Generation No. 1
1. WILLIAM4 GRIGGS (JOHN GRIGGS3 (II), JOHN2 GRIGGS, THOMAS1) was born
February 1761, and died Aft. August 18, 1817 in Hancock County, Georgia. He married LEONARD "LINNAH" WALLAS/WALLIS/WALLACE Bef. 1789,
daughter of JONATHAN WALLAS/WALLIS and MARY "POLLY".
Notes for WILLIAM GRIGGS:
William Griggs was
listed on the taxpayers list for Beaufort County, N.C. in 1786 but he left N.C.
prior to 03 Aug. 1790 for at that time in Greene County, Ga. he is mentioned
only as Griggs having land (287 1/2 acres) bounded next to Jesse Winfree. See
(Deed Bk. C, p. 400) in which there was a deed between Jesse Winfree &
Willoughby Barton.
On
29 May 1792 there was a deed transation between Thomas Bull & William
Griggs of Greene County for 287 1/2 acres in Greene County, Georgia. (Deed Bk.
F, p. 10). After that you will find William in Hancock County, Georgia on the
tax digests.
William
was living in Hancock County, Georgia in 1794 & 1796 as he was on the tax
record there. (An Index To Georgia Tax Digests, 1789-1799 by R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation),
p. 30. He was
also on tax records for the year of 1804 in Hancock County, Ga. (An Index to
Ga. Tax Digests, 1804-1806, by the R.J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation, p. 35).
William entered the 1807 Land
Lottery of Georgia. At that time he was living in Barnes Militia District of
Hancock County, Ga. and he won land in Baldwin County, Ga. in Lot 6 of District 13. (1807 Land Lottery
of Georgia, p. 58). NOTE: Many yrs. ago a
lady joined the DAR saying William Griggs was married to a Miss Gardner, which
was later proven to be false by other Griggs researchers who spent many years
researching our Griggs line. (At that time the DAR didn't require as much proof
to substantiate ancestors as they do now). So BEWARE of the this old Griggs
information published about WILLIAM GRIGGS BEING MARRIED TO A MISS GARDNER
WHICH IS WRONG! You can find that information published by the Daughters of the
American Revolution's old Lineage Books of Volume 46 & Volume 48, the DAR
Patriot Index; you can also find it published in "The History of Fayette
County, Ga. 1821-1971," which was published by the Fayette County
Historical Society. I wrote the Historical Society in Fayette County, Georgia,
telling them that information about William being married to a Miss Gardner was
incorrect.
On
the 23rd Jan. 1812 there was a Deed of Conveyance made from John & Rebecca
(Pritchett) Griggs to William Griggs for two tracts of land which consisted of
215 1/4 acres on the Waters of Fort Creek. This land bordered the land of the
Brown's on the NE, William' s land on the NW, Rodom Griggs land on the SW &
Polly King's land on the Southwardly side.
In
William's Last Will & Testament mentions leaving to his son William W.
Griggs his tract of land which he bought of his brother JOHN GRIGGS and the
tract of land which Linnah & he were living on at the time the will was
made.
NOTE:
The
above two records, the DEED OF CONVEYANCE & WILLIAM'S LAST WILL &
TESTAMENT provide proof that JOHN GARDNER/GARNER GRIGGS who married Rebecca
Pritchett & WILLIAM GRIGGS were brothers.
William had
a headright Grant issued in Hancock County, Ga. for 70 acres of land in
1817. (Grant Book K 5, p. 599).
SOUCRES:
The
LAST WILL & TESTAMENT of William Griggs, Hancock County, Ga. Will Book J,
p. 24-28, dated 18 Aug. 1817
NOTE: Other soucres are listed above
Notes for LEONARD "LINNAH" WALLAS/WALLIS/WALLACE:
Linnah's name had a
variety of spellings, such as: Linnah, Linah, Linnia, Lena, Lenar, Linner. She
was named Leonard "Linnah" Wallis/Wallace. Her father named her after
his friend Capt. Leonard & he called her "Linnar" in his
will.
In
1821 Widow Lenah Grigs lived in Daniel's Military District in Hancock County
drew land in Houston County in Lot 97/Section 1. SOUCRES:
1820 Hancock County, Ga. Census for Linnah Griggs,
Census p. 98
1821
Land Lottery of Georgia, compiled by Rev. Silas Emmett Lucas, Jr., p. 92
Children of WILLIAM GRIGGS and LEONARD WALLAS/WALLIS/WALLACE are:
i. MARY "POLLY"5 GRIGGS, b. 1789; d.
1863, Coweta County, Georgia at age 74; m. (1) WILEY GRIGGS; m. (2) PETER HERRIN, January 09,
1819.
