Volume 10 , Issue 8

Pioneer Joseph Lamar Griffitts - Buffalo, OK

During the 20 years since his admission to the bar in Tennessee, 15 of which had been spent in Oklahoma, Joseph L. Griffitts had employed his talent and abilities in such a way as to place him among the front rank of Oklahoma lawyers, and he had the chief practice in his home town of Buffalo, Harper County.

Joseph Lamar Griffitts was born at Friendsville, Tennessee, July 23, 1864, and represented the old and prominent family stock of that state. His parents were John W. and Mary Elizabeth (Donaldson) Griffitts. His grandfather, Manuel Griffiths, was a native of Virginia, and married a Georgia girl.

John W. Griffitts, was born in Kentucky, June 13, 1831, and died December 18, 1909, spent his active lifetime as a farmer in Tennessee. He was also prominent in local affairs, and for twenty years was a member of the County Court of Loudon county, Tennessee, having filled that office up to the time of his death. He served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church forty years. He was married in 1856 to Mary Elizabeth Donaldson, who was born February 3, 1839, in Tennessee, and died January 16, 1897.

Mary Elizabeth Donaldson became the mother of eight children, five sons and three daughters:

James Henry, born July 16, 1857;

Nancy Elizabeth, born September 15, 1859, married in 1886 to Samuel S. Hutsell, and in 1916 was a resident at Sweetwater, Tennessee;

Thomas Nelson, born September 26, 1861, a farmer at Lenoir City, Tennessee;

Joseph L.;

Stephen Alexander, born January 22, 1866, died August 18, 1913;/li>

Jacob Lafayette, born May 20, 1868, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church South at Cedar Keys, Florida;

Lucinda Jane, born July 11, 1875, died November 28, 1903;

Nora Blanche was born March 20, 1877, and was still single in 1916.

Joseph Lamar Griffitts completed his early education in Maryville College at Maryville, Tennessee. His early life was taken up with varied labors and employments, until he realized his ambition to study law. He read his text books at Loudon, Tennessee, until 1895, and was then admitted to practice in all the courts of the state.

From Tennessee he came to Oklahoma in 1900, and began practice at Tonkawa. While there he served as police judge until 1905 and was elected city attorney in 1907. However, in the same year, he resigned that office and moved to Buffalo, and after statehood was elected the first county judge of Harper County. That office he filled with distinction and credit for three years and two months.

Since then he had applied all his time and energies to his large private practice at Buffalo. He was a Democrat, and was affiliated with the Masonic Order.

At Alva, Oklahoma, February 5, 1909, Judge Griffitts married Miss Grace Pennington. She was born February 11, 1880, in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, a daughter of J. W. and Catherine Pennington, who were natives of Illinois. Grace (Pennington) Griffitts prior to her marriage was for four years a teacher in the public schools of Dewey County, Oklahoma.

To this Griffitts reunion were born three daughters and one son: Guendolen Grace, Josephine L., Cassius Lamar and Muriel Elaine. -- Vol. V, pg. 1813, A Standard History of Oklahoma, by Joseph B. Thoburn
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