After he was 21 Capt Griffen having no children of his own adopted him as his son and had him baptized by the name of Jonathan Griffen. From that time and for several years previous, he had the sole management of the farm and all of Capt Griffens business. Shortly after his appren= ticeship expired, he married the daughter of Caleb Hyatt, a respectable farmer, and a justice of the peace in the town of White Plains. They resided with Capt. Griffen until about three years before the Revolutionary war and until he had eight children born, of which I was the oldest. Capt Griffen conveyed to him a hundred acres of land without either buildings or orchard. He rented a house of Thomas Vail for one year, on the farm adjoining his own, where Daniel D. Thompkins was born June 21st 1774 and which after Vails death he purchased, whereon I have resided for the last 50 years. The house and barn on this one hundred acres (conveyed by Capt Griffen) was built during the year my father resided in Vail's house. He resided in the house he built until a week before the battle of White Plains
- Hufeland Index Page 1083 -
when the family were removed to John Cromwells near the Friends Meeting house in Harrison. The day before the battle, the family removed to South Salem, now called Lewisborough.
The first Bloodshed in West Chester County. In the latter part of September 1775 some British vessels of war came up to Sutton's (now called Delanceys Neck) at Mamaraneck, it was suspected with a view to land and plunder the militia of the lower part of the county, who were called to rendezvous at Mamaroneck under the command of Major Genl. Lewis Morris. While there, information was obtained that William Lounsberry who had lately left Mamaroneck (where he had resided for a long time) and gone to the enemy was out with enlisting orders, enlisting men of the militia there assembled, to join the enemy, and was secreted in the rocks in what was called the great rocks lots west of Mamaroneck village.