Abraham Elliot Griffiths
Abraham Elliot Griffiths (17??-1802) was one of the settlers who founded Sierra Leone.
Griffiths was of mixed African and Welsh heritage. He became a protegé of Granville Sharpe while in London, having the costs of learning to read and write paid by his patron.[1] He was one of the corporal of the Black Poor of London, and played a leading role in the organisation of the first expedition to Sierra Leone in 1787.[1] He provided publicity for the colony by corresponding with the London newspapers. His first wife Rebecca was a white woman, but after she died he moved to Rogbana, becoming translator and adviser to Naimbanna II, marrying his daughter who was later known as Clara.[1] In 1792 he was taken on as a translator by the Sierra Leone Company having been recommended by Alexander Falconbridge.[1] However he failed to engage their trust, having supported Thomas Peters in his demand for a greater share in the running of the colony for the settlers. [2]: 97 He was also accused of having forged some currency.[1]
In 1802 he was imprisoned for debt and died in prison.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f Pybus, Cassandra (2006). Epic Journeys of Freedom: Runaway Slaves of the American Revolution and Their Global Quest for Liberty. Boston: Beacon Press.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ Wilson, Ellen Gibson (1980). John Clarkson and the African Adventure. London: Macmillan Press.
{{cite book}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help)