William Griffin died before 2 April 1751, presumably in Lunenburg County, when his Will was proved there on that date.

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Griffin-1361#Purported_Siblings

These three profiles, all of Lunenburg, Virginia, are believed to be siblings of William:

• Elizabeth (Green) Griffin
• Richard Griffin
• Abigail (Griffin) Green

At this time, William's will is the only known record of his existence. It discloses several facts and provides circumstantial evidence that the above persons are his siblings. Griffin-5904 04:18, 6 August 2024 (UTC)

Facts:

• His wife was not mentioned by name but was alive when he wrote his will.
• He owned a plantation of 500 acres, 300 of which he passed to his wife during her widowhood. A deed or deeds to acquire that land would have existed.
• His plantation was on Buffalo Creek. Buffalo Creek in 1750 was in the Cumberland Parish of Lunenburg County.
• He had a son, William b. abt. 1730, who was of age.
• He had a daughter, Elizabeth, who had not reached the age of 18 which makes her year of birth between 1733 and 1749.

Circumstantial evidence:

• He devised 100 acres to Henry Green, son of John Green.
• He devised 100 acres to Ralph Griffin, son of Richard Griffin.
• He named Ralph Griffin to be one of his three executors.

We are reasonably confident that William was not the father of Elizabeth, Richard, and Abigail. This conclusion is based on the fact that he had a daughter who was not yet 18 years old when Elizabeth, Richard, and Abigail were in late adulthood. Furthermore, his year of death coincides with theirs.

To understand why William would devise hundreds of acres of land to Henry Green and Ralph Griffin, one only needs to examine the marriage relationships within the Griffin family, as documented in their profiles.

• Abigail and her sister Elizabeth married brothers John Green and Henry Green.
• John Green and Henry Green's sister Mary Green married Richard Griffin.

Thus, William devised 100 acres to each of his two nephews, bypassing his sibling's generation. This is plausible because his siblings would have been in late adulthood and already established as plantation owners.

Notes

WikiTree contributors, "Richard Griffin (abt.1700-bef.1766)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Griffin-1355 : accessed 13 March 2025).

The Vestry Book and Register of Bristol Parish, Virginia, extant begins in 1720. The births of three children of Richard Griffin and Mary (Green) Griffin are recorded. Records for the other seven children, all believed to have been born in the Bristol Parish after 1720, have not been found.

1. Ralph was born on 16 Feb. 1725 and was baptized on 16 May 1725[1],[2]
2. John was on born 22 June 1727 and baptized on 1 Oct. 1727[3],[4]
3. William was born on 21 November 1740[5],[4]

Death and Estate

The exact date of death of Richard is not known. A will, if Richard left one, has not yet been discovered in the records. Will or no will, in the Virginia colony, after a man died there was a court appointment of appraisers for the enumeration of the deceased's personal property. The appraising committee of usually three or four men was always appointed from close neighbors of the deceased.

Inventory of Sales & Appraisement

An inventory of the estate of Richard Griffin was ordered by the court on September 22, 1766, to be submitted by his widow, Mary Griffin, who served as the administratrix of his estate.[18],[19]

The inventory was returned and entered in court on 21 May 1767 by Mary Griffin[20],[21] It was not unusual that the time between the appraisal being ordered and being entered in court could be over a year in some cases.[22]

His estate included household goods, books, shears, a harping iron, plantation tools, four books, a saddle and bridle, one pair of spectacles and case, wearing apparel, hogs, a horse, and other items.

Purchasers included William Sizemore, Ralph Griffin, Richard Griffin, Jr., Mary Griffin, Alexander Roberts, Abraham Talley, Seth Pettypool, Mary Griffin, Junr., Mary Griffin, Senr., Samuel Griffin, John Sizemore

The appraisers were Howard Hurst, Nash Glidewell, Thomas Tindall, and David Parrish.[23] They reported an appraised value of the estate as 13 pounds and 14 shillings.

Research Notes

Nickname: Rasty removed as nickname. No reliable source has been found to indicate that Richard ever was known by the nickname of Rasty.

Birth location: Formerly entered as Prince George County. Changed to Charles City County because Prince George County was created "from the portion of Charles City County that was south of the James River" in 1703 and birth year is estimated in data field as about 1700).[24]

Fictional Child: Griffith Griffin removed as a child since he did not exist and fictitiously created. See: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Shawnee_Heritage_Fraud