Henry and Amelia Griffith
Mont Belvieu, Chambers County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The son of Joshua and Jemimah (Hazelton) Griffith, Pennsylvania native Henry Griffith (c. 1797-1869) moved to Johnson's Bayou near Opelousas, Louisiana, about 1819-20. There he met and married Amelia "Milly" Barrow (c. 1802 -?), daughter of Reuben and Mary Jane (Johnson) Barrow, in 1824. Two years later they moved to this area, which was still under Mexican rule at that time. In 1830, the Griffiths received a land grant in the Atascosito District, where they reared their family, farmed the land, and raised cattle and horses. In 1835, Henry Griffith sold 1,047 acres of his land to William Duncan, including the big hill on the property, also known as Barber's Hill, which the deed stated would hence be called "Mont Bellview." More than 50 years later, the area was settled enough to warrant a post office, which was named Mont Belvieu. In 1865, Reconstruction-era governor A. J. Hamilton appointed Henry Griffith as sheriff, and he served until 1868, one year prior to his death. Amelia's death date is not known, and neither of their gravestones survives. Oral histories indicate that their burials are near this site, where the original Griffith house once stood. At least two other members of the family are known to be buried there. As citizens of Texas under the flags of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States and the United States, Henry and Amelia Griffith bore witness to important events and activities in Texas history. Their significance also lies in their early landholding of the property that became the community of Mont Belvieu. (2001)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Pennsylvania native Henry Griffith and his Louisiana-born wife Amelia "Milly" Barrow settled this area in 1826, when it was still under Mexican rule, receiving a land grant in the Atascosito District where they farmed and raised cattle. In 1835 Griffith sold land including the "big hill" that his deed dubbed "Mont Bellview"—the origin of the name Mont Belvieu. Living under the flags of Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederacy, and the United States, Griffith even served as a Reconstruction-era sheriff before his death in 1869.
Why it matters
The Griffiths' story spans the sovereignties that ruled early Texas and marks the founding landholding that grew into a lasting community, a microcosm of the region's turbulent nineteenth century.
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Related people
- · Henry Griffith
- · Amelia Barrow Griffith
- · A. J. Hamilton
Themes & tags
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