After my 2nd great grandmother, Susan Hearne Dennis, died in June 1895 her husband, my 2nd great grandfather, Willis Dennis, remarried to Elizabeth (Eliza) F. Griffin in Oct 1895. Their marriage record is one of my primary sources for the parents of Willis Dennis because the information was provided by Willis himself, and he stated his parents were James and Mary Dennis. What is unusual about the record is that Eliza Griffin lived in Union and Stanly counties while Willis was in Montgomery.
Divided by the Pee Dee River, how did they know one another?
The marriage ceremony was performed by and at the home of William Carter, a Justice of the Peace, in Uwharrie, Montgomery County. This is probably William McKendre Carter (1832-1906) son of Eldridge Carter and husband of Martha Jane Sanders.
B. J. Harris (Burl Jerome), G. C. (George Clinton) Harris, and G. M. (George Mathew) Harris present and witnessing the marriage.
Currently, I cannot find a connection between these people that might indicate some level of relationship that could tie together how Willis Dennis and Eliza Griffin knew each other.
What is interesting about Eliza is that her Griffin ancestors reach back to Halifax and Mecklenburg counties, Virginia and to the same Griffin family I wrote about in the previous post, Eusebius.
In 1795, the Mecklenburg County, Virginia court ordered the overseers of the poor to bind Lewis Griffin to Robert Yancey, Robert Griffin to John Vaughan and Lewis Harradine to James Griffin and John Morris to Mourning Wynn.
Eliza’s third great grandfather is Richard Griffin Sr (1700-1766) and her second great grandfather is Richard Griffin Jr (1734-1795) who migrated from Virginia to Anson County, North Carolina and it is his brother, Francis Griffin (1738-1765) who married Philadelphia Jones (1745-1809) and had daughter, Sarah Griffin (1760- ) whose children, Lewis Griffin and Robert Griffin, were bound out to Robert Yancey (second husband of Philadelphia Jones Griffin) and John Vaughan (son-in-law of Philadelphia Jones Griffin Yancey) and Lewis Harradine to James Griffin (son of Philadelphia Jones Griffin Yancey), all relatives of Sarah.
I have been tree-building trying to find a connection between Mourning Wynn, who became guardian of John Morris, and the Griffin family. So far, no luck.
Richard Griffin Jr. married Catherine. Some trees have her listed as Catherine Newman, but I cannot find any proof of her maiden name. Richard Jr. was born about 1734, probably in Virginia. His father, Richard Griffin Sr. is named as the brother-in-law of Henry Green in his 1748 will.
Notice also, Edward Sizemore was a witness to the will. Sizemore is a name I am researching because in 1807, a man named Daniel Sizemore was in court with John Morris. I believe the same John Morris who was bound to Mourning Wynn.
Richard Griffin Jr. (also shown as Griffith) is listed in most trees and at Find-a-Grave as being in the Revolutionary War, however, the proof document cited is for Richard Griffin who claims he was born in 1756 in Chatham County, North Carolina and moved with his father (not named) while young to the state of Georgia. He lived in Spartanburg, South Carolina when the war broke out and he volunteered in 1779. At the time of his pension claim he lived in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
So, there look to be two Richard Griffin’s. One lived in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina and one lived in Anson County, North Carolina and they are confused with each other.
Our Richard Griffin Jr. was probably in Halifax County, Virginia until the 1770s or 1780s. He is probably the same man found in Chatham / Orange counties, North Carolina in the 1770s and 1780s but was also in Anson County, North Carolina by the 1780s as he starts showing up in court and deed records during that time. So, he may have been living in both places while fully transitioning to Anson County.
In Hillsborough Superior Court term 1790, in the suit of Jacob West against Richard Griffin, Rosa Stroud, a witness for the defendant states in her declaration that in the fall of 1782 Jacob West applied to Richard Griffin for a tract of land on Haw River in Chatham County and during their bargaining for the land there was a discussion on the boundary line.
