When I began this project, I only knew a few small details about Margaret Griffin from the social column of the Gadsden, Alabama newspaper and from her children’s death certificates. I made a plan, which I shared in Part 1 and I stuck to it until I finally Found A Way Through!
In Part 3, I found Margaret's obituary in an unexpected place. This document provided some key details, confirming her maiden name is Roden and leading me to the name of her brother, Solomon Roden of Albertville, Alabama.
The next day, I used these details to unlock the mystery of Margaret's family history and the tragic death of her father and grandfather in a Civil War era massacre.
“Margaret Roden Griffin”
In December 1863, just before Virginia was born, James, his father, and his oldest son, were murdered by a band of rogue Union Army soldiers who were looting local farms during his furlough from the Union Army (Harper's Weekly). This event was called "The Buck Island Massacre," and was widely reported on across the country.
James’s older children remained living on the farm with the oldest surviving son, John, while Mary and her three biological children returned to her family home in Jackson County, Alabama (1870 Census), where Margaret grew up.
Margaret married John Hugh Griffin around 1885 and the couple raised their family in the city of Gadsden, Alabama (Gadsden City Directory). She remained close with her brother Solomon,who returned to Marshall County as an adult and farmed his father’s land (1880 Census). Margaret sometimes took her four children to visit him on his farm in Albertville, Alabama.
Margaret was active in the Twelfth Street Baptist Church (Gadsden Daily Times). Her children grew up and lived nearby for many years. Cora and her husband Marcus sometimes lived with John and Margaret in the big house on Walnut Street (1910 Census). Herman and his wife Dorothy lived down the street for many years (1920 Census) and Margaret was able to watch her grandchildren grow up.
In 1935, Margaret passed away at the home of her oldest son, James Griffin, in New Orleans, Louisiana (The Birmingham News). She was laid to rest beside her husband in the Griffin family plot in Forrest Cemetery, Gadsden, Alabama.
Future Research
In the course of researching Margaret, I found out a lot about her parents. I'd like to learn more and trace the family line back one more generation!
Mary A. Hardcastle, born about 1831, Tennessee (1850 Census)
In Part 3, I found Margaret's obituary in an unexpected place. This document provided some key details, confirming her maiden name is Roden and leading me to the name of her brother, Solomon Roden of Albertville, Alabama.
The next day, I used these details to unlock the mystery of Margaret's family history and the tragic death of her father and grandfather in a Civil War era massacre.
“Margaret Roden Griffin”
(1861-1935)
Margaret Roden was born in Marshall County, Alabama, in March of 1861 (1900 Census). Her mother, Mary Hardcastle Stephens, was the second wife of James Roden (Alabama Marriages, 1805-1967) following the death of his first wife, Mary Rhea. Mary took care of James's eight children (1860 Census) while he was fighting in the Civil War (Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865). During their short marriage, Mary gave birth to three children: Margaret, Solomon, and Virginia Lee. Margaret appears to be named for her maternal grandmother (1850 Census).
In December 1863, just before Virginia was born, James, his father, and his oldest son, were murdered by a band of rogue Union Army soldiers who were looting local farms during his furlough from the Union Army (Harper's Weekly). This event was called "The Buck Island Massacre," and was widely reported on across the country.
James’s older children remained living on the farm with the oldest surviving son, John, while Mary and her three biological children returned to her family home in Jackson County, Alabama (1870 Census), where Margaret grew up.
Margaret married John Hugh Griffin around 1885 and the couple raised their family in the city of Gadsden, Alabama (Gadsden City Directory). She remained close with her brother Solomon,who returned to Marshall County as an adult and farmed his father’s land (1880 Census). Margaret sometimes took her four children to visit him on his farm in Albertville, Alabama.
Margaret was active in the Twelfth Street Baptist Church (Gadsden Daily Times). Her children grew up and lived nearby for many years. Cora and her husband Marcus sometimes lived with John and Margaret in the big house on Walnut Street (1910 Census). Herman and his wife Dorothy lived down the street for many years (1920 Census) and Margaret was able to watch her grandchildren grow up.
In 1935, Margaret passed away at the home of her oldest son, James Griffin, in New Orleans, Louisiana (The Birmingham News). She was laid to rest beside her husband in the Griffin family plot in Forrest Cemetery, Gadsden, Alabama.
Future Research
In the course of researching Margaret, I found out a lot about her parents. I'd like to learn more and trace the family line back one more generation!
Mary A. Hardcastle, born about 1831, Tennessee (1850 Census)
- daughter of Margaret Hardcastle
- oldest of five children born to William and Margaret Hardcastle
- one brother is Charles L Hardcastle
- grew up in Jackson County, Alabama
- father, William Hardcastle, passed away in 1845 when Mary was 13 years old
- may have been married to a Mr. Stephens in the 1850s due to her name on marriage certificate being Mary A. Stephens instead of Hardcastle
- son of Benjamin Roden
- grew up in Marshall County, Alabama
- Confederate infantry
- murdered along with son Felix, brother Porter, and father Benjamin, in 1863
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