Albert William Griffin

Albert William Griffin  (GGGF, 1887 -1919, as recorded in The Thomas Griffin Family book, pages 189 -192, published 1997) -

 

    Albert William Griffin was born in Weston, Franklin County, Idaho on February 1, 1887.  He was the first child and son of the nine living children (6 boys, 3 girls and a stillborn daughter which would have been Albert’s older sister) born to Thomas Griffin and Ruth Emma Maughan.  Albert’s mother was the second wife of Thomas Griffin.  In addition to the 8 younger brothers and sisters, Albert also had 9 half brothers and sisters [3 boys and 6 girls, who lived about a block away from his home thru his fathers first wife Martha].  Albert’s father, Thomas, would spend one night at Martha’s home (his first wife) and then the next at Ruth Emma’s home (Thomas’s second wife and Albert’s mother).  This was done by Thomas to be as fair as possible to both sets of his children.  

     Albert’s father, Thomas was a farmer.  He farmed east of Clarkston, Utah near the old reservior.  He had cows, horses, pigs, and chickens and raised mainly on hay and grain.  His father, Thomas, spent the summers of 1886 and 1887 in Montana avoiding law officers who were arresting men that were practicing polygamy.  This was near the time Albert was born.  When Albert was two years of age, his father turned himself in for breaking the Edmunds Tucker Polygamy Law.  He was fined $300 and sentenced to serve six months in the Utah State Prison which he did.  In 1897 when Albert was ten, his father was elected manager of the Clarkston Co-op, a small store.  After many years Thomas bought all of the stock and became owner of the store.  Thomas still farmed as well as managed the store.

     Albert’s early childhood was similar to other children living at the time.  He helped with the animals, farm chores, and took care of his younger brothers and sisters.  As he got older, he helped with the hay and harvest, and helped haul groceries from Cache Junction to the family store.

     Albert (Ab, as he was nicknamed), attended the first four years of school in the old rock school and the remaining four years in the red brick school house.  In 1903, the year his brother, Joseph Donald was born, Ab [age 16] was afflicted with rhematic fever which often damages the heart.  He overcame it and had no apparent after effects.

     Albert was an active young man.  He enjoyed sports, amd was a good athlete.  He loved playing baseball.  He was the catcher on the town baseball team, and a pretty fair hitter.  He was quiet.  He wasn’t one to pick a fight, but he wouldn’t back down from one.  It took a pretty good man to whip him.  He took part in ward dances and other activities that young Latter-day Saints his age were involved in.  Saturday night dances and church on Sunday were the main social gatherings.

     In 1906, at the age of 19, Albert was called to serve a Church mission to England.  He bid farewell to his family and set out for Salt Lake City.  He was set apart as a missionary by Heber J. Grant.  His ticket for England was already purchased when it was discovered during a [routine] physical exam that he had a weak heart.  Because of this, he was unable to fill a mission and returned home very disappointed.  His bout with rhematic fever that he had earlier in his life may have contributed to his heart problem.  He had looked forward to serving a mission in England, his father’s homeland.  [His release from his called missionary assignment was a great disappointment to both he and his family.  He returned to Clarksron to farm.  He eventually married a young lady, Ida Ann Clark, whom he had attended school with when he was younger.

     On October 22, 1908, Albert William Griffin, age 21 married Ida Ann Clark, age 20, in the Logan Temple by Pres. William Roskelley.  He bought and farmed in a place called “Dirty Head” in Idaho.  His health problems continued until he died at the young age of 32 from a flu epidemic, being survived by his wife and five children].