House of Griffin
CountryColony of Newfoundland, Dominion of Newfoundland and Canada
Founded23 May 1833; 190 years ago (1833-05-23)
FounderJohn Griffin Sr.
Current headDavid Joseph Griffin
MembersSee List
Members of the House from the descendants of Peter and John, sons of Martin, may be disputed due to their emigration from Newfoundland.

The House of Griffin of Carbonear is a family which has primarily resided in Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador since the early 1800s. The first known Head of House was John Griffin Sr., only son of Margaret Griffin. The current Head of House is David Griffin, the eldest child of Peter and Ellen Griffin, who currently resides on Fogo Island, Newfoundland and Labrador.

History edit

The first known Griffin's in Carbonear arrived from Ireland sometime between 1806 and 1832. This family would include an unknown father, mother Margaret, daughter Mary, son John, and daughter Nancy. These Griffin's owned a Plantation in the Riverhead area, somewhere near the intersection of modern day Cross Roads and Pike's Lane. As detailed in Margaret's will, the land would be divided equally amongst the children, with John getting the house once he reached the age of 21. Mary would marry a William Green in 1832. Margaret would die in 1833.

The next recording of Griffin's in Carbonear is in a record which specifies a John Griffin Sr. living in Riverhead, while a John Griffin Jr. lived on Battery Road. John Sr. being the son of Margaret. John Jr. is believed to be the first Griffin to settle in Cherry Orchard in a garden now known as "Griffin's Garden". John Jr. is believed to have been a Policeman working in Harbour Grace and is recorded to have been alive as late as 1891.

John Jr.'s son, Martin Griffin, born in 1861, would be the next one to take over the land in Cherry Orchard. He married Alice Kennedy in 1886. They had six children, twins Mary and Elizabeth, John, Peter Joseph, James Martin, and Mary Ellen. Martin died in September 1907. When Martin's son James returned home from Labrador, he discovered his father had died and his mother had remarried and taken his siblings, leaving James with the house. It is suspected Alice married William Hinchey of Northern Bay. Nothing is known about John, other than his birth. Peter Joseph married Mary Ann Besso from Holyrood. They would emigrate to the United States and had three children. Peter Joseph tragically died in 1916 during a hurricane while working aboard the SS Admiral Clark.

James Martin would become the Patriarch of the Griffin Family in Carbonear today, as all of the present day Griffin's in Carbonear are descendants of he and his wife Margaret Kelly. James worked as a miner out in Buchans, but was later injured on the job and had to return home, his eldest son Peter, as a result, had to take up the torch and go to work in the mine at age 12. In 1939, Peter Griffin would buy a house off of Joseph Colbert on Irishtown Road. In 1942 he married Ellen Howard of Daniel's Cove. His father James then purchased the house across the road and moved his family from Cherry Orchard to Irishtown.

The Griffin's of Carbonear now primarily reside on Irishtown and Gladstone Road. Most of the dead are buried in St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery, with others in the Interfaith Cemetery.

New Dispute edit

It is now believed, but not confirmed, that John Griffin Jr. would be John Griffin II and was born in 1843 and died in Harbour Grace in 1921 at the age of 78. He would have had more sons, John III, Denis, and Patrick as well as some daughters. If he were not to have died until 1921, then Martin Griffin and his son Peter Joseph Griffin would never have been Head of House and it would have directly gone from John Griffin II to his grandson James Martin Griffin.

Membership and Eligibility edit

Membership into the House of Griffin is accepted at birth, providing that the father is a true blooded Griffin, membership is for life. Women who marry and take the name of their spouse do not lose membership, but membership is not extended to her spouse or children. Eligibility for the line of succession requires the member to be male and have a permanent residence on the island of Newfoundland. If a member in the line is living abroad, they do not lose their spot in line, but instead forfeit their spot in the event of an ascension to Head of House. An example of this was when Peter Joseph Griffin died in 1916, his family was permanently living in Massachusetts, USA, therefore, his son Harold Joseph Griffin, became the rightful heir, but forfeited his spot by not returning to Newfoundland. Ergo, Richard J. Griffin is currently the rightful heir, but has forfeited his place.

Heads of House edit

  • John Griffin Sr. (born 1816, 1833 - unknown)
  • John Griffin Jr. (1800s, dates unknown)
  • Martin Griffin (1800s, unknown, up to death, 1907)
  • Peter Joseph Griffin (1907 – 1916, upon death, because of immigration to the USA, title relinquished to brother James)
  • James Martin Griffin Sr. (1916 – 1979)
  • Peter Griffin (1979 – 2014)
  • David Joseph Griffin (2014 - present)

