John Griggs of Newburgh
First Generation
1. John GRIGGS was born before 1731 in probably Gravesend, Kings County, NY. He died in 1779/1782 in Newburgh, Ulster County, NY.
The following is the will of John Griggs:
"In the name of God, Amen, November 3, 1779. I, JOHN GRIGGS, of Newburgh, in Ulster County, yeoman, being sick. My will is that my wife Martha and my children live and remain on the farm I now own, and occupy and mutually aid and assist each other in carrying on the same for their own maintainance and bringing up and educating the younger children, until my youngest child is of age. My wife to have the principal management and government of affairs. But if she marries, then the management is to be in the hands of my eldest son, Samuel, with the counsel and advice of Col. Thomas Palmer. I leave to my three sons, Samuel, John, and Ferdinand, all my real estate, to be divided when my youngest child is of age. And they are to pay to my three daughters, Elizabeth, Sarah, and Mary, each œ100 in Spannish Milled Dollars. After the partition, my wife is to have one cow and one horse. The rest of the stock and farming utensils I leave to my sons. All household furniture to my wife, and then to my daughters. My wife is to live with either son, and he is to provide a good sufficient warm room, with a good fireplace therein and sufficient firewood, and she is to have œ5 a year. I make my wife Martha, and my son Samuel, and my trusty friend, Col. Thomas Palmer, executors."
Witnesses, Catharine Ward, John Foster, Samuel Edmonds. Proved, December 5, 1782, upon the affirmation of Catharine Ward, "wife of Masson Ward, late of New York, but now of Newburgh, carpenter." (Abstracts of Wills Vol IX 1777-1783 p 298-299)
John married Martha SCHENK on 2 Feb 1758 in New York.
Martha Schenk was identified as the matriarch of this family in the following letter written on 7 Nov 1902 by Helen Byron Griggs, the wife of Clarence T. Griggs (Martha’s great-great grandson) of Penn Yam, NY, to John C. Griggs (Martha’s great-grandson) of Bradford, PA:
Dear Sir,
Thank you very much for your prompt reply to my questions concerning John Griggs. I feel quite elated to learn that he came from "Scotland". That is a step further than I have gone before. In my husband's branch it is a tradition that he was "Dutch" and that the name was originally of Spanish origin, introduced into the Netherlands during the Spanish occupancy. I have never heard a guess at the original form and always regarded the story as without foundation in fact. I think it probably arose from the common use of the name Ferdinand, which is unusual among English speaking people. I would like to know the origin of that name in the family.
My husband's mother is also a descendant of John Griggs. Her grandmother was Sarah Griggs who married James Waring and her mother, was Sarah Waring married Thomas Clemence of Bethlehem, Orange Co. Mrs. Griggs brother, James Clemence, married Mary Denton, who was a granddaughter of another daughter of John Griggs who married a Denton. So you see we have several individuals interested in John, the Elder. This Aunt Mary Clemence had quite a long memory and says that she can remember my husband's great-grandfather, Ferdinand Griggs, Long John the Elder. That he was very Dutch, and that they used the name in the Dutch form, Ferdinaught, calling him "Uncle Naught". I have thought from this that in all probably, the wife of John Griggs was Dutch, Aunt Mary thought, but was not at all sure, that her name was Schenk.
My husband's father was also Ferdinand, his grandfather was Fowler, and his great- grandfather, Ferdinand, son of John. You must, therefore, be cousins the third or fourth degree. I have followed your suggestion and written to Mrs. Waring.
Thanking you again for your kindly interest.
Cordially yours,
Helen Byron Griggs
They had the following children:
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