Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy

George Griswold

Male 1574 - Abt 1623  (~ 48 years)


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  • Name George Griswold 
    Christened 6 Nov 1574  Wooten Wawen, Warwick, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Buried Abt 1623  of, Warwick, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I4497  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Father Roger Greswold,   b. Abt 1540, Rowington, Warwick, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15/15 Mar 1617/8, Ederstone, Warwick, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 78 years) 
    Family ID F2087  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Dousabel Leigh,   b. Abt 1575,   bur. 28 Aug 1615, Wooten Wawen, Warwick, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 40 years) 
    Children 
     1. Edward Griswold,   b. 26 Jul 1607, Wooten Wawen, Warwick, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1690/1, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 83 years)
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F1212  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 Honora Pawley 
    Married Abt 1616  of Wooten Wawen, Warwick, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Matthew Griswold,   b. Abt 1620, of Kenilworth, Warwick, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 27 Sep 1698, Lyme, New London, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 78 years)
     2. Thomas Griswold,   b. Abt 1622, Kenilworth, Warwick, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1699, , , England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 77 years)
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F1241  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • RESEARCH_NOTES:
      1. FHL book 929.242 G868f "The Greswold Family, 12 Generations in England," researched and edited by Robert L. and Esther G. French, comp. by Coralee Griswold [Wethersfeld, CT; 1999]. The authors standardize spelling as Greswold for England and Griswold for America. As of 2012, it appears that this book is the most current evolution of the Griswold ancestry and includes all previous research up to 1999 when it was published. (It also supersedes the author's own work in 1990 for the later English generations). See notes in this database of the original Griswold for a more detailed explanation of the various sources and a bibliography of previously published books that the authors include in this genealogical compilation.
      "George11 Greswold (Roger10, John9, John8, John7, John6, John5, William4, Richard3, Ralph2, John1) was christened 6 Nov 1574 in Wooton Wawen, Warwickshire, England. George died 1623 [Maybe died as late as 1643, but no reference can be found for this date.] He married (1) Dousabel (LEIGH ?) about 1606. She was born about 1575. Dousabel was buried 28 Aug 1615 in Wooton Wawen, Warwickshire, England. They had 1 Child:
      i. Edward Griswold, christened 26 July 1607, at Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire, England, died 30 Aug 1691.
      George married second (2) Honora (PAWLEY ?) about 1616, apparently in connection with his purchase of a cottage and garden in Kenilworth from Hugh Underhill and Lettice, his sister. Honora was probably a connection of the Underhill's, and possibly their (Hugh and Lettice) mother. Their father, (Honora's first husband) John Underhill had died in Holland in 1608. No record of Honora has been discovered until her remarriage at the Klooster Kerk at the Hague on 28 Nov 1628 to Dirck Thomaszen so she may have returned to Kenilworth during the 1609-1621 truce, after her husband died. They had 2 children:
      ii. Matthew Griswold, born 1620, died 27 Sep 1698
      iii. Thomas Greswold, born about 1622, died 1699.
      Richard Morris (Dirck Thomaszen) was a sword cutler, christened Jan 1582 at St. Nicholas Church, Warwickshire, England to Thomas and Elizabeth (___) Morris. Elizabeth was buried at St. Nicholas in Nov 1591. Richard Morris had a daughter, Katherine, christened at Wooton Wawen 25 Mar 1613 (the record shows only the father's name). Katherine married (1) (___) Wright and (2) Edward Greswold on 11 Jun 1635, at Kenilworth [not the immigrant, Edward of Windsor, Connecticut and IGI gives his name as Thomas Grissold, same place and date].
      After the truce, many military men returned to the continent and in 1625, John Underhill, the younger, became a cadet in the service of the Prince of Nassau. By then, George11 had died also. The Greswold, Morris and Underhill families were connected but the records are not complete enough to show exactly how."

      2. The book "The Griswold Family, the First Five Generations in America," comp. and ed. by Esther Griswold French and Robert Lewis French, May 1990, printed by The Griswold Family Association, 116 Garden St., Wethersfield, CT, 06109, pages 6-24. The authors note that their book updates Vol. II, "The Griswold Family England - America," which was published 50 years ago:
      "George (son of Roger, gson of William) was baptized 6 Nov 1574 at Wooten Wawen, died after 1620. Married (1) Dousabel, possibly Leigh (Lye, Ley) who was buried at Wooten Wawen 28 Ag 1615 (TAG 39:177). Her only known child is Edward.
      A letter of Ralph Phillips of Nassau, Rensselaer County, New York, to Donald Lines Jacobus gives the information from the Wooten Wawen parish register that Richard Lye and his wife Dousabelle had a son Richard bp. 1549 and a son Thomas bp. 1552. It is conjectured that one of these sons was the father of Dousabel who married George Griswold. It is also noted that Sir Thomas Leigh was the arbitrator of the entailed land dispute of Roger Griswold.
      George Griswold married (2) about 1616 an unknown wife by whom he had two sons, Matthew and Thomas. "On Nov. 12, 1616 George Grissold purchased from Hugh Underhill and his sister Lettice with her husband, a cottage and garden at Kenilworth." (TAG 41:214) This is undaoubtedly a move taken upon the occasion of his second marriage. There is also the possibility that his second wife was a connection of the Underhills.
      This possibility is further enhanced by the recollection of Edward's son, George, in a disposition taken 9 May 1700 stating that as a youth he had lived with his father Edward in Kenilworth, Warwickshire and had heard that the house they lived in belonged to Edward's brother Matthew.
      If George had settled the property upon his second wife at the time of their marriage, it would have become the property of her oldest son, Matthew, at her death. If both parents had died, Matthew may have been under Edward's guardianship.
      Child by first wife:
      Edward, bp. 26 July 1607 Wooten Wawen.
      Children by second wife:
      Matthew, b. ca. 1620.
      Thomas, b. ca. 1622 at Kenilworth, married c. 1644 to an unknown wife. Death date is also unknown. He remained in England. Children:
      Thomas, b. ca. 1645.
      Matthew, bp. 1 May 1649 Kenilworth, will dated 20 Feb. 1701/2."

      3. The booklet "The Griswold Family in England before 1639 - A Report of the Findings of Bonnie Boone Day Griswold and James Wells Griswold," 1984, Exeter, NH, copy in the library of the Windsor CT. Historical Society. The authors went to England to look up actual records. Quote from pp. 10-13:
      "The search for hard facts about our direct Griswold ancestors in England has yielded information only on Edward. This we found in the Warwickshire County Records Library. Even this information is evidently not new because the names and accurate dates are given in Glen E. Griswold's Vol. II of the Griswold Family. But since he does not cite the source of his information, maybe the following will add a bit.
      The above-mentioned library, located in Warwick, is well staffed and has a good catalog. However, the novice finds it confusing at the beginning. It takes several visits to learn how to use the available resources. We learned that there have been many visitors inquiring about he Griswolds.
      Of great interest is the Kenilworth Parish Register. This is a leather-bound book, about 13 inches long and 5 inches wide. Originally it was a bound blank book with about 200 pages. Entries were made chronologically in ink in four sections: Baptisms (not births), Marriages, Burials, and finally in the back of the book, the 'Beneficences" of Lady Dudley of Kenilworth Castle to the members of the parish at the time of Christmas (read the book 'Kenilworth' by Scott). The librarian had to help us by translating archaic terms of some entries. The handwriting of the book changed from period to period indicating a different recorder. We are sorry to report that an earlier Griswold researcher had marked each of te relevant entries with a penciled X in the margin.
