George Andrew Griffeth

By Albertie Griffeth Griffiths

George Andrew Griffeth, the 2ne child of Patison Delos and Elizabeth Carson Griffeth was born January 5, 1849, at Greenbush, Illinois.

            His parents with other relatives heard the testimonies of missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and were converted to the truthfulness of the church.

            When the Prophet Joseph was killed and the saints driven out of Illinois, Patison, His wife, and two Children, Phoebe and Andrew, started on the long, tedious journey westward. They drove a yoke of oxen and a yoke of cows to Salt Lake City. On the way, at Green River, Wyoming, another child, Louisa, was added to the family.  Patison and his family were the only ones of the Griffeth family to come West.  The rest stayed with the Reorganized or Josephite Church.

            This little family didn’t come with the first company of saints. They reached Salt Lake Valley some time in late Autumn of 1851, when Father was about 2 years and 8 months old.

            They fist stopped near where Bountiful Utah is now, then moved farther south to Lehi. They lived in Cedar Valley for about 8 years.

            Eudell Bodily remembers Father telling her how he and on of his sisters walked a good share of the way from Cedar Valley to Hyde Park driving cattle.  This was in the spring of 1860 when Father was 11 years old.

            He made is home in Hyde Park for some time, then moved to Fairview Idaho. In the history of Fairview, written by Eleanor Griffeth Bodily, for the Daughters of the Pioneers we find, quote: “Commencing in the winter of 1869, P.D. Griffeth Sr. Hauled the lumber to build the first house that was built in Fairview. It was located on the Sim Inglet farm, down on the river, west of Fairview. The following spring, with her two children, cam Sarah Gibson Griffeth, Plural wife to P.D. Griffeth, to make her home here.  This was on April 12 1870. They lived in a covered wagon until their one-room house was built. They lived here summers and herded cattle and sheep, then went back to Hyde Park, UT for the winter, until the year 1872, when the Griffeths made Fairview their permanent home” End of quote.

            Afterward, they went back to Hyde Park and Father lived there until the spring of 1886. He then came back to Fairview and took up a place consisting of 160 acres, and began homesteading and clearing sagebrush.  He ad a house ready to be moved into some time in 1890 after having lived in a rented house, dugout, granary, shed, and tent.  And the house was far from finished when we moved into it. But I remember how happy we all were when there was enough floor for us to start moving the furniture in.

            That was Father’s home until his death, except for the few last years, when he lived with Eleanor for some of the time, and then with George.

            So much for where he lived.  I hardly know where to start to try to describe him. Reading between the lines, I gather that he was not particularly robust, for I often heard him mention the fact that when he didn’t feel like eating a meal, his mother used to give him a spoon and a crust of bread and tell him that he could go down in the cellar and skim a pan of milk. And that taste of bread and cream remained with him throughout his life.  He also enjoyed thickened milk or a good baked potato for supper.  For breakfast, he relished cram biscuits and butter. And when he came home lat at night, tired and cold he never turned down a cup of hot milk. He loved doughnuts too.

            As a youth, he was athletically inclined: good at foot racing, wrestling, and riding wild steers and broncos. He often wrestled with Indian boys which, he said, gave him rather stiff competition.

            What did he look like? Well, Mother, Mary Elizabeth Thurman, a pretty gray eyed, English girl, said the first time she saw him—when they were nearing their teens—she thought him the most attractive boy who she had ever seen. She had heard that a new family had come to Hyde Park, but had not had the opportunity of meeting any of them. One day, she was out in a tent when she heard a horse come galloping up.  She heard the rider speak to her brother in a very pleasant voice. She peaked thought a hole in the tent and there she saw a rather slender, trim-built boy with dark brown hair, very blue laughing eyes, and a rather large mouth. With a friendly smile showing pretty white teeth. She said she feel in love right then and that special admiration never waned. It ripened into love and on December 13 1869, they were married in the old endowment house at Salt Lake City.

