GRISWOLD
GRISWOLD
^^^€^^y^t.-^
(Veits) Griswolil ; f;i"indson of Samuel Griswold
and of John and Lois Veits; and grandson of Dr.
Alexander Veits, a Dutch settler of New York,
who came to Siinsbury, where he purcliased the
copper mines, which under his management
proved unjjrotitable.
Tlie Griswolds were
descended from Mat-
thew, who came from
England to Nantucket
island. May 30, 1030,
and whose son Ed-
ward appears on the
records of Windsor,
Conn., in 1640. Elisha
Griswold was a mem-
ber of the Established
church and intended
to educate Ale.xander
at Yale. His pre-
paratory education
was acquired under the instruction of his
uncle, the Rev. Rogers Veits, the rector of St.
Andrew's church, Simsbury, who owned a good
library, almost every book of which Alexander
confessed to have read. His uncle in 1785 de-
cided to remove to Digby, Nova Scotia, and
Alexander was invited to accompany him to his
new home and continue his studies. Meantime
he was betrothed to Elizabeth Mitchelson and he
decided to forego a college education, to marry
and take his bride to Nova Scotia. He was mar-
ried the latter part of 1785 and cared for his
uncle's farm and household during his absence
the next summer in his new parish. The family
removed to Nova Scotia in 1787, but the oppo-
sition of the young bride's parents, who had
learned that the place was not healthful, deter-
mined Ale.vauder to i-emain in Simsbury and
become a farmer. He joined a club of young men
who had taken up the study of law and made
rapid progress, continuing his farm labors and
teaching the district school, but finally decided
to offer himself to the convention tliat met in
June, 1794, as a candidate for orders in the
church, and was accepted, and after reading one
printeil sermon he was permitted to preach his
own sermons. He was invited to officiate in
three parishes, Plymouth, Harwinton and Litch-
field, and for one j'ear he served the three, trav-
elling from one parish to the others on hor.seback.
He was admitted to deacon's orders at the con-
vention at Stratford, June 3, 1795, and to priests'
orders at the convention in Plymouth, Oct. I,
1795. by Bishop Seabury. He continued as rector
of St. Matthew's, East Plymouth; Trinity, Litch-
field, and St. Mark's, Harwinton, till May, 1804,
when he was called to Bristol as rector of St.
Michael's. In 1810 he was the unanimous choice
of the convention assembled in Boston for bishop
of the newly organized eastern diocese, compris-
ing all tlie New England states except Connecti-
cut, and he was elected May 31, 1810, and his
consecration took place in Trinity church. New
Y'ork city. May 29, 1811. The bishops who per-
formed the consecration ceremony were White
Provoost and Jarvis. His wife Elizabeth died
Sept. 10, 1817, and his eldest daughter Julia in
1836; and in 1828 he was married to Mrs. Amelia
Smith, widow of a brother of Benjamin Bosworth
Smith, first bishop of Kentucky. Bishop Gris-
wold continued as the rector of St. Michael's in
addition to his Episcopal duties until 1830, when
he removed from Bristol, R.I., to Salem, Mass.,
and took charge of St. Peter's church. In 1835
the increasing care of his growing diocese com-
pelled him to resign his rectorship and he re-
moved to Boston, Mass., and on Dec. 29, 1842,
Dr. Manton Eastburn of New York was conse-
crated assistant bishop and relieved the bishop of
his heaviest burdens. On the death of Bishop
White, July 17, 1836, Bishop Griswold became
senior bishop of the American episcopate and pre-
siding officer of the house of bishops. He re-
ceived the honorary degree of A.M. from Brown
in 1810, and that of S.T.D. from Brown and from
the College of New Jersey in 1811 and from Har-
vard in 1812. He was connected with Brown as a
fellow, 181'2-15, as a trustee, 1815-28, and as chan-
cellor, 1815-28. His published works include:
Discoiirses oti the Most Important Dortrines and
Duties of the Christian Iteligion; The Eefurmation
and the Apostolic Office ; Bemarks on Social Prayer
3/prtnir/.< ; and occasional sermons and addresses.
See Memiiir of the Life of the lit. Jiev. Alexander
V. Grisxrold. D.D. (1844) by John S. Stone, D.D.,
rector of Christ church, Brooklyn, N.Y. He died
suddenl}' on the doorstep of the house of Bishop
Eastlnirn in Boston, JIass., Feb. 15, 1843.
GRISWOLD, Casimir Clayton, painter, was born in Delaware, Ohio, in 1834; son of Ezra Griswold. He attended public school in Ohio, studied wood engraving in Cincinnati, and took painting lessons of his brother. In 1850 he re- moved to New York city, where he exhibited his first picture at the National academy of design in 1857. He was a charter n.eniber of the Artists' fund society, an associate academician in 1866, and an academician in 1867. In 1872 he removed to Rome, Italy, and returned to New York in 1886. His paintings, which consist chiefly of landscapes and coast scenes, include: December (1864); Winter Norninci (1865); 'Ilie Last of the Ice (ISeT) ; Awntst Day, Xeirport (1868) •, Early Spring C1869) ; Piirr/atoiij Point, Kcxrport (1870) : Lago de Nemi (1874) ; Ponte NoUe Across the Tiber (1878) : Monte Spinelli Unitria ; and Mar Albano.
