Biography

Greenberry Griffith was the brother of Thomas Griffith, a slave owner and father of Mattie Griffith Browne and Catherine Slattery. Greenberry Griffith was assigned as the guardian of Thomas Griffith's estate in Kentucky after the death of Thomas Griffith. His oversee perpetuated the enslavement of Thomas Griffith's slaves, even if Mattie Griffith Browne made strides in abolition work at the time. Once he lost power of guardianship over the Estate, Mattie Griffith Browne and Catherine Slattery were able to free the enslaved people of their inherited estate with the help of Frances Miller Seward and Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, shown through the letters between FMS and Peabody.  This information is primarily gleaned from the letter 18580404ElizabethPalmerPeabody_FMS1.