      All the entries that relate to the family of Edward Griswold are listed below. Please note that even for the entries for the same family the spelling of the last name may be different.
      In the section on Baptisms:
      Sarah daughter of Edward Grissold was baptised Jan 29 1631.
      George the sone of Edward Griswold was baptised may 19 1633.
      Sarah the daughter of Edward Grissold and Margaret his wife was baptized Jan 10 1635.
      Liddia the daughter of Edward Grissold and Marg-t his wife was baptised Dec 17 1637.
      In the section for Burials:
      Sarah the daughter of Edward Grissold was burried Dec 28 1634.
      It is interesting to note tha the family names their second daughter Sarah in honor of her older sister who had died only two weeks before the second daughter was baptized.
      These were the only references we could find that apply directly to our family, even though there were many other entries for other Griswold families.
      It was exciting to hold this parish record book in our hands, but it was also frustrating to be so close to the facts we wanted and yet could not find. If the book could only talk, there would be so many answers to our questions.
      The publication, the "American Genealogist," Volumes 39, 40, and 71 reports the extensive work of Genevieve Kiepura and John Hunt. Since their findings take 12 pages of close print, we will attempt to summarize it here. None of the original documents reported here have we seen personally, but the source reported in these articles suggest other areas for investigation.
      The articles clearly represent the extensive and careful work they have done and further dramatize the difficulties encountered because there were so many Griswolds in the area and so many of the families used the traditional first names.
      Mrs. Kiepura reports that the parish regester for Wootten Wawen lists the baptism of "Edward, son of George Griswold, 26 July 1607. There are references to the baptisms of George, son of Roger, 6 Nov. 1574; and to the burial of Dousabele, wife of George Griswold, 28 Aug. 1615. No Matthew or Michael in the index."
      For their research, Mrs. Kiepura and Mr. Hunt had copies of 11 wills that were on file at the Worcester Records Office. Piecing the fragments of facts given in each will to create a sequential chart is like a detective story. However, as a summary, the following is given by Mr. Hunt:
      Roger Griswold of Rowington. Will 1545 [had son:]
      William, b. ca. 1515-20? [had son:]
      Roger of Kenilworth, b. ca. 1540-45?, d. before 1607 [had sons:]
      Roger of Kenilworth, b. ca. 1570? of age by 1607.
      Thomas of Stonley, d. 1620. House in Kenilworth.
      George, bp. 1574 at Wootten Wawen [had sons:]
      Edward, bp. 1607 Wootten Wawen.
      Matthew, b. 1620.
      Thomas of Kenilworth [had sons:]
      Thomas.
      Matthew of Stonley. Will of 1701/2.
      (BDG and JWG Note: We still have not found an English source that proves that Matthew is a brother of Edward. The listing given above is based on the testimony given by George Griswold in 1700 for a court in Connecticut as to what he remembers.)
      In Volume 71 of the 'American Genealogist', Mr. Hunt reports on a copy of a will of 'Thomas Griswold of Stonley, Warwickshire dated the last day of Feb. 1620 wherein the testator, besides mentioning the rent of his house and gorunds in the town and parish of Kenilworth, names his close called Beggerspath and the ground called Broomfield, alias Thickthorn clearly in the vicinity of Kenilworth.'"

      4. The book "The Phelps Family of America and their English Ancestors," comp. by Oliver Seymour Phelps of Portland, Oregon and Andrew T. Servin of Lenox, Massachusetts, 1899, pp. 88-89:
      "Samuel Phelps, b. England, about 1625, emigrated to New England with his father, in ship Mary and John, settling with his father in Dorchester, removing from there to settling of Windsor, Ct., in 1635-6, where he m. Sarah Griswold, and b. Kenilworth, England, and came to New England with her father in 1639. After the death of Mr. Phelps, she m. 2nd Nathaniel Pinney, 21st July, 1670, and had Nathaniel Pinney b. 11th May, 1671, and Sarah Pinney b. 11th Oct., 1673. Mrs. Pinney died 6th Nov., 1715. [Nathaniel Pinney was the brother of Sarah Pinney who married Samuel Phelps' brother William.]
      Mr. Phelps bought 1st Oct., 1657, Thomas Orton's house and land south of road separating it from his father's homestead, and brother William's: the house stood on the rear of the lot just opposite his father's house. This lot was a triangular shape, 4 rods on the rivulet, 60 rods on east and west road, 40 rods on Mill road, and 47 rods on the southeast line. The rear of this lot and house he sold to his brother Nathaniel, and removed to Poquonock, where he had received a grant of land, and where he also bought John Bartlett's place east of Stony Creek, and north of Thomas Holcomb's, and running east of the rivulet. Here he died 15th May, 1669. He witnessed a deed of land to his father by the Indians in 1666.
      January 8th, 1660, he paid rates for short slips, 7 shillings, highest amount assessed that year.
      Town Records - 24th May, 1669, 'There was a day of training; by reason of the death of Samuel Phelps, voted that Benjamin Holcomb supply his place as Way Warden.'
      (Noted - Edward and Matthew Griswold, two brothers, the latter of whom was the ancestor of the two Govs. Griswold, resided in Kenilworth, England, where they had a third brother, Thomas. These two brothers came to New England in 1639, in a vessel sent out by Mr. William Whitney. Edward b. in England, 1607, settled in that part of Windsor, called Poquonock, m. 1st Margaret, and later settled in Killingworth, Ct., one of the first settlers, and a prominent man. His wife died Aug 22nd, 1670. (A slab may be seen in the Clinton, Ct., burying ground, 7 in. by 2-1/2 ft., with inscription M.G. 1670.) Had eleven children all by 1st wife. He m. 2nd Sarah Bemis, daughter of James Bemis, of New London; of his children a daughter Sarah, m. Samuel Phelps, and. m. Nathaniel Pinney. Another daughter, Mary, m. Timothy Phelps son of William the emigrant of 1630.)

      5. Henry R. Stiles, "The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut," 1892, v. 2, pp. 346-353:
      "The Connecticut Griswolds are descended from Edward and Matthew, who came to Windsor in 1639, and from Michael, who, some years later, came to Wethersfield. There appears to have been no relationship between the latter and the brothers Griswold of Windsor. [See footnote #1 below.]
      Edward and Matthew came from Kenilworth, Co. Warwick, Eng., in the year 1639, in company with Rev. Mr. Huit's party, who came to Windsor that year. [See footnote #2 below.] They had lived at Kenilworth [see footnote #3 below] and owned property there; but we know not whether it was their birthplace. They had a brother Thomas [see footnote #3 below], who continued to reside there, and the record of his marriage, in 1634, is still to be found in the old Kenilworth Church records, also the baptisms of several of the children of Edward, and the burial of a daughter, but the old church records of K. suffered greatly from the ravages of the War of the Great Rebellion, it has been found impossible to find any other connecting links between that parish and the two emigrant brothers.
      It has been claimed that they belonged to the ancient county family of Solihull, near Kenilworth, and, as such, entitiled to the use of the family arms, but there exists no evidence to prove the claim. Indeed, all that has been said in regard to their relationship to Humphrey Greswold, lord of the manor of Greet in Yardley, and also rector of Yardley parish; or of their connection with the Greswolds who held Malvern Hall in Solihull, has no foundation in fact, and can be proved untrue... There is a tradition that the name of their father was George...
