Edward Griswold
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Edward Griswold (bef. 1607 - abt. 1691)

Edward Griswold
Born before in Wooten Wawen, Warwickshire, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married about 1629 (to 23 Aug 1670) in Englandmap
Husband of — married 1672 [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died about after about age 83 in Killingworth, Middlesex, Connecticutmap
Profile last modified | Created 13 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 16,996 times.
The Puritan Great Migration.
Edward Griswold migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 142)
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Contents

Research Background

Edward Griswold immigrated to Windsor, Connecticut in 1639, so did not appear in Robert Charles Anderson’s Great Migration series, but there is an entry for him in The Great Migration Directory, on page 142, with a number of sources documenting the following information:

It had been known for some time that Edward Griswold was born by 26 July 1607 in England, probably in Wooton Wawen, near Kenilworth, Warwickshire, that his first wife and mother of his children was Margaret ____, and that he emigrated in 1639 to Connecticut. [1] [2]

In 1963 in an article in The American Genealogist, Genevieve Tvlee Kiepura, explained her discovery of the baptism of Edward Griswold in England, the burial of his mother Dousabel and the baptism of his father George Griswold. [3] Kiepura also thought she had discovered the maiden name of Edward’s wife Margaret as Blencow, but her information was later disproved by John G. Hunt in a 1964 TAG article.[4] In “Further Griswold Notes” in the same TAG Volume 40, Donald Lines Jacobus explained in great detail how he had determined the correct birth dates of Edward’s first five children, all born in England[5], as follows:

  1. Francis Griswold, about 1629
  2. Sarah Griswold, 1631
  3. George Griswold, 1633
  4. Sarah Griswold, 1635
  5. Lydia Griswold, 1637

A year later, in an article titled “Further Griswold Notes” in TAG Volume 41, John G. Hunt and Donald Lines Jacobus provided a pedigree showing Edward’s descent from Roger Griswold of Rowington that “may well be the closest to the facts of the case that we are likely to assemble…”. Be sure to note the slight modifications to that tree that Jacobus provided in “Griswold Erratum” on page 249.[6]

Origins

That he was a son of one George Griswold is supported by a series of depositions given by him and other Griswolds, one of which directly says that his father's name was George:[7]

  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... [proving that 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 Griwsold, both of Windsor, Conn., testified that their grandfather's name was Edward Griswold, that their great-greatfather 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 "Killigsworth" 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. 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, 10:51-52]

One candidate for George (as father of Edward) was the son of Henry Griswold and Dorothy James, but Henry and Dorothy did not marry until 1592, so their son George could not have been old enough to have been father of Edward born 1607.

The parish records of Wooten Wawen (a chapelry of Henley) included the baptisms of Edward, son of George Griswold, 26 July 1607. This is believed to be the immigrant, although there is no Matthew or Michael in the index. The 28 August 1615 burial of Dousabel, wife of George Griswold in the same parish records, suggests she was his mother, and that his younger brothers had a different mother. This same parish has a baptism of George, son of Roger Griswold, 6 Nov 1574, all together identifying a likely origin for Edward's father.

Griswold. "The English Griswolds were an ancient county family established at Holihull, Warwickshire, England before 1400. The were descended from John Griswold who came from Kenilworth about the middle of the fourteenth century, and settled in Holihull."

Biography

Birth

Edward was baptized 26 JUL 1607 in Wooten Wawen, Warwickshire (near Kenilworth), England, the eldest of three [8] sons of George Griswold and Dousabel Leigh (who may have married 1 July 1594 in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England.

Edwardus 'Grissod or Grissel' father 'Georg.' as indexed by ancestry.com [9]

NOTE: here's the free link to the shared image https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/27283585?h=7d880e about halfway down the left page, it's 1607 as indexing at ancestry.com

Marriages

He married about 1628 Margaret _______. Her maiden name has not been confirmed; we know for certain that it was not Blencow. (See "Research Background" above.)

