Person Page - 489

Elsie O. Harmon

• Father: Elder James W. Harmon b. 29 Oct 1880, d. 6 Feb 1953
• Mother: Carrie Lindsey b. 16 Oct 1882

• Charts: Smith Descendants

• Last Edited: 28 May 2006

• Birth*: circa 1907; Chambers Co., Alabama
• (Daughter) 1910 Census: 15 April 1910; Chambers Co., Alabama; head of family=Elder James W. Harmon¹

Walter B. Harmon

• Father: Elder James W. Harmon b. 29 Oct 1880, d. 6 Feb 1953
• Mother: Carrie Lindsey b. 16 Oct 1882

• Charts: Smith Descendants

• Last Edited: 28 May 2006

• Birth*: 1909; Chambers Co., Alabama
• (Son) 1910 Census: 15 April 1910; Chambers Co., Alabama; head of family=Elder James W. Harmon¹

Amos Ray Harmon¹

• Father: Elder James W. Harmon¹ b. 29 Oct 1880, d. 6 Feb 1953
• Mother: Carrie Lindsey¹ b. 16 Oct 1882

• Charts: Smith Descendants

• Last Edited: 11 Dec 2017

• Birth*: 26 July 1911; Chambers Co., Alabama¹
• Marriage*: say 1934; Principal=Camilla Irene Bass¹
• (Deceased) Death*: 7 January 1947; Lafayette, Chambers Co., Alabama¹

Camilla Irene Bass¹

• Charts: Smith Descendants

• Last Edited: 20 Mar 2018

• Birth*: 19 October 1913; Camp Hill, Tallapoosa Co., Alabama¹
• Married Name: say 1934; Harmon¹
• Marriage*: say 1934; Principal=Amos Ray Harmon¹
• Death*: 8 March 1978; West Point, Troup Co., Georgia¹

William Ireby Knight, of Ireby, Cumberland¹

• Last Edited: 18 Jun 2006

• Birth*: say 1200¹
• (Groom) Marriage*: say 1220; Bride=Christian Hodeholme¹

Christian Hodeholme¹

• Father: Odard Hodeholme¹ b. s 1175

• Last Edited: 18 Jun 2006

• Birth*: say 1200¹
• (Bride) Marriage*: say 1220; Groom=William Ireby Knight, of Ireby, Cumberland¹
• Married Name: say 1220; Ireby¹

Odard Hodeholme¹

• Last Edited: 16 Jun 2006

• Birth*: say 1175¹

Neil (?) Earl of Carrick¹

• Charts: Moon Ancestry (#1), Moon Ancestry (#2), Moon Ancestry (#3), Moon Ancestry (#4), Moon Ancestry (#5), Moon Ancestry (#6), Moon Ancestry (#7), Moon Ancestry (#8), Pennington Ancestry (#1), Pennington Ancestry (#2), Pennington Ancestry (#3), Pennington Ancestry (#4), Pennington Ancestry (#5), Pennington Ancestry (#6), Pennington Ancestry (#7), Pennington Ancestry (#8)

• Last Edited: 18 Jun 2006

• Birth*: say 1220¹
• (Groom) Marriage*: say 1241; Bride=Isabel (?)¹

Isabel (?)¹

• Charts: Moon Ancestry (#1), Moon Ancestry (#2), Moon Ancestry (#3), Moon Ancestry (#4), Moon Ancestry (#5), Moon Ancestry (#6), Moon Ancestry (#7), Moon Ancestry (#8), Pennington Ancestry (#1), Pennington Ancestry (#2), Pennington Ancestry (#3), Pennington Ancestry (#4), Pennington Ancestry (#5), Pennington Ancestry (#6), Pennington Ancestry (#7), Pennington Ancestry (#8)

• Last Edited: 17 Jun 2006

• Birth*: say 1220¹
• (Bride) Marriage*: say 1241; Groom=Neil (?) Earl of Carrick¹

Henry Gilbert Swayne

• Charts: James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Eliab GRIFFIN Jr. Descendants

• Last Edited: 8 Mar 2008

• (Child) Birth*: 1884¹
• (Groom) Marriage*: say 1909; Bride=Martha Gertrude Griffin

John Thomas Middlebrooks

• Father: William H. Middlebrooks b. 16 May 1844, d. 29 Mar 1917
• Mother: Kissie (?) b. c 1847

• Last Edited: 18 Jun 2006

• Birth*: 1868; Georgia
• (Groom) Marriage*: circa 1891; Bride=Lonia (?)
• (Deceased) Death*: 1945; Heard Co., Georgia
• (Interred) Burial*: 1945; Bethel Christian Church Cemetery, Heard Co., Georgia

William H. Middlebrooks

• Last Edited: 18 Jun 2006

• (Child) Birth*: 16 May 1844; Georgia
• (Groom) Marriage*: circa 1865; Georgia; Bride=Kissie (?)
• (Deceased) Death*: 29 March 1917; Heard Co., Georgia
• (Interred) Burial*: say 31 March 1917; Union Grove Cemetery, Heard Co., Georgia

Kissie (?)

• Last Edited: 18 Jun 2006

• Birth*: circa 1847; Georgia
• (Bride) Marriage*: circa 1865; Georgia; Groom=William H. Middlebrooks
• Married Name: circa 1865; Middlebrooks

Lonia (?)

• Last Edited: 18 Jun 2006

• Birth*: 1872
• (Bride) Marriage*: circa 1891; Groom=John Thomas Middlebrooks
• Married Name: circa 1891; Middlebrooks

Minnie Dallas Strickland

• Father: Henry Ansel Strickland b. 17 Mar 1844, d. 17 Aug 1914
• Mother: Julia Ann Halsey b. 15 Oct 1846, d. 21 Sep 1887

• Charts: Strickland Ancestry, Cohron Descendants, Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Halsell Descendants, Halsey Descendants, Stewart Descendants, Strickland Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 30 Nov 2017

• (Child) Birth*: 26 October 1877; Standing Rock, Chambers Co., Alabama
• (Witness) 1880 Census: 1 June 1880; Hickory Flat, Chambers Co., Alabama; head of family=Henry Ansel Strickland¹
• Photographed*: say 1900; Chambers Co., Alabama²
  

  Minnie Dallas Strickland
• (Bride) Marriage*: 16 May 1900; Standing Rock, Chambers Co., Alabama; Groom=James Olin Griffin³
• Married Name: 16 May 1900; Griffin
• (Wife) 1900 Census: 1 June 1900; Millerville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=James Olin Griffin⁴
• (Wife) 1910 Census: 15 April 1910; Hackneyville, Tallapoosa Co., Alabama; head of family=James Olin Griffin⁵
• (resident) Census*: 1910; Hackneyville, Tallapoosa Co., Alabama
• (Wife) 1920 Census: 1 January 1920; Goodwater, Coosa Co., Alabama; head of family=James Olin Griffin⁶
• (Wife) 1930 Census: 1 April 1930; Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee; Head of Household=James Olin Griffin⁷
• (Wife) 1940 Census: 1 April 1940; Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee; Head of Household=James Olin Griffin⁸
• (Deceased) Death*: 19 June 1950; Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee
• (Interred) Burial*: Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee
• Biography*: Mrs. C. W. (Marie Griffin) Middlecoff wrote in a 13 Feb 1995 letter: Mama was such a lady. She had a reputation of being an excellent cook. We think she was the best She was a quiet person, read her Bible + studied her Sunday School lesson each week. She would ask us if we had studied ours, especially Ralph [Vaughn?] when he was here. Sometimes Ralph would ask her first - for fun. He is a big tease. She loved her family and home. She preferred staying at home except attending church. She was my Sunday School teacher when I was 11. She was active in PTA - mainly telephoning + attending meetings - not presiding as an officer. She had several operations including the removal of her right breast (cancer). It didn't spread. She died about 10 years later (Coronary Thrombosis). She would be an encourager to other women who had the same surgery (cancer). They would call her. Then she would tell them how to get back to "normal." She didn't talk about her childhood. Her mother died when she (Mama) was about 7 years old. Aunt Lanora (her oldest sister + her twin (died young, can't think of her name [Derah])) took care of her. She had sisters named Ollie and Peggy. Julius and Lewis were 2 of her brothers. Her father farmed. They had a nice white framed house. Ruth, James (a baby) (1914) and Mama rode the train to visit her father + those at their home. Aunt Lanora was still unmarried and living there. Aunt Peggy would come and stay with us for a while. SHe would help Mama sew. They made us some pretty dresses. She also took me to pick up hickory nuts - Then cracked + picked the nuts out of the sshell for me to eat. Several years later she married a widower with several children.
  
        The following obituary is from an unknown source: Mrs. J. O. Griffin Mrs. Minnie Strickland Griffin, wife of Dr. J. O. Griffin, on the staff at Oakville Sanatorium, died at 12:10 a.m. today at her home, 883 Hawthorne. Mrs. Griffin fell and broke her him several months ago and had never recovered from the effects of the fall. She was 72. She was born in Chambers County, Ala., moving to Memphis from Moulton, Ala., in 1928. A member of McLean Baptist Church, Mrs. Griffin was active in the Women's Missionary Society there. She leaves six daughters, [Mrs. R. W. Vaughn,] Mrs. H. M. Middlecoff Jr., and Miss Ruth Griffin, all of Memphis, Mrs. H. W. [read M.] Lewis, Quitman, Ga., Mrs. W. T. Duscoe, Union City, Tenn., and Mrs. Hez Brown, Chattanooga, Tenn.; three sons, J. W. and L. W. Griffin, Leeds, Ala., and J. M. Griffin, Memphis; two sisters, Mrs. Mark Lane, Roanoke, Ala., and Mrs. G. C. Wright, Highland Home, Ala.; and her brother, Lewis Strickland, Wichita Falls, Texas. Services at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at McLean Baptist Church. The body will be at the church by 9:30 a.m. Burial in Memorial Park. National Funeral Home in charge.
  
  Her son Lewis said that his mother's last words were "Lewis, get out from under the house." Apparently Lewis lliked to play under the house when he was a little boy. He remembered helping his mother with her gardening activities while growing up.

