Mary Elizabeth (Findley) Griffith (1805 - 1874)

Born 11 Mar 1805 in Greensburg, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Elisha Norris Griffith — married 12 Oct 1824 in Clark Co, Indiana

Descendants

Died 6 Jan 1874 at age 68 in Dexter, Lane, Oregon, United States

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This profile is part of the Brownsville, Oregon One Place Study.

Biography

Mary (Findley) Griffith was a pioneer settler in Oregon.

Mary Elizabeth Findley is the first daughter born to David Findley Sr. and Jennet Ritchie Findley. She arrived March 11, 1805 joining her two brothers, John and David and three half-siblings Alexander, Prudence and Hugh. Her early life started in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania but many moves were to follow. In 1812, at the age of seven, David and Jane Jannet Findley, David’s younger brother, James and his family and a large group of friends and family moved to Clark County, Indiana. Among the friends were the William Norris and Sabrah Conner Griffith family including their nine year old son, Elisha Norris Griffith.

On the 12th of October, 1824 Mary Elizabeth “Betsy” Findley married Elisha Norris Griffith at Jeffersonville, Clark County, Indiana. She was nineteen and he, twenty-one. In August 1825, Elisha and Betsy’s first child, a son, was born. Named William Norris Griffith after his paternal grandfather, he would be 20 years old when the family came to Oregon and he would have many tales of his adventures to share with his grandchildren. In February of 1827 a daughter was born and she was named Sabrah Jane to honor her two grandmothers. Sabrah only survived her first year, dying in February of 1828.

In 1830, there was again a great exodus from Indiana to Illinois in which the Griffith family joined the other members and friends of David Findley’s family. Just days before their departure another son, David Findley Griffith was born on July 24, 1830 in Indiana. Upon arriving in Illinois Elisha and Betsy settled first in Oquawka where the family of David Findley had landed upon their arrival by riverboat. At that time Warren County encompassed all the territory from the Mississippi River inland past the community of Monmouth but as the population grew the area around Oquawka and Biggsville of Warren County was reorganized into Henderson County.

In February 1832 in Oquawka, Sarah Ann Isabelle Griffith was born. Sarah was 13 when the family left for Oregon and by that time her adventurous and fearless personality was showing. She also would have stories to tell her grandchildren about the adventures on the Oregon Trail. In July 1836 Mary Melvina Griffith joined the growing family and not long after John Alexander Griffith arrived in March 1838. John Alexander was lost to the family 20 months later. The third daughter to survive was the Deliah Elizabeth Griffith born in December 1839. Her birth was followed by Elisha Emory Griffith in 1841 and James Marion Griffith in 1843. About the time of James Marion’s birth his father Elisha Norris Griffith began experiencing health problems. He was now 40 years old having worked nearly 20 years as a millwright in his work he was constantly exposed to the dust and debris of milling and had developed a nagging cough. As with many other patients, doctors had begun to recommend a moved to Oregon for cleaner air and a milder climate. And so it was that Elisha and Betsy decided to join the immigration to Oregon in 1845. It was their decision to head west that provided support for Betsy’s younger brothers William and James Findley to gain their mother’s permission to also leave Illinois for Oregon. As preparations were being made for their departure Elisha and Betsy son, David Findley Griffith passed away at the age of fourteen.

In the spring of 1845 the Griffith family, Elisha Norris, Betsy, now eight months pregnant, William Norris age 20, Sarah age 13, Mary Melvina age 9, the Delilah Elizabeth age 6, Elisha Emory age 4 and James Marion a busy two-year-old left Henderson County on April 25, 1845 crossing the Mississippi River at Burlington. They followed the east bank of the Mississippi River through New London turned West at Keokuk, crossing southwestern Iowa. On May 8, according to William Findley’s diary the immigrants camped on the shores of Madison Creek. Apparently, during the night Betsy gave birth to a frail little girl they named Lydia. The next morning, June 9 in the diary William notes that cattle went missing and were later found. They only traveled 4 miles on the ninth so that was all the rest that Betsy got. After crossing the Grand River they turned south into Missouri country to St. Joseph arriving there on May 19th. At St. Joseph the company met up with other immigrants and formed the New London Emigrating Company electing Abner Hackleman to be their Captain. The wagon train included a group of Baptist missionaries, pioneers from Iowa and Illinois including the Findley brothers, Osborn’s, Courtney’s, Griffiths, Joseph Findley, Andrew Rodgers, and John Ritchie. In all about 525 people were in the company, 700 livestock, and 50 wagons.