His second wife was Sarah Bemis, the widow of James Bemis, constable of New London, who died in 1665. They married in 1673. She was the daughter of John Dimond and his wife Rebecca Bemis.[10]

Emigration to Windsor, Connecticut

Edward emigrated to Windsor, Connecticut (Wethersfield) with his half-brother Matthew in 1639. Among the other passengers were Mr. William Whiting, Undertaker, and Rev. Ephraim Huet (or Huitt or Hewett), past minister at Wroxall, Warwickshire, England, of the Puritan faith. Rev Huit, who had been harassed and silenced by Archbishop Laud, left his living at Kenilworth, Warwickshire and brought with him and his family, "Warwickshire neighbours like Edward Griswold".[11]
At Hartford Court, 13 Sep 1649.
"This Courte taking into consideracon the many dangers that the familyes of Thomas Holcombe, Edward Grisswold, John Barlitt, Francis Grisswold, and George Grisswold, all of Wyndsor, are in and exposed unto, by reason of their remoate living from neighbors and nearenes to the Indians, in case they should all leave theire families together without any guard; doth free one souldger of the foremenconed families from training uppon every training day; each family aforesaid to share herein according to the number of souldgers that are in them: provided that man which tarryes at home stands about the aforesaid howses uppon his sentinell posture." 15 May 1662 Edward Griswold served on the Grand Jury of the General Court at Hartford[12]
Edward Griswold was a deputy to the General Court in 1658, 1660, 1662, & 1663. In 1659 he built the Old Fort at Springfield.
He was granted land at Paquonoc (or Poquonoc) north of Windsor, but did not move there until after the title of the Indians was fully extinguished in 1642. He was a resident there in 1649. His sons George & Joseph inherited this homestead.
"....Griswold immigrants, Matthew and Edward, whom we know were brothers, both came in 1639 and settled in Windsor, Connecticut. Another brother of Matthew and Edward remained in England, Thomas, as proved by the deposition of George Griswold, son of Edward, in 1700...

Among Founders of Killingworth, Connecticut

Deacon Edward Griswold was closely involved in the settling of Killingworth, Connecticut.
In 1663, Edward and his son John moved to Hammonasset, later called Killingworth, probably from the the name Kenilworth Parish in Warwickshire, England of which Wroxall was a part. Present Clinton, Connecticut, is the location of Killingworth.
In 1669, Edward Griswold, and sons-in-law Samuel Buel and Jonas Westover were recorded as freeman in Killingworth.[13][12]


Death and Burial

A date of death or a probate record for Edward was not found in the online records. There is a new (1990) memorial stone at Indian River Cemetery, Clinton, Connecticut. This stone says he died in 1690.[14] There was a Find a Grave memorial (166956464) in Bloomfield at Old Wintonbury Cemetery which was merged with the Indian River Cemetery memorial listed above.

Children

Children of Edward and Margaret Griswold:[15]

  1. Francis Griswold b. about 1629
  2. Sarah Griswold, b. 1631, died young
  3. George Griswold b. 1633, m. Mary Holcomb
  4. Sarah Griswold b. 1635, m. Samuel Phelps and Nathaniel Pinney
  5. Lydia Griswold b. 1637, no further information
  6. John Griswold d. at Windsor, 1642
  7. Hannah/Ann Griswold b. 1642, m. Jonas Westover
  8. Mary Griswold b. 1644, m. Timothy Phelps
  9. Deborah Griswold b. 1646, m. Samuel Buell
  10. Joseph Griswold b. 1647/8, m. Mary Gaylord
  11. Samuel Griswold b. 1649
  12. John Griswold b. 1652, m. Mary Bemis and Bathsheba North

Research Notes

Edward Griswold Additional Biographical for lengthy extraction from Genealogical and Personal History of Western Pennsylvania, 3:1709-11.

