Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 238, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 October 1910 — A Corner in Ancestors [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A Corner in Ancestors

By ELEANOR LEXINGTON

Griffith Family (Copyright by McClure Syndicate)

The Welsh form of this name Is Gruffydd, or Grufljyd, and Lleweny, in the Vale oT Glwydd, Is one home of the family. Griffith, Griffiths and Griffyth are present day forms of the name, Griffith being the usual orthograph. Early records of the family in this country Invariably have the name with the final "s”—Griffiths. Grlffltts and Griffis are said to be variations of the name. The family Is an ancient one, descended from Rhys ap Tudor Mawr, ap Griffith, Prinbe of South Wales, 1077, through Trahalrn Goch, chieftain of Llyn, Carnarvonshire, North Wales. One William Griffith of Llyn, and of this line, about 1700, son of John and Elizabeth, daughter of Vlseount Bulkley, and member of parliament, married Mary, daughter of Sir Blbye Lake of London. Owen ap Robert Owen of Anglesey was an ancestor of this line, and marriage connections include the Earls of Aylesford, and the noble house of Trevon of Trevalyn. This is one account of the origin of the Griffiths. Another has it that the

family can claim descent from Lleyellyn, the last king of Wales, who was the son of Griffith, also king of Wales. “The Griffiths In America, descendants of a Welsh princess, would now be enjoying the millions that fell to the British crown, if-family records had been carefully kept, to furnish ‘missing links.’ ” This is a quotation from a family record. The present writer regrets possessing no knowledge whatever of

these “millions”—her greatest Joy would be to divide it among the Griffiths and the Griffith families—no, to share it with them. The princess referred to was Katherine, daughter of Lord Rys, prince of South Wales, and she married Rydderch ap Kydlron. Their son was Rys ap Rydderch of Castle Howell, or Hywel. -Prince Rys, or Lord Rys, ap Griffith, was a man of valor in a warlike age, as well as “a great patron of the bards.” “He made a feast at Christinas, and caused it to be proclaimed throughout the country a year and a day beforehand. Thither came many strangers, and among deeds of arms, and other ‘shows,’ the prince caused all the poets of Wales, who were makers of songs, and recorded of gentlemen’s arms and pedigrees, to come thither, and provided chairs for them, where they should dispute together, to try their cunning, where great and rich gifts were prepared for the overcomers.’* The family is an old one in Staffordshire, and recently a Joseph Griffith's died there, aged oveir ninety years, who had known five bishops, five rectors, five parish clerks, and he had lived in the reign of five monarehs. One immigrant ancestor was William Griffith, from Cardigan, Wales, 1721. He settled in New York state. Then there is the usual tradition of three brothers. They, too, were born in Wales, and crossed the sea, 1715. Their names were Griffith, John and William Griffiths, and they made homes in Chester county, Pennsylvania. Griffith Griffiths married, 1722, Gwen, daughter of Evan Thdlnas, and he died 1760, possessed of considerable property, as his will shows. His children were Evan, Amos, Levi, Dan and Rebecca. In the course of time descendants of the three brothers dropped the “swriting their name Griffith. The three brothers were sons of Griffith Johns of Llanddewi, Cardigan. They are called college bred men, and of considerable wealth. There was a marriage, of this branch of the family, with the Howells of Bucks county, Pa. Other marriage connections include the Sharps, Fosters and Cadwalladers. The coat-of-arms Illustrated is blazoned: Gules, three lioncels (or little lions), pasant in pale, argent, armed azure. Crest: A deml-lion rampant sable, armed gules. Motto: Virtue Omnia Nobilltat—virtue ennobles all. This is also the motto of the Herrick family. This coat-armor was borne by William Griffith, the New York ancestor, 1721.