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Twelfth Generation
2048. 
John Robert GRIGGS Sr. (*) (!) (`)185,186 was born on 8 May 1547 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.487,982,984,988,1061,1111,1112,1113,1114 (The "Genealogy of The Griggs Family" does not list John as a son of Robert and Joane (Davey) Griggs. It indicates that they had only two sons--Robert, Jr. and Henry.)
Boxted is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, located about eight miles north of Sudbury. In 2005, it had a population of 120. The meaning of the name is "place where box grow."
The village is mentioned in The Domesday Book, at which time it had a population of 25. He was christened on 8 May 1547 in Somerton, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.1113 at St. Margaret's Church. He was baptized on 18 May 1547 in Somerton, Somersetshire, England.1113 John signed a will on 10 December 1619 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.1052 "Abstract of the will of John Griggs of Boxted dated 10 December 1619: In the name of God, Amen. The tenth day of December in the year of our Lord God one thousand six hundred & nineteen I John Griggs of Boxted in the County of Suffolk yeoman being sick in body yet of good and perfect remembrance praised be God for the same do ordain and make this my Last will and Testament.
Item I give to Martha my wife my messuage ortenement wherein I now dwell and all houses buildings yards gardens and orchards lands meadows pastures and woods in Boxted and Somerton, to have and to hold during her natural life. Provided said Martha or her assigns shall pay or cause to be paid unto John my son his heirs or assigns out of my said lands and tenements every year during her natural life the sum of ten pounds of lawful money on the third day of May and the first day of November.
Item I give my messuage or tenement wherein I now dwell and all houses buildings yards gardens and orchards lands meadows pastures and woods in Boxted and Somerton after the decease of my wife Martha to my son John to have and to hold the same from and immediately after the decease of my said wife upon the condition that my said son John his heirs executers administrators or assigns shall pay or cause to be paid all the several sums of money hereafter expressed amounting together the full sum of two hundred and forty pounds in manner and form following after the decease of Martha my wife.
To Bridget my daughter her heirs and assigns twenty pounds of lawful money within one year, to Martha my daughter her heirs or assigns twenty pounds of like lawful money within two years, to Elizabeth my daughter her heirs or assigns & twenty pounds of like lawful money within three years, to Stephen my son his heirs or assigns twenty pounds of like lawful money within four years, to Henry my son his heirs or assigns twenty pounds of like lawful money within five years, to Thomas my son his heirs or assigns twenty pounds of like lawful money within six years, to Marie my daughter her heirs or assigns twenty pounds of like lawful money within seven years, to Bridget my daughter her heirs or assigns twenty pounds of like lawful money within eight years, to Martha my daughter her heirs or assigns twenty pounds of like lawful money within nine years, to Elizabeth my daughter her heirs or assigns twenty pounds of like lawful money within ten years, to Thomas my son his heirs or assigns twenty pounds of like lawful money within eleven years, and to the children of Mary my daughter or to as many of them as shall then be living twenty pounds of like lawful money within twelve years.
Item I give to Henry my son his executors and assigns the lease and interest of term of years and which I have of in and to the house wherein he now dwells situate and being in Cavendish.
Item I give to the said Henry one great chest standing in the Chamber where I now lie.
Item I give to Thomas my son my two tenements situate and being in Great Waldingfield in the said County of Suffolk with the yards gardens and orchards to the same belonging with their appurtenance to have and to hold the same unto the said Thomas my son and to his heirs and assigns forever.
Item I give to Martha my wife my great chest with all that therein is as yet now stands in my little Chamber,
Item I give to Bridget my daughter my cupboard standing in my hall,
Item I give to Thomas my son my cupboard standing in my kitchen.
Item I give to Stephen my son one feather bed one cupboard one coverlet and two blankets being now upon my hall chamber.
Item I give to Martha my daughter my cupboard upon my hall Chamber.
Item I give to Elizabeth my daughter my greatest brass pot, provided always and my intent will and meaning is that Martha my wife shall have the use of all my household stuff before bequeathed for and during all the term of her natural life.