Sources

  1. Mary Walton Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, (1943, 1931), viewed on Ancestry.com, pages 399-404.
  2. Glenn E. Griswold, The Griswold Family, England-America (Middleboro, Massachusetts, 1935), viewed on Ancestry.com, pages 16-18.
  3. Genevieve Tvlee Kiepura, “Griswold Ancestry in England”, article in The American Genealogist, Vol 39 (1963), pages 176-180.
  4. John G. Hunt, B.S.C., of Arlington, Va, “Note on the Ancestry of the Griswolds of Connecticut”, article in The American Genealogist, Vol 40 (1964), pages 43-44.
  5. Donald Lines Jacobus, “Further Griswold Notes”, article in The American Genealogist, Vol 40 (1964), pages 44-46.
  6. John G. Hunt, B.S.C., of Arlington, Va, “Further Griswold Notes”, article in The American Genealogist, Vol 41 (1965), pages 100-101, 214, 249.
  7. Genevieve Tylee Kiepura, "Griswold Ancestry in England," in The American Genealogist, 39:176-
  8. see testimony (above) of 19 Jan 1737/8, by Capt. George Griswold, aged about 72
  9. Warwickshire County Record Office; Warwick, England; Warwickshire Anglican Registers; Roll: Engl/2/1086; Document Reference: DR 195 Image 19 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2416/images/4290987_00030?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=784155d6f66daa80fdc896cff11f8831&usePUB=true&_phsrc=mXc21&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.110505793.536876720.1643561661-324144577.1643561661&pId=3436291
  10. Glenn E. Griswold, The Griswold Family, England-America (Middleboro, Massachusetts, 1935), viewed on Ancestry.com, page 17.
  11. Dorset Pilgrims: The story of West country Pilgrims who went to New England in the 17th Century, Frank Thistlethwaite, 1989
  12. 12.0 12.1 The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut Vol I pg 191, 195, 315, Index p. 596
  13. William Richard Cutter, New England Families Genealogical and Memorial
  14. Find A Grave: Memorial #11666989
  15. Edgar F. Waterman, The Waterman Family, Descendants of Robert Waterman of Marshfield, Massachusetts (1939), pages 665-667.
  • Thistlethwaite, Frank, Dorset Pilgrims: The story of West country Pilgrims who went to New England in the 17th Century, (London, Barrie & Jenkins, 1989). Edward Griswold: Pages 139, 145, 155, 157, 160, 233. NOTE: a scholarly work with 12 pages of sources, detailing the lives of the founders of Dorchester, Massachusetts and Windsor, Connecticut, particularly in their interrelationships.
  • Comments and Corrections, The American Genealogist, Vol 43 (1967), page 238.
  • Griswold Addendum, The American Genealogist, Vol 44 (1968), page 115.

See also:





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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Edward by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Edward:

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Comments: 23

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It seems to me that there is too much at the top of this profile that should be moved to the bottom under research notes. There need only be enough at the top to let people know that the origins are in disputed - under a paragraph titled "Disputed Origins." I added PGM maintenance categories.

Sorry, I've got too much on my list to offer to do the work at this time.

Baptism entry 26 July 1605/6 Edwardus Grissod father Georgy.

Warwickshire County Record Office; Warwick, England; Warwickshire Anglican Registers; Roll: Engl/2/1086; Document Reference: DR 195 Image 19 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2416/images/4290987_00030?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=784155d6f66daa80fdc896cff11f8831&usePUB=true&_phsrc=mXc21&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.110505793.536876720.1643561661-324144577.1643561661&pId=3436291

posted by Beryl Meehan
Beryl, that link goes to the "invite to join" page of Ancestry.com.

Can you produce a link to the actual registers?

Cheryl, here's the free link to the shared image https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/27283585?h=7d880e about halfway down the left page, it's 1605, definitely not 1607 so the bio text is wrong.

And the link to the record seems to work although as usual there is a shorter one...were you not logged into ancestry? https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2416/images/4290987_00030

Edit: found a transcription on familysearch.org https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSMW-496S-Y?i=169&cat=46912 and on image 205 of 815 it shows Edward's christening but shows it as 1607. Look at the image on ancestry or familysearch and tell me what you think is the right year. The burial shows up on image 225.

