page_title: Griffins Mills, New York
section_title: The Mill
hierarchical_section_title: Griffins Mills, New York / History / The Mill
caption_attribution_description: English: View of the mill in Griffins Mills from Cazenovia Creek taken late 1800's or early 1900's
context_page_description: Griffins Mills is a hamlet in the town of Aurora in Erie County, New York, United States. It lies on the West Branch of Cazenovia Creek in the area once known as West Aurora. Griffins Mills was founded in the early 19th century at the site of a mill. It is located in zip code 14170.
context_section_description: Griffins Mills was originally named Smith's Mills. In 1806, Abram Smith and his son Humphrey purchased this site along with two other sites along Cazenovia Creek; one in what is now West Falls (at one time called Crockershire and later Florence) and another at the fork of the Cazenovia Creek. In 1809, Humphrey Smith had dammed Cazenovia Creek and had established a mill at this location.
  Around the same time, Obadiah Griffin, who was married and had children in Dutchess County, New York during the Revolutionary War period, moved west and settled in Canada, near Welland, Ontario.  He and his wife, Mary, requested membership in the nearby Pelham Quaker meeting in November 1803 and were accepted in March 1804.  However, the War of 1812 prompted them to return to the United States.  Obadiah and family, including sons Robert and James, left Canada during the height of the War of 1812 and sought to settle near his brother, Jonathan Griffin, in the present-day town of Orchard Park. Obadiah and Mary’s Quaker membership was transferred to the local meeting by a certificate dated January 18, 1813.
  Upon their return to New York, Obadiah and his sons purchased the mill, ultimately giving their surname to the location: Griffins Mills.  They successfully operated a saw mill, grist mill, carding mill, distillery and four asheries which produced potash and lye for soap making.  Multiple flumes carried the water to various operations.
  Obadiah's wife died sometime prior to 1822, and in 1829 the mills were sold to Henry N. Hill. By 1831, the Griffins divested themselves of their properties and moved west to Niles, Michigan.  The mills then passed from Henry Hill to Joseph Jones & Israel Smith (1833), Henry P. Darrow (1841), William H. Wing (1853), Ridley Cole (1854), William Deuel (1860), Jabez Snashell (1868), and were then acquired by Ferdinand Wanneke (1884), who came from Germany.  He operated the business until 1903 when he sold to his nephews, Theodore and Frank Yaw.
  The Yaw Brothers, known throughout western New York, operated the business for 56 years and were known for their accurate measurements in lumber sawing. Buckwheat flour was a specialty ground by the brothers.  It was the only mill over a large area doing this type of grinding.  The flour, eagerly bought for its excellent quality, was packaged in 5-, 10-, and 25-pound sacks labeled with the Yaw Brothers trademark.
  Both grist and sawmills were water powered until in 1919 when a "freak flood" washed away the dam and motors were installed to replace the large waterwheel.  The remodeled, original gristmill, then 137 years old, was destroyed by fire May 9, 1947.  The sawmill was remodeled and utilized as a feed mill and the business continued until April 1, 1959, when it was permanently closed.
  Theodore C. Yaw died March 20, 1959 and Frank H. Yaw, December 6, 1960.  The mill structure in 1961 was donated to St. Paul's Lutheran Church on West Falls Road and subsequently moved there for use as a Sunday school building.
caption: View of the mill from Cazenovia Creek showing dam and covered bridge.
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