James Olin Griffin

• Father: William Henry Griffin b. 20 Oct 1847, d. 21 Feb 1924
• Mother: Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper b. 13 Apr 1848, d. 29 Nov 1947

• Charts: Cohron Descendants, Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Halsell Descendants, Halsey Descendants, Stewart Descendants, Strickland Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 11 Feb 2019

• Name-Comm: Olin Griffin
• (Child) Birth*: 30 January 1871; Good Hope (near Lineville), Clay Co., Alabama
• (Witness) 1880 Census: 1 June 1880; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin¹
• (Son) Census*: 1880; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama
• Photographed*: say 1890; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama²
  

  James Olin Griffin
• (Groom) Marriage*: 16 May 1900; Standing Rock, Chambers Co., Alabama; Bride=Minnie Dallas Strickland³
• (head of family) 1900 Census*: 1 June 1900; Millerville, Clay Co., Alabama; Wife=Minnie Dallas Strickland⁴
• (head of family) 1910 Census*: 15 April 1910; Hackneyville, Tallapoosa Co., Alabama; Wife=Minnie Dallas Strickland⁵
• Photographed: circa 1918
  

  James Olin Griffin WWI ID
• (head of family) 1920 Census*: 1 January 1920; Goodwater, Coosa Co., Alabama; Wife=Minnie Dallas Strickland⁶
• Photographed: say 1930; Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee⁷
  

  James Olin Griffin -- Army Reserves
• (Head of Household) 1930 Census*: 1 April 1930; Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee; Wife=Minnie Dallas Strickland⁸
• (Head of Household) 1940 Census*: 1 April 1940; Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee; Wife=Minnie Dallas Strickland⁹
• (Deceased) Death*: 31 July 1953; Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee
• (Interred) Burial*: 2 August 1953; Memorial Park Cemetery, Memphis, Shelby Co., Tennessee
• Biography*: James Olin was named after his Uncle James Griffin. According to a son, James M. Griffin, James O. Griffin had blue eyes. Mrs. Charles (Margaret Whatley) Lee visited Alsie Rutland in LaGrange, GA and he spoke about James Olin Griffin: Alsie also said Uncle Olin used to teach at Standing Rock [Chambers Co., AL] and he knew him. Uncle Olin met Aunt Minnie at Standing Rock, as you know she was a Strickland. Uncle Olin boarded with her family when he taught there.
  
  The following biography is from Vol. 2, pp. 253-254 of the History of Alabama and Her People by the American Historical Society, Inc., 1927: JAMES OLIN GRIFFIN, M.D. The quarter of a century Doctor Griffin has devoted to his duties as a physician and surgeon has been spent in several Alabama localities, and includes also the period of about a year he was a medical officer in home camps and overseas during the World War period.
  
  Doctor Griffin is a physician and surgeon at Moulton. He was born at [Good Hope near] Lineville, Clay County, Alabama, January 31, 1871 [30 Jan 1871 per Griffin Bible record]. The Griffin family is of Welsh ancestry. His grandfather, Robert Griffin, was a native of Pike County, Georgia, and when in middle life moved with his family to Lineville, Alabama, where he engaged in farming and merchandising until his death. He married Ann Wise, a native of Georgia.
  
  Their son, William Henry Griffin, was born in Chambers county, Alabama, in October, 1847, and died at Ashland in Clay County, February 22, 1923. He grew up in Chambers County, was married in Clay County, and carried on successful operations as a farmer at Lineville until 1920, when he moved to another farm near Ashland. He was a democrat, held the office of justice of the peace many years, and at the time of his death was a member of the Clay County Board of Education. He belonged to the Missionary Baptist Church and the Knights of Pythias, and was one of the useful soldiers of the Confederacy during the Civil war.
  
  His wife, Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper, was born near Griffin in Pike County, Georgia, April 12, 1847 [13 Apr 1847 per Culpepper Bible Record and tombstone] and is still living. They had eleven children: Dora, wife of Bud Dean, a farmer at Ashland; Doctor James O.; Robert Lewis, a commercial traveler, with home at Montevallo; Annie, wife of Isaac Reeves, a farmer at Lineville; J. Thomas, a farmer who died at Lineville of typhoid fever in June, 1922; Miss Lelia and Miss Maude, living at home with their mother; Joseph Albertus, who is credit man for the Haverty Furniture Company at Birmingham; George William, connected with the Handley Motor Company at Washington, D. C.; Myrtle, wife of Robert Whatley, a farmer at Lineville; and Herman Milton, who died when eighteen months old.
  
  James O. Griffin grew up at Lineville, attended Lineville College, and had six years of teaching experience in Randolph and Clay counties. In 1898 he entered the medical department of the University of Alabama at Mobile, and was graduated M. D. in 1900.
  
  After six months of practice at Millerville he located at Hackneyville, in Tallapoosa County, and was an esteemed and successful physician in that community for a period of seventeen years.
  
  Leaving there he practiced at Goodwater, Alabama seven months.
  
  Having volunteered for service in the Army Medical Corps, he was commissioned a first lieutenant and was called to duty August 1, 1918 and was in training twenty-nine days at Camp Greenleaf Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. He was ordered overseas as a casual landing at Liverpool September 29, spent five days at Winchester, England, reached Le Havre October 5, still as a casual, and was stationed at Laval Bonne, France from October 18 until January 6, 1919, being battalion surgeon of the First, Second and Third Battalions which were in training there. He then went to Nevers, France, with Bakery Company No. 320 remaining on duty there from January 6, 1919 to March 11, 1919. He was next at Mars Center, the American base hospital, until April 15th, was transferred to Savinay for a short time, and on April 20, sailed from St. Nazaire, landing at Hoboken New Jersey, May 1, 1919, and took his honorable discharge at Fort McPherson Atlanta, June 19, 1919. He now holds the rank of captain in the Medical Officers' Reserve Corps.
  
  Leaving the army, he resumed his practice at Goodwater for a brief time, and on January 2, 1922, engaged in practice at Leeds, left there on March 6, 1923, and was located at Eclectic until April 29, 1924, when he established his home and office at Moulton to engage in a general practice as a physician and surgeon. His offices are in the Moulton Drug Company Building on the Court house Square.
  
  Doctor Griffin was county health officer of Tallapoosa County in 1916-17 and is a member of the Lawrence County, Alabama State and Southern Medical Associations. He is a democrat, a member of the Missionary Baptist Church and is affiliated with Leeds Lodge No. 446, F. and A. M. Avondale Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, Kamram Grotto of Masons at Birmingham.
  
  He married at Standing Rock in Chambers County, May 16, 1900, Miss Minnie D. Strickland, daughter of Henry A. and Julia (Halsey) Strickland, now deceased. Her father was a farmer in Chambers County.
  
  Doctor and Mrs. Griffin became the parents of nine children: Mary Erom, a teacher in the Coffee County High School at Enterprise; Joseph Wyeth, manager of a general store at Leeds; Ruth Valentine, attending the Alabama College at Montevallo; Sarah Louise, a senior and Julia Clarise, a freshman in the Lawrence County High School at Moulton; James Maurice, Lewis Wyman and Millie Frances, students in the Moulton Grammar School; and Olga Marie.
  
  James O. Griffin helped to found a Baptist church which was destroyed by a cyclone in 1916. A daughter, Ruth Griffin, wrote in a 31 Jan 1982 letter that "quite well do I remember the cyclone. [Great] Uncle Joe Culpepper was visiting us at that time. He visited with us quite often. We lived very close to the church. It was a scary time for a few moments."
  
  The following is from p. 4 of the ALEXANDER CITY OUTLOOK Thursday, 17 Dec 1981: July, 1916 cyclone destroyed Church Coosa-Tallapoosa Echoes By Hoot Warren A Cyclone has long been a much dreaded weather maker. It was from a cyclone which hit the Hackneyville Baptist Church building - destroying it - that the church membership also suffered a devastating blow. This storm came in July 1916 and completely demolished the building causing the Baptists to seek help from the Presbyterians in the community.
  
  The ALEXANDER CITY NEWS dated Friday July 14 1916 reported a storm "which had hit the entire southern part of the United States leaving some 78 persons dead or missing and damage estimated into the millions of dollars." They further recounted that Montgomery, Selma, Prattville and several locations in Mississippi had extensive storm damage and crop loss from excessive rains. They reported over "one hundred hours of continuous rainfall" during this wide and costly storm.
  
  The ALEXANDER CITY OUTLOOK of mid-July was not on file, so an account of the happening could not be gleaned from this active Alexander City newspaper of that day.
  
  The DADEVILLE SPOT CASH did note on July 21 1916 that six states were involved in the storm and that the dead and missing was over 75 persons. Damage was extensive but there was no specific mention of the Hackneyville church in any of the articles. Local records state that the church was lost July 15, 1916 in that siege of bad weather which spawned localized storms.
  
  The congregation held a meeting and decided to sell the remains of the church building and make letters available to members to join the church of their choice at some other location. The membership was quite large at the time but did not feel financially able to replace the building due to anticipated crop losses.
  
  The Baptist Church at Hackneyville had actually begun when Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Cosper sold an acre and a half of land to the church trustees for only one dollar. This action took place back on November 19, 1904 and involved Mr. D. M. Vernon, E. W. Harlan, and G. W. Holdridge as trustees. The land was just west of where Dr. J. O. Griffin lived on the south side of the main road through Hackneyville. The J. D. Collins family later lived in that home and still later the location became the Fox Store and then the Walls Store.
  
  But Dr. Griffin was an active man and believed in both schools and churches so he became the power behind the movement in 1905 to actually get a church organized and a building on that land. It soon became a reality and services were held until 1916....
  
  A niece Mrs. J. W. (Lena Whatley) DeVaughn wrote that she and her sister, Mrs. C. H. (Margaret Whatley) Lee went to La Grange, GA and visited "a Rutland [William Huey Rutland?]": He told me about Uncle Olin Griffin wanting him to go with him in the woods to catch some rattlesnakes. Did your Daddy tell you how Uncle Olin Griffin, your Grandfather, loved to work with snakes? When I was a child, my parents would visit Uncle Olin, he would show us his snakes. In his last years I don't think he did, but when young he sure did. I enjoyed listening while he (the Mr. Rutland) told how he caught the snakes, put them to sleep and cut the poison from them, then how they would fight each other when waking up.... Down there is where he [James Olin Griffin] met Aunt Minnie [Strickland] at County Line or she lived at Standing Rock. Uncle Olin was teaching school there when he met Aunt Minnie....
  
  J. O. Griffin also liked to go hunting and at one time had several bird dogs. Later, he had a pet dog named Jigs that he loved to aggravate by twirling its tail. J. O. Griffin was a teetotaler and he ran a telephone exchange out of his office.
  
  A niece, Mrs. E. A. (Ellaree Dean) Speer, wrote in a 10 Jan 1992 letter: Uncle Olin had a good practice in Hackneyville & also telephone business & he still had that when I would visit [Olin's daughter, Mary] Erom [Griffin] & we worked the switchboard for Miss Cassie to go for lunch... & to have vacation.... Those were horse & buggy days. The switchboard was in a two room house & the other room was for medicine. If you called late p.m. night or early morning - no answer. Miss Cassie went to work about 7:30 or 8:00.
  
