lithographer, son of James Griffin and his wife Judith, née Counsel, was active as a lithographer in Victoria in 1859-62. His lithograph, St. Patrick’s College (LT), published by De Gruchy & Leigh, must have been produced at this time despite being inaccurately dedicated by Griffin to 'Archbishop Goold’ (Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne in 1874-86, but Bishop of Melbourne only in 1848-73). After working for a time in the Victorian Department of Crown Lands, Griffin moved to Sydney in 1861, residing at 171 George Street.
After some months he moved to Brisbane and about December 1861 found employment with Thomas Ham . The following April Griffin was declared insolvent, with creditors in both Sydney and Brisbane. Within a few days, on 26 April 1862, Ham was writing to Edward Gilks , offering him Griffin’s position and stating that Griffin was in a very excitable state:
drinking like a madman and his poor wife a clever amiable educated hard working woman and two little children neglected and uncared for all the money he gets is wasted and soon gone… I must discard him, although in a few days he will be writing letters humble enough and praying for forgiveness and promising amendment – this will not do, some change shall be made , and as he is only on temporary engagement I thought I would write you for I greatly dislike the man.
Ham’s comments were certainly prejudiced. A teetotaller, he disapproved of any consumption of alcohol whatsoever, and as a member of an extreme anti-Catholic Baptist sect employed only fellow Protestants whenever possible. Yet Griffin’s subsequent career seems to have confirmed Ham’s worst fears; from at least 1877 one Gerald Griffin was licensee of the Criterion Hotel, North Bundaberg. Following his death, his widow, Margaret Gertrude Griffin, managed the hotel for some years. This Gerald Griffin was of the same denomination as the Brisbane lithographer, buried in the Roman Catholic section of Bundaberg Cemetery.
- Writers:
- Darragh, Thomas A.
- Date written:
- 1992
- Last updated:
- 2011
