Griffis Family Cemetery
Transcription created and contributed by Dana Thomas, who also furnished the following information about the cemetery.Some additional info is listed from the CCGS publication called Morris County Texas Cemeteries Southern Section:
From Hwy 161 about .1 mile northwest of Harris Chapel Church, turn west on Cass County Road 1592. Drive 1 mile to Morris County line, road turns to Morris County Road 2306. Follow this for 1 mile, it turns to CR 2307. Follow this for 1 mile, turn left on dirt road into the woods and follow for .4 mile.
Earliest grave appears to be 1856. When this cemetery was first established, it was in the corner of Titus, Morris and Cass Counties. Since that time, the county lines have changed, and it is now just over into Morris County from Cass. Cemetery is known to be predominantly white.
The cemetery is fenced. Rhena Mae Black Carwile, a descendant of this Griffis family, has researched this family. She is mainly responsible for the restoration and fencing of this cemetery. She personally placed markers on most of the unmarked graves. Only five of the twenty-two graves had tombstones. (This figure does not include the two rows of slave graves.)
This cemetery contains graves of family and slaves of John M. Griffis from Alabama, plus a few others. John M. Griffis is the ancestor of many prominent Cass County families.
Cemetery was read April 24, 1995 by Audrey Rankin. Beginning at the NW corner, rows running North to South.
On the East end of this cemetery, one row of unmarked slave graves are inside the cemetery fence, another row outside the fence. When they put up the fence, they did not realize they were not enclosing all the graves, but discovered later that one row was outside the fence. There are two rows of slave graves, all unmarked.
The following listed in CCC BOOK, 1976, as buried in this cemetery: WOODELL, John (1870-1873).
This information was copied from the MORRIS COUNTY CEMETERY BOOK - SOUTHERN SECTION of 1999 which was Compiled by the Cass County Genealogical Society in cooperation with the Morris County Historical Commission. Janette Tigert Cook, janettetigertomaha@yahoo.com, January 20, 2008.
| UNKNOWN | Row 1; Rock marked grave | ||
| GRIFFIS, Mary Edna | 1876 | Died young | Row 1 |
| GRIFFIS, Elmer | 1878 | Died young | Row 1 |
| GRIFFIS, Baby | No dates | Row 1; S/o Jas and Mollie | |
| GRIFFIS, Jasper Newton | Jan 14, 1849 | 1905 | Row 1; Doye Mathis Watkins, whose husband was a great grandson, said this man was known as "Big Jas" |
| BARRETT, Baby | 1904 | Row 2; Infant of Charles | |
| GRIFFIS, Mainard Harris | Sep 12, 1854 | Oct 13, 1856 | Row 2; S/o John M |
| GRIFFIS, John M | 1816 | Aug 7, 1884 | Row 2; Age 68 years 7 days; birth calculated Aug 1, 1816. |
| GRIFFIS, Alie Connell | Dec 29, 1815 | Oct 28, 1897 | Row 2; W/o John M |
| GRIFFIS, J D | Jan 1, 1847 | Apr 1, 1895 | Row 2; S/o John M and Alie C |
| STRICKLAND, Ida | 1863 | Row 3; D/o Gus and Litt, M/M Augustus Mane | |
| STRICKLAND, "Jas" | 1858 | Died young | Row 3; S/o M/M Augustus M |
| GRIFFIS, Daisy | Jun 4, 1872 | Aug 22, 1873 | Row 3 |
| GRIFFIS, Clementine | Mar 2, 1874 | Feb 27, 1875 | Row 3 |
| O'DELL, John W | Nov3, 1870 | Nov 24, 1873 | Row 3 |
| RARDIN, Nancy Virginia | 1852 | 1890 | Row 4; Nickname "Duck"; O'Dell relative |
| RARDIN, Charles | No Dates | Row 4; S/o Nancy V | |
| NOBLES, Francis | 1860 | Row 5; O'Dell Friend | |
| NOBLES, Georgia | 1867 | Row 5; Legend is that while the Nobles family was visiting with the Solomon O'Dells, Francis and Georgia, children of this family, died and were buried here in the Griffis Family Cemetery. | |
| BOLTON, Bryant R | Jan 7, 1825 | Jun 12, 1885 | Row 5 |
| AMOX, Amanda A BOLTON | 1864 | 1882 | Row 5; 1st W/o Frank |
| AMOX, Bryant C | 1887 | Row 5; S/o Frank and Nettie; Frank married 2nd wife Nettie, sister of his 1st wife Amanda |