Bio of Thomas Griffis (c1698-1757) CT

THOMAS GRIFFIS

Thomas Griffis (John-? ... ) was born around 1695, probably in Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut.He was the son of John Griffis and Isabel Willey.

Thomas' father died on 19 February 1697/8, when Thomas was only three years old.On 3 January 1713/4, he received his portion of his late father's estate:

Secondly we have set out and Distrybutted to Thomas Griffis the second son the Remainder of ye above said lot Joyning to John Boogs house Lot which part of sd Lot contains six acres and three Roods and also the third division Lot which contains thirteen acres and also halfe the Right belonging to that estate being vallied at two pounds the whole write was prised at foer pound.

Thomas resided in neighboring East Haddam, Middlesex County, Connecticut.There on 12 February 1718/9, he married SARAH-3 BORDEN.Sarah was born 17 April 1698, in Lyme, New London County, Connecticut.She was the daughter of John Borden and Marah Tillotson.They had several children (the first six born in East Haddam):

i Sarahb. 14 November 1719 m. Ebenezer Tyler
ii Thomasb. 12 March 1722d.s.p. 20 March 1728
iii Johnb. 12 June 1724m.
iv Isabelb. 19 February 1726/7 m. Elisha Hatch
v Maryb. 23 May 1729m. Ezra Tyler
vi Davidb. 9 August 1731d.s.p. 21 April 1750
vii Jonathanb. 7 September 1734prob. d. young
+ viii Danielb. 9 April 1737m. Abigail Bennet
ix Jamesb. 29 August 1739m. Hannah Simmons

He and Sarah were admitted to full communion in the church in East Haddam on 29 May 1720, where he was a member of the First Congregational Church.

Sometime between the birth of their sixth child David in 1731 and the birth of their seventh son Jonathan in 1734, the family moved to the sparsely populated region of western Connecticut that was then Hartford (now Litchfield) County.There they settled temporarily in the town of Litchfield while looking for land to permanently settle upon.

He eventually turned his sights to the northwest to Cornwall Township.At this time, the Cornwall area was comprised of virtually nothing but virgin forest.Since about 1710, people coming from nearby New Milford had been cutting tall trees in an area called the Mast Swamp along the Housatonic River in the Cornwall Bridge and Puffington area, very close to lands Thomas eventually purchased.These trees were then floated downstream and used as ship masts.Cornwall's only man-made line of communication at this time was an Indian trail called the Weatogue Path that crossed Cornwall on its course from Bantam in the south to Salisbury in the north.There were no permanent colonial settlers in the area until well into the 1730's.The only grant in Cornwall prior to 1738 was one made to Yale College in 1732, but it was not laid out until the very end of 1737.

Shortly after the Yale grant was laid out, the township was opened up to settlement.Fifty private proprietor's rights in the area were sold to thirty-three purchasers at auction in Fairfield.At the auction on 8 February 1737/8, Ebenezer Whittlesey purchased Right No. 53 for £104.On 27 December 1739, Thomas and George Holloway purchased "one whole Right or Fifty third part of ye Township of Cornwall in ye County of Hartford . . . that is to say One whole fifty third part Right Share in sd Township both devided & undevided ye Divided are two fifty Acre Lots & one first & Second Division . . . ." from Ebenezer.The area of Cornwall in which Thomas and the family settled was later called Griffis Hill, and was next to Dudleytown Hill (1,520 ft.) located just to the southeast of the present town of Cornwall Bridge.He subsequently added a lot numbered 460 which he owned outright, and a third-interest in Lot 482, located to the southwest, which he owned with George Holloway and Ebenezer Seeley.Thomas' lots abutted Cornwall Bridge Village on the west (Lots 460, 461), and the north (Lot 482).