Item I give to Marie my daughter one milk cow to be delivered unto her within one month next after my wife's decease at the house wherein I now dwell, or if she shall dislike of the said cow I will she shall have three pounds and ten shillings of lawful money paid unto her at the time aforesaid.
Item I will that Martha my wife shall have during the term of her natural life all my other goods and chattels implements of household and husbandry whatsoever not formerly here by given and bequeathed and after whose death I will the same shall be equally divided amongst my children Bridgett, Thomas, Martha, and Elizabeth or so many of them as shall then be living.
Item I appoint Martha my wife my sole executor of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof I have here unto set my hand and seal the day and year first above written. John Griggs read sealed published declared and delivered in the presence of us, Walter Payne, Phillippe Gamond, John Griggs the son and Thomas Wright. Probate was granted in the court at Sudbury by Thomas Eden doctor on third of September 1624." He died on 21 September 1624 at the age of 77 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.487,984,988 (His year of death is shown as 1644 in World Family Tree CD V721-01, Vol 21.)
He has Ancestral File Number 8K85-BN. John has Ancestral File Number LC5J-GR7. He was buried in Bury St. Edmunds, St. Edmundsbury Borough, West Suffolk District, Suffolk County, England. (This is a picture of All Saints Church in Boxted.)
. Martha Mary WYBOROWE (*) and John Robert GRIGGS Sr. (*) (!) (`) were married in 1578 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.775,984,988,1052,1053,1113 (He may also may have married Mary Unknown.)
2049. 
Martha Mary WYBOROWE (*)185,186,1115 was born on 11 May 1555 in Colchester, Essex County, England.775,779,910,984,1041,1111,1113 (Her birthplace may have been Boxted, Suffolk County, England.) She was christened on 11 May 1561 in Colchester, Essex County, England.30,1116 at St. Botolphs Priory.
From Wikipedia.org: "St. Botolph's Priory was a medieval house of Augustinian canons in Colchester, Essex, founded c. 1093. The priory had the distinction of being the first and leading Augustinian convent in England until its dissolution in 1536. The remains are protected as both a scheduled monument and Grade I listed building.
A Saxon church dedicated to St Botolph originally stood on the site of the priory, with a tower which resembled the Saxon tower of Holy Trinity church in Colchester. The church's conversion to an Augustinian priory began with a Kentish priest called Norman, who had studied under Anselm of Canterbury in France before returning to England and settling in Colchester. There, he joined a college of secular priests at the church of St. Botolph who had resolved to join a religious order, and whose leader, Ainulf, turned to Norman for advice on the matter. When Norman suggested the Augustinian order, which at the time had no Houses in England, Ainulf and his followers agreed, sending him back to Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, who gave Norman a letter of recommendation to take to the abbot of Mont-Saint-Éloi.
Norman and a companion took this letter to France, first to Chartres and then to Beauvais, where they learned the Rule of St. Augustine before returning to Colchester. There they transformed the church of St Botolph into St Botolph's Priory, with Ainulf as its first prior; this must have occurred sometime between when Anselm consecrated the undertaking in 1093, and William II's granting of a charter of protection to the canons of the Priory, which was before his death in 1100. Later, in 1108, Norman left Colchester with the Ainulf's blessing to become the first prior of Holy Trinity Priory, Aldgate. Pope Paschal II later confirmed the creation of St Botolph's Priory in a papal bull in August 1116. With this, they became the first Augustinian institution in England. As well as St Botolph the priory also honoured St Julian and St Denis.
As they were the first of their order in England, they were always to be held first in dignity, and to have authority over all houses of St Augustine. The Priory was to be free from the jurisdiction of any person, secular or ecclesiastical, and on the death of Ainulf or any of his successors a new head was to be elected by the majority of the brethren and presented to the Bishop of London for consecration with special powers. In the middle of the fourteenth century a violent altercation took place between the priory and St John's Abbey.
The Abbey complained to the pope that prior John with two of his canons, John Noreys and Thomas de Gipwico, along with several laymen, attacked one of the monks of St John's with a sword and dagger and blockaded them within the abbey, before a third canon with some laymen forced entry and attacked the abbot and convent. Pope Urban V on 1 July 1363 ordered the Archbishop of Canterbury to excommunicate the offending prior and canons if they could be found guilty. This incident appears to have arisen out of disputes over control of the church of St. Peter and other matters in Colchester and over Layer de la Haye. These disputes were settled the following year.