Notes for MARY "POLLY" GRIGGS:
Estate papers show her
name was Mary Griggs but she went by the nickname of "Polly."
The
map in Wiley's Estate shows 182 acres for his orphans & 135 acres for
Mary's part; another map showed 110 acres for the orphans of Wiley Griggs which
bordered on one side to the Big Island Creek. Wiley's estate papers showed the
following names or their children: 1. Linnah Griggs who married Levi W. Coxon,
2. Mildred A. E. "Milly" Griggs, 3. Rhodom Griggs; 4. Sarah A. W.
Griggs. After Mary's marriage to Peter
Herrin, he became the administrator of Wiley's Estate in the right of his wife.
Notes for WILEY GRIGGS:
Wiley died intestate
prior to 28 Nov. 1818 in Hancock County, Georgia and his name appears as Willie
& Wiley in his estate papers.
SOUCRES:
Estate
of Wiley Griggs, Hancock County Will Bk. J, pp. 123-128
Hancock
County Inferior Court minutes, 1817-1831, various pages Dr. 108, Box 32
Hancock
County Inferior Court Will, Bk. or Vol. No: J, 1818-1824, pp. 123-128, Dr. 108,
Box: 18
ii. JOHN W. GRIGGS, d. July 08, 1826, Greene County, Alabama; m. LUCY COMER.
iii. JANE JOICE/JOYCE GRIGGS, m. ROBERT CHAMBERS, February 06, 1808, Hancock County, Georgia.
iv. HENRY GRIGGS (WAR OF 1812 VETERAN), b. December 18, 1793, Greene County, Georgia; d.
December 27, 1871, Navarro County, Tx; buried at Springtown in Chatfield
Cemetery; m. NANCY ANNE/ANN STURDIVANT, October 30, 1816, Hancock County, Georgia.
Notes for HENRY GRIGGS (WAR OF 1812 VETERAN):
Henry Griggs was born
on the 18th Dec. 1793 in Greene County, Georgia. He
married Ann Sturdivant on 30th Oct. 1816 in Hancock County, Ga. They
lived in Green's Militia District in Jones County, Ga. in 1820 & 1821 but
by 1827 he was in Militia District 470 in Upson County, Ga. and remained there
until he went to Grimes County, Tx. prior to 1850; he was there until 1860.
Sometime during the war of 1860 he removed to Navarro County, Texas and he was
one of many early pioneer settlers of that county. Henry Griggs was a veteran
of the War of 1812. He was living in the household of his son Bill Griggs in
1870 and he died on the 27 Dec. 1871; was buried in the Chatfield Cemetery in
Navarro County, Texas. SOUCRES: Georgia Marriages: 1801-1825, by Liahona
Research, Inc., p. 218
The
3rd or 1820 Land Lottery of Georgia, p. 131
1830 Census for
Upson County, Ga. (Henry Griggs)
The
1832 Cherokee Land Lottery of Georgia, p. 208
1850
Grimes County, Tx. Census, Census p. 77A, 27 Nov. 1850, Family 387-412, (Henry
Griggs), Occupation: farmer, Personal Estate: 5,000 1860
Grimes County, Tx. Census, Western Division, P.O: Plantersville, P. No: 73,
(Henry Griggs), Occupation: farmer, Real Estate: 18,000; Personal Estate: 20,
000 1870
Navarro County, Tx. Census, P.O: Chatfield, Beat No. 2, 05 aug. 1870, Census p.
36, (Bill Griggs)
Arrival of
Early Pioneers in Navarro County, Texas (from the internet), originally
published in The Navarro County Scroll, Vol. XXI, 1998 by the Navarrro County
Historical Society Chatfield
Cemetery History of Navarro County, Texas (from the internet), originally
published in The Navarro County Scroll, 1967, by the Navarro County Historical
Society
Navarro
County Cemetery Records, Vol. III, by the Navarro County Genealogical Society,
1984, p. 29
Corsicana
Daily Sun, Sunday Sept. 13, 1970
(Article on the Chatfield Cemetery)
Old
Northwest Texas, Historical-Statistical-Biographical, Volume I-B, Navarro
County 1846-1860, compiled by Nancy Timmons Samuels & Barbara Roach Knox,
published by Fort Worth Genealogical Society, p. 437
v. WILLIAM WALLACE GRIGGS, b. 1796; d. 1871, Fayette County, Georgia; m. HARRIET DAVIS, August 20,
1818, Hancock County, Georgia.
Notes for WILLIAM WALLACE GRIGGS:
William Griggs was in
Hancock County, Ga. in 1820 & 1830. (See Census records).