      Footnotes:
      1. Michael Griswold's Eng. origin is unknown; he di. 1684, his will and the wills of his sons being now on file in 'Htfd. Co. Prob. Rec.' One of the grandsons, Capt. Jacob, was a first settler in Litchfield; another, Maj. Josiah, was famous as a soldier in the French War.
      2. See pp. 74 and 75. The affidavit of Edward, then aged about 77 yrs., as given May 15, 1684, in the celebrated case of Henry Whiting's sons vs. John Bissell, says; 'About the yeare 1639, Mr. Wm. Whiting (deceased) was undertaker for a shipp in England, in which shipp I came to New England': and his brother Matthew (then aged 64) in his affidavit made in the same suit, says: 'Further I testifie that, when I came over to New England about the year 1639.' - 'State Archives, Private Controversies,' Vol. II, Doc. 203, 204.
      3. From 'New London Prob. Rec.': Georg Griswold, aged about 67 yeares, testifyeth as follows: that in his youthfull years he lived with his father in England, in a town called Keillinsworth (Kenilworth was, in Queen Elizabeth's time, called Killingworth), in Warrackshire; he did severall times since hear his father Edward Griswould say that the house they then lived in, and lands belonging thereto, was his brother Mathew Griswold's; and have lately seen a letter under the hand of Thomas Griswould of Keilinsworth aboves'd, directed to his brother Mathew Griswould aforesaid, wherein the said Thomas Griswould intimated that he did then live in the abovesaid house belonging to his said brother Mathew Griswould aforesaid.
      'May 9th, 1700. George Griswould appeared before me in Hartford, and made oath to ye above testimony. Joseph Curtiss, Assistant.'

      6. Henry R. Stiles, "The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut," 1892, v. 2, pp. 346-353:
      "Griswold. (The following statesments concerning the English Griswolds are furnished by Hon. Seneca O. Griswold of Windsor, Conn., as the results of his own personal examination, in England.)
      The English Griswolds were an ancient county family established at Solihull, in Warwickshire, prior to the year 1400. The name was usually written Greswold; but, without doubt, the 'e' in the first sylllable had the latin sound as 'i' short, for it is often written Griswold, or Gryswold, and sometimes with a terminal 'e.' This family had a pedigree and were entitiled ot a coat-of-arms, viz.: 'Arg., a fesse Gu. betw. two greyhounds current Sa.' They traced their descent from a certain John Greswold, who, about the middle of the 14th century, came from Kenilworth and married the dau. and heiress of Henry Hughford of Huddersly Hall, in Solihull; and, in Burke's 'Landed Gentry,' they are styled the Greswolds of Kenilworth and Solihull. This latter place is on the northwestern border of Warwickshire, with Knowle on the East, and Yardley in Worcestershire on the South and West, and is about 8 miles westerly of Kenilworth,and twelve northwesterly of Stratford-on-Avon. It was a place of note in Saxon times, and was the site of a holy fountain much resorted to for its miraculous cures, and called the Well of St. Alpherge. After the Conquest it came into the possession of a Norman family named Limsie, who had a tower there and, it is supposed, built a church, though the exact date of its building is not certain. From them it passed, by marriage, to the Knights of Odingsell. Will De Odingsell, in the time of Edward I., built a chantry, i.e., a chapel attached to the church, requiring, by the terms of its foundation, that daily masses should be said for the souls of himself and wife, their progenitors and descendants. From failure in the male line of descent, the estate became a Royal desmesne and was granted to different favorites. It was held, at his death, by Hugh De La Spencer, who was killed at Agincourt. King Henry VI, in 1436, granted the estate for the term of seven years, to one Thomas Greswold, jointly with one Sheldon. The chantry, erected by De Odingsell, having fallen somewhat into decay, this Thomas rebuilt it and added some valuable gifts to its support. He must have been a devout adherent of that unfortunate monarch, as the condition of his gifts was, that the chantry priest should daily pray for the good estate of King Henry, and at his death and the death of himself (Thos. Greswold), should daily say masses for their souls. At the termination of this grant, the king gave the estate to his son, the Prince of Wales; but, doubtless, there was no transfer of possession for we find that, in King Henry the Eighth's time, Richard Greswold of Solihull became the owner of the estate in fee, as also of other lands in the vicinity. From him sprang the other branches of the family, viz.: the Greswolds of Langdon Hall and those of Yardley.
      Part of the estate of Langdon Hall was in the adjoining parish of Knowle. Upon this estate, within the bounds of Solihull, Malvern Hall was built. It is a stately Manor-house, in the style of Inigo Jones, in the midst of a large park, surrounded by a moat; and over the stone gateway is carved the family crest. John Greswold of Langdon Hall married the daughter of Richard Varney of Compton, made notorious by Scott's romance of 'Kenilworth.' He was, undoubtedly, a strong adherent of the great Earl, and was member of Parliament from the county; but the story of his villainy is, as it purports to be, a pure remance. A large portion of this estate passed, by marriage, to the Dabrigecourts, a local family of distinction.
      In Yardley, a grandson of the above-named Richard became possessed of the Manor of Greet; and, for several generations, his descendants were lords of this manor and rectors of the parish. The most famous of these was Rev. Humphrey, who was born 1621. In the church at Yardley there is a costly engraved funeral monument to his memory and that of his father, on which is inscribed a record of their virtues, learning, and charities to the poor and to the parish. The Rev. Henry Greswold, who was rector of the Solihull church from 1660 to the end of the century, was his second son. In the Solihull church is a beautiful allabaster slab to the memory of the aforesaid Richard, on which the date of his death is given as 1547. There is also another similar slab to Thomas Greswold and his three wives; he died in 1577. The chantry, built by Thomas, as above-mentioned, is still in good repair; and the church itself is noted for the beauty and fineness of its interior architecture. Around the chancel was a wooden screen which was characteristic of church adornment at the close of the 13th century. In the north transept, in raised position to be reached by a flight of steps, was the Greswold pew, also granted with a wooden screen. The present rector is the Rev. Charles Evans, disinguished for his archaeological learning and whose history of this church has been published by the Birmingham Archaelological Society.
      About the middle of the 18th century there occurred a failure in the male line of these families, and the estate fell to the grd.-dau. of the Rev. Marshall Greswold of Yardley. In the meantime the manor-house at Solihull had been alienated, as also a large part of the Langdon-Hall estate; but the union of the balance of these properties rendered the heiress quite rich. She married a Mr. David Lewis of Solihull, who assumed also the name of Greswold. The Greswold-Lewis family are quite noted, the daughters marrying into the nobility, and Mr. Henry Greswold-Lewis, the last of the name in the male line, marrying the daughter of an earl. He died in 1829 without issue and in the Yardley Church is an elaborate tablet to his virtues, etc. The estate fell to his niece, or grand-niece, Mary Greswold-Lewis, and she married a Mr. Williams of Worcestershire, who also assumed the Greswold name; and her son, Mr. John Greswold-Williams, is the present owner of the estate, which includes Malvern Hall and park and adjoining lands, with considerable property both in Knowle and Yardley.
      At Knowle there is a very ancient inn, a part of the estate called 'The Greswold Arms'; and at Solihull, an endowed grammar-school of ancient foundation, the mastership of which is valuable for its salary. In Boswell's 'Life of Dr. Johnson' there is a copy of a letter written in 1735 by a Mr. Henry Greswold of Solihull as one of the Feoffees fo the Trust, in reply to a letter written them soliciitin the appointment of Mr. Johnson as master of the school. He states they have inquired as to his standing, and, though they found him to be a most excellent scholar, he had a haughty temper and also was afflicted with an involuntary twitching of the muscles of his face, and hence the gentlemen delcined to give him the appointment.
