Owen Griffith, Sr.

Owen Griffith [or Griffin] was born 1624 in Cefn Amwlch, Penllech, Lleyn, Caernarvonshire, Wales, and died AFT 17 JUL 1698 in Isle of Wight Co, VA (Will Date). He was the son of Evan 'John' III GRIFFITH and Jane verch Owen.

family

Had four children with his wife Jane in England. After the early death of his wife Jane (before 1657), he immigrated to the Isle of Wight, VA. He later married Mary (Hunt), widow of Robert Edwards, and had two more children.

He married

1. Jane
2. about 1681 in Isle of Wight, VA to Mary Hunt, daughter of William Hunt [Huntt] and Judith Burton, She was born in Isle of Wight,VA), and died 24 APR 1723 in Isle of Wight Co,VA. She was Robert Edward's widow and married William Boddie third.

Children

• 1. Anne Griffin (m. Thomas "TD" Drake, Sr.)
• 2. Edward Griffin (m. Mary Munford)
• 3. John Griffin(m. Jemima MNU)
• 4. Owen Griffin, Jr. (m. Ann Stovall) 

"Second son of John Griffith who came to Isle of Wight from Lynn, England. His will was dated 15 June 1698 and probated 9 September 1698. His legatees were: daughters Ann and Sarah Griffith, and sons Edward, Owen, and John; and grandchildren, John and Patience Griffith, and his wife's children Margaret and Judy Edwards."

pedigree

From http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/griffith/4877/

link. The foregoing chart appears in John Bennett Boddie’s Historical Southern Families, Vol. VI, page 260,John Griffin who died in Bertie County, N. C. in 1735 was a grandson son of Owen and Mary Griffin of Isle of Wight, Virginia.

There is one error in the chart. According to Mr. Boddie’s History of Isle of Wight County Virginia, pp. 345, 347, 348, Robert Edwards was the first husband of Mary Hunt and Owen Griffin the second.

From "The John Griffin Family Of Nash County, North Carolina" Compiled by Margarette Glenn Griffin Of Rocky Mount, North Carolina

"The family originated in Wales but soon spread though British Isles. In 1547 the name appears in numerous entries of births and deaths in Parishes of London, England. In 1640 there were many Griffin's in America. Four arrived in 1635 by different boats. Two boats left London, England Oct. 24, 1635. The Abraham and the Constance with 132 men and 4 women bound for Virginia all in service to Captain Claybourne And his partners. John came on the Constance and Edward Griffith on the Abraham."
"Owen Griffith (Kings Attorney) [SIC] out of faithful service to the King and the Crown was appointed to act as the King and the Crown's legal representative to the colonies. Owen had recently lost a wife to illness so he took the appointment and came to the Colonies with his children from this marriage and a younger brother Jerom Griffith.The King gave him a grant for a large tract of land in the Virginia Colonies and was to receive a sum for his continued service to the King. Owen was the son of John Griffith and Jane Owen. Owen was to protect the Kings interest in all legal matters and Land Grants in the Colonies.Owen came from Royal Bloodlines and came to the Colonies in 1666 under commission from the King."

however

From http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/GRIFFIN/2014-10/14145...

Subject: Re: [GRIFFIN] Owen Griffen/Griffin/Griffeth/Griffith emigrated 1657from Llangadog,Wales through Bristol to Barbados to Isle of Wight, VA
Date: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 14:33:00 -0000

http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.griffin/7255.1.1/mb.ashx

.... I am pedigree 62 on the Griffin DNA site ... The National Library of Wales plainly states that Owen Griffith, king's attorney, died in 1671.

http://yba.llgc.org.uk/en/s-GRIF-CEF-1481.html "... His younger brother, EDMUND GRIFFITH II , was a successful cloth merchant in London , and d. before 1660 at Stoke Poges, Bucks. ; while another brother, OWEN GRIFFITH , who d. in 1671 , was a king's attorney ."

Another source also mentions his death:

http://books.google.com/books?id=VeE4AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq... griffith caernarvon attorney&source=bl&ots=YnIwPpdPI7&sig=QphODqULM9yq4nBo_9iAq-CO8kU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Iu9QVI7vHomegwS80oKQAQ&ved=0CCYQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=owen griffith caernarvon attorney&f=false\

As for him only signing "O" for his name, here is a transcript of his will stating this:

http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/isleofwight/wills/g613o1wl.txt

I have seen posts by Paul Drake, a professional genealogist and author who states that Owen came over as an indentured servant and that he has put a great deal of effort into researching Owens headright and he has used Owen as an example in some of his books.

http://genforum.genealogy.com/griffith/messages/2323.html

And here is a link to Owen's entry in the Bristol Registries:

http://www.virtualjamestown.org/indentures/search_indentures.cgi?se...

(You may have to cut and pate the links into your browser if they aren't clickable once I post. )

supporting data

Indentured Servants Basic Search Results

You searched the Bristol database(s) for Record Identification Number=1116 link

• Servant Information Agent Information
• Name: Owen Griffen Name: Phillip Roberts
• Gender: male Gender: male
• Occupation: yeoman Occupation:
• Place of Origin: Llancaddock (sic), Carmarthenshire Place of Origin:
• Spouse's Name:
• Indenture Information Servant's Parents Information
• Date of Indenture: December 1 1657 Name:
• Indenture Length: 4 years Occupation:
• Destination: Barbados
• Ship:
• Notes:

  ---

  
  

Owen Griffin proved the Will of Mathew Waitley/Whitley/Wheatley March 9, 1680 In Chowan County, North Carolina .

• page 345 of Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County, Virginia: A History of the County ... By John Bennett Boddie. "Boddie of England and Isle of Wight."
• page 11 of Judge Harley and His Boys: The Langdale Story By John E. Lancaster
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=mjr6387&i...
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=leonardst...
• https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=67031429
• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=johnfox38...

  ---

• Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jun 20 2022, 16:38:59 UTC