Eliza Jane (Kitts) Griffith (1819 - 1888)

Born 4 Mar 1819 in Campbell Co., Kentucky

Descendants

Died 5 Mar 1888 at age 69 in Benton Co., Indiana

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Alice Beard [send private message]

Biography

Eliza Jane married George Alexander Clark GRIFFITH on March 27, 1845, in Ripley County, Indiana.

Four children were born to the marriage: Sarah Jane, Jacob, Henry, and George Andrew: 1846, 1847, 1848, and 1850.

Reportedly, Eliza's husband left for California to mine for gold, and he never returned. According to her granddaughter Bernice, who surely heard the story from her father Henry, the plan was that Eliza's husband would get settled in California and send word for Eliza and the children to come. Eliza would arrange for the transport of the family.

As Eliza was making arrangements to move her children and home to California via the Isthmus of Panama, word came that George Alexander had died.

According to granddaughter Bernice, the word arrived via newspaper, on a "please copy" basis.

In that time, that's how word could spread across the county: News would happen in one part of the country that would be of interest to people distant from where the news happened. A local newspaper editor might run a story in a small town in California and know that people in Indiana would be interested, but he might not know exactly WHO would be interested. In other words, postal mail would not work. The editor where the news happened would run the story and add a line: "Please copy towards Indiana." Other newspaper editors would see the story, copy it, and send it on until the story finally reached the targeted audience. And that is how Eliza was told that her husband had died in California.

Eliza remained in Ripley County until sometime after 1880. For the final years of her life, she moved to Benton County, Indiana, where all four of her children had moved. Her mortal remains were returned to Ripley County, to the cemetery where her parents were buried. Beard-619 17:17, 29 November 2014 (EST)

Sources

• Indiana marriage record; 1845, Ripley Co., Indiana.
• 1850 U.S. Census; Ripley Co., Indiana.
• 1860 U.S. Census; Ripley Co., Indiana.
• 1860: Named in father's will: Jacob KITTS; will dated 12-May-1860; proved 23-Mar-1865, Ripley Co., Indiana.
• 1870 U.S. Census; Ripley Co., Indiana.
• 1880 U.S. Census; Ripley Co., Indiana
• Indiana death index put together by Indiana Works Project Administration; Book H-10, page 534; says that information was from the County Health Office in Benton County, Indiana.
• gravestone (photo at findagrave.com)