Related Family Names::
AYLOR
BLOOM/BLUME
CARPENTER
GLORE (CLORE)
FINNELL
JOHNSON
MILLER
ROBERTS
RYLE
SLEET
WEBSTER
WEST
Generation No. 1:
William GRIFFITH, Came from Pennsylvania to Kentucky before 1812 when he shows up in the Boone County Marriage books. He was married in Pennsylvania to his first wife. We know this is true because his son, John W. GRIFFITH was born in Pennsylvania on April 15, 1801. It is not known who the first wife was nor if she died in Pennsylvania or Kentucky.
William married his second wife, Polly McClure daughter of Nathaniel McCLURE and Jane PORTER, on October 29, 1812, in Boone County, Kentucky.
1810 Boone County Census records:
Abel Griffith (age 16 to 26) and Ginny Windsor Griffith (age 16 to 26) with one daughter under age 10.
John Griffith (age 26 to 45) and wife (age 26 to 45) with 4 girls under age 10, 3 girls 10-16 and 1 girl 16 to 26.
1820 Boone County Census - no Griffith Families
1830 Boone County Census:
S. E. Griffith (Samuel, age 30-40) and wife (Rebecca, age 20-30) with 2 sons under age 5.
1840 Kenton County Census:
John Griffith, 39; Elizabeth, 22; William H., 2; John, under 1; unknown boarder
1840 Boone County Census:
Samuel E. Griffith (between 40-50) one male age 5-10; one male 10-15; one male 20-30; two females age 5-10; one female age 30-40 (his wife Rebecca)
Mary Griffith age between 50-60; one male age 15-20.
1850 Kenton County Census:
John W. Griffith, 49; Elizabeth, 32; Frances, 15; William, 12; Jefferson, 8; Atilla, 2; Andrew Dutch, 40 - Laborer; Joseph Dutch, 38 - Laborer.
1860 Boone County Census:
John W. Griffith, 59; Elizabeth, 42; William, 22; Jefferson, 19; Attilla, 13; Samantha, 9; Jeremiah, 7; Charles, 3; William Stein (or Hine), 19 - Farm Hand
Early Griffith marriages in Boone County:1
- John Griffith & Mary Anderson, 15 Oct 1812, m by T. Griffing, b Thomas Anderson, A-14
- William Griffith & Polly McClure, 29 Oct 1812, m by T. Griffing, b John Griffeth, c by father Nathaniel McClure, w by John Griffith and John McClure, A-14
- Abel Griffith & Genny Windsor, 20 Mar 1808, m by Alexander McPherson, b Thomas Windsor, A-7
- Jno. W. Griffith & Frances Glore(Clore), May 31, 1831, m by Robert Kirtley, b. J. C. Foster, A-118. Daughter of Michael CLORE and Elizabeth RICE
- John W. Griffith & Elizabeth Carpenter, November 19, 1836, m by Michael Rouse, b Jos. C. Foster, c by Elizabeth's guardian Jonathan Carpenter, B-13. Daughter of Rev. William CARPENTER and Mary AYLOR
- Samuel E. Griffith & Rebecca Patterson, April 28, 1825, m by Absalom Graves, 3-223,224
NOTE: I am assuming that John, Abel and William are brothers, but I'm not sure that this William is the father of John W. Griffith. It is for certain that Polly McClure could not be John W. Griffith's mother. Information that William Griffith and Polly McClure were the parents of John W. Griffith was originally obtained from a Grant County website search submitted by a McClure researcher. I recently discovered the obituary5 of Wm. H. Griffith which confirms that John W. Griffith's father's name was William, not that his grandfather, William, was married to Polly McClure.
Generation No. 2:
John W. GRIFFITH, b. April 15, 1801 in Pennsylvania, shows up on the Boone County Marriage Books for the first time in 1831. He does not show up on the Boone County Census records until 1850. His first marriage was to Frances "Fannie" Glore (Clore), May 31, 1831. She was the daughter of Michael Clore.