  Annie M. Rillett, 17, was listed as a telephone operator living at the James O. Griffin residence in the 1910 census. The following is from Birmingham News for Sunday, 28 Nov 1982:
  
  A Day in the Life of Alabama Switchboards and 'Central' once hub of small-town life By Clarke Stallworth News associate editor
  
  They called her "Central." Early in this century, she sat in a little office, in a small Alabama town, watching the spaghetti-like cords sprout from the small telephone switchboard. She ate, slept and lived within reach of the switchboard, and many nights would be roused out of bed to connect somebody with somebody else. From 1900 to 1921, Alabama was dotted with small telephone exchanges. Irma Russell Cruse, who worked for Southern Bell and South Central Bell as a writer wrote a story in a telephone magazine about one early- century switchboard, in Hackneyville, a small town in northwestern Tallapoosa County.
  
  The switchboard began when a dentist, a Dr. Bell, needed it to stay in touch with his patients. So he bought a switchboard and set it up at home. His wife manipulated the cords and answered to "Central." Then Dr. J.O. Griffin put in a larger exchange--15 lines--with four to eight parties on each line. Toll connections were established between Hackneyville and the Bell Company's exchanges at Alexander City and Goodwater.
  
  In her article, "Horse and Buggy Telephones," Mrs. Cruse wrote: "For the next 10 or 15 years, this telephone switchboard was the hub around which life revolved in the community. The primary purpose of the service was to enable the doctor to keep in touch with his patients. "Merchants soon found it helpful, however, to use the telephone to find out whether their orders of staple groceries had come in at the Central of Georgia depot in Alexander City. "Each family learned its code ring and the youngest child soon learned that 'two longs and a short' was for his telephone. Each family learned the other codes which designated others on the line and when Mrs. Brown's short and long ring was heard, others up and down the line rushed to see who was calling Mrs. Brown. It never occurred to the telephone subscribers that anyone would seriously object to everyone on the line listening in on conversations. Nor was it unusual for listeners to take part in the conversation and volunteer information."
  
  Dr. Griffin hired a young telephone operator, Nellie Ledbetter, and the operator lived with him and his wife in their home. Wrote Mrs. Cruse: "One of the by-products of her working days for Nellie was the romance with Charlie Russell, one of the young men of the community who had been away at school. "The two young people found the switchboard offered opportunity for frequent visits by telephone when business was quiet and the romance blossomed into marriage. "During the months before that marriage took place, in her role of 'Central' Nellie served the doctors well (Nellie's brother was practicing with Dr. Griffin). "Each morning before leaving for their house calls, the doctors prepared a list of their proposed visits and left it at the switchboard. If a call came in for the doctors in their absence, Nellie would check the lists, estimate just about where she would find the doctor who was needed and ring the telephone nearest that location. "Any telephone subscriber was always glad to stop work to answer the telephone to help locate the doctor. There was little danger of missing the doctor if he was scheduled to come along past the house being called, for the clip clop of the team of horses could be heard long before the buggy and its occupant would come into sight.
  
  Telephones changed. The wall set, with the crank on the side, became a dial telephone on a desk, and "Central" became "Operator," in a distant city. Telephone service got better -- subscribers could make calls easier and quicker than before. But the personal touch -- or much of it -- disappeared into the mists of history. Americans may have gained better service, but some who remember, miss the friendly voice of the lady in the cushioned chair, sitting by the rickety little switchboard, the lady who knew everybody's business. The lady down at "Central."
  
  A daughter, Ruth Griffin, wrote in a 31 Jan 1982 letter: Yes, I remember living at Hackneyville and quite a lot about everything. Daddy was a very prominent citizen there.... Hackneyville was a very progressive community when we lived there. Daddy had the home built where we lived. It was destroyed by fire sometime ago.
  
  The following is from p. 421 of the second (1952) edition of Who's Important in Medicine compiled and published by Institute for Research in Biography, Inc., Hicksville, NY:
  
  GRIFFIN, JAMES OLIN - Physician; born January 30, 1871, [Good Hope near] Lineville, Alabama; son of William Henry and Clarissa Eugenia (Culpepper) Griffin; educated at Lineville College, Medical Dept. Grants Univ., Medical Dept., University of Alabama, M.D., 1900; married Minnie Dallas Strickland, May 16, 1900; children-Mary Erom, Joseph Wyeth, Ruth Valentine, Sarah Louise, Julia Clarice, James Maurice, Lewis Wyman, Minnie Frances, and Olga Marie. In general practice, Alabama 1900-1928.
  County Health Officer, Tallapoosa Co., Ala., four years; President, Board of Education, Hackneyville, Ala., several years; Staff Member, U.S. Veterans Hospital 88, Memphis, Tennessee, 14 years; Staff Member, Oakville Memorial Sanatorium, Memphis, Tennessee since 1942. Member: Tenn. State Medical Association, American Trudeau Society, Memphis and Shelby County Medical Society, American Cancer Society. Clubs: Oakville Civic, American Legion, National Association of Retired Civil Employees. Served as First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, World War I; Major retired, U.S. Army Medical Corps. Residence: 883 Hawthorne. Office: Oakville Sanatorium, Memphis 18, Tennessee.
  
  In a 29 Jul 1953 letter written just 2 days before his death, James O. Griffin wrote to his son, Lewis W. Griffin and family:
  
  I am in charge of three different buildings and it takes lots of walking to see the patients in all three of the buildings.... I am very thankful that I have a good job and I hope that I can keep it for at least five more years. I do not want to ever quit work. I hope and pray that the Lord will keep me fit and able to work as long as I live. I think that work and employment is as good or better medicine for old people as it is for young people. A busy individual, if he or she has any ambition, is, as a rule, a happy individual.
  
  The following obituary is from The Commercial Appeal of Memphis, TN, Saturday 1 Aug 1953:
  
  SUDDEN ILLNESS FATAL TO DR. JAMES GRIFFIN Practiced More Than 50 Years In Tennessee, Alabama RITES TO BE TOMORROW
  
  More than a half century of medical practice that endeared Dr. James O. Griffin to the hearts of lay persons and other physicians in two states ended yesterday when the doctor died at Baptist Hospital after a sudden illness. He was 82. Dr. Griffin became ill at noon Thursday while on duty at Oakville Memorial Sanatorium, where he was still active as staff physician. He died at 9 yesterday morning.
  
  Rites Set Tomorrow
  
  Services will be he]d at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon at McLean Baptist Church. Dr. H. C. Gabhart will officiate. Burial will be in Memorial Park. Dr. Griffin's long and prominent career began with general practice in Tallapoosa County, Ala., in 1900. He had earned his doctor of medicine degree earlier that year from the University of Alabama. The year was notable in another respect for the young doctor, for it was then that he married Minnie Dallas Strickland of Roanoke, Ala. Mrs. Griffin died one month and three days after the couple celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 16, 1950. They raised nine children. During 28 years of general practice, Dr. Griffin also served as county health officer of Tallapoosa County for four years, and president of the board of education of Hackneyville, Ala. The family moved to Memphis in 1928 from Moulton, Ala. Their home is at 883 Hawthorne.
  
  With VA 14 Years
  
  Dr. Griffin's first service here was as staff physician at Veterans Hospital No. 88 on Crump, where he remained 14 years. He had been at Oakville Sanatorium the past 11 years. Born at [Good Hope near] Lineville, Ala., Dr. Griffin was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William Henry Griffin. He attended Lineville College and Grant's University, Chattanooga, before entering the University of Alabama. Dr. Griffin was a member of the American Medical Association, the Southern Medical Association, the Tennessee State Medical Association, American Trudeau Society, Memphis & Shelby County Medical Association, and the American Cancer Society. Following service with the Army Medical Corps in World War I, Dr. Griffin was discharged as a major. He was a member of the American Legion, Oakville Civic Club, and the National Association of Retired Civil Employees.
  
  Known As 'Pops'
  
  He was a member of McLean Baptist Church. He was known affectionate]y as 'Pops.' He leaves three sons, James Griffin of Memphis, and J. W. Griffin and L. W. Griffin of Leeds, Ala.; six daughters, Mrs. R. W. Vaughn, Mrs. C. W. Middlecoff Jr., and Miss Ruth Griffin of Memphis, Mrs. Hez Brown of Chattanooga, Mrs. W. T. Duscoe of Union City, Tenn., and Mrs. H. M. Lewis of Quitman, Ga.; two brothers, J. A. Griffin of Sylacauga, Ala.,and G. W. Griffin of Lineville; four sisters, Mrs. Ike Reeves and Mrs. Robert Whatley of Lineville, Miss Maude Griffin of Ashland, Alabama and Mrs. W. T. Dean of St. Petersburg, Fla., and 15 grandchildren.
  
  The following obituary is from an unknown source:
  
  Dr. James Griffin, Of Oakville, Dies Staff Physician At Sanitorium
  
  Dr. James O. Griffin of 883 Hawthorne, staff physician At Oakville Memorial Sanitorium, died at 9:10 a.m. today at Baptist Hospital after a brief illness. He was 82. Dr. Griffin came to Memphis 25 years ago from Alabama to join the staff of Veterans Hospital 88 on Lamar. He had been with Oakville Sanitorium for 12 years. He was born in Clay County, Ala. Jan 30, 1871. He graduated from Alabama Medical College in 1900 and first practiced in Tallapoosa County, Ala., where he became health officer. He served as a major with the Army Medical Corps in France in War I. After 28 years of practice in Alabama, the last five in Moulton, he came to Memphis in 1928. He was a member of Southern Medical Association, American Medical Association, American Trudeau Society, Oakville Civic Club, American Legion, and McLean Baptist Church. He leaves three sons, J. W. Griffin and L. W. Griffin of Leeds, Ala., and James Griffin of the Hawthorne address; six daughters, Mrs. H. M. Lewis of Quitman, Ga. Miss Ruth Griffin of the Hawthorne address, Mrs. R. W. Vaughn of 3234 Spottswood, Mrs. W. T. Duscoe of Union City, Tenn., Mrs. C. W. Middlecoff Jr. of 1547 N. Parkway and Mrs. Hez Brown of Chattanooga and 15 grandchildren. Services at 3 :30 p.m. tomorrow at McLean Baptist Church, Dr. H. C. Gabhart officiating. Burial in Memorial Park. National Funeral Home is in charge.
  
  The following is from Dr. Mary R. Lewis, Houston, TX, 17 Sep 2004:
  
  Dear Lew, as you requested, I'll start my recollections of Grandmother and Grandaddy Griffin. I may think of some others later. I'll include information provided by my Mother, aunts and uncles and others, who told me things about them from their experiences.
  
  My own experiences that I can remember begin with the annual trips that Mother, Marian, and I made to Memphis to visit them. It was very important to my Mother that we spend at least two weeks every year with them as this was a source of great renewal for her and she wanted Marian and me to know our Griffin relatives. We never lived in the same community with them. In my earliest years, Daddy sometimes drove us there because Mother did not learn to drive until we lived in Rochelle, GA (about 1939). He never wanted to stay as long as Mother did. So, more frequently, we went on the train (the
  "Frisco") from Montgomery. Sometimes we stayed a month.
  
