The William Patton Griffith Papers, 1861-1937. 1 document box, 0.5 cubic feet.
ArMs 2006.030
William Patton Griffith was born in Washington, PA., on July 22, 1843. He worked at The Washington Reporter as a reporter, editor, and poet, and during the Civil War he enlisted in the Union Army. After the war Griffith served as New York State Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) and was involved in a wealth of other veteran and civic organizations, such as the Society of Old Brooklynites. He also continued his career in journalism, serving as editor at The Pittsburgh Dispatch, The New York Herald, The World, The Brooklyn Eagle, and The Brooklyn Press. Later in life Griffith enjoyed a successful career in public service in Brooklyn and, at the age of 76, became a practicing chiropractor. He died on February 17, 1936.
The William Patton Griffith Papers consist primarily of correspondence, writings, speeches, and clippings relating to all aspects of Griffith’s participation as Grand Marshall in the Grand Army of the Republic and the Society of Old Brooklynites, among other civic activities in Brooklyn, with most of the collection focusing between the 1890s - 1930s. There are also some black and white photographs of Griffith attending a variety of public ceremonies and a few items representative of Griffith’s personal life, such as poems, programs, certificates and a swatch of flag bunting from the flag that flew over General Ulysses Grant’s tomb in 1897.
Access Points:
Subject Topics
Freemasons –Brooklyn
War Memorials –United States
Subject Places
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) — Social life and customs
Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.) –Politics and government
United States, Army, Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, 102nd (1861-1865)
United States –History –Civil War –Veterans
Corporate Names
Big Brothers of America
General Slocum (Steamboat)
Grand Army of the Republic
Society of Old Brooklynites (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
Union Veteran Legion of the United States
Personal Names
Griffith, William Patton, 1843-1936
Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945