John Larsen Griffin (1910 - 1996)

Born 5 Aug 1910 in Indianapolis, Marion, Indiana, United States

Husband of Margaret Edwina (Holthoefer) Griffin — married 24 Jul 1932 in Tippecanoe Co., Indiana

Died 1 Jul 1996 at age 85 in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Helen Holt [send private message]

Biography

John Larsen Griffin was born on August 5, 1910,^[1][2] in Indianapolis, Indiana.^[3] He was the son of John E Griffin and Genevieve Larsen. At age 9, he was in his parent's home in Brown, Wisconsin.^[4]

He married Margaret Edwina "Betty" (Holthoefer) Griffin on July 24, 1932, in Tippecanoe, Indiana, at the age of 21.^[5] They had three children during their marriage.

1. Donald,^[6]
2. Mary Sharon (Griffin) Umberg,^[7]
3. Barbara Ann (Griffin) Byrd.

After living with her parents for a short while at the Paxton family home in Chicago, they moved to Indiana (by 1935). In 1940, at age 29, he and Betty, 28, were living in Hammond, Lake, Indiana, where Jack was a green grocer mannaging a Grocery Store, with Donald, age 7, and Mary Sharon, age 1, in the home.^[8][9] In October 1940, he was working for the Great Altantaic & Pacific Tea in Hammond, Lake County, Indiana.^[3]

in 1946 His sister Fran Griffin invited him to come to Cincinnati to become her partner in a failing tree service company. Jack had just finished his duties for the Government in the steel mills when the war ended. Working in the steel mills helped support our troops including his younger brother, Thomas 'Tom' Griffin, a Doolittle Raider. As a young boy growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Jack worked as a water boy for his favorite football team the Acme Packers (Green Bay Packers) in the early 1920s, and after doing research on the word 'Acme' he found out that it was a Greek word that stood for being at the peak, being in the prime, and denoted the best of something. He decided that Acme would work perfectly, and named the company 'Acme Tree Service.'

Acme Tree Service cleared glide paths for government airports, cleared dead trees along state roads, and cleared some 200,000 trees a year for electric and telephone companies, as well as serviced private homes in 4 states: Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.^[10][11]

They resided at 6654 Taylor Rd. Cinncinati, ohio, where they raised their family. Betty was a Elementary school teacher in Cincinnati for 22 years.^[12] They were very active in their Parish Church, teaching classes, and other duties. Jack called Bingo, Betty played. They wintered in Harlingen Texas. They loved helping in programs like helping little children learn to read.^[13]

His wife Margaret Edwina "Betty" passed away on November 21, 1995, in Cincinnati, Ohio, at the age of 83.^[14] They had been married 63 years.

He died on July 1, 1996, in Cincinnati, Ohio,^[1] at the age of 86.^[15]and was buried in the St Joseph New Cemetery, next to his wife, Betty.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} ""Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VK2C-BFW : 8 December 2014), John L Griffin, 01 Jul 1996; from "Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-2007," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2010); citing vol. 30746, certificate number 055054, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus; Ohio Department of Health, State Vital Statistics Unit, Columbus.,"
2. ↑ Social Security Death Index; Ancestry's Social Security Death Index Ancestry Record 3693 #23923375
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947; The National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri; St. Louis, Missouri; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 297; Ancestry's U.S. WWII Draft Cards Young Men Ancestry Record 2238 #40908431
4. ↑ "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFK5-CMJ : 4 February 2021), John Griffin in entry for John Griffin, 1920.
5. ↑ Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941; Tippecanoe County, Indiana; Index to Marriage Record Jan. 1, 1921 to Dec. 31,, W. P. A. Original Record Located: County Clerk's O; Book: M-46; Page: 126; “Data=name: John L Griffin; Spouse Name: margaret E Holthoefer; Marriage Date: 24 Jul 1932; Marriage Co., Tippecanoe; Birth Date: 5 Aug 1909; age-23.”; Ancestry's Indiana Marriage Index Ancestry Record 5059 #3073462
6. ↑ "Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGCF-XFVG : 18 March 2018), Margaret Edwina Holthoefer in entry for Donald Edward Griffin, 26 Feb 1933; Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, reference/certificate 6986, Cook County Clerk, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm .
7. ↑ "Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q2S8-LFGQ : 18 May 2016), Margaret Holthoefer in entry for Mary Sharron Griffin, 31 May 1938; Hammond, , Illinois, United States, reference/certificate 20630, Cook County Clerk, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm .
8. ↑ 1940 United States Federal Census; Census Place: Hammond, Lake, Indiana; Roll: T627_1068; Page: 4B; House Number 833; Line 48–51; April 5, 1940; Enumeration District: 45-117; Ancestry's 1940 Census Image
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V1TB-977 : 5 January 2021), John L Griffin, Hammond, Lake, Indiana, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 45-117, sheet 4B, line 48, family 78, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1068.
10. ↑ Interviews from Jack and letters from his son Don Griffin by Helen (Thornton) Holt
11. ↑ Acme Tree & Landscape Service, Inc.; http://www.acmetreeandlandscape.com/about.htm
12. ↑ Interview with Betty, Febuary 14, 1992 by Helen (Thornton) Holt
13. ↑ Margaret Edwina "Betty" (Holthoefer) Griffin, “Holthorfer Family History”A Historic Guide to discovering Your Past.By Robert J Yeagley, Helen (Thornton) Holt, Marsha (Anderson) Aragon, Pamela Holthoefer, Dana (Stewart) Leeds. Published Edition September 2015
14. ↑ Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-2007' Ancestry's Ohio Deaths Ancestry Record 5763 #2089211
15. ↑ Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1932, 1938-2007; Certificate: 055054; Ancestry's Ohio, Deaths Ancestry Record 5763 #2163738