Joseph Griffith
Joseph Griffith (1755-1833) was a Revolutionary War veteran who served as a personal bodyguard to Gen. George Washington, the future first President of the United States. He moved to present-day Brimstone after the war.
See Also: Revolutionary War Veterans
See Also: The Scott County Lineage Project
Biography
Born in Maryland in 1755, Griffith married Phoebe Hudson on Sept. 6, 1792 in Montgomery, Va. They had at least six children: Fielding Griffith, Keziah Griffith, Rhoda Griffith, Willie Griffith, Sarah Griffith and William Griffith.
It is not clear who Joseph Griffith’s parents were, though his father may have been named Isaac Griffith.
Revolutionary War
Griffith enlisted in the Continental Army in 1775, when he was 20 years old. He served in the 7th Virginia Regiment under the command of Gen. George Washington.
In 1780, Griffith fought at the Battle of Musgrove’s Mill, a precursor to the Battle of Kings Mountain. At Musgrove’s Mill, the Continental Army defeated the Tories and shifted the momentum of the war.
Earlier in the war, Griffith fought in the battles of Petersburg and Richmond. He would later fight in the Battle of Guilford.
In October 1781, Griffith was at the Siege of Yorktown, Va., the last major battle of the war. It was at Yorktown that Gen. Washington led the combined forces of American and French troops to a decisive victory over British Lt. Gen. Charles Cornwallis, effectively ending the war.
Griffith was one of Washington’s personal bodyguards that day, and witnessed Lord Cornwallis handing over his sword to Washington.
Griffith’s final assignment before being discharged was to help guard the British prisoners as they were led from Yorktown to King and Queen County, Va., near the historic Apple Tree Church.
After the War
After marrying Phoebe Hudson in 1792, Griffith was given a land grant on Brimstone Creek in the area that would become Scott County. The exact location of Griffith’s farm isn’t known but was likely located in the area that is now Gib Griffith Lane near Slick Rock.
More than two centuries later, the Griffith family maintains very strong roots in the Brimstone area, as well as throughout the rest of Scott County. The mountain that divides the valleys through which Brimstone Creek and Indian Fork Creek flow is called Griffith Mountain. All modern-day Griffiths in Scott County are descended from Joseph Griffith.
Among Griffith’s children, his oldest, Fielding Griffith, was awarded a land grant for his service in the War of 1812. One of his daughters, Rhoda, married William Sexton, who was the son of Revolutionary War veteran Timothy Sexton. His granddaughter, Matilda Griffith, married Lewis “Luke” peak, the son of Revolutionary War veteran Pvt. Abel Peak.
Griffith and his wife are buried at the Goad Cemetery at Brimstone.
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