What is interesting about this document is two-fold. The document shows that Jacob West, who was the son-in-law of Charles Morgan, knew Richard Griffin. Secondly, it shows that Richard Griffin knew Rosa Stroud who was from Brunswick County, Virginia and lived close to Henry Morris of Smoky Ordinary.
Since I am trying to find out how the Griffin and Dennis families knew one another, I can’t help but wonder if there are some alliances between both families that reach back to Virginia or early Orange County, North Carolina.
It is curious to note that Willis Dennis’s daughter, Mary, married Willis Griffin Morgan in 1871, who descends directly from the Charles Morgan (noted above) family in Orange / Chatham counties who had connections to the West family.
Willis Griffin Morgan’s maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Shaw born 1803 in Randolph County, North Carolina. Keep the Shaw name in mind as I will touch on it below.
I have found three children of Richard Griffin Jr., David, Thomas, and Mary who married siblings, Dosha Mullis (married David Griffin), Elizabeth Mullis (married Thomas Griffin), and Solomon Mullis (married Mary Griffin). The Mullis’s were in Chatham County, North Carolina and I suspect they lived on lands that were in Orange County, North Carolina prior to Chatham being formed from Orange.
It is possible that Lewis Griffin and Griffin Griffin are also children of Richard Griffin Jr., but I am still trying to find more documents to confirm. Lewis Griffin, born 1763, Winchester, Virginia (per his Revolutionary War pension file) and claims in his declaration to be the son of Richard Griffin and while very young his father, Richard, brought him to Halifax County, Virginia. Griffin Griffin is noted as a brother of Lewis in the pension file and tax records in Halifax, Virginia shows Richard Griffin and Griffin Griffin side-by-side together.
What is of interest here is the Shaw connection. John Shaw provided an affidavit for Lewis Griffin’s 1833 Revolutionary War pension and stated that he had known Lewis Griffin for 40 years (since 1793). That timeline would put John Shaw knowing Lewis Griffin in Randolph County, North Carolina. Did these two migrate to Randolph County, North Carolina together and then to the same place in Tennessee along with a man named William Harris who states he has known Lewis Griffin for 30 years (since 1803)?
It makes me wonder if John Shaw is a brother to Gardner Shaw who was born about 1759 and can be found in Halifax County, Virginia in 1777 along with John Shaw.
This is an exciting find for me because a daughter of John Jacky Morris (my brick wall ancestor) married into the Shaw family of Randolph County, North Carolina. So, there may be some familial connection here that is yet to be uncovered.
Thomas Griffin, son of Richard Griffin Jr, was living in newly formed Chatham County, North Carolina in 1772 where he served in the Chatham County militia along with his father-in-law John Mullis, albeit in different companies. Richard and Thomas Griffin served in John Birdsong’s Company while John Mullis served in Stephen Poe’s Company.
By 1780, the Mullis and Griffin families had relocated to Anson County, North Carolina to the area of Negro Head Creek. In 1781, Thomas Griffin purchased land on nearby Richardson Creek and in 1794 Richard Griffin sold his land on Negro Head Creek to Thomas Griffin. John Mullis was a witness.
In 1806, Thomas Griffin wrote his will naming his wife, Elizabeth, and children:
Enoch Griffin, Sally Griffin, Mary Trull, Franky Curlee, Charles Griffin, and Thomas Griffin Jr.
Amos Griffin, while not mentioned in the 1806 will of Thomas Griffin, seems to be a son of Thomas as he lived in the same area, on land adjoining Thomas Griffin and Thomas (either Sr. or Jr.) and Charles Griffin witnessed some of Amos’ deeds.
Amos married Alsey Austin, daughter of Bryant Austin Sr and sister of Bryant Austin Jr who married Temperance Williams, daughter of IshamWilliams who died in 1842 on the east side of Pee Dee River in Montgomery County, North Carolina. An interesting connection here is that Temperance Williams Austin’s brother, Jones L. Williams, had a daughter, Sarah, who married Daniel Dennis, the son of Willis Martin Dennis who married Eliza Griffin in 1901, six years after Willis Dennis married Eliza.
