Mary (Strickland) Keaton Griffin

Mary (Strickland) Keaton Griffin was born circa 1806 in South Carolina, United States. Her parents were Gadi Strickland and Elizabeth Burnside. Her parents were both of white ancestry.

The 1850 U.S. Federal Census says that Mary was born in Washington County, Georgia, but no other records available to us support that claim. We know from other records that she and her family lived back and forth between the immediate border regions of eastern North Carolina and South Carolina during her early childhood, but no other records place them in Georgia by 1806. It therefore appears the 1850 census contains an error.

First marriage

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Mary married William Kader Keaton, III. Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia says they had three known children, while other researchers say there were four (probably due to confusion over Lydia); we have so far documented two on Geni.

1. Kader Lawson Keaton - b. c. 1827 in Liberty County, Georgia; d. 4 May 1902; m. Martha
2. Lydia Keaton - b. c. 1834 in Tattnall County, Georgia; m. Thomas Hall; had assumed her stepfather's surname, Griffin, by 1850

Other Geni users have proposed the following children, which need citation to confirm if they are accurate:

1. John Keaton (needs citation)
2. Thomas Keaton (needs citation)

Second marriage

In 1835, Mary married Dempsey Griffin in Tattnall County, Georgia. The wedding was officiated by Elder Isham Peacock.

The couple had the following children (others are possible):

1. Mary Ann "Molly" - b. 1836; m. Willoughby Strickland
2. Francis Dempsey "Dempsey" - b. 1837 in Tattnall County; d. 22 July 1914; m. Georgeann Strickland
3. Hester Griffin, b. c. 1840 in Georgia; likely died young
4. Martha, c. 1842
5. William Jackson - b. 27 May 1843; m. Mary Jane Baxter

Mary's daughter Lydia, b. c. 1834 in Tattnall County and m. Thomas Hall, is sometimes attributed as a child of Dempsey's. In reality, she was originally Lydia Keaton and adopted her stepfather's name by 1850.

In 1850, the family lived in Tattnall County. In 1855, they lived in Watermelon, Tattnall County, likely referring to a settlement near Watermelon Creek. In 1860, they lived and farmed in the part of Tattnall County served by the Reidsville post office.

Death

Per husband Dempsey's War of 1812 pension file, Mary died on 22 April 1884. No location was recorded, but the Huxford Genealogical Society finds that she died in Tattnall County, probably in or near Matlock.

There is a FindAGrave record for a Mary Griffin who was born in 25 June 1807 and died 9 December 1884, and who is buried in a Griffin family cemetery in Decatur County, Georgia. It seems unlikely that this is Mary Strickland -- in addition to the date of death being wrong, Decatur and Tattnall counties are more than four hours apart even in modern times, and Mary's sons William Jackson and Francis Dempsey are buried in cemeteries in Glennville, Tattnall County.

Sources

• Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
  • Year: 1860; Census Place: Subdivision, Tattnall, Georgia; Page: 40.
    • Name: Mary Griffin; Age: 56; Birth Year: abt 1804; Gender: Female; Birth Place: South Carolina; Home in 1860: Subdivision, Tattnall, Georgia; Post Office: Reidsville; Dwelling Number: 274; Family Number: 274.
• Ancestry.com. U.S., Selected Federal Census Non-Population Schedules, 1850-1880 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
  • Census Year: 1860; Census Place: Tattnall, Georgia; Archive Collection Number: T1137; Roll: T1137:6; Page: 13; Line: 30; Schedule Type: Agriculture.
    • Name: Dempsey Griffin; Enumeration Date: 6 Jul 1860; Place: Tattnall, Georgia, USA; Schedule Type: Agriculture; OS Page: 13; Line Number: 30.
• Ancestry.com. U.S., War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
  • Soldier: Dempsey Griffin; Widow: Mary Keaton Griffin; Marriage Date: 1835; Date Enlisted: 22 Jan 1815; Date Discharged: 23 Feb 1815; Soldier's Death Date: 17 Dec 1865; Soldier's Death Place: Tattnall Co GA; Military Service Location: Georgia; Widow's Death Date: 22 Apr 1884; Pension Number - #1: WO 42406; Pension Number - #2: WC 33365; Bounty Land Number - #1: 46435 160 55; Roll Number: 39; Archive Publication Number: M313.
• MyHeritage. "Mary Griffin." 1850 United States Federal Census. < link > Accessed 16 September 2021.
  • Township: Tattnall county; Schedule: Population; County: Tattnall; Series: M432; State: Georgia; Family: 385; Date: 1850; Image: 296.
    • Name: Mary Griffin; Gender: Female; Birth: Circa 1804 - Washington County; Residence: 1850 - Tattnall county, Tattnall, Georgia, USA; Age: 46; Schedule: Population; Husband (implied): Dempsey Griffin; Children (implied): Lydia Griffin, Mary Griffin, Dempsey Griffin, Hester Griffin, William Griffin.
• Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, Vol. X. Homerville, Georgia: Huxford Genealogical Society, 1998.