He also owned an interest in land on Mine Mountain (1,380 ft.) to the northwest of Cornwall.The mountain got its name from the fact that a vein of graphite was discovered on it shortly after the township was settled.The prospect of mining the graphite, and the great amounts of money that might be realized therefrom, led the proprietors to vote in 1741 to sequester -- i.e., to withhold for the time being from distribution into private ownership -- sixty acres surrounding the site so as to retain the area for their common benefit.In a very short time,the sequestration became an object of great speculation, so that most deeds transferring Cornwall land rights began to specifiy whether they also conveyed proportionate rights in the mine sequestration.And not long thereafter, such proportionate rights were being traded independently of the rights in the common land.But little or nothing was done to exploit the sequestered site until 1751, when the proprietors agreed that any of them who might wish to dig a ton of ore and send it to England for assaying could do so at his own expense.The sample that eventually was sent proved unprofitable, and so far as is known the site was never worked on a commercial basis; yet rights in the sequestration continued to be traded into the 19th century.Thomas willed half of his right in the mountain to his son James; it is unclear what he did with the other half.

The Griffis' first winter in their new home -- the winter of 1739-40 -- was bitterly cold, and the snow extremely deep.While Thomas was away on a fortnight trip, a huge blizzard moved in and left such a large amount of snow that Thomas and several of his neighbors were unable to return to their homes.Sarah and their children ran out of food.Rather than let the family go hungry, though, she loaded her husband's gun and shot the family's pig, which she dressed and cooked.

In the 1742 tax returns the following entry for Thomas Griffis appears: "2 heads, 36; two oxen, 8; two cows, 2 horses, 12; total 56."There is little other information available about him.

Thomas died in Cornwall on 5 September 1758; he was buried there in the Allen Cemetery.His will provided as follows:

In the Name of God Amen.I Thomas Griffis of Cornwall in ye County of Litchfield & Colony of Connecticutt in New England considering my mortality & being weak of Body but of perfect mind and memory Do make and ordain this My Last Will and Testament.Firstly I Commit my Soul to God who gave it and my Body to a Decent Christian Burial at the Discretion of my Executors Believing its Resurrection at the Last Day and hoping for Eternal Life thro: the Merrits of Christ Jesus my Saviour.And as touching my Worldly Estate wherewith God hath Blessed me, My Will is that all my Just Debts & Financial Expenses be first paid out of my Moveable Estate, the Rest of my Estate I Will and Bequeath as followeth.

Imprimis.To My Beloved wife Sarah I Will and Bequeath and Devise all my Houshold Goods and also all my Personal Estate to be at her Absolute Disposal.Also for her use During her Natural Life I Will Bequeath & Devise the one-half of my Dwelling House with the Improvement of one third part of all my Lands Lying in the township of Cornwall.

Item: To My Beloved Son John Griffis In addition to What I have already Given him I Will and Bequeath him out of my Personal Estate Ten Shillings Lawfull money to be paid by my Executors which is his full proportion of my Estate.

Item: To My Beloved Daughter Sarah Tyler Wife to Ebenezer Tyler, In addition to What I have already Given her I Will and Bequeath her out of my personal Estate Ten Shillings Lawfull money to be paid by my Executors, which is her full proportion of my Estate.

Item: To My Beloved Daughter Isabel Hatch Wife to Elisha Hatch In addition to What I have already Given her I Will and Bequeath her out of my personal Estate Ten Shillings Lawfull money to be paid by my Executors, which is her full proportion of my Estate.

Item: To My Beloved Daughter Mary Tyler Wife to Ezra Tyler In addition to What I have already Given her I Will and Bequeath her out of my personal Estate Ten Shillings Lawfull money to be paid by my Executors, which is her full proportion of my Estate.

Item: To My Beloved Son Daniel Griffis In addition to What I have already Given him I Will and Bequeath him out of my Personal Estate Ten Shillings Lawfull money, to be paid by my Executors which is his full proportion of my Estate.

