Miss Jeanne Griffin
Jan. 13, 1887-January 5, 1969
Niles Daily Star, Tuesday, January 7, 1969, page 2, col. 3-4, microfilm Niles District Library
Miss Griffin, historian
EDITOR'S NOTE: Out of respect for Jeanne Griffin who will be buried Wednesday at 2 p.m., the Fort St. Joseph Museum will be closed in the afternoon. Miss Griffin served on the museum board of trustees for many years.
A requiem eucharist service for Jeanne Griffin will be held at 12:15 p.m., Wednesday in Trinity Episcopal Church, to be followed by a funeral service at 2 p.m. also in the church.
Miss Griffin, 81, died Sunday evening in Pawating Hospital after a month's illness. A retired librarian, she had resided at 409 N. 4th. She is survived by several cousins.
An avid historian, Miss Griffin was well qualified for her role since her family had been in the Niles area since 1832, migrating from New York.
Her grandfather, Lt. Col. Eli Augustus Griffin, served with the 6th Michigan Regiment in Sherman's march to the sea and her maternal grandfather, David Oliphant Woodruff who migrated from New York State in 1852, owned all of the land adjacent to the Ballard farm in the section of Niles now known as Arrowhead. It was then a cow pasture according to historical documents and Woodruff Street was named for the gentleman.
An active worker for international peace, Miss Griffin waged a one-woman crusade for many years and served as delegate-at-large for the Michigan Division of the United Nations Assn. traveling extensively in its behalf and joining in a United Nations world tour.
She had spent much of her lifetime in Niles, and had been librarian in Duluth, Minn., Detroit, and for 20 years in the Kalamazoo Public Library. She also directed the museum there. A member of the state board of the United Nations Association of the United States of America, Miss Griffin also served as president of the local organization. She was a former member of the board of trustees of the Fort St. Joseph Historical Association.
Miss Griffin, who attended the University of Michigan, was graduated from the Drexel Institute of Philadelphia, where she earned her degree in library science. She was a member of St. Agnes Guild of Trinity.
[Illegible] arrangements and burial will be in Silverbrook Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home after 7 p.m. today.
Memorials may be given to the Fort St. Joseph Historical Society and Museum or to the Niles Public Library.