      The family was one of local distinction; they held county offices; were summoned by sheriffs, with the other gentlemen of the county, to be present at the proclamation of the Acts of Parliament, and sworn to sustain them. They sought and obtained wives from the leading local families, and an alliance with their daughters was considered honorable. As primogeniture prevailed, it follows that, in a family extending through so long a period, there would be poor as well as rich, and they spread into number of the adjoining parishes. They were not of the nobility, but belonged to the middle class landed gentry, - that devout, patient, and above all, valiant race, which has contributed so much to make England, for centuries, the foremost of nations."

      7. The following is a from the Windsor, CT, Historical Society from the Griswold family file. It is attributed to the "Dutchess County Farmer" (no date) and is entitled "Recollections of Some Old New England Families. It is a single sheet of paper. From more modern research, we now know the father of the emigrants Edward and Matthew is George Griswold without any apparent connection with Humphrey Griswold, Lord of the Manor of Greet. Also one should discount that Matthew proceded his older brother to New England from Old England. The following is as printed:
      "There is no name more talismanic in the brave old State of Connecticut than Griswold; and in that quaint New England town, Lyme, they swear by it. The family were of the English gentry, and have always borne 'Without abuse the Grand old name of Genetleman.'
      Senator Stephen M. Griswold, Brooklyn, traces the descent from Humphrey Griswold of Greet, Lord of the Manor, and say they are mentioned as an honorable family in English history early in the sixteenth century. Malvern Hall, and its estates, came into the family about 1600, and still remain in their possession. The Coat of Arms, together with Malvern Hall, in 1659 belonged to Humphrey Griswold, who died in 1671. He was succeeded by his brother, Rev. Henry Griswold, who died about 1720, the title then passing to his son Humphrey, who, dying left it to his brother Henry. The latter left no male heir, and the representative of the family then devolved upon the Rev. Matthew Griswold. He had an only daughter who survived him, and who became the wife of David Lewis, Esq. One of their daughters married the fourth Earl of Dysart, and the other, the fifth Earl. Again a male descendant was wanting, and so the tiltle passed to Henry Griswold Lewis, a son of David Lewis by a second wife. The estates were then inherited by Lieutenant Edmund Meysey Griswold of the English Army, and at his decease by his uncle Henry Griswold Wigley, M.A., who assumed the surname of Griswold, and his descendant now owns the old Hall.
      Matthew Griswold, Esq. of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England, was an uncle of Humphrey Griswold of Greet, and had three sons, Matthew, Edward and Thomas. Matthew was the youngest, and while a mere boy, he joined a company of pilgrims for America. This compnay sailed from England under the leadership of Rev. John Wareham, a prominent preacher of Exeter. It was during the reign of Charles the first, and they landed on the shores of Massachusetts, the 30th of May, 1630, ten years later than the Pilgrim Fathers at Plymouth. Edward Griswold joined his brother Matthew nine years later, and settled at Windsor on the Farmington River, Connecticut, his brother being at Saybrook, at the mouth of the Connecticut River. Windsor was the first white settlement in the State, and closely associated with its origin were the names of Griswold, Wolcott and Ellsworth. Edward had married in England and had a large family. In 1664, together with his son John, he moved to Killingworth, Conn., so named form his native place, his descendant intermarried with the Phelps, Buels, Gaylords, Holcombs and Veits. His son Squire Samuel Griswold was the grandfather of the celebrated Bishop Alexander Veits Griswold, of the Episcopal Church, the second Bishop of Pennsylvania and senior Bishop for the United States, who was for ten years Chancellor of Brown University. Bishop Griswold was a great uncle of C.C.Griswold, the landscape painter. Another son of Squire Samuel, Ezra, was instrumental in organizing the first Episcopal Church in the state of Ohio.
      We now turn to Matthew Griswold, a man who numbers descendants by thousands and of this number very many have attained unusual prominence. He was born in 1618, and was a stone-cutter by trade. In 1645 he was granted a tract of land at Lyme, Conn., and here has since been the Griswold homestead, 'Black Hall.' It is a cluster of half a dozen houses, surrounded by a dense grove of trees, which slopes toward the sound. Mr. Griswold built a lug-hut on his grant, which was the first house in Lyme, and dug a well which is still in existence and has been used by successive generations. The Indians were too hostile for him to remove his family so far from the fort of Saybrook, and he therefore sent a negro to occupy the hut, and tradition says hence the pleasant sounding name of Black Hall. Mr. Griswold was the first Justice of the Peace in Lyme, and the first magistrate of the Saybrook Colony. He married Hannah, daughter of Henry Wolcott, and died in June, 1699, at a ripe old age.
      His daughter Ann, married Abraham Bronson. She was the great-great-grandmother of Chief Justice Henry Watson Waite, of Connecticut, whose son, Morrison R.Waite, is Chief Justice of the United States. She was also a greet-great grandmother of Hon. John Turner Waite, a prominent Judge and lawyer of Norwich, Conn., and now member of the House of Representatives.
      The fifth Child, Matthew Griswold, Jr., was born at East Saybrook, Conn., in 1653. At one time there was a troublesome controversy between New London and Lyme about a tract of land, about four miles in width, which both towns claimed. After much wrangling and expense it was agreed to 'leave it to the Lord,' in other words settle it by single combat, and Matthew Griswold and William Ely, were chosen contestants from Lyme, and they fought so valorously that New London was compelled to relinquish her claim to the ground.
      Matthew Griswold, Jr., had ten children. [Children listed.]
      Mrs. Griswold died Nov. 29th, 1704, and May 30th, 1705, the disconsolate widower consoled himself by marrying Mary, widow of Thomas Lee. Mr. Griswold died Jan. 19, 1716, age 63, and lies buried in the old cemetery below the hill at Lyme. His widow survived him eight years..."
      [Article continues about the descendants of Matthew Griswold, Jr. and has no further bearing on my research.]

      8. From the book "The Griswold Family," by Edward Elbridge Salisbury, privately published 1884, copy in Windsor, Conn. Historical Society Library. Some of the information is dated and has since been updated with more modern research; but the book contains many prime sources not found in other Griswold publications. In the previous part of the book, Mr. Salisbury documents that Edward, Matthew, and Thomas are brothers (see these individuals' notes for a transcription). Note the references to Visitations were surveys of those worthy to be counted among the heraldic. Pp. 3-5:
      "With regard to the ancestry of the three brothers whom we thus distinctly trace, we have no certain information reaching beyond their father. A deposition lately found among the papers of Rev. F.W. Chapman, 'a full and true copy' of an original now lost, enables me to begin the Griswold pedigree one generation further back than it has been hitherto traced. This valuable document is in these words:
      'The testimony of Captain George Griswold, aged about 72 years, and the testimony of Mr. John Griswold, aged about 69 years, they both being sons of George Griswold, The Deponents being both of Windsor in the county of Hartford and colony of Connecticut in New England, is as follows;
      'Viz., that our Grandfather's name was Edward Griswold, and it was fromerly and has ever since been always accepted and reputed that our said Grandfathers's father's name was George Griswold, and the said George Griswold our Great Grandfather had three sons, the eldest named Edward, the second named Matthew, and third or youngest son named Thomas, and the said Edward the eldest son, and the said Matthew the second son, came into new England from Killingsworth in Warwickshire in England; and in all our discourses amongst the families of said Griswolds in New England, together with other elderly observing gentlemen, they are and have ever been so accepted and reputed to be, without contradiciton or gainsaying, according to the best of our rememberance.