Anson County is not the only place I found Amos Griffin. He can also be found on a survey in Montgomery County for land belonging to Bryant Griffin and in Stanly County where he is found with land grants. Amos ended up living in Union County when Anson and Mecklenburg were divided in 1842 to form Union. The 1850 Census for Union County records Amos Griffin and wife Alsey with children Elizabeth and Hurley still living at home.
Amos died around 1860. His wife, Alsey, lived at least until 1870 as she is found on the Census for New Salem, Union, North Carolina at that time, age 88.
John T. “Jack” Griffin was born about 1826. Most family trees list him as a son of Amos Griffin and Alsey Austin. Jack married Susannah Coley in Aug 1847, and they are the parents of Eliza F. Griffin who was born on 22 Jan 1848 (according to her gravestone) probably in Union County, North Carolina but maybe Stanly County as that is where Jack and Susannah are found in 1850.
Eliza looks to be the eldest of eight children of Jack and Susannah Coley Griffin.
Elizabeth (Eliza): b. 1848, m. Willis Martin Dennis (my 2nd great grandfather after his first wife, Susannah Hearne died)
Atlas: b. 1852, m. Mary Waisner
Eliza: b. 1853 (are Elizabeth and Eliza the same person?)
Amos: b. 1854
William: b. 1855, m. Rebecca Griffin (his cousin)
Alsey: b. 1859, m. Ransom Baucom
Angeline: b. 1860
Jesse: b. 1865, m. Eva Coley
1860 shows John T. (Jack) and wife Susannah living in Albemarle. They have added several children to their family. Elizabeth (listed as Eliza in 1850) is listed as age 11, and her siblings are Eliza (9), Amos (6), William (3), and Alsey (1).
Are Elizabeth and Eliza the same person?
On 3 Oct 1863, John T. Griffin enlisted in the Civil War. He was sent to Camp Holmes, Raleigh, North Carolina with so many other men. His rank, Private, Company C, 24th Infantry. He was captured by the enemy on 17 Jun 1864 an imprisoned at Petersburg, Virginia but moved to Point Lookout, Maryland where he died 14 Aug 1864.
By 1870, Susan Coley Griffin moved back to Union County to live with her mother-in-law, Alsey Austin Griffin. Shown in New Salem Township with her children Angeline (17), Atlas (16), William (14), Amos (10), and Jesse (7).
By 1880, Susan has moved back to Stanly County and is living in Furr Township with children Eliza (27), Angeline (20), Atlas (25), Amos (17), and Jesse (15).
In 1900, Susan is living with son, Jesse.
Eliza Griffin moved to Uwharrie Township, Montgomery County after marrying Willis Dennis in 1895. She and Willis are found in the 1900 Census together and living in the home are the youngest children of Willis and his first wife, Susan Hearne, Della (19) and Flora (16) who would become my great grandmother.
1910 finds Eliza and Willis still living in Uwharrie Township. Living in the home are Lilly (Della), daughter of Willis and Susan Hearne Dennis and grandson Mattie D. Dennis, the son of Daniel Dennis (son of Willis and Susan) and Martha Freeman.
Willis Dennis died 5 Mar 1913 and was buried in the Henderson Cemetery in Eldorado beside his first wife, Susan Hearne. You can read more about them here.
Eliza Griffin Dennis lived nearly 20 more years, remaining in the Uwharrie, Pee Dee, and Mt. Gilead areas of Montgomery County alongside Willis’s children. While she is not found in the 1930 Census, her death certificate makes it clear that she died 15 May 1932. Daniel R. Dennis, the son of Willis Dennis and Susan Hearne, was the informant.
Eliza F. Griffin, the second wife of Willis M. Dennis is buried at White Crest Baptist Church
cemetery on River Road, Montgomery County.
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