  Mother talked often about how much she loved being with her family and at her Mother's dinner table. Dinner there was a special time. There was a precise hour when everyone in the family was supposed to be home for dinner and the conversation was always interesting as we discussed what people had been doing all day or other stimulating topics. Remember, Mother was the eldest of the Griffin siblings and so James, Lewis, Frances, and Marie were still in high school and college and living at home during my early years. Marian and I were the first grandchildren. Annette and Barbara, Julie and Jimmy were not far behind. Annette and Barbara lived in Memphis, so we usually saw them, too, when we visited. James, Lewis, Frances, and Marie always made me feel very special and took me everywhere with them and planned special treats for us, such as going to the Memphis zoo, the outdoor theater, the parks, etc.
  
  I remember watching James teach Marie (maybe Frances too) to drive. I don't think Grandaddy liked to drive. One of his children drove him to work and one always went to get him in the afternoon by the time I knew him. After dinner, he always took a walk and often I went with him and his dog, Jiggs, when I was there.
  
  There was always lots of laughter in the Griffin home, at dinner time and all the time. Usually when we visited, there would be a time when all the girls were at home. The ones who lived elsewhere would make a special point of coming home at that time to see my Mother, Marian, and me. I have special memories of all six of them getting in one room, telling their stories, with peals of laughter.
  
  Grandad and Grandmother were totally devoted to their children and grandchildren and interested in their joys and sorrows. I always received Christmas and birthday remembrances from them as a very young child. Here is one story about my stillborn brother told to me by Marie that I did not know until both of my parents had died, and so I never had a chance to discuss it with them. My parents lost their first baby, a stillborn boy. Marie said that Grandmother came to Wetumpka, AL with Frances and Marie (ages about 5 and 7 then) to stay with Mother for a whole month afterwards to provide comfort and solace. Marie said that, even at age 5, she knew that my Mother needed to talk about it and she wanted to find a way to help her talk about it, but didn't know how. (Perhaps Grandmother found a way.) I knew that this experience had been horrible for my Mother because she told me about it many times, although I don't remember her telling me that Grandmother came with Frances and Marie. In telling me, she focused most upon the physical aspects of the long labor, saying that she nearly died in the process. (I think she must have had post-traumatic stress syndrome, because she needed to tell me, a child, about it several times. I learned to change the subject because it was painful to hear.) She had been told that this baby was perfectly formed and looked like the Griffins. I think it showed extraordinary love, concern, and sensitivity for Grandmother and Grandad to organize their lives so that Grandmother could come with Frances and Marie to stay a whole month with my Mother at that time.
  
  Grandaddy made an annual summer trip in his car to visit his children and family-of-origin relatives in Alabama. His mother and some siblings lived in the Lineville, AL area. When I was a small child, his car would have two or three other family members with him, mainly James, Frances, or Marie. I think Lewis was not with them as often because he joined the Navy after he graduated from high school. I don't recall Grandmother being on these trips. I don't know why. I am under the impression that her health began to fail, so perhaps she did not feel like taking this trip. Remember, we did not have air conditioned cars in those days. Grandmother had cancer of the breast, but that was not the cause of her death. I don't know what the cause of her death was. Perhaps you could find it on her death certificate. The last time I saw her was in Memphis during my junior or senior year at Wesleyan College. I remember that when I went to tell her "Goodbye" before we left, she grasped my hand and looked at me in such a special way that I can recall this very moment. I had a feeling that I didn't understand then and now I am wondering if she knew that she might not ever see me again.
  
  Grandmother taught me to embroider. I still have a few items that I made then. She also attended to my requests. One of the things that Ruth gave to me was Grandmother's glove box. In retrospect, I remembered that I admired Grandmother's glove box very much. I must have spoken my admiration of it so often that Ruth remembered to give it to me.
  
  My Mother once told me, after Grandmother had died, "I can sometimes feel my Mother's presence." It was in that connection, I think, that once when my Mother visited me (as an adult) in Colorado, she asked for reassurance that I would tell her if I had a problem. She said that when I was very young (I don't know the exact age, but very young), I would call her often if she was in a different room, yet when she appeared, there didn't seem to be anything that I needed or wanted, so she told me to quit calling her. Grandmother noticed this and told her that she should not tell me to quit calling her. Grandmother told Mother, "Some day, Mary is going to need you and she is not going to call you."
  
  Apparently, Grandmother was a model that her children admired and wanted to emulate. They all said that she never said a mean thing about anyone. She organized and managed a lovely home. In my youngest years, the family lived in a two story house on Central Avenue in Memphis. They didn't move to the house on Hawthorne Street until after all the children, except Ruth and James, had left home. Grandmother and Grandad wanted all of their children to feel that they could come home there whenever they needed, or wanted to. Even I, as a child, had the feeling that if anything ever happened to my own parents, I could probably go to live with Grandmother and Grandad. At the same time, they made it perfectly clear that their children should become independent and self-reliant.
  
  I think that their child-rearing practices probably changed somewhat from the eldest to the youngest, although some things remained the same. One constant was that children did not speak disrespectfully to their parents. I was very surprised once while visiting at the house on Central Avenue when Frances was a teenager and spoke disrespectfully to Grandmother about something while the evening meal was being prepared. Grandmother immediately slapped her face! That was the only time I remember a show of anger from Grandmother.
  
  All of the children were expected to help with the household chores in some way. My Mother spoke of her responsibilities for helping to care for her younger siblings. As the eldest child, all of her siblings addressed her as "Sister" instead of by her name. That tradition was carried on when some of her nieces and nephews addressed her as "Aunt Sister".
  
  The girls helped with preparing meals and house cleaning and washing and ironing clothes, although I remember that there was household help at the houses in Memphis. Perhaps while Grandad's medical practice was growing in its early phases, there wasn't as much money for employed household help, or there was enough for everyone to do even with household help.
  
  Remember that modern conveniences in kitchens and stores were quite different. They started from scratch in cooking, canning, making jams and jellies, and made most of their own clothes. I remember my Mother saying once, "I hope that you will never have to iron shirts!" Grandad always had to have a clean shirt and they may have gotten dirty more often in the days when he made house calls. I remember Clarice remarking once about Grandad always needing a clean shirt.
  
  I don't know what the boys' chores were, except that Mother once mentioned that Skip sometimes went with Grandad on his house calls. Remember that he graduated from Alabama Medical College in 1900, long before the automobile had been invented. He made house calls on horseback or in a horse and buggy. So he had to have a fresh horse. So Skip probably had some responsibility for the horse and buggy.
  
  Clarice told me once that nearly everyone had some responsibility relating to Grandad's practice of medicine. She said that one of hers was to hold the lantern at night if Grandad had to make a night call. She had to hold it while others got the buggy out of the garage, hitched up the horse, and helped Grandad take off. James also told me about being expected to accompany Grandad on his house calls.
  
  James said that sometimes Grandad would stay a whole day at one house, making observations, while he gathered the family medical history. He did not have available the modern tools of diagnosis, such as X-ray, sonograms, lab tests, etc. He also had some understanding that some physical illnesses are caused by emotional problems and family relationships. James said that he always made inquiries about these dimensions in taking the family history. He was aware of domestic violence and child abuse.
  
  James and my Mother said that he often told parents that they should not hit or punish their children anywhere around the face or hands. Part of the reason for staying so long at one home may have been to observe family interactions.
  
  Grandad and Grandmother were married soon after he graduated from Alabama Medical College. He started his medical practice in Hackneyville, AL where my Mother was born. He went there because there was a gold rush there, meaning that lots of people would be coming there and needing a doctor.
  
  As soon as the telephone was invented, Grandad arranged to set up a telephone exchange for the whole community right in his own home, the kind that required an operator who had to negotiate the transactions between callers and receivers by plugging connections into various holes in the equipment. I don't know if the operator was always an employee or if some of the Griffin children had to learn to manage this telephone exchange also.
  
  The boys may have been involved in chores relating to household maintenance. Great-Grandaddy Griffin was a carpenter and farmer, so Grandad learned a lot about houses and their maintenance from his own father. I remember their home being well-maintained. My memories include James painting, inside and outside, periodically and taking care of the lawn and flowers.
  
  Grandmother loved flowers. Her younger children, James, Lewis, Frances, and Marie told me about their memories of helping Grandmother in her flower garden and all four of them maintained beautiful gardens in their own homes.
  
  Grandparents were always involved in the local Baptist Church. I am under the impression that Grandad helped to organize one or more Baptist churches. I think something was said about that in his obituary.
  
  Grandmother must have been a superb organizer. Grandad volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army during World War I. He was too old to be drafted. He was accepted and soon sent to France. This left Grandmother at home alone with lots of very young children. My mother, the eldest, was in College by that time.
  
  I mentioned earlier that perhaps their child rearing practices changed from the eldest to the youngest. Everyone seems to agree that Grandad was very bossy. Mother told me once that he also gave orders to Grandmother and she once heard her mother say, "Doctor, don't talk to me like that!" Apparently, at that time, she addressed her husband as "Doctor", but that changed in later years, as I did hear her call him "Olin". I mentioned in an earlier message that he decided what my Mother would major in at Judson College. I don't think that he entered those decisions of his younger children. I think the grandparents grew more relaxed in managing their younger children. At the same time throughout all, they were very generous and loving.
  
  Grandparents were ambitious for their children and wanted them to go to College and encouraged the daughters, as well as the sons, to plan for self-sufficiency. One way to do that was to get a college education. I've already written about the Griffin girls as teachers and professionals. In this respect, I believe the grandparents were way ahead of many in their generation as many of my Mother's peers could not imagine themselves being in the working world or wanting to have professions.
  
  Grandad attended the College graduation of each of his grandchildren as long as he lived. He attended Marian's and mine at Wesleyan College, and I suspect that he also attended Annette's, and maybe Julie's. He died in 1953 while I was attending the London School of Economics and Political Science in England. Grandad wrote letters to everyone in the family. I wish that someone had saved some of his letters. I remember the last letter than I received from him in 1953 while I was in London. He wrote to me about the birth of John Charles Griffin and that the baby John had been stricken with polio. He wrote that he hoped that John had received the best medical care available and had conferred with Lewis and Mildred about this.
  