In 1380 the prior and canons complained to the King Richard II that several people were pretending to be their attorneys and proctors, and were using forged letters to collect money from unsuspecting victims. The king gave orders for the offenders to be arrested and sent to Newgate gaol, and the forged letters were to be delivered to the archbishop of Canterbury.
On 20 February 1421 Pope Martin V granted a relaxation of penance to penitents who on the feast of St. Denis should visit and give alms for the conservation and repair of the priory, which was founded and sufficiently endowed for a prior and twelve canons, but had become impoverished.
Prior John Depyng was made abbot of St Osyth's Priory in 1434, and took with him goods of considerable value belonging to the priory. He never returned these, and after his death St Botolph's brought an apparently unsuccessful lawsuit in Chancery against St Osyth's for their recovery.
Early in 1534 the prior and seven canons, Robert Bawde, Richard Parker, William Shyrwyn, John Garrard, John Gyppys, Robert Rand and William Patche, took the oath of fealty under the Act of Succession, thus avoiding prosecution under the Treasons Act 1534.
The priory was dissolved in accordance with the Suppression of Religious Houses Act 1535. On 26 May in that year it was granted with all its possessions, including the manors of Blindknights, Canwikes and Dilbridge to Sir Thomas Audley. Audley had licence on 12 September 1540, to grant the site of the priory to John Golder and Anastasia his wife.
As the priory had been an Augustinian house, and therefore the church had both parochial and conventual functions, the nave was retained as a parish church. The choir, which had been solely for the use of the canons, was not spared however, and was demolished along with the cloisters, chapter house and associated buildings. The church remained this way until the Siege of Colchester in 1648 during the Second English Civil War. A Royalist army had seized the town, which was then surrounded and bombarded by the New Model Army led by Thomas Fairfax, with St Botolph's being caught in the crossfire of the assault on South Gate, reducing it to its present ruinous state.
In 1837 a Gothic Victorian church was built next to the ruins, partially covering the location of the priory's cloister. The ruins themselves are now a public park, and in 2010-12 improvements were made to make them more accessible." She signed a will on 8 May 1635 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.1052 "Abstract of the will of Martha Griggs of Boxted dated 8 May 1635: My late husband John Griggs by his will gave me divers household goods and things then in his great chest together with the chest. I now dispose of these things and the residue of my goods.
I give my son John 12 pence, and my son Henry a silver spoon and a pair flaxen sheets. I give Henry his son and my godson 20s. I give my daughter Mary a red and blue coverlet, a silver spoon, 2 pairs flaxen sheets, my worst bearing cloth, my casting kerchief, a square board cloth wrought with Coventry thread, a little kettle, the chair which I usually sit in and one other chair. To her daughter Martha and my god-daughter I give 20s, a pair pillow beeres wrought with knotstitch and half a dozen of my newest napkins.
I give my son Stephen a silver spoon, a pair flaxen sheets and half a dozen napkins, and my daughter Bridget my yellow coverlet and my bearing sheet. I give my daughter Elizabeth, wife of Henry Sparke, my red and green coverlet and my best bearing cloth; to her daughter Elizabeth my stone jug tipped with silver, a casting sheet for a bed and half a dozen of my newest sort of napkins; and to her daughter Martha a silver spoon and a cupboard cloth wrought with Coventry thread. I give my grandchild and godson Henry Sparke my new chest, a flaxen table cloth and 20s when 21, and his brother John a new flaxen table cloth and a new posnet.
I give my godson John Stephens, son of my daughter Martha, 20s when 18. The greater part of the above goods, plate and linen lay in the great chest at the time of my husband's death and still do.
I will my son-in-law Henry Sparke bestows £5 of mine in his hands on my funeral, and if the charge amounts to more it is to be defrayed out of my other goods. The residue of my money and goods and the things in the great chest and the chest itself are to be divided between my daughters Bridget and Elizabeth, but my wearing linen, woollen apparel and yardkerchiefs are to be divided among all 3 of my daughters.
