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Written by Craig B. Adams
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Jun 11, 2006 at 09:11 PM |
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Alice Griffith (ca. 1771 - ?)
Alice Griffith was born in 1771 in York County, Pennsylvania, the daughter of John and Alice (Faulkner) Griffith. Her parents were Quakers, but they were disowned by the Warrington Monthly Meeting because of their marriage, for John and Alice were first cousins.
Alice was the first child of John and Alice. When she was one year old, her mother gave birth to a sister, Susannah. Sadly, her mother died from childbirth.
The following year, 1773, her father remarried to Lydia Wilson. Lydia gave birth to six children, all half-siblings of Alice. They were: Sarah (Griffith) Blackburn, Mary (Griffith) Sills, John Griffith, Elizabeth Griffith, William Griffith, and Ruth (Griffith) Clark.
Her father fought in the American Revolution.
In the late 1770s her father took the family and settled in Bedford County of Western Pennsylvania. it is thought that all nine of her father's brothers and sisters also made the covered wagon journey, perhaps at different times or altogether. The Griffith family eventually settled in St. Clair Township on land he obtained from the US government.
Alice never married and lived with her father and step mother on their farm in St. Clair.
About 1805, in her early 30s Alice gave birth to a son out of wedlock, who she named Thomas Griffith. It is not known who his father was. Two years later, her sister Susannah, who was also unmarried and living at home, likewise gave birth to a son out of wedlock named Jesse Griffith. Alice and Susannah raised their sons at home on their father's farm.
Her step-mother, Lydia, died sometime between 1820 and 1830. Alice remained on her father's farm where she kept house and cared for her aged father.
Her son Thomas married Margaret Albaugh about 1829. They made their home on the Griffith farm. Margaret gave birth to eight children, at least five of whom lived to adulthood.
On March 19, 1830 Alice’s father deeded 127 acres of land near Dunnings Creek in Bedford County to Alice and her Thomas. The land may have had a peach tree orchard.
Her son had a difficult marriage. Around 1847 he and Margaret separated, and they were divorced in 1850. Their family was split up, with their children going to live with various friends.
It is thought that Thomas had wanted to move out West, but his wife did not. It is also thought that in the early 1850s Thomas took most of his children and headed West. Alice may have went on the journey although she would have been around 80 years old.
Alice's fate is unknown. She is not mentioned in her unmarried sister Elizabeth’s will in 1859, but her son is.
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Last Updated ( Aug 13, 2007 at 07:49 AM )
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