  Well, I've come to a stopping point. I'll write again if/when I think of more....
• Note*: 21 May 2013; It seems to me that Grandfather Griffin had high ambitions for himself as a doctor which he never qutie fulfilled. He named his son Wyeth after an accomplished Alabama physician, and his son Lewis WYMAN after an esteemed medical professor at the University of Alabama. He attended the meetings of his local medical society without fail. It all seems as if he wanted to be a great doctor, but knew that he was not. One of his nieces, Claire Griffin Jelin, once mentioned to me in a phone conversation, in her dotage, that she would never have used her unce Olin as a doctor. Understanding the limitations of his formal education myself, I think I would have nevertheless trusted him with most medical complaints. Being a doctor is as much an art as a science, and I suspect grandfather Griffin did his best to excell at both.¹⁰

Eldora Griffin

• Father: William Henry Griffin b. 20 Oct 1847, d. 21 Feb 1924
• Mother: Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper b. 13 Apr 1848, d. 29 Nov 1947

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 20 Dec 2012

• Name-Comm: Dora Griffin
• (Child) Birth*: 12 November 1868; Good Hope (near Lineville), Clay Co., Alabama
• (Employee) Employment*: teacher||
• (Daughter) Photographed: circa 1870; Clay Co., Alabama; Principal=William Henry Griffin, Principal=Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper¹
  

  William Heny & Clarissa (Culpepper) Griffin with daughter Dora
• (Daughter) Census*: 1870; Coppermine P.O., Clay Co., Alabama
• (Witness) 1880 Census: 1 June 1880; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin²
• Photographed*: say 1893; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama³
  

  Dora (Griffin) Dean
• (Bride) Marriage*: 15 January 1893; Good Hope, Clay Co., Alabama; Groom=William Thomas Dean⁴
• Married Name: 15 January 1893; Dean
• (resident) Census: 1900; Ashland, Clay Co., Alabama
• (Deceased) Death*: 2 July 1965; Saint Petersburg, Pinellas Co., Florida
• (Interred) Burial*: Ashland City Cemetery, Ashland, Clay Co., Alabama⁵
• Biography*:
        In a September 1991 letter, Mrs. E. A. (Ellaree Dean) Speer wrote "after mamma [Eldora] finished country school, she went to Lineville to school and stayed with her Grandparents, Robert & Mary Ann Wise Griffin...." Dora was a school teacher prior to her marriage.
        On 15 Jan 1893, Dora and W. T. Dean were married at her parents house by W. H. Preston "A Minister of the Gospel." 50 years later, they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. The following is from an unknown source, possibly the Ashland Progress: GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY OBSERVED BY MR. AND MRS. W. T. DEAN LAST SUNDAY A pretty social event of this season took place last Sunday afternoon, Jan. 17, when Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Dean celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary with a tea at their home from 2:30 to 5 o'clock. Mrs. J. B. Willis greeted the guests at the door. In the receiving line with Mr. and Mrs. Dean were their children, Mr. O. W. Dean, Mr. and Mrs. E. G. Dean, Mrs. E. A. Speer and Miss Annie Maude Dean. Mrs. Dean chose for the occasion a purple velvet with a single orchid as her corsage. Mrs. G. W. Griffin of Talladega presided over the register and Mrs. Ceylon Cusick displayed the gifts. One gift that was not on display was a huge turkey presented by Mr. Pressly Dale of Oak Hill and consigned to the anniversary dinner table. Seated at the lace-covered table where long yellow tapers shed a mellow light on the three-tiered cake embossed in gold which was the centerpiece, were Mrs. J. D. Oliver of Birmingham, wearing a blue floral dress and Mrs. C. C. Workman in rich blue trimmed with sequins pouring tea and coffee from handsome silver services. Mrs. Lucile Jordan, Misses Mary Lou Jackson, Bessie Bell Dean and Anne Speer served delicious sandwiches and individual cake, which carried out the gold color scheme for the.occasion. Mrs. W. B. Nolen and Mrs. W. C. Adams rendered piano and appropriate vocal numbers during the afternoon. Eighty-five guests called during the afternoon. Out of town guests were Mrs. E. A. Speer and children, Anne and Ewart, Jr., and Mrs. J. D. Oliver of Birmingham; O. W. Dean of Montgomery; E. G. Dean of Marietta, Ga.; Miss Bessie Bell Dean of Auburn; Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Griffin and daughter, Julia, of Leeds; Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Griffin of Talladega; Mr. J. A. Griffin of Sylacauga, Mrs. A. L. Harlan, Mr. C. I. Harlan and Miss Irma Porch of Alexander City; Miss Patti Fleming of Goodwater; Mrs. K. B. Simmons of Monroeville, and Eugene H. Atkins of Anniston.
        In later years Dora ran a boarding home, and was noted for her excellent cooking. The following is from an unknown source: Dean children give church Bible ASHLAND, Ala., Nov. 2., -- A large edition of the Holy Bible has been presented to the Ashland First Baptist Church by the children of Mrs. Dora Dean. Mrs. Dean, who recently celebrated her 89th birthday, is the oldest member of the church having been an active member for 63 consecutive years. Mrs. Dean, the widow of W. T. Dean, is a lifelong Clay County resident. Since the death of her husband she spends the Winters with a daughter, Mrs. Annie Maude Dorr, in St. Petersburg, Fla. Her other two children are Ewart G. Dean of Ashland and Mrs. Ellaree Speer of Birmingham. The church pastor, the Rev. E. G. Hutchens, accepted the Bible on behalf of the congregation.
        The following is from The Ashland Progress Ashland, AL Thursday, 5 Dec 1963: Mrs. W.T. Dean Celebrates Birthday Mrs. W. T. Dean celebrated her 95th birthday on Nov. 12. A reception was given in her honor by her daughter and son-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. William Dorr, 1300 Sixth Ave. No., St. Petersburg, Fla. Sixty-five friends called from 2 till 5 p.m. to congratulate Mrs. Dean. Members of her Sunday School class of the First Baptist Church presented her with a large purple-lipped white orchid corsage which she wore during the party. An array of gifts was on tables in the living room. The dining table, covered in an Italian linen cutwork cloth over pink, was centered with a large birthday cake decorated in pink and orchid. Tall pink tapers burned in silver candelabra. The table was laden with fancy pastries, sandwiches, mints and gifts. Coffee and punch was served. Mrs. Dean was born in [Good Hope near] Lineville. She lived in Ashland for 56 years before going to St. Petersburg, Fla., where she has spent the past 15 winters. She spends part of each summer in Ala. She has three children, E. G. Dean, Ashland; Mrs. E. A. Speer, B'ham; and Mrs. W. H. Dorr, St. Petersburg, Fla.; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. The honoree is a member of The First Baptist Church, Ashland, probably the oldest member and a member and past matron of the Order of Eastern Star of this city and her many friends here wish her "many happy returns of the day."
        The following funeral notice is from The Ashland Progress for Thursday 8 Jul 1965: Rites For Mrs. Dean Held Monday, July 5 Final rites for Mrs. W. T. (Dora) Dean, were held at the First Baptist Church, Ashland, at 2 o'clock p.m., on July 5th, with Rev. Robt. Curlee the pastor, Rev. E. G. Hutchens, a former pastor and Rev. J. L Higdon, pastor of Lineville Baptist Church officiating. Interment was in City Cemetery with Blair Funeral Directors in charge. Active pallbearers were Joe Griffin, Emyl Griffin, Wythe [read Wyeth] Griffin, James Griffin, Loren G. Reeves and Earl Reeves. Honorary pallbearers were: Mrs. A. G. Cusick, Mesdames Vida Allen, Rita Allen, Lucile Jordan, Marvin Hendrix, W. L. Moore, Julius Strickland, W. W. Hill, D. B. Cardwell, W. C. Dempsey, Ila Carr, Arnon Waits, Effie Harwell, Dora Noe, Howard White, C. O. Glass, J. C. Williamson, J. S. Gay, T. F. Bassett, Maude Thomas and Miss Pauline Harvell. The deceased passed away in a hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. on July 2, where she had been a patient for several weeks, following a heart attack. She is survived by three children: E. G. Dean, Ashland; Mrs. E. A. Speer, B'ham; Mrs. W. H. Dorr, St. Petersburg, Fla. Two brothers, J. A. Griffin, Sylacauga; G. W. Griffin, Lineville. One sister, Miss Maude Griffin, Alex City. Five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Mrs. Dean was born in [Good Hope near] Lineville on Nov. 12, 1868, wife of the late William Thomas Dean of Ashland and daughter of the late William Henry Griffin and Clarissa Culpepper Griffin of Lineville. She resided in Ashland from 1892 to 1948, for the past 17 years she had made her home in St. Petersburg Fla., with a daughter, Mrs. W. H. Dorr and husband, spending most of the summers here as long as her health would permit. She was a member of First Baptist Church, Ashland, a charter member of the W[omen's] M[issionary] S[ociety] and the first president of that organization and never lost interest in her home church and the people of her home town. In Florida she attended the First Baptist Church, was a member of the TEL Sunday School Class and of the WMS of that church. She was also a long time member of the local Eastern Star Chapter, a past Worthy Matron and was very active as long as her health would permit. Some of the out-of-town people here for the funeral of Mrs. W. T. Dean were: Mrs. O. W. Dean, Bonnie and Donna, Oak Hill; Mrs. Martha Owens Brown, Atlanta, Ga.; Mrs. E. W. Hodge, Talladega; Mrs. John Rozelle, Hollywood, Fla.; Mrs. Glen Walker, Goodwater; Merrol Griffin, Miss Gail Griffin, James Griffin, Memphis, Tenn; Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Brueske, Minneapolis, Minn. Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Reeves and Linda, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Whatley, Mr. and Mrs. John Devaughn, and Mrs. Emyl Griffin, and Charlotte, Mr. and Mrs. Loren Reeves, Miss Minnie Reeves, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Reeves, Rev. John Higdon, W. B. Denney, Mrs. Roy Boak, Mrs. Dorothy Moon, Mrs. Myrtle Smith, Lineville, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Fincher, Anne and Linda Fincher, Sam Owens, Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Owens, Mrs. Felix Tankersley, Mrs. Pat Duke, Mrs. E. A. Speer, B'ham. Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Griffin, Joe Griffin, Mrs. Anne Newman, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Smith, Sylacauga. Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Dorr, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Mrs. Karen Heimel, Ewart Speer, New Orleans, La.; Rev. and Mrs. E. G. Hutchens, Huntsville; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Lee, Mrs. Lucile Jordan, Miss Elizabeth Weaver, Anniston. Wythe [read Wyeth] Griffin, Lewis Griffin Leeds; Miss Bessie Bell Dean, Beverly Hills, Calif., Miss Maude Griffin, Mrs. Claud Culberson, Mrs. W. G. Burkhalter, Alex City; Miss Mattilu Wynn, Montgomery; Olen Gillam, LaGrange, Ga.
        The following is from and unknown source: East Alabama Conference Eastern Star Met Here The East Ala. Conference Order of Eastern Star met recently with Mackey Chapter No. 122 here. Guests from Lineville Alex City, B'ham, Montgomery and Wetumpka were present. Mrs. DeLaney Bryan presided and Mrs. Ocie Mae Nix is secretary. The family of Mrs. Dora Dean presented a portrait of their mother to Mackey Chapter and Mrs. Annie Maud Dorr of Florida sent a poem, "My Mother Dear." The Conference admired the beautiful portrait with deep appreciation of her faithfulness and loyalty to Mackey Chapter as a charter member. The new Chapter of Wetumpka won the attendance banner. A delightful social hour with refreshments followed the meeting.
        The following is the poem Annie Maude Dorr submitted to the Eastern Star meeting: My Mother Dear by Annie Maude Dorr My Mother Dear, so very kind and sweet, With a smile for everyone she chanced to meet. Her great love reached out truly far and wide, And in her love God always did abide. Life was a challenge and nobly she dared To meet every task, while others only stared At the grace and charm that was Mother's way. Nowhere can we find her equal today. A mother patient, brave, tender, and kind; Search wherever you will, you'll never find Hands so gentle nor arms opened so wide To help everyone in need by her side. Her heart was full of affection and love, With abiding faith in our God above. She loved devotedly all who came her way And always thought of others first each day. With trust and prayer and love for friend and foe, She was not dismayed by sadness and woe. "God is love," she said; "He wants us to share With others who have heavy loads to bear." A noble mind, a strong heart tried and true, A life overflowing with every virtue. Her Christian faith will lead us on each day With undaunted courage to live God's way.