            From that union came a family of three sons and six daughters.  The 6^th child, Annie, died at the age of 5 days.  Gertrude was fifty years old when she passed away, and Eleanor was 74. George, Edward, Irene, Delos, Albertie, and Azuba are still living.  And there are also thirty-nine living grandchildren and seventy-nine great-grandchildren. Five grandchildren and on great grandchild have died, making all together 9 who have finished their work here, and 124 living descendents at this time, one hundred years from my gather birth. His first grandchild, Eleanor Delila Bodily Ransom, was born on his 50^th birthday anniversary.

            As I remember Father, he was a tall slender, fine-looking, active man.  I remember his overalls measured 33 at the waist. He was always jolly, liked to play the violin, sing and dance. And he could tell good stories. He enjoyed teaching his children and other children. When Mother was president of the primary, he would spend hours with her training groups of children.

            At on time, in a dialogue, I had to day, “I should so love to be a beautiful dancer.” Then I was supposed to waltz across the stage. How Father did try to get me to do that gracefully.  He would hold his violin, playing and dancing, trying to get me to do it like him. I wonder that he didn’t loose his patience, but never did.

            During the middle years of his life, as I first remember him, he ware a full beard. It was heavy, long, and silky, a rich auburn, which matched Mother’s hair. As he grew older and grayer, he trimmed his whiskers until at his death, he had only a mustache with a very sort growth on his face.

            He was a good entertainer. Mother says when they lived in Hyde Park, there was hardly a night passed without a crowd of young people that their home. They enjoyed Father’s violin playing, singing, and story telling.

            When our youngest aunt, Ina used to come up to our place, she, Gertrude, Azuba, and I would all pile upon Father’s lap and try to stay there. Just as we would begin to feel secure, out into the middle of the floor would tumble 4 little girls. Funny, he could tumble us off his knees, throw us off his back and suck things, but never let us get hurt.

            He enjoyed teasing, but never left a child crying, and they always came back for more.

            He was a good ward teacher and was often asked to administer to the sick because of his great faith. He served in the Sunday School Supt. for many years. It seems that he always acted on program committees for parties or celebrations. And some good times we used to have in Fairview too.

            Father was brave and dependable. To show this let me quote: “I also recall a story he used to tell of his being placed as a picked scout or something of the sort at the time of the Indian battle on Battle Creek and Bear River, sometimes called the Battle Creek Massacre. He was stationed on the east side of the river to watch. If the Indians were victorious, he was to ride and warn the settler, I believe. The attack upon the Indians was lead by Colonel P. Edward Conner with 200 soldiers from Fort Douglas. The historian in describing the fight ways that more of the wounded soldiers froze to death than were killed in the fight. If my remembered story is true, Grandpa certainly has a cold watch and rather hazardous responsibility for a lad of 14 years. This battle took place Jan 1863. (This was taken from one of Eudell’s letters)

            Father was unselfish, polite, hospitable, and he loved nature, rocks earth, the great out of doors.

            He was quick-witted. When the “deps” were trying so hard to get and imprison Grandfather, Uncles and many of our friends for plural marriage, Father did many cleaver things to mislead them until the hunted polygamists could get into safety.

At one time someone from Hyde Park had come out to the ranch by the river and had crossed the river on the ferryboat that Father operated. Before he was very far up the country, the officers came. Father kept out of sight for sometime, pretending not to here their call. When he finally went to help them and they tried to get the horses onto the boat, a board squeaked and frightened one making it rear back. Just as the men would think that everything was going fine, Father would step on the board again. Thus he detained them until he was sure that his friend was safe.

Father was kind but very firm. That is why he was so successful in training horses. He treated his children the same way. We know that he would be considerate and understanding, a real friend and pal, yet we understood that he expected obedience.

Our home was one of the happiest due to his many fine qualities and the congenial spirit that existed between his and his sweetheart wife.

I’m sure that at his passing 29 Dec. 1934 there were hosts of friends and relatives rejoiced as they welcomed him t his new home.

(Note) Andrew came to cache Valley at the age of 11. In 1870 he had a place on Bear River. In 1885 he came to homestead.