List of Male Members edit

Known Line of Succession edit

Line of succession Name Birth year Generation from James M. Griffin Sr. Residence Eligible
HoH David Joseph Griffin 1944 G2 Fogo Island, NL Yes
1 John Gregory Griffin 1968 G3 Fogo Island, NL Yes
2 Lawrence M. Griffin 1973 G3 Carbonear, NL Yes
3 Vincent Griffin circa 2003 G4 Ontario No
4 Xavier Griffin circa 2005 G4 Ontario No
5 Scott Michael Griffin 1976 G3 Carbonear, NL Yes
6 Preston Michael Griffin 2001 G4 Carbonear, NL Yes
7 Gerard Majella Griffin 1947 G2 Carbonear, NL Yes
8 Paul Gerard Griffin 1969 G3 Carbonear, NL Yes
9 Anthony Michael Griffin 2002 G4 Carbonear, NL Yes
10 Robert Michael Griffin 1973 G3 Carbonear, NL Yes
11 Daniel Chad Griffin 1992 G4 Carbonear, NL Yes
12 Roman Michael Griffin 2022 G5 Carbonear, NL Yes
13 Luke Brendon Gerard Griffin 1998 G4 Carbonear, NL Yes
14 Mark Anthony Griffin 1974 G3 Carbonear, NL Yes
15 Zachary Maxwell Donald Griffin 1998 G4 Alberta No
16 Brendon Michael Griffin 2002 G4 Alberta No
17 Cyril Howard Griffin 1949 G2 Winterton, NL Yes
18 Joseph Martin Griffin Sr. 1952 G2 Carbonear, NL Yes
19 John Griffin 1956 G2 St. John's, NL Yes
20 Francis Martin Griffin 1959 G2 Carbonear, NL Yes
21 Martin Griffin Jr. 1960 G2 St. John's, NL Yes
22 Tyrone Paul Griffin 1962 G2 Victoria, NL Yes
23 Kevin Griffin 1987 G3 Newfoundland Yes
24 Kyle Griffin G3 Victoria, NL Yes
25 George Edward Griffin 1965 G2 St. John's, NL Yes
26 Leo Joseph Griffin Jr. 1950 G2 Labrador City, NL No
27 Jason Griffin 1973 G3 Labrador City, NL No
28 Kyle Joseph Griffin 2006 G4 Labrador City, NL No
29 Carter Joseph Griffin 2006 G4 Labrador City, NL No
30 Loyola Griffin 1956 G2 Halifax, NS No
31 Dennis Griffin G3 Victoria, NL Yes
32 Paul Griffin 1959 G2 Spaniard's Bay, NL Yes
33 Donald P. Griffin 1960 G2 Carbonear, NL Yes
34 Sheldon Griffin 1988 G3 North River, NL Yes
35 Landon Griffin G4 NL Yes
36 Calum Griffin 2019 G4 North River, NL Yes
37 Kenneth Patrick Griffin 1963 G2 Carbonear, NL Yes
38 Joshua Neil Leo Griffin 2000 G3 St. John's, NL Yes
39 Jacob Kenneth Peter Griffin 2002 G3 Carbonear, NL Yes
40 Wayne Griffin G2 Unknown
41 son of Wayne Griffin G3 USA No
42 Richard J. Griffin 1945 P2 Rochester, VT, USA No

Past Male Members edit

  • John Griffin Sr. (1816 - unknown; Head of House)
  • John Griffin Jr. (Unknown; Head of House)
  • Martin Griffin (1861 - 1907; Head of House)
  • John Griffin (1890 - unknown)
  • Peter Joseph Griffin (1892 - 1916; Head of House 1907 - 1916)
  • Harold Joseph Griffin (1914 - 2004)
  • James Martin Griffin Sr. (1895 - 1979; Head of House 1916 - 1979)
  • Peter Griffin (1920 - 2014; Head of House 1979 - 2014)
  • James Lawrence Griffin (1946 - 2011)
  • James Griffin Jr. (1921 - 1991)
  • Martin Francis Griffin Sr. (1927 - 2005)
  • Leo Griffin Sr. (1928 - 2006)
  • Patrick Griffin (1930 - 2010)
  • Joseph "Joey" Griffin Jr. (1981 - 2024)

Female Members edit

  • Denise Marcella Griffin Heath
  • Deanna Joy Griffin Morgan
  • Cherish Griffin
  • Wannetta Rose Griffin Lawton
  • Monica Catherine Griffin
  • Isabel Sara Griffin
  • Amelia Rose Margaret Griffin
  • Emily Elizabeth Griffin
  • Karen Griffin Rice
  • Mary Griffin Curnew
  • Joan Griffin Clarke
  • Philomena Griffin Parsons
  • Rose Griffin Fahey
  • Jeanette Griffin Holwell
  • Marilyn Griffin Rumsey
  • Lorraine Griffin Lilly
  • Lori Griffin
  • Helen Maria Griffin Hunt
  • Nachesta Nathaniel Griffin Singh
  • Patricia Paula Griffin Smith
  • Ally Griffin
  • Avery Griffin
  • Anne Madonna Griffin Noel
  • Kelly Griffin Richards
  • Marie Griffin Sutton
  • Debora Griffin Sutton
  • Denise Griffin
  • Madison "Mason Matthew" Griffin
  • Kaylee Griffin
  • Summer Griffin
  • Margaret Griffin Penney
  • Carol Anne Griffin McCarthy
  • Eileen Griffin Crane
  • Michelle Griffin
  • Barbara A. Griffin Grella
  • Kathleen Griffin Dandy

Cemetery burials edit

Carbonear edit

St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery

  • Martin Griffin (1861 - 1907)
  • James Martin Griffin Sr. (1895 - 1979), Margaret (Kelly) Griffin (1897 - 1993)
  • Patrick Griffin (1930 - 2010), Marie (Brady) Griffin (1932 - 2010)
  • Leo Griffin Sr. (1928 - 2006), Mary (Snow) Griffin (1930 - 1999)
  • Peter Griffin (1920 - 2014), Ellen T. (Howard) Griffin (1918 - 1998)
  • James Griffin Jr. (1924 - 1991), Joan (O'Grady) Griffin (1925 - 2011)
  • James Lawrence Griffin (1946 - 2011)
  • Mary Leone (Griffin) Reynolds (1952 - 2017)
  • Mary Griffin (1955 infant)
  • Olivia Frances Griffin (1997 infant)

Interfaith Cemetery

  • Martin Francis Griffin Sr. (1927 - 2005)
  • Shirley (Butt) Griffin (1951 - 2015)
  • Karen (Howell) Griffin (1954 - 2007)

Family Timeline edit

Not in relation to the page above.