Arnold Griffin
Dawson County
History of Montana, Sanders, 1913

In almost every instance the successful men of any 
profession or business have attained their positions 
through persistent effort and individual ability.  
One of the leading citizens of Glendive, who has gained 
an enviable place among the businessmen of the city 
through his own enterprise is Arnold Griffin of No. 
22 Benham Street, a dealer in flour, feed, baled hay, 
seed, grains, etc. who has also been engaged in railroad 
grading contracting for nearly thirty years throughout 
the south and west.  Mr. Griffin is a native of Tioga 
County, Pennsylvania and was born April 24, 1857, a 
son of Henry and Ann (Arnold) Griffin, native of New 
York State.  Henry Griffin removed to Pennsylvania as 
a young man and there spent the reminder of his life 
in agricultural pursuits, his death occurring when he 
was eighty-seven; while his wife passed away when she 
was only thirty eight.  They had a family of six 
children, all of whom are living: Merrett, who lives 
in old Mexico; Ella, the wife of George Wilson of 
Tioga County Pennsylvania; Cornelius E. of Glendive, 
Montana; Arnold, Fannie, the wife of Charles Mathison 
of New York State; and Carrie who married Edwin Smith 
and lives in Tioga County Pennsylvania.

The boyhood of Arnold Griffin was spent much the same as 
that of other youths who have risen to prominent positions.  
During the winter months he spent his time in study, in the 
district schools adjacent to his father's farm, while in the 
summers he worked on the farm.  Remaining under the parental 
roof until his twenty third year, the spring of 1880 saw him 
leave home for the West, and at Mandan, North Dakota, he 
worked as a section hand for the Northern Pacific Railroad 
for one summer.  Subsequently he engaged in the dairy 
business in that city with his brother Merrett and 
continued therein until 1885.  In 1884 they began 
taking contracts for railroad grading and from 1885 
to the hard winter of 1886-87 followed cattle raising 
in Dawson County Montana.  In the latter year Arnold 
Griffin went south with his brother to complete a 
grading contract and has continued to follow that 
line of work although he soon returned to Montana.  
He was engaged in the cattle business until 1907 
when he began to raise horses, a business in which
 he has since continued and also at that time 
established himself in a flour and feed business.  
This has grown to be one of the leading establishments 
in Glendive and has a large trade.

On February 5, 1889 Mr. Griffin was married to Miss 
Amy Ward who was born in Minnesota, daughter of Asa 
and Helen Ward, the former of whom is deceased.  Mrs. 
Griffin is the eldest of a family of twelve children 
and she and Mr. Griffin have a family of five: Maisie, 
Carroll, Lloyd, Bessie and Chester.

USGenWeb Project NOTICE: 
In keeping with our policy of providing free information on 
the internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as
long as this message remains on all copied 
material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in 
any format forprofit, nor for commercial presentation by any other organization. 

Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for 
purposes other than as stated above, must obtain express writtenpermission from the author, or the submitter and from 
the listed USGenWeb Project archivist.