City Directories and History: “The Griffin house located some three miles out of Clinton on State Highway 72 was built between 1840 and 1845 by Major William Dunlap for his daughter Margaret, who had married Frank Griffin. The land on which the house was built was a part of the original grant to Judge John Hunter, an ancestor.
Frank Griffin was killed near Richmond during the War Between the States. A note of pathos is injected here, for Mrs. Griffin, accompanied by a trusted servant, made the journey by carriage to Richmond in hopes of finding the body, but she was unsuccessful in her effort. Later, the widow was married to Frank Griffin’s brother, Richard Griffin. To this union were born several children, but only one child, Alma, lived. She was married to John Robertson.
The property was bought from the Robertson estate about 1920 by John H. Young. The John Cannon family lived in the house for a number of years during this ownership. In 1941, Johnny Young purchased a portion of the original John Hunter grant including the Griffin house. At the present time Inez Young Ledford (Mrs. Len Ledford) of Clinton is the owner of the lovely country estate, coming into possession through inheritance.
During Johnny Young’s ownership, the rear of the house was damaged by a tornado. A left chimney of handmade brick covered in cement was destroyed. It was not replaced at the time of renovation. Legend says the un-partitioned third floor was used as a recreation room, a front and a rear stairway giving easy access to the top story. Several Clinton people recall dances and parties held at the Griffin house, and they remember the well-timbered surroundings where a very special variety of hickory trees made nutting in the fall an enjoyable outing. If a carriage or a wagon were not available, it was still a treat for the children of the village to walk out to the Griffin woods.
Descendants think both the Griffin house and the old Dunlap house in that vicinity were built by the same person. Margaret Dunlap Griffin and Nancy Dunlap Black were sisters, and each was given a home as a wedding present.”
Information from: The Laurens County Sketchbook, Author – J.S. Bolick, 1973
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