      'And the Deponents further add and say that the above named Edward Griswold's eldest son has always been called and reputed to be Francis Griswold, without any contradiction or gainsaying as aforesaid that we know of.
      'Windsor in Hartford county in Connecticut, New England personally appeared on the 19th day of January Anno Dom. 1737-8, Captain George Griswold and John Griswold the above named Deponents, and made solemn oath, in due form of law, to the truth of the above written testimony, before me. Henry Allyn, Justice Peace.'
      (Author notes: This copy was given to Mr. Chapman by Mr. J.S. Griswold of Benson, Vt., whose brother Mr. W.D. Griswold, now of St. Louis, Mo., writes to me respecting the original paper as follows: 'As regards the original paper, I remember to have seen it on occasion of a visit I made to my native home in 1841. My Father, then alive, showed it to me, and I read it over and over with great interest, and I then took a copy of it, which I think I have sent to some inquirer, without retaining a copy of the copy. The affidavit was evidently taken in aid of some pending legal proceeding, and in anticipation of some legal use. It was inherited by my Father with the old papers and muniments of his Father, and that is all that can be said of its history.' In anothre letter Mr. Griswold says: 'I read it over repeatedly, and critically observed the paper, old and faded, and the writing of style verifying its age.' These two Griswolds brothers are descendants of Edward Griswold, through his son Francis.)
      But who was this George Griswold, the father of Edward, Matthew, and Thomas, we know not. It has been assumed that our Griswolds belonged to the heraldic fmaily of Greswolds of Solihull, near Kenilworth, co. Warwick, one of whom, Humphrey Greswold, deceased in 1746, unmarried, was the first of this family who possessed Malvern Hall; and the arms of that family: 'Arg. a fesse Gu. betw. 2 greyhounds curent Sa.,' have been used as right belonging to Griswolds of America.
      A statement has gained some credence, that our Griswold brothers came from Lyme Regis, Co. Dorset, probably for no better reason than because this would afford a plausible explanaiton of the name of Lyme in Connecticut. But careful search in the records of Lyme Regis, by the Rector in 1874, failed to show that any person of the name ever lived there; while the affidavits of Edward and Matthew Griswold fully establish the fact that their old home was at Kenilworth, co.Warwick. Now, the Visitation of Warwickshire made in 1619, published by the Harleian Society, gives us twelve generations of the Greswold family, of which the first-named representaive was John Greswold 'of Kenelworth,' who married the daughter of William Hugford of Hulderly Hall in Solihull; and the Greswolds continued to be seated at Kenilworth down to the time of the last male descendants mentioned in 1619. (The Publications of the Harl. Soc., vol. xii. the Visitation of the Conty of Warwick in the year 1619... Ed. by John Fetherston... London, 1877, p. 60-62.) Moreover, John Greswold, of the fifth generation in this Visitation, is named Griswold [instead of Greswold] in the Visitations of Nottingham for 1569-1614 published by the Harlean Society, where the marriage of his daughter Allice to Thomas Dabridgecourt is recorded - showing that the two forms of the name were at an early period interchangeable; and, what is still more, in the Visitation of Warwickshire for 1619 occurs the name of a George Griswold, in the latest generation there recorded, who may possibly have been the father of our two emigrants. But diligent investigations by Colonel Chester (to whom, however, the fact of the immediate parentage of the emigrants was unknown), by the Rector of Kenilworth in 1874, and among American records, have not enabled us as yet to trace back the line of descent of our Edward and Matthew beyond their father. The parish-register of Kenilworth prior to 1630 was destroyed under Cromwell, and the name of Greswold does not occur in it after 1651. So that, while there is ground for believing that the emeigrant brothers belonged to the heraldic family of Greswolds, or Griswolds, there seems to be little probablitliy of its being proved. Colonel Chester concluded that they may have come of a younger branch of that family, but says: 'The only possible remaining chance there is for discovering any thing further would be an examination of the wills in the local registry of Lichfield.'"

      9. The following are various articles in the publication "The American Genealogist" concerning Griswold ancestry in England, which I include for reference purposes. They appeared together over about three years and represent an evolution of research with the later articles clarifying or refuting elements of earlier articles. The 1999 book "The Greswold Family: 12 Generations in America," which appeared about 30 years later, incorporated and supplanted much of this data – so the following must be used with some caution:
      A. TAG 39:176-80: "Griswold Ancestry in England," by Genevieve Tylee Kiepura:
      "Descendants of the Griswold clan have contributed greatly to American life in every field. The ancestry of the pioneers should be recorded in greater detail, and the identity of the wives, who braved the unknown New World, is equally important. The contributor has had a more thorough search of English records made than has previously been undertaken.
      The reliable record facts in American sources which serve as clues were long ago cited in full in Edward Elbridge Salisbury and Evelyn McCurdy Salisbury, "Family-Histories and Genealogies" (1892), 2:2-5, so here we need only abstract them briefly for reference:
      1. Testimony given 15 May 1684 by Edward Griswold, aged about 77, that he came to New England in 1639 [hence born ca. 1607], and by Matthew Griswold, aged about 64, to the same effect [hence born ca. 1620].
      2. George Griswold, aged about 67, testified 9 May 1700 that in youth he lived with his father, Edward Griswold, in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, and had heard his father say that the house they lived in there belonged to Edward's brother Matthew, and he had seen a letter from Thomas Griswold of Kenilworth intimating that Thomas lived in said house belonging to his brother Matthew [proving there was a third brother, Thomas].
      3. On 19 Jan. 1737/8, Capt. George Griswold, aged about 72, and Mr. John Griswold, aged about 69, sons of George Griswold, both of Windsor, Conn., testified that their grandfather's name was Edward Griswold, that their great-grandfather was George Griswold who had three sons, the eldest named Edward, the second named Matthew, and the third or youngest named Thomas, of whom the first two came to New England from "Killingsworth" in Warwickshire; also that said Edward's eldest son has always been reputed to be Francis Griswold.
      4. Margaret wife of Edward Griswold died 23 Aug. 1670.
      5. The will of John Riley named in his will of 13 May 1674 his brother John Belding, his brother Emanuel Buck, and his cousin Michael Griswold [see "The American Genealogist," supra, 10:51-52].
      The following data came from England from various officials – county archivists, parish registers, Bishop's Transcripts, photostats and copies of wills, and paid researchers.
      Wanting first to verify the statement (3 above) that Edward was the son of George, we first checked the George, son of Henry of Grete and Yardley, given in the Visitation of Warwickshire, and found that the marriage bond of Henry Griswold and Dorothy James is dated 1592 (bond 1026), hence their son George could not have been old enough to have been Edward's father. The following sources were searched, with the results stated below:
      Kenilworth: The parish registers, before 1676, were destroyed by fire.
      Solihull: "The only mention of an Edward Griswold in the index relates to birth of children of Edward beginning 1609, and the burial of one in 1617. The index shows a George Griswold (no parents were then stated) bapt. 23 April 8, 1548 and a George bapt. 13 June 1577. No 0ther entry for George until 1644. The index has no Matthew or Michael."
