Henry Griffiths Family

 

Henry and Lizzie Griffiths with their son William

Photograph taken by Wm Lawrence, Neligh, Nebraska, U.S.A.

     

    Henry Griffiths was born in 1837, in Hine Heath, England, son of Thomas and Susannah Pool

    Griffiths. According to the 1861 Census, he was working on the family farm in Stanton.

     

    Henry married Elizabeth Spencer, daughter of, William and Jane Spenser,  at Market Drayton,

    Shropshire, England,  in June 1866.

     

    Their son, William Spencer Griffiths, was born May 14, 1869 in England.

     

    Henry, who was a Methodist Minister, his wife, Elizabeth and  son, William emigrated to the United States about 1872.

     

    In the Andreas History of the State of Nebraska, Henry Griffith is described as one of the first settlers in the West Cedar Valley of Antelope County. These early settlers had many problems with Indians begging, thieving and raiding their properties.  .In the History of Antelope County we can read about the settlers in detail.  Their struggles to set up homesteads and farms and the development of community life including places of worship. In this Henry Griffiths played a leading role. 


    Some time during the year 1872, although the exact date cannot be positively stated, Rev. J. W.

    Kidder of Norfolk came by invitation of the settlers of Cedar Creek and organized in that settlement a Congregational church. This was the first Congregational church in the county. In the spring of 1872  Rev. Henry Griffiths came into the county direct from England. He was a minister of the Primitive Methodist Church in the Old Country, but after settling on a homestead in West Cedar Valley, he cast in his lot with the Congregationalists and in 1873 organized the West Cedar Valley Congregational Church. He traveled and preached extensively both in Antelope and Boone counties, organizing churches wherever there was a favorable opening.

     

    History of Antelope County NEBRASKA  1868-1883 

     

     

     

Schedule 1 - Inhabitants in West Cedar Valley, in the County of Antelope,

State of Nebraska, enumerated by me on the 29th day of June, 1880. Tho Kaygen

     

     

 Griffith, Henry   W     M  41 Husband  M  Minister               England   England  England

            E           W     F   40 Wife         M  Keeping house    England   England  England

           Wm. S.  W      M 10 Son                                           England   England   England

Wright, Lizzie    W      F  36 Boarder    S   Teaching School  Ohio        Va.         Va

 

 

    Henry was joined in America by his nephew, Edwin, sometime after 1881.  Edwin is reputed

    to  have married a German girl and worked on the railway.

     

    The 1900 U.S. Census lists Henry Griffiths aged 63 and Elizabeth aged 60 living in Elgin Township, Nebraska, and describes him as a farmer, owning his own farm with four farm servants.  Date of immigration from England is 1872. They have been married 35 years and have one son living elsewhere. 

     

Nebraska Map - Black arrow points to the small towns of Neligh, Oakdale, Elgin and Cedar Valley, situated on or near the Elkhorn River, a tributary of the great Missouri river

 

Postcard view of Elgin, where Henry Griffiths was the Congregational Minister
 

 

    The 1910 U.S. census for Roswell Township, Chaves County, State of New Mexico lists  Henry

    Griffiths age 73, born in England, living on own means in his own freehold house.  Immigrated

    1872, naturalised, married for 44 years to Elizabeth Griffiths age 69.  There is a record of their son William and family in Roswell in 1910, so they must have left for California after this date.

     

    On September 4, 1912, Elizabeth Griffiths dies in Roswell Town, New Mexico.  She is

    buried at West Cedar Valley Cemetery, Elgin, Nebraska.

     

    According to the records from California, Henry Griffiths was in California in 1917.  His death

    certificate was obtained and furnished the following information:  

     

      Henry Griffiths, a retired clergyman, was crushed to death on June 1917 in a RR accident.

      Aged 81.  Buried at Sunnyside Cemetery.  He was in residence for 2 weeks. Information

      given by: W.S.Griffiths of 707 Burnett St, Long Beach. 

       

 

       

       A copy of a letter written in pencil by Henry Griffiths, of Roswell, New Mexico, sent

    on March 13th 1913, to Mr Thomas Griffiths, Bury, Lancs. 

     

     

     

     

    Dear Nephew.

     

    Your letter came duly, the other one I sent you---? a few days ago.If you receive it

    you see that your aunt died last September and we took her to the ------ to bury her.

    So I am left alone and it is a very great sorrow and I feel the loss very keenly after

    being happy together for nearly fifty years.   