I bequeath Henry, Stephen and Mary £20 which Edward Fincham woolman owes me. The residue of my goods, cattle and sown corn I give to my son-in-law Henry and daughter Bridget and make them exors.
Wit. William Hibble, Philip Hamond, Thomas Wright. Pr. at Bury 12 October 1635."
The Will of Martha Griggs mentions deceased husband John; son John; son Henry and his son Henry and my godson; daughter Mary and her daughter Martha and my god-daughter; son Stephen; daughter Bridget; daughter Elizabeth, wife of Henry Sparke, and her daughter Elizabeth, and to her daughter Martha; grandchild and godson Henry Sparke, and his brother John; godson John Stephens, son of daughter Martha; son-in-law Henry Sparke. Martha died on 6 October 1635 at the age of 80 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.4,775,910,988,1117
Suffolk: Sudbury - Wills of the Archdeaconry of Sudbury, 1630-1635
Burials. No. 2. Jermyn Index.
838. W(R) Martha Griggs (X) of Boxted, widow. 8 May 1635.
County: Suffolk
Country: England
My late husband John Griggs by his will gave me divers household goods and things then in his great chest together with the chest. I now dispose of these things and the residue of my goods. I give my son John 12 pence, and my son Henry a silver spoon and a pair flaxen sheets. I give Henry his son and my godson 20s. I give my daughter Mary a red and blue coverlet, a silver spoon, 2 pairs flaxen sheets, my worst bearing cloth, my casting kerchief, a square board cloth wrought with Coventry thread, a little kettle, the chair which I usually sit in and one other chair. To her daughter Martha and my god-daughter I give 20s, a pair pillow beeres wrought with knot stitch and half a dozen of my newest napkins. I give my son Stephen a silver spoon, a pair flaxen sheets and half a dozen napkins, and my daughter Bridget my yellow coverlet and my bearing sheet. I give my daughter Elizabeth, wife of Henry Sparke, my red and green coverlet and my best bearing cloth; to her daughter Elizabeth my stone jug tipped with silver, a casting sheet for a bed and half a dozen of my newest sort of napkins; and to her daughter Martha a silver spoon and a cupboard cloth wrought with Coventry thread. I give my grandchild and godson Henry Sparke my new chest, a flaxen table cloth and 20s when 21, and his brother John a new flaxen table cloth and a new posnet. I give my godson John Stephens, son of my daughter Martha, 20s when 18. The greater part of the above goods, plate and linen lay in the great chest at the time of my husband's death and still do. I will my son-in-law Henry Sparke bestows £5 of mine in his hands on my funeral, and if the charge amounts to more it is to be defrayed out of my other goods. The residue of my money and goods and the things in the great chest and the chest itself are to be divided between my daughters Bridget and Elizabeth, but my wearing linen, woollen apparel and yard kerchiefs are to be divided among all 3 of my daughters. I bequeath Henry, Stephen and Mary £20 which Edward Fincham woolman owes me. The residue of my goods, cattle and sown corn I give to my son-in-law Henry and daughter Bridget and make them exors.
Wit. William Hibble, Philip Hamond, Thomas Wright. Pr. at Bury 12 October 1635.
(It is interesting the her sons Thomas and George were not mentioned in her will. It may have been because they were her only children who emigrated to America before she died.). She was buried on 6 October 1635 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.1052 She has Ancestral File Number 8K85-CT.
. Martha had a will proved .265 Her will was proven at Sudbury, Suffolk County, England. (This is a church in the St. Botolphs region.)
.
