Matthew Misener

Often when considering times of great hardship, it can be difficult to imagine how regular people managed to live their daily lives in spite of the horrifying tragedies that surrounded them. For many people, religion helped. Churches created communities that made people feel more connected with their neighbors. It is no coincidence that many civil rights leaders in the 19th century also acted as community preachers. However, lacking the internet, it’s unlikely that contemporaneous people knew about such events unless local papers happened to cover the event.

Who was George Anderson Griffin and why did he buy The Doctrine and Discipline of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada (1890)? While it’s impossible to know why Griffin bought the book for certain, this essay will attempt to shed light on the Griffin family’s life in an attempt to understand why this book in particular may have appealed to him.

First, what stands out about Griffin’s book? The Doctrine and Discipline of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada (1890) is small and thin like a journal or day planner, suggesting that it was designed to be carried. Griffin’s copy has the first sixty pages missing. Although a revised edition from 1913 sheds no light on what information these first pages held because sections were rearranged during revision, and online copy of the 1890 manual provides the missing pages, and paints an interesting picture of daily life in the British Methodist Episcopal Church community.[1]  The earliest remaining pages concern pastor recruitment and upward advancement.[2] According to regulation, any “useful” and “acceptable” person may become a pastor with recommendation from “his [sic]” community, any pastor may become a deacon after serving as a pastor for four years, and any deacon may become a local elder by serving as a pastor for four additional years.[3] Ambiguous adjectives like “useful” and “acceptable” may at first seem to allow for bias and arbitrary discrimination. However, future passages shed light on what makes a useful and acceptable member of the church.

According to The Doctrine and Discipline of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada (1890), a useful and acceptable person is one who is actively involved in their community and lives in accordance with church discipline. Passages outline what discipline  entails in explicit detail. Most focus on personal responsibilities.[4] Prayer, fasting, and Christian conference (conversation) are focused on in some depth. However, readers are asked if they use “all the means of grace” and “enforce the use of them on all persons”.[5] This implies that the importance placed on community involvement stems partially from a pastor’s responsibility to their flock, both as a role model and a guide. The book even has passages dedicated to explaining how preachers should give their sermons. The four core goals of any sermon are to convince, to offer Christ, the invite, and to build up.[6] In achieving these goals, pastors should always “choose the plainest text […] take care not to ramble” and “suit his subject to his audience [sic]”.[7] As such, while ambiguous adjectives like “useful” and “acceptable” may seem ambiguous, the text itself removes almost all ambiguity from such terms. As a whole The Doctrine and Discipline of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada (1890) paints a humble portrait of Christian belief. It emphasizes the importance of building strong and welcoming Christian communities, and was largely modeled on the African Methodist Episcopal Church manual, which reflects to origins of the BME in the broader history of the AME and its Canadian mission.[8]

The B.M.E. Church designed numerous programs and activities around emphasizing congregation and community. Throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, church officials endeavored to create simple hymns that emphasized congressional performance, rather than difficult songs that favored choir performance. They also encouraged people to sing “true to themselves,” suggesting that individual engagement mattered more than performance quality.[9] This emphasis applied to larger issues as well. For example, the Methodist Episcopal Church split in 1844 over slavery into the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Methodist Episcopal Church South.[10] Here again we see an emphasis put on community. This emphasis can be found in Methodist Episcopal activity around the globe. The church had expansive operations across multiple continents. For example, they had numerous churches South America and the Caribbean. MCCA (Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas) officials took care to run public activities including bible studies, Sunday schools, and prayer meetings.[11] One can find the same programs in Oberlin, Ohio. In 1896, “the ladies and their friends [sic]” of the First Methodist Episcopal Church compiled numerous recipes into a Common Sense Cook Book.[12] Given this rich, community-oriented history, one might assume that George Griffin was a church official. With that information in mind, who was the man that signed his name on this book’s front cover? Who was George Griffin?

