52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week #3 theme "Out of Place"

When attempting to complete the time lines of each of my direct ancestors, I try to find them in census or other records and add those to my Ancestry "Facts". But I could not find our Grandpa Charley Griffin in the 1900 census. His mother lived in Oklahoma, as did many other cousins, uncles, etc. on land that was claimed in the Land Run of 1889. I knew that Charley Griffin and Hattie McGill were married in Oklahoma in 1906, and my father, Dan Griffin, was born in 1907. I found a plat map where Charley owned property in Oklahoma in 1906. But where was Charley when the 1900 census was taken? My father had said that at one time Charley worked at a livery stable in Colorado. Could that be a clue?

I let it ride for a while and followed some other family members. Colorado? Hmmm. Now I've found that Edgar Griffin, a 1st cousin of Charley went from Kansas to Colorado and married in 1899. In 1900, his family is located in Central City, Colorado, where Andrew is working as a "Hackman" and neighbors work in the gold mines. I believe a hackman drove a wagon. Could that be similar to one who works at a livery stable? I can picture that Charley and his cousin took off for the Colorado gold fields, but ended up with a job at the livery stable. Charley made some money and came back to marry his sweetheart, Hattie, in Oklahoma where he purchased some land, and became a farmer. Somehow the census takers missed my grandpa. I believe he might have been out on his horse or looking for gold that day, not "Out of Place"...HE knew where he was.

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week # 42 theme is "Lost".

As we build our family trees, we try to find and add the census records for every direct ancestor, looking at all the household members and neighbors too. But in searching for my Grandpa, Charley,  in 1900,  I do not find him.  Another LOST relative.  By 1906 he married my Grandma in Oklahoma, and we have seen the marriage certificate. Someone had passed along a comment that "Charley went off and worked at a livery stable somewhere."  I believe he was saving up $ to get married and to buy land from a relative who homesteaded in Oklahoma.  So, a few years later, we were following the lives of a previous generation.  An uncle of Charley had gone to Colorado a few years earlier,  and a cousin went to the gold fields of Central City, Colorado.  (Sounds like a good place to save up $$ for coming marriage, huh?) The 1900 census for Cousin Ed, shows him in Central City as a "Hack Man".   Could that be like  a livery stable?  I think that my Grandpa Charley was not LOST at all but was caught between census records, and  had indeed "gone off and worked at a livery stable", before coming back to get married.  Among the unidentified pictures collected over time, we found this one which we thought was Cousin Ed with his children and pups.  Sure enough, a distant cousin identified the picture as his relative who was Edgar from Colorado.  So besides finding our "Lost" Grandpa, we found Cousin Ed, who wasn't lost at all.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.  Week #36 theme is Exploration.

There are many ways to explore in genealogy searching: Online records, libraries, other people’s trees, newspapers, or in person. We have prepared by doing all of the above, and then headed out, off the beaten path, to visit the locations where our ancestors lived. So far, we have visited more than 25 locations in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York. We took many, many photographs along the way and my husband has even painted watercolors of some locations. 

There are so many photographs, that I need to choose just one family line for this post. You will see where we explored our Griffin line, starting with John Griffin, immigrant from Wales, who arrived in Connecticut about 1640. We visited Granby and Simsbury, where roads, farms and even shopping centers bear the Griffin name. The photo below is a current day sheep farm on the original land called Griffin’s Farmstead. Of course the structure was not there in 1640.  John's son, Thomas, was born on that property, in 1658. 

Thomas Griffin was the father of Benoni Griffin,Sr.,  born 1714. His mill was located at The Falls, on the Farmington River, in Simsbury, CT. It was formerly owned by his grandfather, John Griffin. We found the Farmington River, but couldn't see The Falls. 

Although other siblings stayed in Connecticut, Benoni Griffin, jr. acquired a grant in Virginia, about 1784.  He settled in the area of Bath County, which is now Arbovale, West Virginia. The photo is of the view he would have seen of the Greenbrier River valley. 

 

His son Jonathan married Rachel Sharp and lived on Stony Creek, which is near the present city of Marlinton, West Virginia. We explored the area, still known as the Griffin land. Photo is of the working  farm there. 

After the Civil War, Jonathan’s son William and family migrated (by way of stops in Iowa and Missouri) to live in Montgomery County Kansas. Their homestead in current photo is still called Griffin Hill, and down the hill is the land belonging to William’s son, Samuel, my Gt.Grandfather.  This is where my Grandfather Charley Griffin was born, and probably road his horse up that trail to his Grandfather's home. 

In 1889, when land was opened in Oklahoma Territory, a claim was staked in William’s name, by his youngest son, Pete Griffin.  A few years later, Samuel’s widow, Lizzie, brought her family to that same property, west of Edmond, and homesteaded. Charley and his siblings helped to farm the land, near Waterloo Road and Portland.  Photo is of hay bales, as the land is still agricultural, although near one of the fastest growing cities in Oklahoma. 

Charley married Hattie McGill (of another 89er family) and for a time they farmed near Ahpeatone, in Cotton County OK.  My father, Dan Griffin, shared his boyhood memories of living in Cotton County, and fun with his brothers. We believe this is the house they lived in.

 The last photo is the house where Charley and family lived in Edmond, Oklahoma, where our own family memories include porch swings, marking our heights on the door frame, fun with cousins, celebrating Christmas and Fourth of July, and more. 