      Wills: The wills of the district are filed at Worcester and eleven were sent to me. Among them was that of Clement Griswold of Henley-in-Arden, who named eldest son Frank and second son George; probated 1611. The parish register of Henley shows that Francis son of Clement was baptized 10 Jan. l605; hence George son of Clement cannot be Edward's father.
      Wooten Wawen: "We also examined the parish register of Wooten Wawen (a chapelry of Henley) which has the baptism of Edward, son of George Griswold, 26 July 1607. There are references to the baptism of George son of Roger, 6 Nov. 1574 and the burial of Dousabel, wife of George Griswold, 28 Aug. 1615. No Matthew or Michael in the index."
      There are no wills of the above George, Roger, or Dousabel in Worcester Archives. However, we have here the baptism of Edward son of George in the right year and think he is surely the emigrant. The death of Dousabel in 1615 necessitates the supposition that Matthew and Thomas were by a later wife and half-brothers of Edward, since we know from the evidence digested above that Matthew was born about 1620 and that Thomas was still younger. Among the wills obtained, the following seem important:
      Roger Griswold of Rowington, will dated 9 June named wife Margaret, brother John Griswold, sons Robert, William, John, and Richard.
      Thomas Griswold of Rowington, husbandman, will dated 23 Feb. 1570, proved 23 Apr. 1571, named son Roger Griswold, his mother Elizabeth, daughters Marye, Margaret, Isabel (after attaining the age of 21) and Elizabeth my wife.
      Rowington is about four miles east of Henley and Wooten Wawen, where Roger had George baptized in 1574, and about eight miles west of Kenilworth
      John Benford of Henley in the parish of Wooten Wawen, will 14 May 1597, named wife Elizabeth, son Baldwyn, son John and daughter Joan; overseers, my brother Buck and my son [i.e. stepson] Roger Griswold.
      Will of Roger Griswold of Rowington, 2 Feb. 1613, gave to wife Joan, sons Thomas, William, Henry, John, Roger, Richard, daughter Katherine, and mother Elizabeth Benford; witnessed by Wyllme Seth, Robert Griswold, John Hinde, and others.
      Will of Elizabeth Benford, late of Rowington, widow, 12 Sept. 1614, no legatees named; "my natural son John to be administrator." Witnessed by William Kerbye and Johannes Pennell, notary public. John Benford of Henley-in- Arden and William Kerbye of the same parish were bound to administer the goods.
      Rowington printed parish registers (1612, 1617, 1618 and 1626 are copied from the Bishops' Transcripts and are in the appendix) begin in 1616 and contain no reference to George or Dousabel Griswold. The marriage bonds 1553-1645 were checked for the surnames Griswold, Kirby and Benford. The only entry found was Roger Griswold to Joan Sadler, dated 15 July 1601. Presumably this pertains to Roger above whose 1613 will names wife Joan, but she may have been a second wife since the will names seven children only twelve years later.
      Only three parishes mentioned in the wills above were not checked: Tamworth, which is extant but not indexed, Lapworth, and Wroxall. They may contain further Griswold, Buck or Kirby data. A few miscellaneous items call for mention.
      John Benford's will named "Brother Buck." There is only one Buck will in Worcester archives that of Thomas Buck of Wroxhall, proved 1601, which named Katherine Buck, daughter, kinsman John Buck, and two children of Gregory Kyrbey of Lapworth. Possibly the widow Elizabeth Griswold who married John Benford was a sister of Thomas Buck, for note the Kirby mention in connection with her own estate. And it may be significant that the will of John Riley of Wethersfield (see the American evidences, no. 5 above) indicates his relationship to both Emanuel Buck and Michael Griswold.
      John Kirby of Hartford and Middletown, Conn., was baptized in Rowington, Warwickshire, 4 Jan. 1624/5, son of Humphrey Kirby, for whom no estate was found. The only Kirby wills reported were those of John of Tanworth, 1612; William of Henley-in-Arden 1625; and William of Tanworth, 1629, none of which mentions a Griswold.
      An attempt was made to find apprentice records, but it was reported that there were none for the early seventeenth century.
      The contributor suggest the following line of descent:
      Roger Griswold of Rowington, d. 1545. His will names brother John; if John of Langdon Hall is meant, this would place him as of the sixth generation of the Visitation family. Sons Robert, John, William and Richard, one of whom was probably father of:
      Thomas Griswold of Rowington, probably grandson of the above Roger, d. 1571, wife Elizabeth, daughters Mary, Margaret, and Isabel, and son Roger.
      Roger Griswold of Rowington, removed to Wooten Wawen, married Elizabeth (Buck?), who after his death married John Benford of Wooten Wawen. They had at least George, bapt. 6 Nov. 1574 and Roger, d. 1613.
      George Griswold, bapt. 6. Nov. 1574 married Dousable ___, bur. 28 Aug. 1615, by whom he had: Edward; married second, an unknown, by whom he had: Matthew, b. 1620, and Thomas.
      Edward Griswold, bapt. at Wooten Wawen 26 July 1607; married, as we shall presently show, Margaret Blencow of Marston St. Lawrence, co. Northampton, daughter of John Blencow and his wife Mary Wallison.
      Editor's Note: Mrs. Kiepura deserves high credit for the discovery of the baptism of Edward Griswold in England, the burial of his mother, and the baptism of George Griswold as son of Roger. The pedigree back of this George may be as she suggests, but it does not appear to be fully proved. It should be noted that the Thomas who died in 1571 was apparently quite a young man, with three girls under age and the one son Roger who may also have been very young in 1571; and Thomas left a widow Elizabeth who may well have remarried. If it was Elizabeth the widow of Thomas who married John Benford, we know from Benford's will that she had a son Roger. In that event, it may have been Roger the son of Thomas and Elizabeth who died 1613; for this Roger left seven children (apparently the eldest son was named Thomas, which would be for his father), and for all we know he may have had other children who died young. So this Roger who died 1613 may have been as old as 45 or even older, and if so, was born before the death of Thomas and could have been his son.
      This is suggested merely as an alternative hypothesis. If it should be the correct one, then who was the Roger who had the son George (father as we think of the American Edward) baptized at Wooten Wawen in 1574? Conceivably he could have been brother of Thomas who died 1571 leaving four young children; that would make him a grandson (probably) and namesake of the early Roger with whom the pedigree starts. Either conjecture could be true; but this one would explain the lack of mention of George in the Benford will, although the stepson Roger was mentioned.
      Whatever solution is adopted, the records obtained by Mrs. Kiepura will have to serve as the basis for all future studies of the family. She has discovered also the identity and parentage of the wife of Edward Griswold the colonist, as will appear in what follows.)"
      B. TAG 39:180-81: "Margaret (Blencow) Griswold"
      "In the Visitation of Northamptonshire, "Harleian Society Publications," 87:19, is found a pedigree of Blencow of Marston-St. Lawrence, Kings Sutton Hundred. (For earlier generations, see Metcalfe, "Visitation of Northamptonshire, 1618-19, p. 69.) John Blencow of the said Marston-St. Lawrence, Esq., living in 1618, died about 1613, married first, Mary, daughter of John Walleson of Rislip in the County of Middlesex, and second, Joyce, daughter of Thomas Cooper of Powick, co. Warwick, widow of Francis Savage, D.D. There were nine sons and three daughters, all by the first wife, of whom Thomas, the eldest son, was aged 16 in 1618 and so born ca. 1602. Among the children was Margaret who niarried Edward Griswold of Cubbington in Solihull, co. Warwick.