Very few primary sources that shed light on George Anderson Griffin’s life agree with one another. Four elements remain consistent across most sources. First, he had a wife named Agnes Brooks whom he married on October 18th, 1887. Second, he had a son named William Griffin in 1888. Third, he moved to 119 King St. East in Chatham-Kent some time between 1891 and 1901. Lastly, he was a Presbyterian as a child and a Methodist after marrying his wife. That broad story remains the same across sources. However, many details change from source to source. For example, according to the 1861 and 1871 Canadian census,[13] George A. Griffin was born in Chatham in 1858.[14] However, according to his marriage record, he may have been born in Dresden as late as in 1864.[15] Another major mystery is his death. Beyond the knowledge that he outlived his wife Agnes, who died in 1925, no information exists that sheds light on how or where he died.

Another inconsistency is Griffin’s employment. According to the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society’s walking tour, George “Griffen” owned and operated the Griffen House (the modern day Royal Tavern) from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. This aligns with the community leader mentality discussed earlier. While the different last name may suggest a different man, the tavern’s address (119 King St. East) suggests otherwise. Curiously however, in 1891 he listed his occupation as “general laborer”,[16] before listing it as “feed stable” in 1901,[17] and “plasterer” in 1911.[18] While this may seem to cast doubt on his ownership of the Griffen House, other details cast doubt on the honesty with which George Griffin filled out the census. For example, in 1891 and 1901 he claimed to be able to read and write, a fact supported by his ownership of Discipline (1890). However, in 1911 he claimed to be completely illiterate, which contradicts his signature’s penmanship.[19] Then in 1921 he claimed to be literate, but unable to write.[20] Unfortunately, one can only speculate as to why George Griffin changed his answers. While details about George Griffin are few and far between, the same cannot be said for his wife, Agnes Brooks Griffin.

Agnes Brooks Griffin was born in 1867 to Sarah Ann Brooks and Benjamin Brooks, a Union soldier in the American Civil War.[21] The first of eleven children, Agnes grew up in Chatham-Kent. In 1887 she married George Anderson Griffin, and shortly after, in 1888, had her first and only child, William Griffin.[22] Around this time, its likely that she played a role in converting her husband to Methodism. She may have even encouraged him to buy Discipline (1890) or purchased it for him as a gift. She too aligns with the community leader mentality. According to her obituary, she worked at the Griffen House and had a keen interest in A.M.E. Church activities, earning her a well-respected place in the community. Later in her life, Agnes watched her son go off to fight in World War One. William Griffin was drafted into the 1st Depot Battalion under the Military Service Act of 1917.[23] Fortunately, he lived and was demobilized  in 1918.[24] According to his mother’s obituary, he worked as a taxi driver following his military service. Agnes Griffin died on March 20th, 1925. Following her death, sources surrounding William and George Griffin disappear, making it impossible to follow their story any further. Even so, Agnes’s connection to the A.M.E. Church shines light on her husband’s motivation for purchasing Discipline (1890).

In conclusion, while it is impossible to know for certain what drew George Anderson Griffin to The Doctrine and Discipline of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada, his wife, Agnes Brooks Griffin, likely influenced the decision. But we do know that he, his wife Agnes, and his son William played an active role in their community. They ran an active business and participated in church activities. Agnes Brooks Griffin’s father fought in the Civil war in America. William Griffin fought in World War One for the British. Unfortunately, however, when it comes to George Griffin himself, numerous mysteries remain. When did he die? Why did he claim to be illiterate in 1911 and 1921? Why didn’t he ever claim to own the Griffen House? Why did he buy the book? Unless new sources are uncovered, answers to such questions may remain lost forever.

[1] S. R. Drake, The Doctrine and Discipline of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada, (Toronto:William Briggs, 1913). The 1890 full text is available here: https://archive.org/details/cihm_89028/page/n5/mode/2up

[2] W.T. Minter, The Doctrine and Discipline of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada, (Toronto: William Briggs, 1890), 78 – 80.

[3] Ibid., 78 – 80.

[4] Ibid., 82 – 83.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid., 85.

[7] Ibid., 84 – 85.

[8] Ibid., 85.

[9] Anne Bagnall Yardley, “Choirs in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1800-1860,” American Music, vol. 17, no. 1, (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 1999), 41-42.

[10] Elizabeth A. Georgian, “That Unhappy Division: Reconsidering the Causes and Significance of the O’Kelly Schism in the Methodist Episcopal Church,” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 120, no. 3, (Richmond: Virginia Historical Society, 2012), 212.

