Richard GRIFFOR

• Born: 1850, Detroit, Michigan

• Married: Wyandotte, Michigan

• Died: July 17, 1936, Wyandotte, Michigan

• Buried: Mt. Carmel Cemetery Section C Lot 32w 1/2

Marriage Information:

It is not known exactly when Richard married Margaret Petee. Their first born (and only child) listed in the 1880 census is daughter, Francis, age one year. It seems probable they would have married sometime between 1875-1878, but this is purely a guess on our part.

General Notes:

Gerald Barkey remembers his Grandpa Richard sitting in his workshop in Wyandotte, whittling and chewing tobacco.

Brown building on the N.W. corner of 7th and Forrest St. used to be Richard and Margaret's old homestead. Richard built a barber shop on the back.

Gerald and daughter-in-law, Linda [Hunter] Barkey, visited Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Wyandotte in search of Richard's grave stone. According to the custodian at the cemetery there was no record of Richard GRIFFOR being buried there. When Gerald insisted this is the cemetery where his grandfather was interned the custodian produced a log listing the plot numbers and the names. Richard was "penciled" in at an unmarked grave bearing a cross. [Very doubtful this is actually where Richard is buried]. 

Richard was employed at the Bishop Tannery, in Wyandotte for years. His parents brought him to Wyandotte when he was a small child.

Information concerning the J. H. Bishop Company:

J. H. Bishop Company, fur products, 1875-1920s

Jerome H. Bishop built a fur products factory in 1875 that exported its products throughout the world. The first available Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from 1890 has the title Bishop Fur Rug Factory and shows buildings on the SE corner of Superior and Front St. A later Sanborn map from 1912 shows these facilities greatly expanded, with the name The JH Bishop Co, Mfgrs of Fur and Fur Lined Coats, Caps and Robes.

Bishops house was conveniently located 1 block to the west on the NE corner of Biddle and Superior. After his death, his house served as the 2nd City Hall from 1936-1967 before being demolished to make way for an apartment tower on the site.

In 1922 the City of Wyandotte acquired the land that Bishop factory was located on and created Bishop Park.

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1880 Census, Wyandotte, Michigan

• Griffor, Richard

• Age 30

• Born Michigan

• Occupation: In ship yard

• Father born in Michigan. Mother born in Michigan

• Others in house: Margaret, wife, age 19, born in Michigan. Mother and father born in Michigan.

• Francis, daughter, age one

• Ellen Griffor, Mother-in-law age 68, born in Michigan. Mother and father born in Ontario, Canada