Griffin Genealogy Ancestory Findings of the Griffin Line
"The Griffin Families"
A Mrs. Mary Griffin of North Carolina, her maiden name has not yet been determined
nor is it known what her husband's given name was. She was born in N.C. about 1780 and was married probably about 1797. Their first child was born about
1798 and by 1811 when their last child was born they had six known children. In 1811 Mary Griffin was still reasonably young and the fact that that there
were no more children would seem to suggest that the father died shortly thereafter. All the children (with the possible exception of one) were born in
North Carolina. By tradition it seems that the family lived in, or near, Nash County.
A search thru the early census reports of a dozen neighboring counties (including
Nash) of N.C. fails to definantly identify the husband of Mary Griffin. The only families that in any way matched the ages of Mary and the children were
John (Jr.) of Edgecombe Co., Darlin Griffin of Wayne Co., and possibly Hardy Griffin also of Wayne County.
According to "Historical Sketches of N.C.-"Wheeler, page 274, a Hardy Griffin was
a Member of the General Assembly from Nash Co. almost continuously from 1778 until 1795. He was followed by an Archibald Griffin, probably a son, in 1797
and again from 1802 through 1807. According to "Abstracts of Early Records of Nash Co., N.C." 1963 by J.W. Watson, Hardy Griffin died intestate December
1794 leaving his widow, Mary Griffin. His estate was administered by Archibald Griffin. The same source shows Archibald Griffin as Sheriff of Nash Co.
1792 - 1793. He was active in the settlement of several estates and was guardian of several orphans, showing he had a Bond in 1812 for an orphan. These
Griffins, according to Mrs. Margarette Glenn Griffin of Rocky Mount, N.C. were descendants of one John Griffin who was in Nash Co., N.C. as early as 1740.
The fact that Mary Griffin's two sons were named Archibald and Hardy suggests
that they may have been descendants of the earlier Griffins of Nash County. Mrs. M.G. Griffin names four sons of the earlier Hardy Griffin. They were
Thomas, Archibald, Guilford and Jesse. All but Guilford appear in the 1790 census. He and another son apparently were still at home in 1790. There were
5 sons actually the other perhaps being a Hardy whom may have been the husband of Mary Griffin. Or her husband may have been a son of Jesse Griffin who
seems to have been the Judge Griffin mentioned in "Tennessee Cousins" 1950 by Worth S. Ray, page 200, who served the first court of Sevier Co., TN
7-14-1796. (There is a family tradition that Mary Griffin's husband was in some way connected with public life in TN and that he and or his sons came
into Alabama as hog drovers or horse traders.)
The family first appears in AL in St. Clair County where two of the daughters,
Quinney and Elizabeth, and the widowed mother, married. Mary Griffin and John Darling, a widower with children, were married in St. Clair Co. 12-9-1823
(bk.1, pg 27). The family later moved on to Perry Co. where another daughter married in 1829 and the other son, Hardy, married in 1833. Mary Griffin
Darling died 9-27-1862.
The family and many descendants of Mary Griffin and her first husband, as
developed from numerous sources appear to have been as follows:
Quinny "Queenie" Griffin, b. abt. 1805 N.C. or TN ?, m. 6-16-1823, St. Clair Co., AL to Jesse Humphreys (or Humphries);
family appears in 1840 Census Perry Co., AL with 7 children;
in 1850 census children at home:
Hardy Griffin b. 10-31-1811 d. 4-27-1870 m. Elizabeth E. Boyles b. 9-1-1814 d. 12-12-1882; both buried Mt. Zion Church,
N.W. Perry Co., ALTheir children:
This line is from the data that I have received from family members and from court records and Library data. There is still some that needs to be
researched. If anyone has information or is from this line please feel free to email me at txbabycat@hotmail.com.
"The Griffin Families"
Patsy or Epsy Griffin, b. abt. 1789, N.C. ?, m. Lewis Breland, b. abt. 1792 S.C., lived Brush Creek Beat, Perry Co., AL
1830:children at home then (probably others older who were married)