Robert Lewis Griffin

Robert Lewis Griffin

• Father: William Henry Griffin b. 20 Oct 1847, d. 21 Feb 1924
• Mother: Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper b. 13 Apr 1848, d. 29 Nov 1947

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 15 Apr 2014

• (Child) Birth*: 27 September 1872; Good Hope (near Lineville), Clay Co., Alabama
• (Employee) Employment*: Scott-Foresman||
• (Witness) 1880 Census: 1 June 1880; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin¹
• Photographed*: say 1890; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama²
• (Witness) 1900 Census: 1 June 1900; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin³
• (Groom) Marriage*: 22 December 1904; Bride=Mayona Willingham
• (resident) Census: 1910; Goodwater, Coosa Co., Alabama
• (Son) Photographed: circa 1938; Clay Co., Alabama; Left to right: Robert Lewis Griffin, Clarissa Culpepper Griffin, Mary Claire Griffin Jelin with son Griffin Zola Jelin; Principal=Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper⁴
  

  Robert Lewis Griffin with mother, daughter, & grandson
• (Deceased) Death*: 9 March 1945; Glendale, Los Angeles Co., California; Robert died while on a visit to his daughter Claire Jelin.
• (Interred) Burial*: Montevallo, Shelby Co., Alabama
• Biography*: Robert was named after his grandfathers, Robert Griffin and Lewis Peek Culpepper. Although he started out as a farmer, an entry for his brother, James O. Griffin, on p. 253 of Vol. 2 of the 1927 edition of the History of Alabama and Her People published by the American Historical Society, Inc. listed him as a "commercial traveler, with home at Montevallo [Shelby Co., AL]." Henry Clay Griffin wrote the following in a 25 Jul 1994 letter: My father, Robert Lewis Griffin, I believe went to Lineville College, but he finished at Howard College (now Samford). Before moving to Montevallo in 1921, my family lived in various Alabama towns including Goodwater, Rockford, Ft. Deposit, maybe Pine Hill, and Eclectic. My father was a pharmacist in Goodwater, and he served as a high school principal in a number of places. In 1920 and maybe a little before, he was a representative for the State of Alabama for Scott-Foresman & Co. (educational book publishers), until his death.
        The following is from an unknown source: The Late Mr. And Mrs. Robert L. Griffin On Sunday, February 10th. at the Montevallo Baptist Church, Montevallo, Ala., the choir window of the Church was dedicated to the late Robert Lewis Griffin and Mayona Willingham Griffin, former members of that Church. The children of the deceased gave the window to the Church in memory of their parents. The children present for the service were Robert Griffin, Los Angeles, Calif.; Clay Griffin, Atlanta, Ga.; Mrs. Horace Hunt, Birmingham; and Miss Melba Griffin, Brainard, Minn. Mrs. Leo Jellin [Jelin], Los Angeles, Calif., the only other child, was unable to attend. The Chairman of the Board of Deacons spoke briefly of the devotion and faithfulness of the late Mr. and Mrs. Griffin to their church and to the Lord's work. The pastor, Rev. Edward W. Glover, led the congregation in the dedication of the window to the memory of these two Christians whose lives had been consecrated in rendering service to the Church and community. Following the dedication service the pastor brought a message on "God's Glory in Temples." At the conclusion of the church services over forty relatives of the Griffin and Willingham families and a few friends were served dinner at Reynolds Hall on the Alabama College Campus. The late Mr. Griffin was born in Clay County and lived here until early manhood. He is a brother of G. W. Griffin, Mrs. Robert Whatley and Mrs. Ike Reeves of Lineville; Miss Maude Griffin and Mrs. W. T. Dean of Ashland; J. A. Griffin, Sylacauga and Dr. J. O. Griffin, Memphis, Tenn. The late Mrs. Griffin, nee Mayona Willingham, formerly from Lineville, is a sister of Fred Willingham, Birmingham, Mrs. Zela Willingham Bowen, Atlanta, Ga., and Mrs. Pearl Willingham Howell, Eclectic, Ala. Those attending the service from Lineville were: Mrs. and Mrs. G. W. Griffin, Mrs. J. T. Griffin, and Mr. and Mrs. Emyl Griffin.
  
  From Mary Ruth Lewis:
  
  Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 8:05 AM
  
  My Mother, Mary Erom Griffin, lived in this house with her Uncle Robert's family for a year so that she could attend a better high school in Montevallo than the one in Hackneyville where she lived with her own family. I wonder who now owns the house. My Mother loved her Uncle Robert. He sometimes came to visit her when we lived in Marion, AL when he was there in his capacity as a book salesman. At that time he was selling books for a company that produced school textbooks. According to Mother, he was a very loving man. When Jim Griffin, my first cousin, came to visit Mother in the Brooks County Hospital, and brought roses, she told me later that he looked just like her Uncle Robert.
  
  From: Eloise (DeVaughn) Samuels
  Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 12:04 PM
  
  Lew,
  ...I remember visiting there (Robert L. Griffin Sr.) once with Mother,Daddy and Elaine. She and I both attended Montevallo College, which used to be a girls' school only. After the War was over, boys were allowed to attend. I remember the house well as it is not too far from the campus, if I remember correctly. The house is still beautifully structured. I hope the buyer will restore it and keep its unique design.
  ....
  Eloise
  
  From Eloise (DeVaughn) Samuels:
  
  Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 7:40 AM
  ....
  By the way, my sister Elaine told me just last Sunday that when she went to college at Montevallo, the Robert Griffins invited her to their house for Thanksgiving dinner. She remembers that it was a lovelyoccasion and it helped her through some lonely hours. I regret that Elaine's health and memory are so bad; however, she remembers that particular Thanksgiving with excitement in her voice as she told the story.
• Research Note*: December 2008; From Robert Lewis Griffin IV:
  
  Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2008 3:35 PM
  
  Hi Lew--
  ....
  I'll tell you an interesting story. Phebe is seriously considering The University of Montevallo, and we went there for a college preview day in November. She'll be entering college the fall of '09. She had told me about an old house in Montevallo that she found for sale thru the internet and I had dismissed it as needing too much in renovations, just reading the info in the ad. While we were riding around the town I decided to look for my father's (Henry Clay Griffin) old house that he had pointed out to me as a child when we visited my maternalgrandmother, Phebe Clark Gibson Wills, every Mother's Day. Isearched the areaabout where I thought it was, and sawthere wasa for"sale sign" onwhat I thought was his house, but wasn't sure. We got out and looked around, and the house seemed to have been vacant for years and years, and it was really in awful shape.I saw a concrete pillar that looked like where a fence had ended and got to looking at it. On thetop was my father's initials and theyear 1932, when he would have been 12 and the country was in the throes ofthe greatdepression. It looked like there wasanother set of initials or signature beginning with the letter F, which was undoubtedly my aunt Floyce.In its day it was a grand house, but yearsof neglect had taken their toll. I doubt you could even restore it. What a shame.
  ....
  Robert
  ⁵
• Research Note: February 2009; I had heard that my grandfather RLG went to Samford and operated or managed a drug store in Eclectic where my father was born [1920].⁵

William Thomas Dean

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 9 Jul 1999

• (Child) Birth*: 13 August 1870; Mellow Valley, Clay Co., Alabama
• (Employee) Employment*: farmer||
• (undefined) Census*: 1880; Ashland, Clay Co., Alabama
• (Groom) Marriage*: 15 January 1893; Good Hope, Clay Co., Alabama; Bride=Eldora Griffin¹
• (resident) Census: 1900; Ashland, Clay Co., Alabama
• (Deceased) Death*: 29 November 1947; Ashland, Clay Co., Alabama
• (Interred) Burial*: Ashland City Cemetery, Ashland, Clay Co., Alabama²
• Biography*:
  William Thomas was known as "Bud." He was a merchant in Ashland for a number of years. He had also worked as a mail carrier and a farmer. His daughter, Mrs. E. A. (Ellaree Dean) Speer wrote (summer 1992): The Deans lived in Clay County for many years. My father (W.T.) was born a couple of miles from Ashland and moved to Ashland when a boy. Grandpa Dean was a farmer and so was my father except for a few years as a merchant when I was very young.

Mayona Willingham

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 9 Jul 1999

• (Child) Birth*: 19 May 1877; Eden, Coosa Co., Alabama
• (Bride) Marriage*: 22 December 1904; Groom=Robert Lewis Griffin
• Married Name: 22 December 1904; Griffin
• (resident) Census*: 1910; Goodwater, Coosa Co., Alabama
• (Deceased) Death*: 15 October 1931; Montevallo, Shelby Co., Alabama
• Biography*: Mrs. L. Z. (M. Claire Griffin) Jelin wrote Jul 1994 that her mother's name was "Mayona Willingham" and Mayona's mother was "Mary Lewis." In a 12 Jul 1994 letter, H. Clay Griffin wrote that his mother's name was "Mayona Willingham." He added: My mother's mother was Mary Ann Lewis Willingham whose first husband was James Ezekiel Willingham (who died in his 30's). Mary Ann Lewis Willingham remarried after her first husband's death. She died in childbirth in 1886. My mother was raised by her grandparents Isaac Ramsey William Lewis & Martha Ann Creel. Many of these people were buried in Coosa Valley Cemetery near Eden [Coosa Co., AL? can't locate on current map], but graves moved because of water impoundment.
        In a 25 Jul 1994 letter, H. Clay Griffin added: I believe my mother went to Lineville College....