Children:
Frances "Fanny" Griffith, b. between 1831/1836 in Boone County KY. She married Napoleon B. Bloom/Blume April 10, 1852 in Kenton County, KY. The had two children: Theodore Wise Bloom, b. June 11, 1856 and Bettie Bloom.
2nd marriage of John W. Griffith was to Elizabeth Carpenter, youngest child of Rev. William Carpenter. They were married November 19, 1836 in Boone County, KY.
| William Henry GRIFFITH | b. May 4, 1838 - d. December 26, 1909 |
| John GRIFFITH | b. March 11, 1840 - d. September 1, 1840 |
| Thomas Jefferson GRIFFITH | b. October 1, 1841 - d. October 26, 1920 |
| Laura Jane GRIFFITH | b. October 14, 1843 - d. May 22, 1845 |
| Samuel W. GRIFFITH | b. June 11, 1846 - d. April 27, 1847 |
| Attilla GRIFFITH | b. May 16, 1848 - d. November 4, 1923 |
| Samantha Ann GRIFFITH | b. June 7, 1851 - d. May 9, 1933 |
| Jeremiah Oliver GRIFFITH | b. November 28, 1853 - d. February 14, 1934 |
| Charles Logan GRIFFITH | b. April 27, 1857 - d. January 24, 1936 |
Generation No. 3:
William Henry GRIFFITH, b. April 15, 1801 in Kenton County, KY, married Hattie Johnson, daughter of Thomas A. and Rebecca Johnson, on August 27, 1878 in Boone County, KY.
Children: Ethaline GRIFFITH who married Dr. Robert Elijah Ryle. They had one son: William Clinton Ryle
Thomas Jefferson GRIFFITH, b. October 1, 1841 in Kenton County, KY, married Susan F. Finnell, daughter of Vardiman Finnell and Nancy Sleet, on October 29, 1878 in Boone County, KY.
Children: None
Attilla GRIFFITH, b. May 16, 1848 in Boone County, KY, married Robert Dudley Finnell, son of Jamison Hawkins Finnell and Elizabeth Rebecca Roberts, on October 19, 1837.
Children:
John G. Finnell b. 1868
Emma Laura Finnell b. 1871
Charles H. Finnell b.1876
Mary E. Finnell b. 1879
Samantha Ann GRIFFITH, b. June 7, 1851 in Boone County, KY, married Loranzo D. Jackson, son of Obedia Jackson and Anna Hearns of Hamilton County, Ohio on November 15, 1882.
Children: None
Jeremiah Oliver GRIFFITH, b. November 28, 1853 in Boone County, KY, married Mattie Marie Miller, daughter of Woodford Robert Miller and Lizzie Holtzclaw, on April 5, 1918 in Tampa Florida.
Children: J. O. Griffith, Jr. born 1919 died April 1943
Charles Logan GRIFFITH, b. April 27, 1857 in Boone County, KY, married Martha Ann Finnell, daughter of Vardiman Finnell and Nancy Sleet, on December 12, 1882 in Boone County, KY.
Children:
John Elmer GRIFFITH, b. 17 Nov 1884 - d. January 17, 1963, married Harpie Ann Jackson, daughter of Thomas G. Jackson and Cordelia Roberts.
Mary "Nanny" GRIFFITH, b. abt. 1894. - Died in Edinburg TX. Went to college in Georgetown. She married twice: 1) Peterson 2) Sheives
1. Marriage Records from the Boone County and Kenton County Marriage Books
2. Birth Records from Griffith Family Bible in the possession of Albert H. Rouse, Sr. Boone Co., Ky. (from the Kentucky History Center, family files, Frankfort, Kentucky)
4. Deed books of Boone County, Kentucky
5. Obitutary of William H. Griffith, Boone County Recorder, December 29, 1909; page 1, column 4.