Griffith

Jones Griffith was born March 11, 1881 in Giddings, Texas. He passed away February 17th, 1958. As a young man in 1901, he traveled from Texas to Baker Montana, driving a herd of horses. In 1904 Jones homesteaded two and a half miles East of Baker on Sandstone Creek. He was married in 1906 to Amanda Vincelette in Glendive, Montana. In 1908 he constructed a two room, sod house, with high ceilings and clothes closets. Later that year they welcomed a daughter, Pearl Griffith. Then in 1910 they welcomed a son, Raymond Griffith. Soon after Raymond was born Amanda died in 1911.

In 1913 Jones was married to Ada Horning. To this this union three children were born. Their names were Allen, Earl, Jane, and Ruth. When Ruth was born they built an addition to the house that was used as a kitchen/dining area and was heated with natural gas. Jones and his family continued to live in the sod house for the remainder of his life.

During Jones’s life he was a farmer and did many things to help his community. He was one of the first stockholders for the “Baker Farmers Elevator Company”. His land was also one of the first to be drilled for oil and gas. A “traumatic” event occurred in October 1924 when Allen, Jones’s son, was injured by the swings at the school playground. “The horizontal bar which holds the swings fell from its position on top of the swing poles just as Allen passed in range of the falling end, when it struck him in the side of the face, bruising his upper lip and making an incision in his lower lip that required five stitches.” One of the school teachers had reported to the school board the condition of the swings but nothing had been done.

I am writing this as Jones Griffith’s great-great-granddaughter. My great-grandpa is Allen Griffith, my grandfather is Kenneth Griffith and my father is Michael Griffith. Our family has been in Fallon County since the beginning, and still have many family members living here today.