Edward Griffin (abt. 1602 - abt. 1706)

Born about 1602 in Walton, Pembrokeshire, South Wales [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1706 at about age 104 in Flushing, Queens County, New York Province

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Biography

Edward Griffen was born about 1608 in Wales.^[1] , perhaps in Walton, Pembrokeshire, perhaps 1602.

Edward emigrated first to Virginia in 1635. He came, aged 33, in the ship Abraham, Oct. 24, 1635, with a party under the direction of Captain William Cayborne, Secretary of the Virginia Colony, and his partners William Clobery and David Moorehead. They settled on islands in the Chesapeake Bay, Kent Island, opposite what became Annapolis, and Palmers Island, further north at the mouth of the Susquehanna River.^[2]

Three years later, June 30 1638, Edward Giffen and others were attacked and taken prisoner by forces sent by Lord Baltimore, who claimed the islands for the Maryland colony. Despite a letter from King Charles I censuring Lord Baltimore for those violent acts, Edward was imprisoned for two years, until he somehow escaped and fled to New Amsterdam. There he was brought before the authorities on 27 August 1640 when Leonard Calvert, Governor of Maryland applied to have him returned. Edward persuaded the Dutch that he had been a prisoner, rather than a fugitive, and was allowed to remain in New Amsterdam.^[2], p. 3.

Edward acquired land in Flatbush in 1653, sold it a few months later, then bought and sold land at least twice at Gravesend between 1655 to 1661 and lived there for a time in the colony started by Lady Deborah Moody.

During that time, by 1657, he removed a few miles north from Gravesend to Flushing, still part of New Netherland. There, with others, he bravely signed the Flushing Remonstrance to Peter Stuyvesant protesting the persecution of Quakers,^[2], p. 4., a document much celebrated as a foundation of religious freedom in America.

In 1661, Edward acted as interpreter between John Richbell and the natives in the purchase of lands at what became Mamaroneck, in Westchester County.^[2], His sons later benefited from their father's key role when they acquired what became the Griffen family estate in Mamaroneck.

He married Mary about 1647.^[1]

13 Nov. 1683 Edward Griffing of Flushing on Long Island sold a first lot of upland at Occabauk to Thomas Osman Southold Town Records, Vol.1, p 402 He was still living in Flushing, with wife Mary, daughter Deborah, and one black slave Jack, in 1698.^[3]

He died in 1706 in Flushing, Queens County, New York.^[1]

Biographical Sketch by Paul J. Griffin

According to Paul J. Griffin, "My focus concerns the descendants of Edward Griffin b.1602 in Wales, his brother John Griffin b.1608 in Wales or Jasper Griffin b.1648 in Wales. John settled in the Simsbury & Granby area of Connecticut. Some of his descendants are still there. Jasper settled near the eastern tip of Long Island in Southold, his descendants settled around New England. My ancestor Edward went from Wales to England and adopted the English spelling of his surname (originally Pengruffwnd, then Griffith). He was a constable in London when he killed a man in a tavern in the line of duty. He was pardoned by King James I on January 7, 1625 for justifiable manslaughter. He was said to have been a trusted servant and financial agent for Lady Wake (Wakefield?) in 1633. Edward and John sailed from England, on August 24, 1635 bound for Virginia, Edward aboard the ship "Abraham," John aboard the "Constance". It should be noted that those immigrants that left England at that time fortuitously escaped the Bubonic Plague that devastated the population some thirty years later. Edward first settled on Kent Island off the east shore of Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Susquehanna River. It is reported that he built oak staves for the hulls of ships. [The story handed down to me from my father was that the Griffins were ship builders in Wales.] In June 1638, armed emissaries of Lord Baltimore attacked the Virginia settlers on Kent and Palmers Islands, killed three of its defenders, captured Edward Griffin and took him to Maryland. [There was a land feud at this time concerning the control of Virginia and Maryland. Lord Baltimore, siding with Maryland in trying to force the Virginia colonist off the Islands, ordered his brother to seize Kent and Palmer Islands and arrest everyone loyal to Captain William Claybourne, secretary of the Colony of Virginia. King Charles I mediated this squabble and censured Lord Baltimore, ordering him to cease his violence against the Virginians. This was not immediately carried out as Edward was held a prisoner for some time.] Edward escaped to the Dutch Colony of New Amsterdam, where he acquired land and finally located at Flushing L.I. about 1657 as one of its first settlers. He joined the Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1657 and protested the persecution of Quakers to Gov. Peter Stuyvesant. His descendants in the third generation became pioneers in Westchester and Dutchess Counties (especially Nine Partners Patent area) in New York State. They continued to be pioneers when they migrated to new areas. Many generations after Edward were Quakers." ^[4] Also archived at: ^[5]