Item: To My Beloved Son James Griffis His heirs and assigns for Ever I Will and Bequeath my present Mansion house with all my Land therto adjoyning Being in quantity about Ninety three acres Butted and Bounded as by the Surveys thereof may be seen on the proprietary records of Cornwall and on those parcels of Land that I have heretofore Given Deeds of also one half right in the Mine Mountain so Called Provided my Son James Griffis Do provide for and reasonably Support During her Natural Life My Sister Mahetabel Griffis Impotent person for whose Maintenance I have obliged my Self & my heirs to the Selectmen of the town of East Haddam.

Item: Those Portions which I have heretofore by Deeds Given my Children Severally I do hereby Ratify and Confirm as if particularly mentioned; and all the Parcels of real Estate herein Bequeathed are Scituate in the township of Cornwall aforesd.

Finally: I Nominate and appoint Ensgn Levi Crocker & my Son James Griffis Executors of this my Last Will and Testament, Declaring this and no other to be my Last Will and Testament Hereby Revoking and Declaring Null and Void any other & former Wills and Testaments by me at any time made In Witness where of I have hereunto Set ny hand and Seal.In Cornwall in ye County of Litchfield aforesd this thirty first Day of July In the 32nd Year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord George the 2nd of King of Great Britain &tc Annoque Domini 1758.

An inventory of the estate was taken on 10 October 1758:

Imprimis his Blue Coat & Jacket, one pair Lethern Breeches & one pair Linen Breechs, two Check wooling Shirts, two pair Stockings one pr mittins, one Hat one old Great Coat & Jacket, his Books one pair Specticals, one C[?] his Longest fine Lock, his Shortest fine Lock, one pair Sheep Shares one add & candle Stick, one frying Pan one Iron Pot, one Iron Kettle one Iron Pot, one Iron Pot one fire Shovel & tongs, two tramels one Iron wring & Stapell, one [?] one Drawing Knife, one Narrow Ax one warming Pan, one Iron Goose one Broad Ax, one Loom & Loom Tackling, 6 pounds wooll four old Barrels, one Dutch wheel Indian Corn, one Plow & Plow Irons, one Clovis & Pin one Iron wedge, one Bette wring one Sadle, about 4 Loads Hay, one Churne & one Beer tub & one fat tub, two Tubs two pails, one half Bushel one Powdering Tub, one Great Spinning wheel two quart Bottles, two tin cups two tin Pans, one Tea Pot all the Pewter, one Brass Skimer one Pail & 6 wooden Plates, one Salt morter two wooden Dishes, one Chest Lock one pair Steelyard, one Bey white [?] mare Branded with ye figer 8 on ye near or Left Shoulder, one yearling horse colt Brand thus, one Cow one Calf, one Swine one Cyder mill, one Grass Sithe & tackling one Bush Sithe, one Tub one Bedsted & Bedding, one trundel Bedsted & Bedding, one Tub, four Chains two Sheets Table Cloth & towels, 17 Runn of Yarn, two Barrals one wash Tub one Pitch fork, one meal Chest two meal Baggs, one Pitch fork [total: £44.11.02], The Homestead being about Ninety one Acres of Land with all the Preveledges & apurtinances therof [£150], Place Called the mine Hill or mine mountain in said Cornwall.

The total value of the estate, both real and personal, was £196.11.02.A few items missed in the October inventory were added to the list on 7 December 1758: "one Stag, ten Herrow teeth, two horse Chains, 146 pounds of Pork."These were valued at £3.17.11.The estate was distributed to the heirs on 11 January 1762.

There is one curious notation in the estate papers.Among the debts against the estate is one owed to an unidentified creditor for "taking mr thomas Griffis out of jale."Apparently, the creditor travelled to and from Cornwall to the Litchfield Jail on 25 April 1758 -- a two day round-trip for which he charged six shillings per day -- and secured Thomas' release by paying £5.13.03 and ten shillings "for jale Keepers fees."No further explanation appears in the records.