Here's the original images on familysearch https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-64PQ-BBY?i=13&cc=1462403&cat=307489 the 1605 christening is on image 21 of 46 and here's the "Dousabel" 1615 burial, familysearch was kind enough to provide and index https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-64PQ-54B?i=53&cc=1462403&cat=307489 it looks like she was of "Edeston" so maybe nearby Edstone?

Interestingly, an Edward Grissould burial appears in the same parish on 11 Mar 1683 at findmypast.co.uk without supplemental information such as "son of" etc https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=GBPRS%2FWARWICKSHIRE%2FBUR%2F001124750 With such a common name, I don't want to say "same man, not the immigrant" but it's at least cautionary, I think and maybe warrants a bit more looking for a marriage or children of this man in that parish. But it's going to require manual work, that ancestry chirstening record did not come up in an indexed search for "Edwardus" with any/all last names when I ran it.

I looked for christenings of Francis and/or Sarah around where they were supposed to be and found nothing, but of course even if this is where Edward was born, he could have married etc in a different parish.

posted by Brad Stauf
edited by Brad Stauf
wow, I'm so impressed with your detailed research work, Brad!

I'm not a member of ancestry.com, so I thought to notify Beryl about the link. Griswold is my 9th ggfather.

I'm on the trusted list, and I could update the profile, but I am surely getting a long list of profiles that need work. If one of the Profile Managers would like to update this profile using Brad's sources, will you please comment here? Many thanks.

I'm a little late to the party but... looking at it on Ancestry, yes, the original link does work with an International subscription; and the bp. is definitely 1607. If you look directly above "Edwardus" you'll see it, slightly obscured but quite visible when magnified.

It's indexed as "Edwardus Grissel" (father, "Georg") ... but it's also separately indexed as "Edwardus Gressol" (father, "Gorgii"). Only the index listing of the first spelling, however, includes a direct link to the image of the original.

The word between the surname and the father's given name is, I believe, "filius"; and I think the correct transcription of the father's name should likely be "Georgus" [the "e" is crowded back into the "G"; the "u" is cramped]... but that's a little trickier than the rest of it.

posted by Christopher Childs
So it's written out of order, it was under the 1605 christenings and I didn't magnify it enough to see it well. Good catch.
posted by Brad Stauf
THE WITCHCRAFT DELUSION IN COLONIAL CONNECTICUT, 1647-1697, JOHN M. TAYLOR

Author of "Maximilian and Carlotta, a Story of Imperialism," and "Roger Ludlow, the Colonial Lawmaker"

Copyright, 1908, BY THE GRAFTON PRESS, CHAPTER IV


.........."These were the magistrates at a session entitled "A particular courte in Hartford upon the tryall of John Carrington and his wife 20th Feb., 1662" (See Rec. P.C., 2: 17): Edw. Hopkins Esqr., Gournor John Haynes Esqr. Deputy, Mr. Wells, Mr. Woolcott, Mr. Webster, Mr. Cullick, Mr. Clarke.

This court had jurisdiction over misdemeanors, and was "aided by a jury," as a close student of colonial history, the late Sherman W. Adams, quaintly says in one of his historical papers. These were the jurymen:

Mr. Phelps, John White , John More, Mr. Tailecoat, Will Leawis, Edw. Griswold, Mr. Hollister, Sam. Smith, Steph. Harte, Daniel Milton, John Pratt, Theo. Judd...................

posted by [Living Vigneron]
The above is found on page 38; link: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044022663546&view=1up&seq=76&q1=%22Edw.%20Griswold%22 .

Both John and Joan Carrington were put to death, presumably by hanging and probably shortly after the guilty verdict was delivered. The book "Legal Executions in New England" reports that they were both executed on the first of April (Legal Executions in New England : A Comprehensive Reference, 1623-1960, by Daniel Allen Hearn, Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 1999; see list of executions at https://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/law/capitalpunishment/personsexecuted).