Children were:
i. | John GRIGGS Jr. was born on 26 October 1578 in Somerton, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.987,988,1118 He was christened on 7 August 1591 in Somerton, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.1118 He died after 1635 at the age of 57 in England, United Kingdom.1117 He was the first child mentioned in his mother's will, so he may have been the oldest child. | |
ii. |  Mary GRIGGS was born on 20 March 1580 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.987,988 She died on 29 November 1639 at the age of 59 in Roxbury Neighborhood, Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.1117 She was mentioned in her mother's will. | |
iii. | Bridget GRIGGS was born on 27 May 1582 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.775,984,987,988 (She may have been born in Somerton.) She died in 1638 at the age of 56 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.193 She has Ancestral File Number 9J68-8H. | |
iv. | Henry GRIGGS Sr. was born on 7 October 1583 in Hartest, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.265,775,984,987,988,1119,1120 (The "Genealogy of The Griggs Family" lists Henry's parents as "Henry, Sr.", and Alice (Unknown) Griggs, with his paternal grandparents being Robert and Joane (Davey) Griggs, and his paternal great-grandparents being William and Catherine (Browne) Griggs. Other sources list Henry as a son of John and Martha (Unknown) Griggs. John was an older brother of "Henry, Sr.", and it is believed that John was this Henry's father.) He was christened on 7 October 1583 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.1047,1120 He signed a will before 1669.1119 The "Genealogy of The Griggs Family" indicates that his will was proven 15 June 1570; it is believed that the year was actually 1670. Henry died on 3 March 1679 at the age of 95 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.984,1047 He was buried on 4 March 1679 in Somerton, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.987,1047,1121,1122 in the St. Margaret Churchyard. A readable marker has not been located. He has Ancestral File Number 9J68-9N. | |
1024 | v. | Reverend Thomas GRIGGS (*) (!) (`). |
vi. | Martha Wyborowe GRIGGS (1st) was born on 28 February 1587 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.775,984,987,988 She was christened on 28 February 1588 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England. She died before 1 May 1588 at the age of 1 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.775,984 Martha was buried on 1 May 1588 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.987 She has Ancestral File Number 9J68-BT. | |
vii. |  Stephen GRIGGS185,186 was born on 9 March 1588 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.775,984,987,988,1047 He was christened on 1 September 1588.1047,1052 He emigrated about April 1635 from Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England. Stephen died in 1674 at the age of 86 in Marblehead, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.775,984 (He may have died in Boxted, Suffolk, England. The Genealogieonline.nl website lists his date of death as 20 November 1636 in Cornwall, England.) He has Ancestral File Number 9J68-C1. | |
viii. | Martha Wyborowe "Wibroe" GRIGGS (2nd)1047 was born on 8 July 1593 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.775,984,987,988,1047 She died on 6 May 1662 at the age of 68 in Southhampton, Suffolk County, New York Colony, British Colonial America.1047,1052 She was buried on 9 May 1662 in Long Island City, Queens County, New York Colony, British Colonial America.1047 Wibroe has Ancestral File Number 9J68-D6. | |
ix. | Elizabeth GRIGGS was born on 8 June 1595 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.775,984,987,988,1047,1118 She was christened on 19 November 1658 in Moreton, Cheshire, England.787 She has Ancestral File Number 9J68-FC. Elizabeth died in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.1113,1123 | |
x. | George John GRIGGS1123 was born on 15 January 1597 in Boxted, Babergh District, Suffolk County, England.556,775,987,988,1047,1049,1067,1118,1124,1125,1126,1127,1128 (The research of Ian Clyde Griggs indicates that this George was the son of Thomas Griggs, Jr. (1570- ?), who was a son of Thomas Griggs, Sr. (1537-?) and Anne Cranwell (1543-?). The research of Forrest King indicates that George was a son of John and Martha Griggs, and that he was born 15 Jan 1597 and died 23 Jun 1660. Ian's research indicates that George was born in 1593 and that he was married to Alyce Sibthorpe.) "The earliest colonial ancestors bearing the name of Griggs settled in Massachusetts, Virginia and North Carolina. The New England families descended from George and Thomas, who arrived from England about the year 1635." From the book, "Genealogy of The Griggs Family," by Walter S. Griggs, of Norfolk, VA, published in 1926 by The Biblio Company, Inc. (His given name is shown as "George NP" in some sources.)
