The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1901-05-10
Ten Pages.
LOCAL AFFAIRS.
DEATH OF GEORGE GRIFFIN,

THE WELL-KNOwN SHELTON MANUFAC
TURER, OCCURS AT SARASOTA, FLA.
ON THURSDAY LAST.-A SUCCESSFUL
| BUSINESS MAN.
1t was with regret that the wore
was received in town that that estim
able gentleman and successful man o
affairs, George Griffin, had passed ava,
at Sarasota, Fla, on Thursday. HI
had been in Florida since February
and had plannedlto start for home or
April u, but on the night before ht
was stricken with paralysis, which
resulted in death. The remains of MI
Griffin will be brought North at once
but owing to the serious illness of MI
Gritfin's mother. Mrs John Griffin, the
remains will be placed in receiving
vault at Bridgeport until her condition
will permit of having the funeral, wher
the interment will follow in the Hun
tingtown cemetery.
His death away from home anC
friends is peculiarly sad, and coming
at the time of the critical illness OF
his mother, will cause warm sympathy
on the part of friends toward the be-
reaved relatives.
George Griffin, the subject of this
sketch, was reared in Newtown and
here educated. We attended the New
town Academy for time. In 1861, at
the age of p, he became associated
with his father in the manufacture of
buttons, under the firm name of j. &
G. Griffin. The father some years be-
fore his death retired from business,
and his son, George, and son-in-law,
Marshall H. Sears, continued it for
six years: then Mr. Sears withdrew and
| the business was carried on for eight
years by George Griffin, who in the
meantime made valuable inventions
| (which he patented) that revolution
lied the button industry. In 1889 he
took Bruce N. Griffin into partnership,
and in 1890 bought of the Ousatonic
Water Co. a. factory, formerly occupied
by the Shelton Brass Hardware Co.,
have several times enlarged their
plant, and now have business employ
ing from IS to 100 hands.
Mr. Griffin was a man of pleasing
personality, and retained an affection
ate interest in the town of his nativity.
He retained his voting residence here
and in recent years passed his Sundays
with his aged mother in Huntingtown.
o ti1yE G,iA 20
have lived in Newtown. The remains
of David w. Griffin and his wife, Mar
gary, rest in the old graveyard in Hun
tingtown district, not far from the
button factory operated for years by
their son, the late John Griffin, and
his sons, George and Bruce N. Griffin.
David W. Griffin died October 3d. 1S49,
aged Is years, and Margary on May ID,
1864, aged 70 years. She was formerly
Margary Nichols, daughter Of Peter
Nichols.
John Griffin, the father of George
Griffin, was born July 20, 1913, in New
town, received a common school educa-
ton, and learned the trade of carpen-
ter and joiner. For some years he and
Winthrop Day Summers were together
engaged in the manufacture Of but
tons at Cold Spring, and after dissolv-
ing partnership Mr. Griffin established
himself in the button business at the
homestead in Huntingtown district.
He also followed agricultural pursuits.
He was man of ability, influence and
prominence in his locality, and in 1880
he served as representative from New
town in the State Legislature. Polit-
ically he was democrat. On Deem
Der 80, 1888, he married Julia Sum-
mers, who was born August 8, 1920 in
Pennington, n. Y, daughter of
Wooster and Anna (Prindle) Summers.
Wooster Summers was native of New
town, by trade was a carpenter and
joiner, and lived in Bear Hill district.
To- the marriage of John Griffin and
Julia Summers were born children as
follows: George, November 25, 1910;
Bruce NJ, November I, 1913; and Sa
rah, May p, 1853. OF these, Sarah
married Marshall H. Sears of Monroe,
who died February 20, 1893. :!