Last time I wrote about my “psychic” experience with John Bernard Schoenewolf, this time it will be about another “psychic” experience I had. If you remember, Hank Jones has written a book called Psychic Roots and discusses those moments when you unexpectedly and inexplicably find things related to your family.
Several years ago, a few of us from the library traveled to Kinston, N.C., for a seminar. I think it was one of those Fred Pryor seminars on using Microsoft Office. About the only thing we learned at the time was “Edit–Undo” to undo any changes you made to a document.
After the seminar, I asked if we could stop by Lenoir Community College so I could visit Heritage Place for myself. I had heard about the genealogy collection at the library there, even referred people there, but had never visited myself. We only had a few minutes before they closed, so I was browsing the shelves to see what books they had. In the religion section, I saw a red bound book titled “Minutes of the Contentnea Primitive Baptist Association.” The hair on my neck literally stood on end, but I didn’t have time to look through the book, as the library was closing.
On my next Friday off (since Heritage Place is closed on the weekend), I headed to Kinston to look at the book. Am I glad I ever did. Contained in the pages of those minutes was a multi-paged obituary for James Griffin, one of my ancestors. We had known James had married twice, and I descended from a child of the first wife, but we didn’t know the name of that first wife. We also didn’t know much more about James, except he was a Primitive Baptist minister, moved from Pitt County to what is now Pamlico County, and died there in the mid-1850s, leaving a will naming several children.
The obituary filled in so many gaps about James Griffin’s life! I quote below the obituary from pages 295 to 299 of the minutes:
A Short Biographical Sketch of Elder James Griffin
Elder James Griffin one of the sons of Mr. Josiah Griffin of Pitt County N.C. the subject of this sketch was born on the 7th day of March 1804 near Greenville where he was reared a very moral man and received only a limited education–trained up in the way he should go, and he never departed from it as is well known to all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance. The writer of this has often heard him say he could not bear to tell a falsehood for his mother, who was a very pious member of the Baptist church, had impressed it upon his infant mind that he must not tell a lie.
It was the Lord’s will to convince him in the 18th year of his age that morality alone would not justify his soul by showing him that he was a poor lost sinner by nature; which brought him to an evangelical repentance [296] and gave him that faith which works by love and purifies the heart, and enabled him to look to the Lord Jesus as his Saviour and feel his sins forgiven.
After which he joined the church at Red Banks, Pitt County and was baptized on the 22d of February 1823 by Elder Amariah Biggs.
He soon felt that he had a call from the Lord to preach his Gospel, and he obeyed the call.
In 1825 he commenced the exercise of his gift and on the 11th of Feb 1827 was licensed by the church to preach, and on the 2d Sabbath in May 1827 was selected by the church for that purpose and was afterwards called by that church to her pastoral charge which he accepted.
About this time a cold and gloomy feeling pervaded the churches in consequence of the Missionary institutions which greatly disturbed their peace and harmony and the love of many waxed cold; in consequence of which many of the churches were riven asunder.
Elder James Griffin was at that time quite young in the ministry and he used every exertion he could consistent with the Word of truth to prevent the separation, But it nevertheless came when the Missionaries greedy of the spoils took the liberty to enroll his name among themselves without his consent, when he took a calm but decided stand on the primitive ground and was called to and accepted the pastoral care of three other churches in his native county.
The precise time of his several calls and acceptances the writer is not acquainted with, but he filled them all and visited the churches of his care to the glory of God and honor of his Christian character, and with great satisfaction to the brethren.
He occasionally travelled among the other churches and in destitute sections of the Country preaching the Gospel, and the Lord blessed his labors by adding many [297] souls to his ministry.
He was for 18 or 20 years almost the only primitive Baptist Minister who travelled and preached between Neuse and Pamlico Rivers where were situated three of the old churches, one of which has become entirely extinct, the other two were in a cold and shattered condition in consequence of the aforesaid Missionary institutions. But he lived to out-ride the storm, and with the blessings of God upon his labors saw two of the aforesaid old churches warmed into life and accepted the pastoral care of them. He was also the instrument in the hand of the Lord to assist in constituting of the church at Milton, Craven County, on the 18th of January 1851, and was called to, and accepted, the pastoral care of it, and also the Church as South Creek, Beaufort County, was constituted by his assistance on the 1st Saturday in March 1855 he was chosen and accepted the pastoral care of it also He could say with the Psalmist They that sow in tears shall reap in joy, and he that goeth forth and weepeth bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing bringing his sheaves with him. He was sometimes heard to say in private conversation that only a few years ago he travelled alone down the country without any ministerial help, but now he felt the Lord had raised up others to help and to fill his place when he should be removed.