      No parish records have been found at Marston-St. Lawrence. Turning to Middlesex pedigrees in "Harleian Society Publications," 65:136 [MS Harl. 1551, we find a pedigree of Wallison according to which John Wallison of Rislip, co. Middlesex, 1595, had three daughters and coheiresses: wife of John Blencow of Marsten, co. Northampton; Elizabeth wife of Maximillian Emyly of Hemeldon, co. Northampton; and Margaret wife of Thomas Bethon of Rowington, co. Warwick.
      It will thus be seen that the Margaret Blencow who married Edward Griswold of Cubbington had an aunt who lived in Rowington, where we found so many records of Griswolds, and as already shown, our Edward son of George was born in 1607 in Wooten Wawen, about four miles from Rowington. Most probably after the death of his first wife, the mother of Edward, George Griswold moved to Cubbington or Kenilworth, places which on map 37 of "A Genealogical Atlas of England and Wales" (Gardner-Harland-Smith) Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, 1960) are no more than three miles apart; and on the same map, Kenilworth is no more than six miles east of Rowington.
      In view of the large amount of research that has now of been done in this small section of Warwickshire, the apparent closeness in age of our Edward Griswold and of Margaret Blencow, and the fact that the colonist's wife was named Margaret, we conclude that her identity is clearly indicated by the above records. The contributor has invested considerable thought, energy and money in the search thus far, and if further confirmatory evidence is to be sought, it will have to be undertaken by other interested descendants.
      C. TAG 41:43-44: "Note on the Ancestry of the Griswolds of Connecticut," by John G. Hunt:
      "In her Griswold article, "The American Genealogist," 39:176-180, Mrs. Kiepura contributed valuable data, probably identifying the parents of Edward Griswold (c.1607-c.1691), the early Connecticut settler. She shows that the parish registers of Kenilworth, co. Warwick, were destroyed by fire. Some Griswold items from these registers seem to have been extant about a hundred years ago, and after some discussion of this matter with Mr. Jacobus, it has been left to him to comment on this matter in a note which follows this.
      Mrs. Kiepura's paper, near its close, indicates that the colonist, Edward Griswold, married Margaret Blencow. The "Victoria County History of Warwickshire, vol. 6, passim, reveals, sub Cubbington, that Edward Griswold of that parish which adjoins Kenilworth died in 1633. His I.p.m. shows that his wife Margaret died the same year. That she who died 1633 was born Margaret Blencow is suggested by the following circumstances.
      (1) Letters Patent, 3 Dec. 1633, by which Charles I granted to John Blinco of Marston St. Lawrence houses and lands in Cubbington, Tanworth, Solihull, and Lapworth in Warwickshire, during the minority of John, son and heir of Edward Greswold, gent., dec'd (this record was obtained by Ralph D. Phillips of Nassau, New York State, from the Northants Record Office).
      (2) I.P.M., wards 7/84-211: On death of Edward Greswold taken 20th Aug. 9 Chas. I [1633] – Margaret wife of Edward Greswold died at Cubbington 16 June last. John Greswold gent is heir aged l4 on June 5th last.
      (3) In Bridge's "History of Northamptonshire," I:183, sub Merston St. Lawrence, one may find the inscription on the brass in the church copied, in Latin. It shows that Thomas and John, sons of Edward Greswould, Esq., died by May 1640.
      (4) The pedigree of Blencow of Marston St. Lawrence, Northants, in the 1618 Visitation of Northamptonshire, shows that Margaret Blencow had married Edward Greswould of Cubbington by that year. Our colonist, born c. 1607, would have been under twelve in 1618, so it is extremely unlikely that he could have been husband of Margaret Blencow.
      In view of the foregoing facts, we must conclude that Edward Griswold of Cubbington, husband of Margaret Blencow, was not the New England settler, and Mrs. Kiepura writes that she now concurs and withdraws that part of her paper which relates to the Blencow marriage. The parentage of Edward Griswold of Cubbington, and his place in the Griswold pedigree, are known, but until a connection can be established with the branch of the family which produced the New England colonists, it seems unwise to devote further space to the Cubbington group.
      The following items, taken from "Descriptive Calendar of Ancient Deeds" [of Great Britain] may well relate to members of the branch of the family with which the main part of Mrs. Kiepura's article deals:
      Vol. III, no. D-798: grant by Bennet Medeley of Whitnash to [three other men] and Roger Greswold of lands in Radeway... (1495).
      Vol. II, no. B-2981: [in 1496] lic. granted to... Roger Greswold to grant lands [to abbot of Stonley] in Radeway [Stoneleigh Abbey lay next to Kenilworth."
      Vol. II, no. B-3376: Release dated 1472 by which John Greswold, son and heir of John Greswold of Rowing ton, gave to Richard Greswold his son, rights in Olton in Solihull which formerly belonged to said releasor, by demise of Thomas Benham of Henley.
      Vol. II, no. B-3378: Grant by John, son and heir of John Greswold of Rowinton, to Richard Greswold his brother, vicar of Toneworth, a messuage in Solihull which he inherited on his father's death. 1485."
      D. TAG 41:44-46: "Further Griswold Notes," by Donald Lines Jacobus:
      "As mentioned in Mr. Hunt's note above, items from the Kenilworth, Warwickshire, Parish Registers relating to Griswolds have appeared in prints and it seems advisable to comment on these. So far as ascertained, these items first appeared in print in "Family-Histories and Genealogies," by Edward Elbridge Salisbury and Evelyn McCurdy Salisbury, 1892, where they were attributed (see Vol. 2, pp. 1, 9, and footnote 23 on p. 11) to the papers of the then deceased Rev. F. W. Chapman of Rocky Hill, Conn. That gentleman was a prolific compiler of family histories (such as Chapman, Bulkeley and Trowbridge), and the English Griswold entries sound authentic. We can only suppose that he obtained them from someone in England who had access to what remained a century ago of the Kenilworth registers or to a copy of them.
      The cited footnote on page 11 states: "The existing records of Kenilworth give baptisms of children of Edward Griswold, as follows: Sarah, 1631; George, 1633; Sarah, 1635; Liddie, 1637." Only year dates are given, and in the supplemental volume of charts no dates are stated, not even the year dates.
      Also in 1892 Henry R. Stiles published his "History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor" which inc1udes (2:346-362) an account of the Griswold family. This refers to the Salisbury work on the family, and also, in a footnote on page 350 states: "We learn from Dr. Rufus W. Griswold of Wethersfield, Conn., that the late Rev. F. W. Chapman, prior to his death, had ready for collection [sic: publication must be meant] a very large genealogical collection of the Griswold family. We have not been able to obtain access to this collection. - H.R.S."
      Dr. Stiles therefore did not see the worth records which the Rev. Mr. Chapman had obtained, nor is there any reason to suppose from his account that he himself had procured any English research. Yet his account of the older children of Edward Griswold differs from the Salisbury account.
      Stiles states the first five children, with year dates of birth, as Sarah, 1631; George, 1633, Francis, 1635; Liddia, 1637; and Sarah, 1638. Four of them – all except Francis – are marked with an asterisk to indicate that the dates were from Kenilworth records. It will be seen that the 1635 date for the second Sarah was misread and misprinted as 1638. This left a gap between 1633 and 1637, and into this gap the unrecorded son Francis was fitted, in 1635. Now Sarah married at Windsor in 1650, and would have been only twelve at her date of marriage if born in 1638. Actually, she was born in 1635 and was fifteen at marriage. Another consequence of the error is a fictitious birth date of 1635 for Francis; since the first child of Francis was born 28 Mar. 1653, he surely was married in 1652, and the 1635 birth date would make him marry at seventeen. The Salisburys correctly list Francis as older than George, and I suggest that he may have been born about 1629, two years before the first recorded child. Edward was born 1607, so may well have married by 1628 or 1629. Several later writers, whom we need not name, have followed the Stiles errors.