ORIGIN: Lavendon, Buckinghamshire. MIGRATION: 1635 on the Hopewell on 1 April 1635, "Geo[rge] Griggs," aged 42, of "," "Alyce," aged 42, "wife of Geo[rge] Griggs," and "children of Geo[rge] Griggs aforesaid," "Tho[mas] Griggs," aged 15, "W[illia]m Griggs," aged 14, "Elisa[beth] Griggs," aged 10, "Mary Griggs," aged 6, and "James Griggs," aged 2, were enrolled at as passengers for New England on the Hopewell [Hotten 44]. FIRST RESIDENCE: Boston [NEHGR 2:189]. OCCUPATION: Millwright (the inventory of George Griggs included "working tools" valued at 2lb.: "two wheels, a shovel, 5 augers, 3 axes, 3 adzes, 2 handsaws, 7 planes, 5 chisels, one hammer, two millbills, a holdfast, 2 adzes more, 1 square, 2 drawing knives, a tenon saw"; the inventory also included "3 [illegible] old wooden platters, dishes, trenchers, one wheel more," valued at 5s.[SPR 3:202]). OFFICES: His inventory included "a musket & sword" valued at 14s., and his widow's inventory included "a sword, rest and musket," with no valuation [SPR 3:202, 4:142]. ESTATE: On 21 March 1635/6, selectmen declared that the allotments made on 30 November 1635 to "_____ Grigges" and many others had not been built upon, as specified in the grant, and were thus "free to be otherwise disposed of"[BTR 1:9]. On 8 January 1637/8, according to an order of 14 December 1635, "George Griggs" was granted twenty-eight acres, being Lot #15 at Muddy River[BTR 1:23-24]. On 16 April 1638, "there is granted leave to George Griggs to sell his house, and garden in it, and 20 acres of his Great Lot, to Mr. Tuttell, of, and Mr. Tuttell, of, for his redeeming out of their debts"[BTR 1:33]. On 9 April 1649, "George Griggs" was one of those who promised to pay 6d. a year per acre for their land at Long Island, for the use of the school [BTR 1:95]. On 7 April 1652, "Goodman Griges, Senior, hath hired twenty and four foot broad to the street adjoining to his garden on the east"[BTR 1:110]. In the 1645 Book of Possessions, "George Griggs" held one parcel of land: "one houselot" [BBOP 39, 80]. On 8 October 1650, "George Griggs of "mortgaged to" W[illia]m Tuttle of his house & ground in [SLR 1:127]. In his will, dated 4 July 1655 and proved 3 August 1660, "George Griggs of Boston" named "my loving wife Alice Griggs" sole executrix and bequeathed to her "my house & ground about it with all the appurtenances & the two acres of land at Long Island ..., also my household stuff," during her lifetime; at her death, "my son James Griggs" to receive house and land around it and land at Long Island, he to pay "to my daughter Anne Joanes" 10lb., to "my daughter Mary Brookes" 40s., and to "my daughter Sarah King" 10lb.; to "the said James Griggs" household goods, also "all my working tools at my decease"[SPR 1:342]. The inventory of the estate of "George Griggs," taken 7 July 1660, totalled 132lb. 11s. 4d. (against which were debts of 14lb. 3s. 2d.), of which 92lb. was real estate: "two acres of land at Long Island," 2lb.; "a dwelling house and the land belonging unto it with fruit trees," 70lb.; and "another lot joining to this garden upon the west side which was before bought of one Pettitt & an old barn," 20lb.[SPR 3:202]. In her will, dated 20 July 1662 and proved 1 May 1663, "Allice Greegss of" bequeathed, "in case my son James Greegss come not," to "my grandchild William King ... the one half of the ground, that half that the barn stands on by the widow Planton's ground"; to "my daughter Sarah Burgess the near end of the house and three rods broad quite through the lot & also the other old end of the house"; "the rest of the land belonging to it" to be equally given to "my daughter's children"; to "my daughter Sarah Burgess" the cow, and if the cow have a calf, the calf to "her sister Ann Joanes"; residue of moveables not in "my husband's will," equally to "my two daughters and to their children and my daughter Sarah is to have the better part which is to the value of 40s."