This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: jantrevor Surnames: Griffin, Bird, Byrd, Wood Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.griffin/6658.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hi Donna, I've spent about the last four years focusing almost exclusively on finding the history associated with our/this Griffin line. I believe I have tracked them back from Texas to Alabama (the Mississippi Territory) then to Georgia and then Virginia to 1656 and am fairly confident in my research. The criticial period and clue about our Griffins seems to revolve around the Fort Mims massacre story/their early involvement in the Mississippi Territory. That story, combined with research and a box of family photos and our original family bible from 1848 which were recently located gave me alot of other supporting clues. When I started researching the Fort Mim's massacre, I noted in alot of the research that it mentioned that the majority of the people that took refuge at that fort were "Mixed Breeds" or "Friendly Indians". These "mixed breeds" were generally early white frontiersmen with Creek or Cherokee Indian wives and their childen. They took shelter there because the Red! sticks (Creek traditionalists) did not like the "white ways" which included larger plantations, running cattle, owning slaves, etc. and thus the Creek Indian war was essentially a "civil war" among differing tribal perspectives about white encroachment/practices. To read more about how common this was in this region (Indian white) at this time period, there are several books I'll list below. The dynamics around the Creek Indian War and the contributing impact of Indian/White families are critical to the understanding of what our family was doing there in 1805 and to why they (Walt) would have been at the fort in the first place in 1813. Anyway, In my box of photos which we found, there were some photos of family members who do not look like Griffin's today. The Griffin men in my line and others (by their report) are generally big strong square men. Either Red/Auburn hair and blue eyes and fair or Dark Wavy thick hair with dark eyes and a tendancy to be olive complecte! d. And, at least in my line, decidedly stubborn folk. Anyway, the fol ks in the pictures I found looked at least part Native American, part white. These photos are cabinet cards so date to around 1870. At first I had dismissed the Fort Mims story as a family myth but when I got the box of photos I began to wonder if there was not some truth to it. In any event, several lines have reported some belief that the Griffin's were part Indian and that Mary Polly Bird might have been Indian. Also some family lines pass on the description that we are "Black Irish"-my grandfather told me this. That term, "Black Irish" has two connotations but for folks in the south at that time up until about 1850, that term was specifically used to describe white Indian families (see wikipedia). Creek matrilineal practices may explain why no Griffins are listed among the dead at Fort Mims. There are however Byrds listed among the dead. If Mary Polly Bird Griffin was Cherokee or Creek, the children would have been recognized by the tribe as being their mother's ! clan...thus Bird/Byrds not Griffins. Further support that Mary Polly Bird may have been indian is the presence of a Census record listing what is likely her mother in Halifax County NC (sits directly below Halifax county VA as a Free Person of Color) FPC persons could be Indian, Black or anyone not considered "white" at that time. 1790 United States Federal Census about Polly Bird Name: Polly Bird Township: Edgecombe County: Halifax State: North Carolina **************Number of All Other Free Persons: 4********* Number of Slaves : 1 Number of Household Members: 0 They are living Next to Peggy Bird and Richard Bird Number indicated below is number of "Other Free Persons" No age info is recorded. This Polly is listed as head of household so this is not Polly herself but could be her mother and daughter and 2 other individuals. Bird, Peggy 3 Bird, Polly 4 Bird, Richard 2 In any event, I believe Benjamin to be the son of Anthony Griffin born Halifax County VA, born about 1740 who married 1-"Ann unknown" and later Susanne Crenshaw. From records, Anthony was apparently a tax resistor who got fed up in Virignia and removed to Wilkes County GA after purchasing land from William Starke in 1785. I believe Anthony Griffin to be the son of Richard Griffin born Prince George, VA abt 1700 died Halifax County VA 23 Sep 1766. His parentage of Anthony is established by presence of court order July 7, 1788 referencing Anthony as son of Richard. COURT ORDERS - CHARLOTTE COUNTY, VA EXTRACTS FROM BOOK SEVEN 1786 - 1789. Richard Married Mary Green. I believe Richard Griffin to be the son of William Griffin III born 1685 Richmond, VA d: 1751 Lunenberg VA. He married Elizabeth Griffith. His will names his children including Richard. I believe William III to be the son of William II born abt 1665 d: 1725 Sittingbourne, Richmond, VA. William II married Rebecca. William II owned land on the other side of the Rappahannock river from his father William Sr.Griffin born 19 October 1628 d: 1684. William Sr. married Jane. I've done genetic testing for this paternal line and autosomal testing for myself individually to see if that would provide further clues. 4 Autosomal tests have detected the presence of Native American ancestry on my father's side...most closely matching the current living Lumbee tribal population of NC. My tree is located on rootsweb along with all my research notes and source documentation. http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=updatedjan&id=I4938 If interested, please contact me at the email shown on my tree. I can also give anyone related access to the family bible and photo archive and a little video I've put together. Hope this is helpful. Relevant books: A Conquering Spirit: Fort Mims and the Redstick War of 1813-1814 (Fire Ant Books) by Gregory A. Waselkov (Paperback - Sept. 28, 2009) A Way Through the Wilderness: The Natchez Trace and the Civilization of the Southern Frontier by William C. Davis (Paperback - Sep 1996) Creek Country: The Creek Indians and Their World by Robbie Franklyn Ethridge (Paperback - Sep 26, 2006) Mixed Blood Indians: Racial Construction in the Early South (Mercer University Lamar Memorial Lectures) by Theda Perdue (Paperback - Mar 28, 2005) Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.