Emma Griffith, daughter of Thomas Griffith, is my link to the Griffith family. Emma was born in England in 1837 and married George Robinson. She was the grandmother of William Henry Dickinson, who was born in April 29, 1899 in Pittsburgh. She died there six and a half months after he was born, on November 16, 1899.
The Griffith name is one of Welsh descent, deriving from Gruffudd. Griffith, “the name of many Welsh princes”. Variations include Griffin, Griffudd, and Griffiths.
Griffith Family Records states the following about the Griffith surname:
“The ancient Griffith Coat of Arms used by the Griffith family for many centuries, were those used by Griffith ap Cynan, King of North Wales, A.D. 1079. He was a descendant of Anardwd, King of Wales, eldest son of Rhodi Mawr, King of Wales, A.D. 843 (founder of the Royal Tribes; many princes of North Wales derive from him). Griffith ap Cynan had a son, Owen, King of North Wales. The latter had a descendant Llewellyn ap Griffith, Prince of North Wales, slain on the Wye, 1272. (See Burke’s General Armory).”
Sources:
“Griffith Family Records”, by J. Montgomery Seaver, 1924.
“A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames”, by Charles W. Bardsley, 1901.
Griffith coat of arms from Genealogy of the Griffith Family, by R. R. Griffith, 1892 [Read].