[SPR 1:407]. The inventory of the estate of "Alice Green [sic] widow deceased 20 July 1663," taken 1 May 1667, had no valuations associated with the list of possessions, and included no real estate[SPR 4:142]. On 5 September 1665, administration was granted to "the estate of James Grigges to Robert Lattimore, in right of Anne his wife ... & also to Roger Burges, in right of the children of Sarah his late wife," there being "no certain information of the said James Grigges though he hath been absent for many years & most probable that he is dead, not being heard of for several years" [SPR 4:240]. On 6 September 1665, the house lot in Boston was divided between the two administrators, while the two acres at Long Island was to remain undivided and be held jointly [SPR 4:241]. On 11 June 1683, "William King," "James Burges," and "Sarah Burges " "agreed for the division of the housing & land that was George Griggs his in & of right belongeth us whose names are hereunder written heirs thereof by our mother"; in the description of the portion of land set off to Sarah Burgess, reference was made to "her brother William King" and to abutting land of "her aunt Lattimore"; in the description of the portion of land set off to William King, reference was made to "his father-in-law Roger Burges during his natural life and of his mother-in-law Elizabeth during her widowhood"; in the description of the portion of land set off to James Burgess, reference was made to "his aunt Lattimore" [SLR 13:178-79]. BIRTH: About 1593. DEATH: Boston 23 June 1660 [BVR 75]. MARRIAGE: Lavendon, Buckinghamshire, 11 May 1618 Alice Sibthorpe [TAG 64:196]. CHILDREN: ii WILLIAM GRIGGS, bp. , 27 February 1619 [/20] [TAG 64:196]; bur. Boston [blank] December 1638 ("William of George Griggs") [NEHGR 2:189]. iii ELIZABETH GRIGGS, bp. , 10 March 1623/4 [TAG 64:196]; sailed for New England in 1635, but probably died during the passage, as her death is not recorded in Boston, yet a younger full sibling of the same name was born at Boston in 1636. iv MARY GRIGGS, b. about 1627 (see COMMENTS below); m. by 1655_____ Brooks (see COMMENTS below). v ANNE GRIGGS, b. about 1629 (see COMMENTS below); m. (1) by 1651 Rice Jones (eldest known child b. 30 June 1651 [BVR 33]); m. (2) Charlestown 1 September 1662 Robert Lattimore [ChVR 1:41]. (Because of some erroneous records, both in the original and as published, there has been much confusion about the marriages of this daughter, but John R. Totten (in 1921) and "R.I.F." (in 1930) wrote at length, clarifying our knowledge of these marriages [NYGBR 52:6-8].) vi JAMES GRIGGS, bp. , 16 December 1632 [TAG 64:196]; named in father's will on 4 July 1655, but soon left New England and not heard of again. vii ELIZABETH GRIGGS, b. 14 May 1636 [NEHGR 2:189]; d. [blank] May 1640, "aged 4 years" [BVR 9]. viii SARAH GRIGGS, b. 15 May 1637 [NEHGR 2:189]; m. (1) by 1655 William King (eldest known child b. 6 November 1655 [BVR 51]); m. (2) by 1659 Roger Burgess (eldest known child b. 24 April 1659 [BVR 68]). ASSOCIATION: George Griggs, his wife and children were one of several families which migrated from Olney, Buckinghamshire, and vicinity, in association with their minister, WILLIAM WORCESTER . These families are JOHN COOPER [2:2:202-4], EDMUND FARRINGTON [ ], JOHN FULLER , WILLIAM GAINES , NATHANIEL KIRTLAND , PHILIP KIRTLAND , ANTHONY NEWHALL , THOMAS NEWHALL , WILLIAM PARTRIDGE , HENRY PIERSON and WILLIAM PURRIER [TAG 64:193-202, 65:65-69, 73:119-22]. COMMENTS: The passenger list entry for this family includes a daughter Mary, aged six, and no daughter Anne [Hotten 44]. This probably represents a case of scribal haplography, in which the dockside clerk, or a later copyist, omitted the age of Mary and the name of Anne, thus attributing Anne's age to Mary. We suggest, therefore, that the list should correctly have included daughters Mary, aged eight, and Anne, aged six. (H. Minot Pitman and Thomas W. Cooper II have also addressed this question [NEHGR 123:170].) In his will of 4 July 1655, George Griggs included a bequest to "my daughter Mary Brookes," but when