The Griffith Family papers, which dates from 1907 to 1950 and measures 4.21 linear feet, documents the personal lives of three generations in the Griffith family: Sarah Thomas, Delaphine and Jacqueline Griffith. The papers are comprised of personal and professional correspondence, receipts, bills, newspaper clippings, photographs, record albums, and legal documents.
Scope and Contents note:
The collection which dates from 1907 to 1950, bulk dates 1913-1945, documents the lives of three generations of the Griffith family: Sarah Thomas, Delaphine Griffith, and Jacqueline Griffith, while primarily focused on Delaphine (Della) Griffith. The papers document Mrs. Griffith's relationships with friends and family through extensive correspondence, as well as, her experiences as a domestic servant and federal employee. It also documents daily life in Washington D.C. through receipts and bills of sales. Mrs. Griffith and Ms. Griffith also retained a large phonograph record collection comprised of jazz, swing band, and rhythm and blues music.
Arrangement note:
The papers are arranged into three series one of which contains four subseries. Folders are arranged alphabetically within series, while documents are organized chronologically. Undated material appears in the front of folders. Oversized material appears in the series: Music Collection and Photographs. In box 7 of Oversized the folder entitled "Allen Griffith, 1915" appears before the phonograph record booklet covers because of the fragile nature of the portrait's frame.
Series 1: Biographical
Subseries 1.1: Correspondence
Subseries 1.2: Financial Records
Subseries 1.3: General
Subseries 1.4: Miscellaneous
Series 2: Music Collection
Series 3: Photographs
Biographical/Historical note:
Delaphine (Della) Griffith was born in Washington, D.C. on December 13, 1896 to Sarah Thomas. She lived in D.C. with her mother until 1916 when she moved to Atlantic City, New Jersey for work. Later that year she moved on to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Griffith moved back to Washington, D.C. and met and married Alan Griffith in 1919. Together they had a daughter whom they named Jacqueline.
Throughout her adult life, Mrs. Griffith lived with her mother and family on the northwest side of Washington, D.C. She worked for the federal government during two different periods: the early 1930s and during World War II. On November 19, 1950, Mrs. Delaphine Griffith died at the age of 54. Jacqueline Griffith continued to live in the family home until her death in the early 1990s.
Provenance:
The Griffith Family papers were donated to the Anacostia Community Museum in May 1995 by June Brown.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for unrestricted research. Use requires an appointment.
Rights:
The Griffith Family papers are the physical property of the Anacostia Community Museum. Literary and copyright belong to the author/creator or their legal heirs and assigns. Rights to work produced during the normal course of Museum business resides with the Anacostia Community Museum. For further information, and to obtain permission to publish or reproduce, contact the Museum Archives.
Sweet Miss Coffee and the Mississippi Burnin' Blues Band 1. Pistol Knife & a Razor Too/ Nobody'd Happy/ Broken Hearted Woman medley 2. I'm In Love With a Man I Just Can't Stand Rufus Thomas Group/ Delta Dance Hall 3. Interview with Rufus Thomas by Joe Mulherin 4. Band Introduction 5. Instrumental 6. Walkin' the Dog 7. Fine Hunka' Woman 8. Today I Started Loving You All Over Again (cut)
Track Information:
101 Pistol, Knife and Razor Too / Mississippi Burning Blues Band, Sweet Miss Coffy. Guitar,Piano.
101 Nobody's Happy / Mississippi Burning Blues Band, Sweet Miss Coffy. Guitar,Piano.
101 Broken Hearted Woman / Mississippi Burning Blues Band, Sweet Miss Coffy. Guitar,Piano.
102 I'm in Love with a Man I Just Can't Stand / Mississippi Burning Blues Band, Sweet Miss Coffy. Guitar,Piano.
105 Instrumental / Rufus Thomas. Guitar,Piano.
106 Walkin' the Dog / Rufus Thomas. Guitar,Piano.
107 Fine Hunka Woman / Rufus Thomas. Guitar,Piano.
Local Numbers:
FP-CDR-0277-7
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, 1997.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Blues Evening/Delta Stage- December 1997 Rufus Thomas Group/Delta Dance Hall 1. Today I Started Loving You Are Over Again 2. Rufus' Got It 3. Funky Chicken (cut) Harry Smith Anthology Vol 4 4. East Texas Serenaders- Ozark Rag 5. Carter Family- Lonesome Valley 6. Wade Mainer- Wild Bill Jones 7. Jess Young's Tennessee Band- Old Weary Blues 8. Joe Werner And Ramblers- Rang Tang Bully 9. Jimmy Wilson's Catfish String Band- Catfish Whiskers 10. Happy-Go-Lucky-Boys- Come Back Sweetheart 11. Gene Gilmore- The Natchez Fire 12. Robert Lockwood- Little Boy Blues 13. Clifford Gibson- Old Time Rider 14. Robert Johnson- Stop Breakin' Down 15. Bukka White- Black Train Blues 16. Heavenly Gospel Singers- I'm a Pilgrim and a Stranger 17. Mitchell's Christian Singers- Blessed Are the Poor In Spirit
Track Information:
101 Today I Started Loving You Again / Rufus Thomas. Guitar,Piano.
102 Rufus' Got It / Rufus Thomas. Guitar,Piano.
103 The Funky Chicken / Rufus Thomas. Guitar,Piano.
104 Ozark Rag / East Texas Serenaders. Guitar.
105 Lonesome Valley / Carter Family. Guitar,Autoharp.
106 Wild Bill Jones / Wade Mainer. Banjo.
107 Old Weary Blues / Jesse Young's Tennessee Band. Guitar,Banjo,Fiddle.
108 Rang Tang Bully / Joe Werner and the Ramblers. Guitar,Banjo,Fiddle.
109 Catfish Whiskers / Jimmy Wilson's Catfish String Band. Guitar,Banjo,Fiddle.
110 Come Back Sweetheart / Happy-Go-Lucky Boys (Musical group). Guitar,Banjo,Fiddle.
111 The Natchez Fire / Gene Gilmore.
112 Little Boy Blue / Robert Jr. Lockwood. Guitar.
113 Old Time Rider / Clifford Gibson. Guitar.
114 Stop Breaking Down / Robert Johnson. Guitar.
115 Black Train Blues / Bukka White. Guitar.
116 I Am a Pilgrim / Heavenly Gospel Singers.
117 Blessed are the Poor in Spirit / Mitchell's Christian Singers.
Local Numbers:
FP-CDR-0278-7
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only; No Duplication.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
101 Country / Louisiana Hayride Band, Margaret Lewis Warwick, Tillman Franks. Hawaiian guitar,Keyboards (Music),Guitar,Fiddle.
102 Songs of Stuggle / Freedom Singers, Bettie Mae Fikes, Rutha Harris.
103 Low Country Blues / Highway 61 (Musical group), Armand Lenchek, Skeeter Brandon. Keyboards (Music),Guitar,Saxophone,Trombone.
Local Numbers:
FP-1996-CT-0003
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 26, 1996.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
103 Low Country Blues / Highway 61 (Musical group), Armand Lenchek, Skeeter Brandon. Keyboards (Music),Guitar,Saxophone,Trombone.
Local Numbers:
FP-1996-CT-0007
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 27, 1996.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
101 Low Country Blues / Highway 61 (Musical group), Armand Lenchek, Skeeter Brandon. Keyboards (Music),Guitar,Saxophone,Trombone.
102 Bluegrass / New Coon Creek Girls, Kathy Kuhn, Vickie Simmons. Guitar,Fiddle,Banjo.
Local Numbers:
FP-1996-CT-0008
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 28, 1996.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
101 Songs of Stuggle / Freedom Singers, Bettie Mae Fikes, Rutha Harris.
102 Low Country Blues / Highway 61 (Musical group), Armand Lenchek, Skeeter Brandon. Keyboards (Music),Guitar,Saxophone,Trombone.
103 Zydeco / French Rockin' Boogie (Musical group), Bobby Broussard, Geno Delafose. Guitar,Bass,Drum,Washboard band music,Diatonic,Acadian,Accordion.
Local Numbers:
FP-1996-CT-0010
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 28, 1996.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
101 null / Opening Ceremony, Robert D. Rand, Fav Cochran.
102 Low Country Blues / Highway 61 (Musical group), Armand Lenchek, Skeeter Brandon. Keyboards (Music),Guitar,Saxophone,Trombone.
Local Numbers:
FP-1996-CT-0042
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 26, 1996.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
101 Low Country Blues / Highway 61 (Musical group), Armand Lenchek, Skeeter Brandon. Keyboards (Music),Guitar,Saxophone,Trombone.
102 Afro-Cuban Music and Dance / Ife Ile (Musical group), Luis E. Torres, Neri Torres. Conga (Drum),Bata (Drum).
103 Jazz,Parade,Rhythm and Blues / Treme Brass Band, Frederick Shepard, Lionel Baptiste. Trombone,Drum,Trumpet,Tuba,Snare drum.
Local Numbers:
FP-1996-CT-0047
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 27, 1996.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
Recorded in: Washington (D.C.), United States, June 29, 1996.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. Some duplication is allowed. Use of materials needs permission of the Smithsonian Institution.
Collection Rights:
Copyright and other restrictions may apply. Generally, materials created during a Festival are covered by a release signed by each participant permitting their use for personal and educational purposes; materials created as part of the fieldwork leading to a Festival may be more restricted. We permit and encourage such personal and educational use of those materials provided digitally here, without special permissions. Use of any materials for publication, commercial use, or distribution requires a license from the Archives. Licensing fees may apply in addition to any processing fees.
