The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-08-27
Our Pioneer Picnic.
A GATHERING OF GRIFFINS ON THE
OLD HOMESTEAD GROUNDS.

GATHERING OF GRIFFINS ON THE
OLD HOMESTEAD GROUNDS.
We met Tuesday, August 18th, on the
old homestead grounds, where no house
has stood for more than forty years, and
there Can't. Francis NJ. Griffith of Boston
took our pictures in the group on ana
about the old doorstep where Samuel
Griffin. a Quaker from Connecticut
came and settled in pretty wilderness
on the west shore of Stockton harbor,
and was the first settler in that part OF
Searsport, if not the first In the whole
Town. He came to get his family away
from the bad influences OF the revolu-
tionary war. Soon after they settled
here their last child, little daughter,
was horn. but did not live long enough
to acquire q name, and her little grave
was made on a cozy knoll northeast OF
the house overlooking the whole haroor;
and here. afterward Peieg. q mere boy,
and Elisha, grown to manhood, were
both buried: and early in the last cen
turv the mother and father were buried
with them. The new Northern Name
Seaport railroad now owns the ground
of the old homestead and family DuIlal
place, and the purpose of our picnic was
+o Gather as many of the relatives as
nossible to decide to remove the re-
mains to the cemetery in that district
and erect suitable monument to their
memory. and to collect additional MS
+nrjcaI facts concerning this numerous
family and get better acquainted Win
one another.
For the above purposes the relatives
assembled at the homestead on August
II. 1905. elected Crawford 5. Griffin OF
Kinenan. Me-, as president, DR.. Frank
.Grifin of San Francisco, Cal.,* first
vice president, Mrs. Annie NJ. Griffin
of Belfast. Me-, second vice president,
Cant. Warren Griffin of Searsport, Me-,
treasurer. Miss Edna M. Griffin OF Sears
port. Maine. secretary, address Park T.
Ol and Misses Desire Z. Nickels, Har-
riet y. Hichborn and Prudence Griffin
as an executive committee; and the
committee were authorized by unanl-
nous vote to arrange for another picnic
If thp relatives on the same grounds
next wear, where we hope to meet an
nuallv for a great number of years, with
a continually increasing number, ana
fhere annually re-elect our officers, COM
pare notes, report results, and plan fur
Their work and pleasures; but we cannot
expect to Guido the first picnic in genu-
Ynp pleasure. The only regret was that
not more were present. We put all our
names on several paper napkins to send
10 absent relatives, viz, to Mrs. Desire
Harris of Portland, Me-, Capt. William
Griffin in Santa Rosa, Cal, and Andrew
G. Staples in st. Paul, Mimi, and two
or three others l do not now recall.
Fred A. Griffin and wife of Belfast
made the longest drive to get there;
but Mrs. Elizabeth MEG. Nickels "a
great. great granddaughter of Samuel
Griffin and her daughter, daughterln-
lay; and two granddaugh represent
ed the longest line Of descendants who
were present.
After meeting on the old house lot
ye all went across the gulch to the
little family burying ground, where the
five graves are each marked only with
simple fiat field stones fifteen or twenty
inches long and six or eight inches wide,
set in the earth on end with 20 lnscrp-
lions on them, aud Capt. F. NJ. Griffin
took picture of the graves; and there
we assembled again and c. S. Griffin
called the meeting to order and stated
the purposes of the meeting, and after
remarks by others read the following
paper. which may help many OF the
relatives to trace their ancestry
Samuel Griffin, who settled with his
family on this spot April II, 1775, was
born in New London, Ct, and married
Desiab Crazy, who was born In the
north of Ireland of Scotch parents.
Tradition says she died here in 1905
and he died here in 1907. An infant
daughter, born soon after they came
here, and their son Peleg, were buried
with them. We do not know the date OF
Samuel Griffin's birth, marriage or
death. or of his wife's. But we know
IN ore of their children, who were as
follows:
Samuel, Jr. Born in New London,
Ct, Dec. 6, 1858. Died in Clarksburg,
W. Va, August, 1928. He married
Sarah Scarf of Baltimore, Nd, in 177
b. June "a, 1863. d. February, 1887.
2 Elisha never married.. Died after
reaching manhood. Buried here.
3 Eben. Born in Grafton, Ct, Jan.
%. 175s. Died in Searsport, Me-, May
"a, 1e49. He married Lydla tenulg Ha
of Searsport. b. Aug. II, 1771. d. Dec.
10, 1912.
4 William, father of Robert of North
port, Me- Born in Grafton, CT. He