Griffith, Elias

GRIFFITH, LONG, HUMPHREY, SNOW

Posted By: mjv (email)
Date: 3/30/2021 at 15:03:08

Elias Griffith, residing on section 34, Franklin Township, came with his parents to Washington County in 1848. He is a native of Pickaway County, Ohio, born in 1833, and is the son of Robert W. and Eleanor (Long) Griffith. (See sketch of Robert W. Griffith elsewhere in this volume.)

Like many others of the leading citizens of Washington County, Elias Griffith was reared upon a farm, and was early acquainted with hard work. His educational advantages were somewhat better than the majority of farm boys. In addition to attendance in the common schools, he spent several terms in Washington College, Washington, and on leaving school was engaged in teaching in Clay and Franklin Townships. In 1864 he went to California, where he engaged in mining and lumbering until 1866, since which time he has been engaged in farming in this county. His first farm consisted of 240 acres of land to which he has since added 310 acres, making a farm of 550 acres, all of which is under cultivation.

Mr. Griffith was united in marriage, April 29, 1867, to Henrietta A. Humphrey, daughter of Eli and Lucia (Snow) Humphrey, born Oct. 30, 1836, in Huntington, Lorain Co., Ohio. She died in Franklin Township, May 16, 1872, leaving two children - John, who is making his home with his uncle, George W., and Charles, who resides with his grandfather, Eli Humphrey, in Clay Township. Her body is interred in Grace Hill Cemetery, three miles from the old home. For several years Mr. Griffith has been in poor health, being afflicted with asthma. In order to afford relief he has been spending some of the winters in a warmer climate. The winter of 1882-83 he spent in Colorado, the following winter in Smith County, Kan., and the winter of 1885-86 in Southern California. Notwithstanding poor health, he has been able to give personal attention to his farming operations, meeting with success as can only be acquired by industry and economy. The home farm is one of the best improved in Franklin Township, having on it superior farm buildings, including a good, two-story frame dwelling, large and commodious barn, and sheds sufficient to shelter his stock. In addition to general farming he makes a specialty of stock-raising.

As a citizen of Washington County for a period of about forty years, Mr. Griffith has lived to witness the changes that have been wrought in turning what was almost a wilderness into one of the most productive regions in the fair State of Iowa. That he has done his part in its transformation is well known to every citizen of the county. On an accompanying page is an excellent portrait of Mr. Griffith.

Source: Portrait and Biographical Album of Washington County, Iowa (1887). Excerpt from Biographical Sketch of Elias Griffith, page 371. Portrait found on page 370.