      It seems to have been overlooked that other Griswold entries were found in the "yet existing Kenilworth records (as appears from Mr. Chapman's papers)," cited by the Salisburys. Apparently two men named Thomas "Grissold" appear in these entries from 1632 to 1636, and one Thomas Griswold was buried 5 May 1644. This was too early for these entries to relate to Thomas Griswold, the younger brother mentioned in the American depositions as remaining in England; since he was younger than both Edward and Matthew, and Matthew by his stated age was born about 1620, he himself was born not much if any earlier than 1622. Surely he was the Thomas Griswold who had a son Matthew born [sic] at Kenilworth on 1 May 1649.
      Undoubtedly this Matthew Griswold, son of Thomas and nephew of the colonists Edward and Matthew, is the man of this name whose will dated 20 Feb. 1701/2 describes him as of Tilehil1 in the parish of Stonleigh in the County of Warwick, yeoman. A photostatic copy of this will was obtained by Mrs. J.J. Kiepura and sent to me to copy, and the following abstract is presented with her permission. After stating that he is sick and weak in body and commending his soul to God, he refers to a bargain made with his brother Thomas to purchase "certaine Houses & Lands in Killingworth," the bargain to be sealed "at May day next" when the remaining balance of £65 is to be paid to the brother; and these houses and lands are to go, together with "the new stable," to the life use of his daughter Sarah Corbett and at her death to the heirs of her body, and for want of such issue then to his own "right heirs." This applied only to the part of the housing that was in the tenure of John Kirke and Joseph Moreton, the garden and stable. The balance of the housing "with all the ffeilds of Killingworth was to go to his wife Mary for life, then to his "other two daughters," Elizabeth and Hester. To his wife Mary, his house and lands at Beggars path with the commons, for life and then to said Elizabeth and Hester. His wife to be executrix of the personal estate, and the remainder to be divided between her and Elizabeth and Hester. There was a well belonging to the houses in Killingworth; this was to be held and used in common, with a right of way from each house.
      It is of some interest to learn that the Kenilworth housing, to which the colonists Edward and Matthew seem to have felt they had some claim, descended from their brother Thomas to his son Matthew (who bought out his brother Thomas, Jr.), and by will from Matthew to his eldest daughter Sarah (Griswold) Corbett. The earlier history of the Kenilworth housing, if it can be ascertained, may aid in further exploring the ancestry of the New England brothers of Thomas Griswold.
      The evidence set forth by Mr. Hunt in his note above makes it necessary to give up Margaret Blencow as wife of the emigrant Edward Griswold, since she was wife of a different Edward and died in England. However, it seems reasonably certain that Mrs. Kiepura in her paper has given us the baptismal record and parentage of the emigrant Edward, for it is highly improbable that in the same region and in the same year two George Griswolds would each name a son Edward. With this to build on, perhaps others can now obtain additional evidence and push the line further back."
      E. TAG 41:100-101: "Further Griswold Notes," by John G. Hunt
      "In an earlier article [TAG, supra, 40:46], reference was made to a will of Matthew Griswold of Stonleigh (near Kenilworth), Warwickshire, dated 1701/2, wherein his lands in Beggarspath are named.
      Mr. Ralph D. Phillips of Nassau, N.Y., obtained from England a photostatic copy of the will of Thomas Grishold of "Stonley," Warwickshire, dated the last day of Feb. 1620, wherein the testator, besides mentioning the rent of his house and grounds in the town and parish of Kennelworth, named his close called Beggarspath and ground called Broomfield alias Thickthorne, clearly in the vicinity of Kenilworth.
      While neither of these wills tells us anything of the ancestry of our early Griswolds of Connecticut, they become more meaningful when the following Chancery Proceeding is studied:
      "Chancery Proceedings
      Public Record Office
      C2 Jas I, G 11/26
      [No date in the body of the document, but in a later hand written on 17 Nov. 1607.]
      The Bill [i.e, petition wording badly worn away on one edge]
      Roger Greswold of Kenilworth yeoman says that about March 44 Eliz [1602/3] there was... between him on one part and Thos Braband, Anne mother of the said Thomas then wife of Thomas Hart, the same Thomas Hart, Richard Holmes & Alice on the other part, Certain closes or fields called Broomfields & other lands then in their possession to be purchased by Roger Greswold deceased father of the petitioner.
      The lands were entailed to the heirs male of William Greswold father of the said Roger Greswold deceased father of the petitioner.
      There was an arbitration before Sir Thomas Leigh. The petitioner "being in great necessity and need of money" showed the award to one Thomas Griswold who was then about to buy the lands.
      He alleges that Roger senior had thought wrongfully that the land was not entailed and sold it to Thomas Braband & Co.
      The Reply is that the defendant's father John Brabonde bought the property from Roger senior deceased."
      In the light of this chancery proceeding, and of the above cited wills, it seems clear that both Matthew and Thomas Griswold, the above testators, had some kinship to William Griswold, the father of the elder Roger Griswold of Kenilworth. The Thomas of the 1620 will may be identical with the Thomas named in the Chancery Proceedings. It now seems probable, as inferred by Mr Jacobus in his comment on Mrs. Kiepura's findings [TAG, supra, 39:179], that Roger Griswold (father of George who was father of the New England colonists) was brother, not son, of the Thomas Griswold who died in 1571. Further, it seems that William was father of this Roger. The following pedigree, suggested by Mr. Jacobus, may well be the closest to the facts of the case that we are likely to assemble, unless further documentary evidence should come to light.
      A. Roger Griswold of Rowington, will 1545.(1)
      B. William, b. ca. 1515-20?(2)
      C. Thomas of Rowington, b. ca. 1540?, will pr. 1571; m. Elizabeth, will 1614, m. (2) John Benford.(3)
      D. Roger of Rowington, b. ca. 1565? will 1613.(4)
      C. Roger of Kenilworth, b. ca. 1540-45?, d. bef. 1607.(5)
      D. Roger of Kenilworth, b. ca. 1570? of age by 1607.(6)
      D. Thomas of Stonley, d. 1620, house in Kenilworth.(7)
      D. George, bp. 1574 at Wooten Wawen.(8)
      E. Edward, bp. 1607 Wooten Wawen.(9)
      E. Matthew(10)
      E. George(11) [Next article below deletes this individual noting he was erroneously shown.]
      E. Thomas of Kenilworth(12)
      F. Thomas(13)
      F. Matthew of Stonley, will 1701/2.(14)
      In explanation, and to sum up the will of Roger (1) named his son William (2). In the Chancery record, Roger(6) is called son of Roger (4) who was son of William (2). Thomas (7) is not a proved son of Roger (4) but his will refers to land called Broomfield, and so does the Chancery record of Roger (6). The American settlers are Edward (9), Matthew (10) and George (11). The will of Matthew (14) refers to land in Beggarspath, and so does the will of Thomas (7). George (8) was baptized as son of Roger (4)."
      F. TAG 41:249: "Griswold Erratum," by D.L. Jacobus:
      "On the Griswold chart, TAG 41:101 (April 1965), omit the George who is numbered 11; the emigrants Edward an