the widow of George Griggs made her will on 20 July 1662, there is no mention of this daughter, or any heir of this daughter, strongly implying that she had died in the interim. The suggestion has been made that her husband was John Brooks of, but the wife of this man was still having children after 1662 [FANH 336], so this is not a likely solution. We merely note here that on 28 November 1654 "Rob[er]tt Brooks is admitted an inhabitant" of [BTR 1:121]. The working tools found in this immigrant's inventory might indicate any one of several woodworking occupations (carpenter, joiner, turner, cooper). The choice of millwright given above is based on two items, the mill bill and the several wheels. The wheels could be mill wheels or lathes, and so are somewhat ambiguous. The mill bill is "a steel adze fixed in a wooden thrift used for dressing and cracking millstones" [1796]. On 23 February 1645/6, "for the difference between Georg[e] Griggs and Will[iam] Blanton, it is ordered that George Griggs shall set up his garden fence between them by the 30th, 2d month, 1646 [30 April 1646], in penalty of 20s. for the default hereof" [BTR 1:87]. On 25 March 1648, "gave a letter of attorney to" to recover of Phillip Hatch 3lb. due by bill" [Aspinwall 139]. On 25 December 1648, "Georg[e] Griggs & Rich[ard] Gridley" gave a bond of 30lb. to "Richard Woodward," and "George Griggs" gave a bond of 40lb. to "Richard Gridley" [Aspinwall 179]. BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: In 1969 H. Minot Pitman, as part of his examination of "Early Griggs Families of Massachusetts," published a brief treatment of George Griggs and his family [NEHGR 123:169-71]. In 1989 Thomas W. Cooper II published his study of several families of Olney, Buckinghamshire, and vicinity, which included much information on George Griggs and his family [TAG 64:194-200]. After 1620 he was a carpenter and millwright in England, United Kingdom.1118,1125 He emigrated on 1 April 1635 from Lavendon, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England.1007,1049,1125,1129,1130,1131,1132,1133 George and his wife and five oldest children came to America on the ship "Hopewell," which departed England from London in April and arrived in Boston in June. The ship's register indicated that they emigrated from Lavenden in Buckinghamshire County. William Bundock was the ship's Master. The ship's register indicated that the family consisted of George, 42; his wife Alyce, 42; and their children Thomas, 15; William, 14; Eliza, 10; Mary, 6; and James, 2. George's name appears in the Boston Book of Possessions in the first volume of the Town Records, giving names of the original grantees, compiled 1639-1645. He settled in Muddy River (Brookline, now part of Boston) a year or two later, where in 1638 he owned 28 acres. It is believed that George's brother Thomas emigrated about the same time, but he is not listed as a passenger on the "Hopewell." George died on 23 June 1660 at the age of 63 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.556,775,988,995,1007,1047,1125,1134 Life Sketch: "Born about 1593 (aged 42 in 1635). Millwright from Lavendon, Buckinghamshire, who came to Massachusetts Bay in 1635 on the "Hopewell" & settled in Boston. (On 1 April 1635, 'Geo[rge] Griggs,' aged 42, of 'Landen in Buckinghamshire,' 'Alyce,' aged 42, 'wife of Geo[rge] Griggs,' and 'children of Geo[rge] Griggs aforesaid,' 'Tho[mas] Griggs,' aged 15, 'W[illia]m Griggs,' aged 14, 'Elisa[beth] Griggs,' aged 10, 'Mary Griggs,' aged 6, and 'James Griggs,' aged 2, were enrolled at London as passengers for New England on the Hopewell). Died in Boston 23 June 1660. Married in Lavendon, Buckinghamshire, 11 May 1618 Alice Sibthorpe. She was born about 1593 (aged 42 in 1635) and died at Boston on 19 July 1662." He made his will July 4, 1655 in Boston. (See attached Media File.) He was buried in June 1660 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America.1047 He has Ancestral File Number 9J68-GJ. Emigrated to Boston in 1635 |