[11] George Mulrain, Charles-Poisset Romain, and Juana Berges, “Methodist Church,” The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Religions: Volume 1: A-L; Volume 2: M-Z, edited by Patrick Taylor, Frederick Case I., and Sean Meighoo, by Joyce Leung, (Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2013), 586.

[12] Common Sense Cook Book. (Oberlin: Pearce & Randolph, 1896).

[13] “1861 Census of Canada, Gore, Kent, Canada West,” digital image s.v. “George A Griffin,” Ancestry.com.

[14] “1871 Census of Canada, Chatham, Kent, Ontario,” digital image s.v. “George Griffin,” Ancestry.com.

[15] “Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1887,” digital image s.v. “George Anderson Griffin” (1887), Ancestry.com.

[16] “1891 Census of Canada, Dresden, Bothwell, Ontario,” digital image s.v. “George Griffin,” Ancestry.com.

[17] “1901 Census of Canada, Chatham, Kent, Ontario,” digital image s.v. “George A Griffin,” Ancestry.com.

[18] “1911 Census of Canada, Chatham, Kent West, Ontario,” digital image s.v. “George Griffin,” Ancestry.com.

[19] Ibid.

[20] “1921 Census of Canada, Chatham, Kent, Ontario,” digital image s.v. “George Greffen,” Ancestry.com.

[21] “1891 Census of Canada, Ekfrid, Middlesex West,” Ontario, digital image s.v. “Agnes Brooks,” Ancestry.com.

[22] “1901 Census of Canada, Chatham, Kent, Ontario,” digital image s.v. “William Griffin,” Ancestry.com.

[23] “CEF Personnel Files, 1914-1918.” Canadian Expeditionary Force. Ottawa: Library and Archives of Canada. 729.

[24] Ibid.

Works Cited

Drake, S. R. The Doctrine and Discipline of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada. Toronto: William Briggs, 1890.

Drake, S. R. The Doctrine and Discipline of the British Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada: Revised and Published by Order of the General Conference Held at North Buxton, September 5th to 12th, 1910. Toronto: William Briggs, 1913.

Georgian, Elizabeth A. “”That Unhappy Division”: Reconsidering the Causes and Significance of the O’Kelly Schism in the Methodist Episcopal Church.” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. vol. 120, no. 3. Richmond: Virginia Historical Society, 2012. 210-35.

Mulrain, George, Charles-Poisset Romain, and Juana Berges. “Methodist Church.” The Encyclopedia of Caribbean Religions: Volume 1: A-L; Volume 2: M-Z, edited by Patrick Taylor, Frederick Case I., and Sean Meighoo, by Joyce Leung. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2013. 580-586.

Yardley, Anne Bagnall. “Choirs in the Methodist Episcopal Church, 1800-1860.” American Music. vol. 17, no. 1. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 1999. 39-64.

“1861 Census of Canada, Gore, Kent, Canada West.” Census Returns For 1861. Ottawa: Library and Archives of Canada. 110.

“1871 Census of Canada, Chatham, Kent, Ontario.” Census of Canada, 1871. Ottawa: Library and Archives of Canada. 53.

“1891 Census of Canada, Dresden, Bothwell, Ontario.” Census of Canada, 1891. Ottawa: Library and Archives of Canada. 16.

“1891 Census of Canada, Ekfrid, Middlesex West,” Census of Canada, 1891. Ottawa: Library and Archives of Canada, 2009. 54.

“1901 Census of Canada, Chatham, Kent, Ontario,” Census of Canada, 1901. Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada, 2004.

“1911 Census of Canada, Chatham, Kent West, Ontario.” Census of Canada, 1911. Ottawa: Library and Archives of Canada. 6.

“1921 Census of Canada, Chatham, Kent, Ontario.” Sixth Census of Canada, 1921. Ottawa: Library and Archives of Canada, 2013. 1.

“CEF Personnel Files, 1914-1918.” Canadian Expeditionary Force. Ottawa: Library and Archives of Canada. 729.

Common Sense Cook Book. Oberlin: Pearce & Randolph. 1896.

“Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1887.” Registrations of Marriages, 1869-1928. Toronto: Archives of Ontario. 57.