Biographical Sketch by Timothy Mullen

Edward Griffen, son of Johan Pengruffwnd and Ann Langfort, was born in Walton, Pembrokeshire, South Wales, about 1602.He enlisted in the King's service, was convicted of justifiable manslaughter and pardoned by the King Jan. 7, 1625.In 1633 he was financial agent for Lady Wake.He left London for Virginia (of Colonial times, not the State of Virginia of modern times - TJM, 25-06-2002) Oct. 24, 1635 aged 33, with his brother John in the ship Constant.He entered the service of Capt. William Claybourne and was captured on Palmer's Island 1638 by soldiers of Lord Baltimore.He escaped and came to New Amsterdam (present day City of New York - TJM) 1640. (N.Y. Gen. & Biog. Record vol. 37, p.54).He is said to have settled in Flushing in 1653, but would seem to have been living in Gravesend in 1656.He was on of the signers of the Flushing Remonstrance (which he signed himself as 'Edward Griffine' - TJM) against Governor Stuyvesant's order forbidding the harboring of Quakers Dec. 27, 1657.In 1661 he was a resident of Oyster Bay, and on Sept. 23rd of that year he acted as interpreter between the Indians and John Richbell in the purchase of land in Mamaroneck.Some time before 1675 he settled permanently in Flushing (Dutch town of Vlishing) on Long Island, New York - TJM).He sailed for England Dec. 14, 1678 in the ship Blossom, but later returned to Flushing.In 1686 he petitioned in behalf of his son John in relation to his share of the common lands of Flushing (Cal. N.Y. Col. Mss. p.39).The census of 1698 records him as still living in Flushing with wife Mary and daughter Deborah - Timothy Mullen, direct descendant of Griffin

The Flushing Remonstrance, 1657

Note: Edward participated in the "Flushing Remonstrance." From an announcement by the Bowne House Historical Society:

"On December 27, 1657, thirty townspeople of Flushing, Queens signed a "remonstrance" addressed to Peter Stuyvesant, the director general of the Dutch colony, New Netherland. The two-page letter, set down by a local cleric, protested Stuyvesant's ban on the rights of Quakers to assemble and worship in the colony. Significantly, it further demanded that all people-regardless of religion or ethnic background-be given "free egresse and regresse unto our Town, and houses, as God shall persuade our consciences."

Stuyvesant ignored the Flushing Remonstrance, as it came to be known, but its principles were later tested by John Bowne, an English immigrant and prosperous landowner in Flushing. Although not a Quaker himself, Bowne was married to Quaker minister Hannah Feake Bowne. In defiance of Stuyvesant's ban, Bowne allowed people of her faith to meet and worship in their Flushing farmhouse. For this "crime," Stuyvesant imprisoned Bowne in 1662 and banished him to Holland. Refusing to capitulate, Bowne argued his case before the Dutch West India Company. In 1663, the company revoked Stuyvesant's ban, and ordered him "to allow everyone to have his own belief, as long as he behaves quietly."

The men who signed the Flushing Remonstrance, and John Bowne, risked their lives and their livelihoods by challenging Stuyvesant. Their heroic stand is widely acknowledged as having contributed to the principles codified more than a century later, in 1791, in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, which guarantees religious and political freedom to all citizens.

In honor of the 350th anniversary of the Flushing Remonstrance, the Bowne House Historical Society is seeking descendants of the men who signed the Flushing Remonstrance...."

Source: #S409

Page: The Bowne House Historical Society

37-01 Bowne Street Flushing, NY 11354

Children

Edward and Mary UNKNOWN Griffin were married before 1648 and had, in Flushing, New York:

Child: Edward Griffin

Child: John Griffin

Child: Deborah Griffin

Child: Susannah Griffin

Child: Richard Griffin

Westchester Patriarchs has this list:

Edward Griffen Jr. m. Deborah Barnes

Elizabeth Griffen d. 1742

John Griffen b 1742

Deborah

Richard d 1722/3 m Susannah Haight

Honour

Samuel

Bridget Griffen (1st Roger Barton, 2nd Moses Griffen)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Frank J. Doherty, The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Dutchess County, New York: An Historical and Genealogical Study of all the 18th century settlers in the patent," ten volumes, (New England Historic Genealogical Society), vol. 5, pp. 837-838; database, AmericanAncestors (https://www.americanancestors.org/DB409/i/12175/838/23921284 : 4 August 2023).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Robert B. Miller, Chas. Field Griffen, Archives of the Griffen family, (Privately printed and bound, 1900); digital copy, FamilySearch" (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/132786 : 4 August 2023)
3. ↑ "Historical miscellany," database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/20744/ : 30 July 2023) > Vol. I. Front Matter > image 174, Edward Greffein Se; citing E B O'Callaghan, compiler, "The Documentary History of the State of New York," (1850), under the direction of the Secretary of State, New York. A list of the inhabitants of the town of Flushing (New York) in 1698 including Edward Greffein Se [sic] & Mary his wife, Deborah and 1 negro.
4. ↑ John R. Griffin, Griffin families from the United Kingdom to the New World, Volume two: the maternal ancestors, (Grants Pass, OR: author, 1993), pp. 252-254; digital copy, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/148947 : 3 August 2023) > page viewer 21-23, Edward Griffin, immigrant.
5. ↑ Paul J. Griffin archive This website contains an outstanding bibliography of virtually all that has been written about this immigrant family and its descendants.

See also:

• Mavis Van Peenen, Edward Griffin(e) of Flushing, Long Island, N.Y. 1602-1691, and some of his descendants, (author, 1957), p. 8; images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/search/film/007815871 : 5 August 2023) > digital film 007815871 > image 183, 1st Generation. The book is digitized (images 175-278.)

Source S409

Title: E-mail message, Subject: Family records

Source: #S409

Page: The Bowne House Historical Society

37-01 Bowne Street Flushing, NY 11354

Acknowledgements

This profile was created through the import of MASTER2011WIKITREE.GED on 27 January 2011.