   

Dan Harrell Griffin

My Daddy, Dan H. Griffin of Edmond and Oklahoma City, OK. Posting his obituary here at Father's Day, along with a few comments made by minister at Daddy's funeral.

DAN HARRELL GRIFFIN, 85, died Thursday, September 30, 1993, at Edmond. He was born before statehood at Edmond, OK, October 26, 1907, oldest son of early settlers of Oklahoma Territory, Charlie and Hattie Griffin. He was preceded in death by brothers, Forrest Lynn (Jiggs) Griffin and Charles Warren (Chick) Griffin, an wife of 55 years, Bess Eloise Avera Griffin.

(I have edited out list of living descendants: Three daughters, one son; nine grandchildren; and now fifteen great grandchildren.)

Mr. Griffin’'s mother, Hattie McGill, was an 89er, daughter of Daniel Patrick McGill, who staked a claim at Deer Creek during the Run of '‘89. Paternal grandmother, Lizzie Terry Griffin, and family settled near Edmond in 1890. He grew up in Edmond and in Cotton County, graduating from Normal Highschool in Edmond, and then from Central State Teachers’ College in Edmond in 1932, with a degree in Industrial Arts Education. For nearly 14 years, he traveled throughout several states working for Phillips Petroleum Co. on seismograph drilling crews. With the establishment of Griffin Drilling Co. in 1946, he and his family returned to Edmond, then to Oklahoma City in 1950. He was always personally involved with every phase of the family business even after retirement and to the final weeks of his life.

He was a member of Edmond Masonic Lodge, #37, Scottish Rite Consistory in Guthrie, and a member of the India Temple Shrine in Oklahoma City. He was an avid sports fan, bird watcher, flower gardener, photographer, and constant student of every type of earth and natural science, geography and history. Sharing these loves with his family, he had traveled to 41 states, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba.

During the past few months he was a resident of Teal Ridge Retirement Community at Edmond where he will be missed by many friends.

Services will be Monday, October 4, at 10:30 a.m. Baggerly Funeral Home in Edmond, with burial at Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

Notes from Minister for Dan Griffin's funeral:
Dan... Grandaddy
Determined, persevering, integrity, never a quitter, his word was his bond.
Always interesting and interested, more to learn.
Natural teacher, knew much information.
Telling the young guide, and the tour crowd, in Capitol rotunda about the acoustic bounce.
When he took kids on vacation, it was "industry on Parade", touring factories, dams, etc.
Explaining scientific principles to family.
Multi-faceted, world class student of everything.
Wanted everyone to learn how to do well.
For brief period, a wealthy man, but not very materialistic.
Told future son in law: "Don't marry ___ for my money, I intend to spend it all."
But he didn't ---Generous man.
As a husband, he was the Boss.
As a father, the authority.
As a father in law, a role model and an affirming and generous man.
As a boss, all business to employess, but made lasting friendships with many.
As a Grand Daddy, lively and fun, showing you how to do it. Wanted the grandchildren busy.
OU fan - big time - red jacket - football and basketball.
Type A personality behind wheel of a car.
Taught sharing and giving, very practical. Always picked up the check.
Mad a bird trap (for birds he didn't want in his yard). Took them away opened trunk and bluejays and sparrows flew. Leaving the birds he loved and fed, watching from his office window.
Word person, oral and written communication. Frustration in later years when a stroke left him with problems of communication.
Enjoyed life, did what he wanted to do, was finished.

Miss you, Daddy.

Oklahoma Land Run of 1889

The anniversary of the Oklahoma Run of April 22, 1889 is upon us. As children we celebrated by re-enacting the Run, making covered wagons, dressing in long skirts or cowboy garb, packing a lunch and staking our claims on the playground. Being descendants of '89ers, we also went to the parades, picnics, and rodeos on '89ers Day. Grandma Hattie (Harriett Emily McGill Griffin) was a true 89er, having arrived by covered wagon from  Iowa after her father, Daniel Patrick McGill, had staked his claim on that memorable day. Her husband, Charley Griffin's family came in the earliest years of the new Oklahoma Territory, living on land claimed by Uncle Pete Griffin also near Edmond. (see Peter Griffin's story in archives).

To read more on the 1889 Land Rush, follow this link transcribed from 1889 Harper's Weekly Magazine. Note the mention of the train coming from Arkansas City, Kansas. Both of our ancestors, Daniel McGill and Peter Griffin, came on that train. Found this photo on line taken at Arkansas City before the Run. Can you find your Gt Grandpa?

The Santa Fe Tracks veer off to the west when they go through Guthrie, and the land west of Edmond would have looked great from the tracks around Waterloo Rd. So Pete Griffin made his claim and his parents' on the south side of Waterloo Rd. on a creek later called "Bloody Rush" or "Bloody Run" creek, west of the Deer Creek. It is now just "Rush Creek" on maps.

Grandpa Charley Griffin

Cotton County, Oklahoma, about 1915 or so. My Grandpa worked hard. His Dad died in Kansas and Gt. Grandmother Lizzie came to the brand new Oklahoma Territory to start over. Five sons and a daughter were put to work on the new farm, northwest of Edmond. Charley raised his three sons with a strong work ethic, and a love for learning. Now that we are learning of his heritage we find that the character traits have been passed along for many generations.