William's LWT was in Fayette
County, Georgia and probated on 09 Nov. 1871.
vi. GREEN BERRY GRIGGS, b. March 10, 1798, Georgia; d. July 20, 1844, Kemper
County, Mississippi at age 46; buried at Old Wahalak Cemetery; m. PHERBE/PHERIBA DAWSON ECHOLS, July 23,
1831, Hancock County, Georgia.
vii. BRYANT/BRYAN GRIGGS, b. 1770-1810; d. Bef. July 07, 1845, Fayette County,
Georgia; m. ROSELINA HERRIN, April 21, 1830, Fayette County, Georgia.
Notes for BRYANT/BRYAN GRIGGS:
His name appears as
Bryan & Bryant Griggs in various records so I'm not sure which of the two
names is correct.
In
1827 Bryan Griggs was living in the 102nd district of Hancock County, Ga. when
he drew land in Section 2, District 22, Lot 127 of Muscogee County.
In
1829 according to the First Tax Digests, he had 7 slaves and 202 1/2 acres of
2nd. land quality in Muscogee County for which he was taxed 12.14-6 1/4.
Bryan
made bond with Thomas Herrin on the 9th Nov. 1829 to be appointed the guardian
of Sarah Ann W. Griggs, the orphan of Wyley Griggs. (Sarah Ann W. was his
neice. She was the daughter of his sister Mary "Polly" Griggs).
He
married Roselina Herrin on 21th April 1830 in Fayette County, Ga.
Bryan
was living in Land Lot 316, District 3, Section 2 in Robinson's District of
Fayette County in 1832 according to the 1832 Cherokee Land Lottery.
He
died prior to 07th July 1845 because at that time Rocella Griggs and others
give $2000 bond that George Ware & Rocella Griggs be appointed
administrators of Bryan's estate. Rocella Griggs was the primary purchaser of
the Estate of Bryan Griggs. At the time of his death he owned 60 acres of land
along with a man slave named Sutton, a woman slave named Brussillar, three girl
slaves named Milley, Sarah, Sarah & one boy slave named Gabe.
On
7th May 1849 Benjamin A. Jones gives bond to be appointed the guardian of Jane
E., Mary M., William G. and John W. Griggs, the orphans of Bryan Griggs.
Vouchers prove that B. O. (Benjamin O.
Jones) became the guardian of Bryan's orphan children in 1849. One voucher
found in 1850 shows an heir receipt for Epps Brown, in right of his wife Lenah
W. Brown which proves she was also Bryan's daughter. This is the only record
found for Lenah W. Brown, nee Griggs.
SOUCRES:
The
History of Fayette County, Ga. 1821-1971, published by the Fayette County
Historical Society, Inc., p. 253 (Marriage of Bryan Griggs) Marriage
Record of Bryan Griggs & Rosillan Herrin (246), p. 191
1827
Land Lottery of Georgia (from the internet)
First
Tax Digest, Fayette County, Georgia, p. 62, (Bryan Griggs)
Fayette
County, Ga. Probate Records, 1824-1871, abstracted by Jeanette Holland Austin,
Vol. I,
1830
Fayette County, Ga. Census, Census p. 183, (Bryant Griggs) 1832
Cherokee Land Lottery, p. 191, (Bryan Griggs) 1840
Fayette County, Ga. Census, Capt. Robinson's District, Census p. 223, (Bryant
Griggs)
viii. ELIZABETH M. "ELIZA" GRIGGS, b. Abt. 1798, Georgia; m. ROBERT GRIGGS, January 08,
1818, Hancock County, Georgia.
Notes for ROBERT GRIGGS:
Robert Griggs received
$175.00 in right of his wife Eliza M. from the estate of her father William
Griggs on August 4, 1818.
SOUCRES: Georgia
Marriages: 1801-1825, Liahona Research, Inc., p. 218
Probate
Record of William Griggs
1850
Hancock County, Ga. Census, 04 Dec. 1850, Census p. 51, Family 761-785, (Robert
Griggs), Occupation: farmer
ix. LINNAH GRIGGS, b. Abt. 1804; m. LEWIS BRYANT BARNES, December 19, 1820, Hancock County, Georgia.
Notes for LEWIS BRYANT BARNES:
The names of the children of Linnah Griggs
& Lewis Bryant Barnes came are from the Barnes Family Bible.
SOUCRES:
Georgia
Marriages 1801-1825, Liahona Research Inc., p. 218 Georgia
Pioneers, Genealogical Magazine, No. 3, August 1981 (Marriage of Lewis B.
Barnes & Linnah Griggs)
Barnes
Family Bible (from the internet)