Sarah Ann Griffin

• Father: William Henry Griffin b. 20 Oct 1847, d. 21 Feb 1924
• Mother: Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper b. 13 Apr 1848, d. 29 Nov 1947

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 20 Dec 2012

• Name-Comm: Annie Griffin
• (Child) Birth*: 16 January 1874; Good Hope (near Lineville), Clay Co., Alabama
• (Witness) 1880 Census: 1 June 1880; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin¹
• Photographed*: say 1899; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama²
  

  Sarah Ann (Griffin) Reeves
• (Bride) Marriage*: 19 January 1899; Good Hope (near Lineville), Clay Co., Alabama; Groom=Isaac Larkus Reeves
• Married Name: 19 January 1899; Reeves
• (Deceased) Death*: 31 December 1955; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama
• (Interred) Burial*: Oak Grove Methodist Church Cemetery, Clay Co., Alabama³
• Biography*: She was known as "Annie." A niece, Mrs. Charles (Margaret Whatley) Lee wrote in 31 Jan 1979 letter that "Aunt Annie Reeves was very humble, kind & quiet natured."

Isaac Larkus Reeves

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 9 Jul 1999

• (Child) Birth*: 10 October 1874
• (Employee) Employment*: farmer||
• (Groom) Marriage*: 19 January 1899; Good Hope (near Lineville), Clay Co., Alabama; Bride=Sarah Ann Griffin
• (Deceased) Death*: 27 October 1954; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama
• (Interred) Burial*: Oak Grove Methodist Church Cemetery, Clay Co., Alabama¹
• Biography*: Isaac was a first cousin of James Furman Reeves. Isaac's father Hiram Reeves, and Willis Cornelius Reeves, were brothers.

John Thomas Griffin

• Father: William Henry Griffin b. 20 Oct 1847, d. 21 Feb 1924
• Mother: Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper b. 13 Apr 1848, d. 29 Nov 1947

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 3 Aug 2016

• Name-Comm: Thomas Griffin
• (Child) Birth*: 11 May 1876; Good Hope (near Lineville), Clay Co., Alabama
• (Witness) 1880 Census: 1 June 1880; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin¹
• Photographed*: say 1897; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama²
  

  John Thomas Griffin
• (Witness) 1900 Census: 1 June 1900; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin³
• (Groom) Marriage*: 15 January 1908; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; Bride=LeEmma Bartlett
• (Deceased) Death*: 23 June 1922; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama
• (Interred) Burial*: Old Lineville City Cemetery, Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama⁴
• Biography*: According to an entry for his brother, James O. Griffin, on p. 253 of Vol. 2 of the 1927 edition of the History of Alabama and Her People published by the American Historical Society, Inc., J. Thomas "died at Lineville of typhoid fever in June 1922...."

LeEmma Bartlett

• Father: Daniel Jacob Bartlett b. Jul 1852, d. 18 Dec 1935
• Mother: Alice Weaver b. 27 Oct 1852, d. 31 Aug 1933

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 16 Mar 2018

• (Child) Birth*: 28 February 1879; daughter of Daniel Bartlett and Alice Weaver
• (Bride) Marriage*: 15 January 1908; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; Groom=John Thomas Griffin
• Married Name: 15 January 1908; Griffin
• (Deceased) Death*: 22 October 1965; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama
• (Interred) Burial*: say 25 October 1965; Old Lineville City Cemetery, Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama¹
• Biography*: April 1990; The following article is from a Lineville, AL newspaper April 1990: Scholarship Fund Set Up In Memory Of Griffins The family of the late LeEmma Bartlett Griffin and John Thomas Griffin have set up a scholarship in their memory. The scholarship will be given to a graduating senior at Lineville High School in the amount of $1,000 per year to be administered by a committee composed of the principal, assistant principal and guidance counselor, along with two other persons of choice by the three mentioned here, if they prefer to enlarge the committee. The student will be selected on the basis of academic record, minimum ACT score of 20 or equivalent on any other test of the same type, extracurricular actives and similar factors. All other factors being equal, the scholarship will be given on the basis of the greatest need for financial assistance. The scholarship will be awarded at graduation and will actually be paid to the recipient within thirty days of his/her entrance to college. The scholarship will be renewable for the four year duration of the student's college career, provided their grades are kept to a certain level and all scholarship requirements are met. When, and if, the fund is near exhaustion, the money will be awarded on a pro-rata basis to the students already in college. The scholarship is being made available through Merrol and Louise (Wilkerson) Griffin, Emyl and Mescal (Kelley) Griffin, Michael and Janice Griffin, Steve and Charlotte (Griffin) Robertson, Marshall Griffin and Mark Griffin. The scholarship is given in recognition of the supreme sacrifice made by the mother in order to get the two sons (Merroll and Emyl) through high school and college. The father, John Thomas Griffin, passed away when the boys were ages seven and four respectively, but they felt his love as extended by the mother, friends and relatives following his death. They realize that his efforts to get them through school would have been just as great as the mother's. Following the death of the father, the mother and two sons pedaled butter and sold chickens until she was able to sell the small farm where they lived South of Lineville. Mr. Emyl Griffin stated that his mother took odd jobs cleaning houses, etc. in order to get he and his older brother through school. The Great Depression came, and it seemed that there just wasn't any money, but still the older son, Merrol, entered the University of Alabama and completed his degree in electrical engineering. Emyl graduated two years later and took whatever jobs he could find to continue his education at the University. He cleaned tables, swept floors and did whatever was necessary to earn a few dollars to stay in school. During his junior year, his landlady put him in charge of buying groceries and cooking for their boarding house, and this proved to be a special break, financially speaking. He came back to Lineville where he soon signed on with Higgins Company and has been with that firm every since. Griffin explained that the family wanted to do something to help other young people who might be struggling to get through college and to honor their beloved parents at the same time. "My brother and I would never have gotten where we are today had it not been for our Mother's determination, and it is for the honor of her and our father that we're establishing this scholarship." In closing, it may also be noted that the trust fund for this scholarship is open for others who might wish to contribute to make it an even longer-running source for LHS graduates who need financial assistance.

Lelia Eugenia Griffin

• Father: William Henry Griffin b. 20 Oct 1847, d. 21 Feb 1924
• Mother: Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper b. 13 Apr 1848, d. 29 Nov 1947

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 10 Dec 2017

• (Child) Birth*: 10 April 1878; Good Hope (near Lineville), Clay Co., Alabama
• (Witness) 1880 Census: 1 June 1880; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin¹
• Photographed*: say 1900; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama²
  

  Leila Eugenia Griffin
• (Witness) 1900 Census: 1 June 1900; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin³
• (Deceased) Death*: 13 October 1936; Ashland, Clay Co., Alabama
• Biography*: Lelia Eugenia was named Eugenia after her mother. Mrs. Charles (Margaret Whatley) Lee wrote 31 Jan 1979: I loved my Aunt Lelia. If there was a saint, she was one. She was also good natured and quiet. She was so good to me. She used to make me such pretty little dresses. She would come get me in the buggy and I'd stay sometimes a week with her. She was a great cook. It really hurt me when she died.
  Mrs. E. A. (Ellaree Dean) Speer wrote in a 10 Jan 1992 letter: Aunt Lelia was a "farmer" - she had a portion of the farm & planted cotton & corn (corn for the stock) - she worked in the field mostly, she was a good cook but during planting & harvesting time she worked in the field except on "Wash day" & then she & Aunt Maude would take the clothes to the "spring" - plenty of water. She had her own bales of cotton & knew the price of cotton daily. She died of meningitis.... Grandpa, Grandma Griffin, Aunt Lelia & Aunt Maude are buried in Old Cemetery in Lineville, just off Highway Ashland-Lineville....
• (Interred) Burial*: say 16 October 1936; Old Lineville City Cemetery, Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama⁴
• (Witness) Note: 3 June 2010; From: Eloise [mailto:eloisesamuels@centurytel.net]
  Sent: Thursday, June 03, 2010 8:58 AM
  
  Dear Lew,
  Yes, I remember all about the house and surrounding property, including the barn, old garage for Aunt Maude's buggy, storage house and smoke house and best of all a "double seat out- house"!!!!
  This will take awhile for me to describe, but I will be happy to share my precious memories. We were there once each week as long as she lived and yes, I remember Aunt Lelia WELL. She was an excellent cook and always had the best "tea cakes" you've ever tasted. Aunt Maude was a great cook as well. Elaine and I always looked forward to the summers because we enjoyed an entire week at their sweet modest little home. Aunt Lelia planted a huge garden and their fruit trees were bountiful, which she allowed us to participate in preserving everything available. Her peaches, apples, pears and grapes were the best......oh, and the many fig bushes, plus the mouth-watering strawberries! Just for the sake of keeping an oddity, they had two Quince trees across the winding little dirt road. Flowers, for every season, adorned the entire place and especially around the house. The front yard was small and practically in the road with a tiny little mailbox surrounded by petunias. The back yard was well groomed by the hands of Aunt Lelia who meticulously swept it weekly with a broom made of oak limbs.If a sprig of grass were detected, a sharp- blade- hoe took care of it immediately . Now you must remember that the standard attire for all three ladies was long skirts, as well as long underskirts, long sleeves (usually dresses were always made by the same pattern with white collars), long black stockings and black low heel shoes. All clothes, table cloths, napkins, scarves and curtains were heavily starched with Grandmother's homemadeconcoction of ingredients. Spotless was an understatement for the interior as well as exterior.
  
