Joseph Griffith

Joseph Griffith (about 1810-1863) was a Union soldier from Scott County who died during the Civil War.

See Also: Scott Countians killed in war

Biography

When the 1860 census was taken, Joseph Griffith (age 50) and Elizabeth Griffith (40) lived in Scott County with their children: Easter Griffith (age 22), Pernette Griffith (20), Rachel Griffith (17), Margaret Griffith, Emel (Yewel) Griffith (13), Hugh L. Griffith (11), Columbus (Christopher) Griffith (7), Alnrisey (Almiry, or Elmira) Griffith (4) and Julia A. Griffith (4 months). Separate records indicate they had a child named Richard.

Roy lists their children — from Elizabeth’s pension application, which would have included only minor children — as Jewell (born 1849), Huell (1857), Christopher (1854), Elmira (1856), Julia Ann (1859) and Tennessee (1862).

Elizabeth Sexton was the granddaughter of Timothy Sexton, a Revolutionary War veteran who moved to present-day Scott County after the war and settled near Brimstone Creek. She and Joseph Griffith were married on Jan. 28, 1835 in Morgan County, Tenn.

Joseph appears to have been the son of Richard Griffith and Sophronia Jane Lawson (1794-1880). He was a grandson of Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Griffith, and a brother to Allen Griffith and cousin to Henry Griffith, who died during the Civil War.

Civil War

Records show that Joseph Griffith of Scott County enlisted in the Union army and was assigned to Co. F, 7th Tennessee Infantry.

(The FindAGrave website indicates that Elizabeth Sexton’s husband, Joseph A. Griffith, served in Co. G, 15th New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. It states that Joseph A. Griffith was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia on Dec. 13, 1862, and that he died on Jan. 22, 1863 and was buried at Alexandria National Cemetery in Virginia — where, indeed, a stone can be found for a J.A. Griffith of New Jersey. This was a separate Joseph Griffith, who lived in Flemington, N.J. before the war and worked as a brick maker. He does not appear to have been married, and had no children.)

According to Elizabeth’s pension application, Joseph Griffith was at the home of Richard Griffith on Brimstone Creek and preparing to travel back to Kentucky to join his regiment when he collapsed and died of congestive chills on March 28, 1863.

Separately, an Adjutant General’s Office report lists his cause of death as epileptic spasms and states that it occurred on March 10, 1863.

Aftermath

It is not known where Joseph Griffith was buried.

Elizabeth moved to Kansas after the war, and died in Bell Plaine, Kan. on Dec. 27, 1892, at age 79. Her obituary states that she moved with her family to Kentucky following her husband’s death in 1863, before moving to Kansas.

Her obituary further states: “The husband and father died during the war and left quite a burden upon the mother. During those troublous times the burdens and cares were often very great and the earnest prayer was often lifted to the throne of grace for help and guidance. It is her testimony that God did not fail to answer her prayers and troubles.”

All of Joseph Griffith’s children moved away from Scott County with their mother and are buried in Kansas.