I believe Taylor confused Edward Griswold's service on the Carrington jury with his later jury service of 1662: while the Taylor text reports the trial as commencing in February of 1662, all other sources I have seen show 1650/51 -- including the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch's Law Library Services: "Joan and John Carrington also of Wethersfield were executed in 1651." -- https://www.jud.ct.gov/lawlib/history/witches.htm.

A personal comment: as a direct maternal descendant of Edward Griswold, I note the irony that my maternal ancestry also includes one of the Salem victims, Susannah (North) Martin. It is disturbing, to say the least, to find Edward involved in the precedential lunacy in Connecticut forty years before Salem.

posted by Christopher Childs
edited by Christopher Childs
Great information here, everyone! Thank you. I'm looking for a bit of help. Can someone please provide the text that's cited in John G. Hunt, B.S.C., of Arlington, Va, “Note on the Ancestry of the Griswolds of Connecticut”, article in The American Genealogist, Vol 40 (1964), pages 43-44. It's not available online and I'd like to know why Blincoe/Blincow is not the surname of his Margaret. I searched for a good while trying to find volume 40 of TAG online and just can't get one. Curiosity has got the better of me. For now, on my tree I've just got a question mark after her last name and left it at that. But I'd like to make some notes. Thanks much!
Sarah, here's the quote from TAG 40:43: "(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 colonists, 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."
Good point, Jillaine. I think it's fine to remove "of Killingworth" as his middle name.
posted by Kay (Johnson) Wilson
Thank you, Kay. Is there a reason to retain "of Kenilworth" as a middle name? Was there another Edward we're trying to distinguish him

from?

posted by Jillaine Smith
I believe that I have Edward's ancestry, wives and children entered correctly, and that all of the sources I'm aware of are recorded. If anyone else would like to re-write his biography, please go ahead. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
posted by Kay (Johnson) Wilson
Revising the bios and adding sources for all of the Edward Griswld family members is a big project and taking me some time. I'm still working on them. When I've entered all I can find, I'll probably ask for some help in re-writing the bio. I think I'll be able to enter all I've found within the coming week.
posted by Kay (Johnson) Wilson
Did a little clean-up, removing a couple sentences that belong on Edward's father's profile. Saved the embedded source (Family Search file for Edward) and cited it in "See Also".
Hmm... ? There are two find a grave memorials. Clinton - Has an image of a new stone says 1607-1690 but the memorial says he died 30 Aug 1691 and Bloomfield - no image also no source says he died 30 Aug 1690. A great many secondary sources say d. 1691. Which is it? I didn't find a record of death or probate at Ancestry
posted by Anne B
Edward's first wife was Margaret ____, and his second was Sarah Diamond, the widow of James Bemis. I've proposed a merge of Margaret Diamond-1355 with Margaret Unknown-221279 that should solve the problem. The same person who recently added this extra wife also added another profile for Edward's son Francis Griswold, and I've also proposed a merge for those two. There are excellent sources for Edward Griswold in The Great Migration Directory, and I'm in the process of adding sources and re-writing biographies for all of his family, starting with Roger Griswold-461, his 2nd great grandfather.
posted by Kay (Johnson) Wilson
Is there some source for Margaret Diamond as his first wife? This person appears to have materialized out of thin air, via a gedcom. IMO unless a source can be offered, she should be detached. Margaret (Unknown) Griswold & Edward are my direct ancestors and while I would love to know her actual identity, I see no proof that this is it...
posted by Christopher Childs
Griswold-746 and Griswold-33 appear to represent the same person because: Griswold-746 was a dupe created in 2014; please merge him away into Griswold-33. Thank you.
posted by Jillaine Smith
Griswold-806 and Griswold-33 appear to represent the same person because: same dates, and headstone picture
posted by Robin Lee