On May 20 and 21st they crossed the Missouri River and moved on to Indian Agency at the Nemaha. On May 24th the New London Immigrating Company left Indian Agency heading northwest into Indian lands populated by Sac, Fox, Iowa and Pawnee tribes. On June 8th, about 20 miles south of Grand Island, Nebraska the caravan was caught in a violent thunderstorm so severe the horses and cattle were terrified and ran off. The next day most men rode out to find the missing animals. In one account, William Norris Griffith was off searching by himself when he was stopped by a group of Indians. His horse, tack, begun, clothing and boots were taken and he was left alone on the Prairie in his birthday suit. When he did not return a rescue party was sent out, later finding William he was given a blanket to wrap up in and save him from suffering complete embarrassment. After five days of searching for livestock William Findley noted that they had lost 12 head of cattle either killed or stolen by the Indians. On June 18th, they reached the Platte River. Still worrying about encounters with the Indians, the group was corralling the livestock within the circle of wagons each night. On the night of June 22 another spectacular thunderstorm began. William recorded, “our cattle took a fright and ruin oxen and six wagons and mashed five wheels and to axletrees. We had to go 5 miles for timber and could get nothing but red Cedar to make them up. On the same day previous to this the oxen runaway and crippled five of our company but not seriously.” These pioneers were learning something new every day in their effort to survive and reach Oregon.

The trail to Oregon passed by landmarks such as Chimney Rock, Independence Rock, South Pass on to Fort Bridger, then Fort Hall, across Idaho into Oregon. They stopped and rested for five days south of Whitman Mission where supplies where bought and Joseph, Andrew and the Osborn family chose to spend the winter. Reaching The Dalles, it was necessary for everyone to go by raft or boat down the Columbia River. Some of the immigrants went by river to Fort Vancouver. The Griffith and others went ashore at the Sandy River and proceeded to Oregon City. There they wintered over and in the spring traveled down the Willamette Valley to the region along the Callapooia River where they found farmland to claim. Elisha and William made claims to land beside each other. William married Nancy Spores the daughter of an early Oregon pioneer. William and then neighbor William Hawks joined the Oregon rifles to fight the Cayuse Indians responsible for the Whitman Massacre. Upon their return, William Hawks married Sarah Ann Isabelle Griffith and took up a claim nearby.

Elisha and Becky lost Lydia in November 1847. She was buried in the Luther White, Diamond Hill Cemetery about 4 miles south of their donation land claim. In 1851 another son, Elijah was born at Union point. The family continued to live in the Union point area until their deaths, Elisha Norris Griffith on October 12, 1871 and Mary Elizabeth Becky Findley Griffith on 6 June 1874. Elisha and Becky are both buried at the Diamond Hill Cemetery. ^[1]

Arrived in Oregon on wagon train in 1845. ^[2] The date for the marriage of Elizabeth and Elisha Griffith is in an Indiana Historical Society Publication "Abstracts of Wills and Executors' Records 1801 - 1833 and Marriage Records 1807 - 1824"^[3]. Oregon now has a website which lists early Oregonians and the arrival dates and other information^[4]

-- Notes: The names of the parents in "The Brazen Overlanders of 1845" by Donna M. Wojcik were given as David Sr. & Janet (Ritchie ) Findley. If I'm reading the book correctly the information came from a descendant Mrs. Lyle E. Baker Grants Pass, OR. The Family Search information has two wifes and more children than seem reasonable to me and no documentation available to me that makes sense so I will stop my line at this point and hope that someone better can link it to the proper parents.

Sources

1. ↑ Biography by Kathryn Cooper on her previous site OregonTrail1847
2. ↑ Linn County Historical Society
3. ↑ "Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XFX3-V58 : 10 February 2018), Elisha Griffith and Elizabeth Findley, 12 Oct 1824; citing reference 55; FHL microfilm 549,315.
4. ↑ https://secure.sos.state.or.us/prs/personprofile.do?recordNumber=43828

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