     

    I am all alone just now.  Will wanted me to break up my home and go and live with

    him.  But I did not want to give up my home. Will has a very nice family. wife very nice and a good housekeeper. They have one boy about 12 years old and two girls 8 and 9 years old. They live in Boswell(Roswell) so the children can go to school.  He has an apple orchard about 8 miles down the valley at Smith? Springs. They spend the Summer vacation there and Will has to be there during the picking and packing and shipping season. I have 12 acres near his in pears and apples. I will enclose a picture taken when we were packing which will give you some idea how we do it.  We ship by the car load, nearly 4000 boxes last year. 

     

    Will had charge of mine last years as I could not leave your aunt to look after it as

    she has been failing for some time.  We went to California during the winter hoping

    the change may help her but it did not.  She gradually failed and about 5 weeks

    before her death she fell off the ------? and broke her leg and we had to take her to the hospital, a splendid institution where she had the very best of care and I was with her every day while there.  But nothing could save her and she passed quietly away on Sept 2. 

     

    When I wrote to Lance I thought if he wanted to come I would give him work and

    would see how he liked it and if his sister could come to bake(?) at the house for

    Mrs Griffiths and then if it seemed best some or all the family might come later but

    not getting any reply I concluded that he had made up his mind not to come 

     

    I have a suburban home just outside of the city limits.  A little over three acres with

    five room house and hall and bathroom with water in the house and plenty of fruit.

    I keep a horse and buggy so I can drive out when I want to and a cow(?) and chickens, a very nice little home and I don't want to give it up. Then I have a farm of 160 acres at Dexter(Dexden)-----------------A wern/wheat farm about 16 miles down the valley I have had it rented, but the rentor- did not do very well.  So this year I have hired help and am running it myself.It is about---------------?  Alfalfa and we cut----crop each year and I expect to pick (?)------- in more this year as apples and alfalfa are the best paying crops we have here.  The milking cows pay well and they are putting in a large creamery or factory for making butter at B(R)oswell and want all the cream they can get.      

     

    You did not say in your letter what you were doing.  I was very sorry that you had

    such------- in your-------(?)  But hope the future will hold something better for you

    than what the past has.  Don't lose heart but perservere that is the only way to win.

    Now if Lance would like to come and one of the girls(to help) that could keep house

    I will do the best I  can for them and then if they like it here and think they can do

    better here than in England arrangements can be made.  But I am getting to be an

    old man worn(?)   And I feel that I would not be wise to take on to uch responsibility myself.  If you should think you would like to do that I would like you to come as soon as you can get ready and I will not(?) make any other arrangements . But I don't want to persuade you to come without you really want to and if two of you come and don't like it I will see you have the means to get back but I don't think you will want to.

     

    This is a long letter I have tried to make things as plain as I can.Write me what you

    decide and if you come, when you will start.  Perhaps better come by way of Philadelphia (?)  And then------------- could tell them the best way to get to Roswell.   

    Best love to you all from your loving uncle. 

                                                                     

                        H.Griffiths.                          

                        Roswell. New Mexico

     

     From Jim Tattershall of Jacksonville,Oregon

     

     

     

     

     

    Letter to Frances Amy Tattershall(nee Griffiths) dated 31/1/1960. 

     

     Grandpa Griffiths's brother Henry went with the Pilgrims to Canada and landed in

    Alaska (Nebraska?). He preached and travelled along with his wife and son Thomas (William?) to Mexico and settled there at a place called Mount Loftus.  I think his wife was called Susan(Lizzie?). Well his son got married and went to New Mexico and set up farming there. I believe he did a lot of fruit growing --we lose touch with him there. Henry was shot as he drove through Mexico, there was a Civil War on and he did not know.. His wife died before that through a fall off a sophia and it took bad ways.

    From Isabel and Lance Griffiths

     

    (message sent from Neligh.  Feb 22.2001).   

    Henry and wife came to Nebraska in 1872.  He was minister in the Methodist Church in Oakdale and Neligh in 1872.  Later he served as minister in the Congregational Church in Elgin, Antelope Co, Nebraska.  He was there until about 1897,when they moved to New Mexico.  His wife was ill and died in Roswell.N.M,.   Her body was returned to Elgin for burial.  Henry went on to California and in 1917 was killed by an auto while crossing a street in Long Beach. Mentioned is one son- W.S.Griffiths.

    From Bob Wilkinson ( husker@gpcom.net )

     

    Data and Photographs contributed by:  David Griffiths - UK

    ( vicgal@globalnet.co.uk )