| Life fact | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Rayburn Ralph Griffith |
| Born | January 3, 1895, at Marion Center, Pennsylvania |
| Parents | Charles Cooper Griffith and Martha McConaughey |
| Spouse | Leona Allen |
| Child | Rayburn Allen Griffith |
| Principal roles | Insurance executive; Warren County Republican Committee secretary; county assessor |
| Religious affiliation | Episcopal Church |
Genealogy of Rayburn Ralph Griffith
This genealogical account was constructed from the family information contained in the biography below. No relationships or life facts have been added from outside sources.
Rayburn Ralph Griffith was born January 3, 1895, at Marion Center, Pennsylvania, a son of Charles Cooper Griffith and Martha McConaughey.
On October 23, 1920, at Washington, D. C., he married Leona Allen of Front Royal, a daughter of Samuel Gardner Allen and Leona Essex. They had one son, Rayburn Allen Griffith, born September 1, 1922.
Family outline
Rayburn Ralph Griffith
- Father: Charles Cooper Griffith
- Mother: Martha (McConaughey) Griffith
- Wife: Leona Allen
- Son: Rayburn Allen Griffith
Source
This biography appeared in History of the Shenandoah Valley: Family and Personal Records, Volume III (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1952), pages 51-52.
Verbatim biography
The following is a faithful transcription of the original biography. OCR errors have been corrected against the printed page images, but the original wording, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and factual claims have not been rewritten.
RAYBURN RALPH GRIFFITH — For somewhat more than a quarter of a century, Rayburn Ralph Griffith has been identified with the insurance business in Front Royal, currently as the head of the Rayburn R. Griffith Insurance Company. Down through the years he has won high standing with colleagues and clients, not alone for his acumen, enterprise and integrity, but likewise in the city is esteemed for his deep and constructive interest in the promotion of the best interests of the community.
Mr. Griffith was born at Marion Center, Pennsylvania, on January 3, 1895, son of Charles Cooper and Martha (McConaughey) Griffith, both of whom are deceased. His father died in 1930, his widow survived him for a decade. Rayburn Ralph Griffith left the Front Royal High School to engage in farming in Warren County, but for several years was associated with the Homer City Company, of Homer City, Pennsylvania. In 1922, Samuel Gardner Allen, former postmaster of Front Royal during the administrations of Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, launched the S. G. Allen Insurance Agency, in the city, with Mr. Griffith as his right-hand man. With the death of the senior partner twenty years later, Mr. Griffith took over the firm and since 1942 it has functioned as R. R. Griffith, Insurance. The company engages in a wide type of business, and represents such nationally outstanding corporations as the Pennsylvania Lumbermen’s Mutual Fire Insurance Company, the Hartford Mutual Insurance Company, the Norfolk and Dedham Mutual Insurance Company, the Iowa Hardware Mutual Insurance Company, the Lititz Mutual Insurance Company, Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Loudoun County, and the Shelby Mutual Casualty Company.
Mr. Griffith is an established figure in his line of activity, serving customers of long standing, and is progressive in the extension of his clientele. In politics he is influential in the councils and campaigns of the Republican Party. He is the secretary of the Warren County Republican Committee, and serves on the board of assessors of the county. He belongs to the Virginia-Washington Mutual Insurance Agents Association, and is active in the Front Royal Lions Club. His religious affiliations are with the Episcopal Church.
On October 23, 1920, at Washington, D. C., Rayburn R. Griffith married Leona Allen of Front Royal, daughter of Samuel Gardner and Leona (Essex) Allen, both of whom are deceased. Her father, who died in February, 1942, served as postmaster of Front Royal during the administrations of Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith are the parents of one son: Rayburn Allen, who was born September 1, 1922; he is a graduate of Warren County High School, Randolph-Macon Academy, and attended Randolph-Macon College. During World War II, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Force, and served for three years at Atlanta Air Base, Atlanta, Ga., receiving his honorable discharge in 1946 with the rank of sergeant. He is now a student at the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, Dayton, Virginia, class of 1950.