Hobart and Johannah must have passed away. The second major discovery is the site of his burial in the Union Cemetery in nearby Waukegan. The cemetery records place his death on January 15, 1877 and that of his wife Thyphena on May 8, 1885. Also buried in the family plot is his son, William, and his wife Phebe.--------- Tryphena Dunlap was born, according to census records, in 1816 in Massachusetts. Her will raises an interesting point. In the will she names two brothers who were then living in Westford, Vermont. Did Joel and Thyphena know each other in Vermont? It is an interesting question. Found in Tryphena’s will is a description of Joel’s estate which includes farming equipment and a flour mill.--------- Joel’s will is found in the Illinois, Wills and Probate Records. In the will he names his wife, Thyphena, his son William and his wife Phebe and his two daughters, Nancy E. Goodspeed and Hattie E. Pike. The information found in the will provides a jumping off point for researching Joel’s children.------------- Searching for a family utilizing the description set down in the will leads to the 1850 census taken in Chateaugay, Franklin, New York. The census records Joel age 44 born in Vermont, Johannah age 45 born NY, Nancy age 20, NY, William 15, NY and Harriet age 6 born in New York. Franklin County represented that first step west for Vermont men. In Franklin County Joel joined his namesake, his father’s half brother Joel, and his son Joel. Many family histories mistakenly trace our Joel to the area of Rushford, Allegany County, NY, which is where his Uncle Joel’s family ended up.---------- The 1850 census provides us with a number of clues. In the census we find in Joel’s household Johannah, born in New York, who is apparently Joel’s second wife. From the ages of the children and place of birth we can deduce that Joel was living in New York by 1830 not long after his first marriage.---------- By 1860 Joel has moved on to Illinois, Johannah is now missing and Joel has taken Thyphena Dunlap as his third wife. By 1860 his three children were then living on their own. Did they follow him to Illinois? Cemetery records indicate that William did but what of the two girls?------------- As it turns out the girls did not follow their father to Illinois. In the same 1850 census in Chateaugay, where we found Joel and a daughter, Nancy E., we find Nancy also listed in the household of her husband, Stephen Goodspeed. In the census records she is always referred by her middle name Eveline or Eveline N. In 1860 the Goodspeed family has moved ten miles east to Ellenburg, Clinton County. The census records all place her birth in about 1830 and indicate that she was born in NY. Nancy and Stephen are buried in the West Hill Cemetery in Ellenburg, Clinton County. The cemetery biography for Nancy lists her as Nancy Eveline Griffin Goodspeed. Her headstone reads, Nancy E.- wife of- Stephen Goodspeed- Died- June 24, 1881- in her 52nd year. Stephen died on December 7, 1908. The extended Goodspeed family is buried in Ellenburg.------------------- William is buried with his parents in Illinois. There is not a trail for him in the census records. His cemetery information places his birth in January 1835 and his death on July 4, 1875. ---------- Harriet/ Hattie E. Griffin returned to the family roots in Vermont settling in Waterbury near Essex close to her uncle Almon’s children. In the 1860 census in Waterbury he find the 17 year old Harriet E. age 17 in the household of Wm. Pike. By 1880 we find a Harriet E. Pike in Waterbury as the head of her own household. The census indicates that she was born in 1844 in NY and both of her parents in VT. The census also lists her as divorced.--------------- We find a definitive document for Harriet dated October 22, 1881 in Waterbury, VT. It is a marriage certificate. The name of the bride is written twice, once as Hattie E. Pike, the second time as Hattie E. Griffin. The groom is Stephen Grover. Her age is give as 37. The marriage certificate lists her place of birth as Ellenburg, NY, which is near Chateaugay. The certificate indicates that it is her second marriage. Her parents are identified as Joel Griffin and Emelia H., which is actually Amelia Hobart.--------------- The remainder of Harriet’s life can be tracked searching for Harriett Grover. In the 1900 census, which is one of the most useful because of the extra data it provided, she is listed as Hattie E. Grover, born Jan 1844 in NY. It notes that she is now a widow and the mother of two children. Harriet and Stephen are buried in the Hope Cemetery in Waterbury. The cemetery records list her as; Grover, Hattie E. Griffin Pike born January 10 1844 in Ellenburg, NY, died August 6, 1914 in Waterbury. Her Vermont Death Record uses the name Hattie Griffin Grover. Her father is listed as Joel Griffin and her mother as Amelia Hobart. It lists her date of death as August 6, 1914 at the age 70 years 6 months and 27 days. Stephen Grover died May 1, 1898.---------------------- Joel // Dan // Samuel // Samuel Griffin of Killingworth, CT