Joseph Wierman Griest
b. 19 August 1800, Adams County, Ohio, to Joseph and Mary (Wierman) Griest
d. 20 July 1859, Nevada City, California
m. 6 April 1826, Springboro, Warren County, Ohio
Ruth Ann Garretson
b. 3 April 1819, Adams County, Ohio, to John and Rebecca (Bateman) Garretson
d. 8 January 1879, Plainfield, Hendricks County, Indiana
Children with Ruth Ann Garretson:
• William R. (1827-1830)
• Rebecca Ann (1829-1896)
• William Penn (1831-1916)
• Mary Eliza (1834-1902)
• Joseph Milton (1837-1938)
• Alva Clarkson (1840-1880)
• Almeda Ellen (1845-1923)
• Rosamina Eoline (1848-1911)
• John Milton (1850-1906)
• Florence Estelle (1852-1945)
The family came to Sugar River, Montgomery County, Indiana, in 1832. They moved to Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, in 1936 and left the state from there in 1855. Joseph was a doctor with a large practice in Crawfordsville. He had a certificate from the “Phisio-Medical School,” and, though he was considered one of the best anatomists in the state, regular physicians did not believe those from the “new school” of medicine were adequately trained.
In 1852, Joseph purchased the rights to a steam laundry. In 1855, he went to New York and bought two sets of laundry equipment. He sent the equipment around the Horn to San Francisco. He himself took a ship to Nicaragua, went overland, and caught another boat to San Francisco. He set up one laundry in San Francisco and the other in Sacramento. Twice, he sent money back to his wife and children, but it never arrived. After his death, a “friend” promised to settle his estate and take the assets back to his widow. This “friend” was never found, and the widow was left with a large family and no resources.
Submitted by:
Daniel E. Thornburgh
Charleston IL
E-mail: adthorn@consolidated.net