George Griffin

Who is George Griffin?

George Griffin was an African American born into slavery in Virginia sometime in the mid-19th century. In 1874, as a free man, Griffin came to work for Samuel L. Clemens. Details of Griffin's early life remain largely unknown. They have said that he was about age 65 when he died, but the date remains, also, unknown. But there is much information about Griffin's later life, primarily from Clemens's letters and unpublished memoirs. For example, according to Clemens's unpublished manuscript A Family Sketch, Griffin "was a Maryland slave by birth; the Proclamation set him free, & as a young fellow he saw his fair share of the Civil War as body servant to General Devens".

Griffin was a Deacon in the Methodist Episcopal Church, active political leader, and family man. He married a dressmaker named Mary and had one daughter. He was remembered as having a knack for making money and lending funds back to the African American community. Clemens describes him as:

...handsome, well built, shrewd, wise, polite, always good-natured, cheerful to gaiety, honest, religious, a cautious truth-speaker, devoted friend to the family, champion of its interests.... He was the peace-maker in the kitchen—in fact the peace-keeper, for by his good sense & right spirit & mollifying tongue he adjusted disputes in that quarter before they reached the quarrel-point.