  As for thestructural appearance, it was a unique OLD house built with hard pine wood. Everyone parked in the back yard and the main entrance was the back door. Approaching the door, one 's eyes were captured by the manually dug well on the back porch and conveniently located to do the family laundry (each Monday morning and you have already envisioned the wire clothes line near the house) The house faced north and south and on the east side, there was a large room that extended the length of the house with small high windows. This was Grandmother and Aunt Lelia's room , which actually would accommodate four people. Each bed was neatly covered with white chenille bedspreads. Aunt Maude's room was on the front side of the house joining a small living room, which we referredto as her library. Having taught school for many years, she had accumulated numerous children's books that Elaine and I were allowed to sit quietly and properly to read. When entering the house by rear entrance, after passing the porch, the aroma from the kitchendirected your nose to the next room, which was the dining room and "sitting room" for everyone. The extended dining room table seated six and even eight on occasions. A huge fireplace was located in this room and Grandmother's old leather and oak trimmed chair occupied the corner by the fireplace. Since she could not hear well at all, plus blind in one eye, we each knew our seating arrangement near her, which was a circlein the following order: Mama sat first, Elaine second, Eloise third, Daddy fourth, Aunt Lelia fifth and Aunt Maude sixth unless she was in her room preparing for school. We sat very quietly, listened carefully and knelt at her chair if she were speaking directly. She and Mama were excellent seamstresses and Grandmother wanted to feel and make every effort to examine our clothes. Unlimited respect was shared between her and my Daddy because both were "business-minded and honorable." Aunt Lelia was lots of fun and always gave us tea cakes wrapped in a starched white cloth as we were leaving....
  Love to you,
  Eloise
  
  
  
  
  ; Principal=Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper

Joseph Albertus Griffin

• Father: William Henry Griffin b. 20 Oct 1847, d. 21 Feb 1924
• Mother: Clarissa Eugenia Culpepper b. 13 Apr 1848, d. 29 Nov 1947

• Charts: Glenn Descendants, James GRIFFIN I Descendants, Robert Lee GRIFFIN of Clay Descendants, Wise Descendants

• Last Edited: 8 Jul 2018

• Name-Comm: Bert Griffin
• (Child) Birth*: 20 July 1880; Good Hope (near Lineville), Clay Co., Alabama
• Photographed*: say 1900; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama¹
  

  Joseph Albertus Griffin
• (Witness) 1900 Census: 1 June 1900; Lineville, Clay Co., Alabama; head of family=William Henry Griffin²
• (Groom) Marriage*: 30 December 1914; Saint Clair Co., Alabama; Bride=Flora Inzer
• (Deceased) Death*: 22 May 1979; Sylacauga, Talladega Co., Alabama
• (Interred) Burial*: 24 May 1979; Evergreen Cemetery, Sylacauga, Talladega Co., Alabama
• Biography*: Joseph A. Griffin was named for his uncle, Joseph Culpepper. Mrs. E. A. (Ellaree Dean) Speer wrote in a 10 Jan 1992 letter: Uncle [James] Olin [Griffin] had a good practice in Hackneyville & also telephone business.... Uncle Bert kept books on Uncle Olin's practice too - he was busy answering calls, those were horse & buggy days.... Uncle Bert married while there.... Left there, went to B'ham & worked for Haverty Furniture....
        In an entry for his brother, James O. Griffin, on p. 253 of Vol. 2 of the 1927 edition of the History of Alabama and Her People published by the American Historical Society, Inc., Joseph Albertus Griffin was listed as a "credit man for the Haverty Furniture Company at Birmingham...." 27 Jul 1967, J. A. Griffin and his wife made the front page of The Sylacauga Advance: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. GRIFFIN Today is a big day for Mr. J. A. Griffin! For the company he has been with for some 33 years will close its doors early so that all his associates can attend a party for him at Willow Point Country Club. The occasion is in celebration of Mr. Griffin's 87th birthday and his associates will watch him blow candles and will sing "Happy Birthday" to a "grand guy". Born in [Good Hope near] Lineville, Mr. Griffin attended schools there and then graduated from Massey Business College in Birmingham. He married lovely Flora Inzer of Eden and in December 1967, they will celebrate their 53rd wedding anniversary. Mr. Griffin joined Sokol's in 1934 and he came to Sylacauga as store manager in 1938. He has been active in many phases of civic and church life as well as carrying much weight in business circles. He is an active member of the Sylacauga Exchange Club and the First Baptist Church. The Griffins have a new home on the Old Rockford Road, after having operated Oak Lawn Inn for many years. They have three children, Mrs. Claude Newman, Sylacauga; Mrs. Edward Marston, Manchester, N.H.; Joe Griffin, Birmingham; and seven grandchildren. All Sylacauga joins with his Sokol's friends in saying "Happy Birthday, Mr. Griffin."
        Mrs. Charles (Margaret Whatley) Lee wrote 23 Feb 1980: Uncle Bert's home was such a beautiful and convenient home. Uncle Bert had that house built when he was in his 80's I suppose. He and Aunt Flora enjoyed it a few years....
        The following is from an unknown source, probably The Sylacauga Advance: J. A. Griffin Gives Drew Court Library Air Conditioner The Drew Court Library patrons can now use their facility in cool comfort thanks to Mr. J. A. Griffin of Sokol's who has given an air conditioner for the room. Presentation was made at last Thursday's meeting of the Exchange Club following a talk by Miss Dorothy Lee, librarian B. B. Comer Memorial Library. Miss Lee, program speaker for the day, told the "Library Story". After Mr. Griffin gave the air conditioner for Sokol's, the Exchange Club presented a check to help defray installation costs. Miss Lee reported that she had also received a check from Jack Nealeans.
        The following is from The Birmingham News for Wednesday, 29 Jul 1970: Alabama Amblings Retire at 89? Why should one? BY LEONARD STERN, News staff writer SYLACAUGA At the age of 89, Joseph Albertus Griffin decided that he had enough of his three month retirement from the furniture business and started back to work. Daddy Joe, as his great-grandchildren called him, began managing a furniture store in Sylacauga when he was 60. Although the retirement age is 65, Bert kept putting it off every five years on up to the age of 89 when the store finally changed ownership. Three months later, he accepted a position at another furniture store, working three days a week. Bert was never the kind to lie around, his wife says. He keeps up the lawns in front of their two houses in Sylacauga and is an avid rose gardener. He's never been to a hospital in his life, has no bad habits, an amazing eyesight and doesn't like to be called an "old man," she says. Griffin reads several current event publications and keeps up with the latest styles in men's wear. Besides his work and gardening, Griffin belongs to the Exchange Club, and has supposedly never missed a meeting. He is a handshaker every Sunday at the First Baptist Church and on its Board of Trustees. Griffin is the type of man who has never complained, which may have been the answer to his long and active life. After 56 years of marriage, Mrs. Griffin says that she has never seen him worry and that he managed to keep busy all of the time. This week, the Griffins were honored at a luncheon by their son Joe Griffin of Birmingham, and their two daughters, Mrs. Sala [Sara] Marston of Manchester, N.H., and Mrs. Ann Newman of Sylacauga. Relatives from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, and Virginia were among the 80 persons in to celebrate Daddy Joe's 90th birthday.
        In a 3 May 1977 letter, Mrs. E. A. (Ellaree Dean) Speer wrote that "Uncle Bert" was "in intensive care now - blood clot on lung.... Think this is 4 weeks he is in hospital."
        16 Jul 1978 was declared "J. A. Griffin Day" by the First Baptist Church of Sylacauga and a special service was held at 10:55 a.m. The following is from the church Bulletin: It was with esteem and respect that our church voted last month to name today J. A. Griffin Day. On this Thursday, July 20, Mr. Griffin will celebrate his 98th birthday. Mr. Griffin is an honored member of our church, having served as deacon, trustee, church greeter and a faithful attender for many years. It is a pleasure to welcome the approximately 20 members of Mr. Griffin's family who are present with us today in the reserved section of our church. _____ The Sylacauga News noted that: The celebration, set aside at the recommendation of the deacons and a vote of the church, will not only show the admiration of his fellow church members but the dual purpose of celebrating his 98th birthday, Thursday, July 20. Griffin moved to Sylacauga in 1941 with his wife and three children, Joe, Ann, and Sara. He served as manager of Sokol's Furniture Company for thirty years and has also operated Oaklawn Inn for many years. He has served as deacon, trustee and church greeter over the years.
        In an 18 Jul 1978 letter, Mrs. E. A. (Ellaree Dean) Speer, who attended the special church service for Bert, wrote: Went to Sylacauga Sunday & so glad I was able to go - very nice sweet impressive service - a portion of right front pews reserved for family & they pinned a corsage on each one as we entered - (red carnations, baby breath on a fern frond) Presented Uncle Bert with an engraved plaque from the church. Had family to stand up front after service for the "well wishers" to greet. Went to Uncle Bert's house after service for lunch Joe & Polly had prepared.... There were two papers (Sylacauga News Thurs 13th) that carried Uncle Bert's picture & write up....
        Ellaree attached a list of people who attended the special service: Uncle [Joseph Al]Bert[us Griffin] Joe [Inzer Griffin] & Polly [Paulina] Ann Karen [Yost Heimel]-George [Heimel]-3 children Uncle [George] Will[iam Griffin] Emyl [Griffin] [Mrs. E. A.(] Ellaree [Dean) Speer] Ewart Dean Eloise & George Mendenhall (from Jacksonville, Ala) Ilene Fareby (Aunt Flo's sisters from B'ham) Mary Sorrell (_"___________"______"____"___) Betty Noe (Aunt Flo's niece) Mrs. Bradley (new housekeeper for Uncle Bert) Lee Ola (former cook for Aunt Flo & now cooks for Anne)
        In an 8 Feb 1979 letter, Mrs. G. W. (Elaine DeVaughn) Mendenhall wrote that "Uncle Bert is also in the hospital in Sylacauga with kidney infection." The following obituary is from p. 1 of The Sylacauga News for Thursday, 24 May 1979: Prominent Sylacaugan dies Tuesday J. A. Griffin, one of Sylacauga's oldest and most prominent citizens, died Tuesday afternoon at his residence on old Rockford Road. Griffin came to Sylacauga in 1941 as Manager of Sokol's. He worked in that position until the original store closed its doors forty years later. At that time Griffin was 89 years old. Not believing in retirement he went to Jefferson Furniture Company where he continued full time employment until the age of 92. A native of Clay County, Griffin was married to the former Flora Inzer in 1916. They celebrated their sixty-first wedding anniversary shortly before her death in 1976. The Griffin family purchased the Oaklawn Inn in the early forties, and it has belonged to the family since. Griffin's daughter, Anne Newman, still operates the inn. "People who stayed there years and years ago would come back through Sylacauga and stop to visit with Mr. and Mrs. Griffin," daughter-in-law, Mrs. Joe Griffin said.
  An active member of the Sylacauga Exchange Club, Griffin was awarded the Avondale Sun's Award for faithfulness, along with T. W. (Red) Bozeman and Joe McDonald. A cutline under the 1963 news article called the trio "The 3 Musketeers of the Exchange Club." Griffin was an active member of the Sylacauga Chamber of Commerce, and served as a director, and later as an honorary director of Peoples Bank and Trust Company. He was made an honorary mayor of Sylacauga on his 95th birthday by then Mayor Curtis Liles. Last year, the members of Sylacauga's First Baptist Church set aside Sunday, July 16th as J. A. Griffin Day. An active member of the church since 1941, he had served on the Board of Trustees, was a lifetime deacon and a member of the Men's Bible Class. Born July 20, 1880, Griffin was approaching his 99th birthday. He is survived by three children, a son, Joe Griffin of Birmingham; daughter, Sara Marston of Manchester, New Hampshire; and daughter, Anne Newman of Sylacauga; one brother, Will Griffin of Lineville who is 97; seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held today (Thursday) at 3:00 p.m. at Carr Funeral Home Chapel, with interment in Evergreen Cemetery.