He was Married to a Miss Rebecca Smith of his native county on the 15th of March 1827 who was a very kind and affectionate wife by whom he had six children, five daughters and one son, four of which still survives. His first wife deceased the 15th of Oct. 1840 and he was again married to a Miss Margaret Ann Whitehead of Edgecombe County on the 28th of Dec 1841 who also was a very dutiful, kind, and affectionate wife by whom he had four Sons.
Some years since he had a desire to remove to the [298] western country, but was as he afterwards expressed himself providentially prevented, for every attempt he made to move West, he contrary to his own expectation went Eastward until he became fully convinced that the hand of the Lord was in every one of his attempts to remove to the West and carried him Eastward till in January 1852 he purchased a tract of swamp land on Bay River in the lower part of Craven County, and that too, down in the same destitute section of Country where he had for so many years travelled as a stranger and a pilgrim in Earth in the cause of his Lord and Master. On April following he moved to it with his family. The new place was a vast wilderness of fertile land which required hard labor to cultivate.
Elder Griffin was a poor man as regards this worlds goods, and of a very weak constitution; and all the help he had was the Son of his first wife, and the four little boys by his last wife and it necessarily required his time at his home where he was very industrious, and labored hard and broke in, drained, and partially cultivated a small plantation where he had the prospect of a comfortable living. In Oct 1855 the Son of his first wife, James, a very promising young man, a dutiful Son, deceased; the father felt the Shock and mourned the loss, but did not pine at the dispensation of Providence, but resigned to it with that fortitude which becomes the servants of God.
After his moving to his last mentioned place he resigned his several pastoral charges in his native County Pitt, but continued his several pastoral cares in Craven and Beaufort counties to the day of his death. He had several severe attacks of diseases at his new residence, the last of which proved fatal. He departed this life on the 18th of Sept 1856 leaving a widow and four orphan children and [299] four children of his first wife, with an extensive church relationship and worldly acquaintance to mourn their loss. But, O; brethren that which is our loss is his eternal gain for our sorrow is not as the sorrow of the world which worketh death. His manner of preaching was simple and plain conveying great ideas by the simplest metaphors addressing his discourses to the understanding of the weak as well as the strong in an impressive style, So that he might well be called a son of consolation, industrious in the ministry, filling his appointments punctually when not providentially prevented and earnestly contending for the faith once delivered to the saints.
Thus lived and died this man of God But; alas! the places that have known him, shall know him no more forever. He is gone from his wife and children, from his friends and acquaintances from his brethren and churches below from a world of sin and temptation and pain, to a world of joy where the wicked cease to trouble, and his poor weary soul is at rest, where he has joined those who have gone before him, to sing and ascribe praises in nobler and higher strains to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in a world without end. Amen.
So, from the obituary, I discovered James Griffin’s actual birth date (7 Mar 1804), his father’s name (Josiah), the name of his first wife (Rebecca Smith), when they married (15 Mar 1827) and when she died (15 Oct 1840). I learned his second wife’s maiden name (Margaret Ann Whitehead) and when they married (28 Dec 1841). I learned the name of a son (James) that I didn’t have, plus James’s death date (Oct 1855). I learned James (Sr) was active in founding churches in Craven and Beaufort County and traveled throughout the three counties (Craven, Beaufort, and Pitt) preaching before he settled in Craven County (April 1852) and died there on 18 Sep 1856.
Since discovering the obituary, I found a few generations beyond James and Josiah in Pitt County records. James’s “very pious” mother was a Martha “Patsy” Whitehead, but I haven’t discovered if she was related to James’s second wife. I also discovered James had a brother Lanier Griffin, also a Primitive Baptist minister who married Rebecca Smith’s sister, Sarah. Rebecca and Sarah were the daughters of Lewis Smith, the son of Abner Smith.
James Griffin and Rebecca Smith had a daughter, Susan Penelope Griffin, who married first Thomas Lincoln, then John Richard Miller. Susan and John’s son, James Richard Miller, was my Great-Grandmother’s (Mama Lillie’s) father. So James would be my 4-Greats Grandfather.
I discovered this all because I took time that day to stop at a library I had never visited and discovered a red book on a library shelf at closing time seemed to be calling…no yelling, “READ ME!!” Psychic Roots? I’ll let you decide.