An American Family History

Stephen Griswold was the son of Isaac Griswold and Jemima Keep. He was born on November 21, 1732 in Killingsworth, Middlesex County, Connecticut.

His married, Hannah Colmons on January 10, 1751 in Bolton, Tolland County, Connecticut.

Stephen and Hannah's children were born in Connecticut. Molly Griswold, Isaac Griswold (1753), Jemima Griswold (1756), Mary Griswold (1761) and Stephen Griswold (1767). Hannah died on December 2, 1767

Captain Stephen Griswold was probably the first settler of Sullivan, New Hampshire. He must have settled there as early as 1768.

During the revolution he was a lieutenant in Colonel Samuel Ashley’s regiment of the militia which was sent to reinforce the “Northern Army” from October 21st to November 16th in 1776. Colonel Samuel Ashley’s Regiment of Militia marched from the County of Cheshire at the requisition of Major General Gates to reinforce the Army of Ticonderoga. He served with Captain Isaac Davis, his wife’s first husband.

Lieut. Stephen Griswold. This young man entered the army the very fall that his father moved from this place. He was made a lieutenant in the company of Capt. Isaac Davis, in Col. Ashley's regiment, which went, in 1776, at the requisition of Maj. Gen. Gates, to reinforce the continental army at Ticonderoga. Griswold became a captain of the militia in Keene. (History of the Town of Sullivan)

On September 22, 1778 he married Elizabeth Powers Davis. They were married by Abraham Wood, clerk in Keene. Their children and life together are described in detail in the section on Isaac and Elizabeth Davis.

After leaving the farm he may have lived in Gilsum where his son had a store and operated a mill. He died about 1806.

1. STEPHEN1 GRISWOLD was probably the first settler of S. He lived at the site of the later house of the Lockes, at 102. He must have settled there as early as 1768, having been the drawee of the lot upon which he settled. Benjamin Olcott came the same year to what is now the town farm, and lived at the site of 68. They were the first two families in town, and evidence seems to make it probable that the Griswolds preceded the Olcotts. Mrs. Griswold's first name was Hannah. We know no more of her.

He m. 2d, Sept. 22, 1778, in Chesterfield, by Rev. Abraham Wood, Mrs. Elizabeth [Powers] Davis, probably the widow of Capt. Isaac Davis of that town. Ac. to Hayward's Gilsum, he d. ab. 1806. We know no more of his personal history.

We do not know the number of his ch., nor the order of their births. Among them were
Stephen, Jr., 2;
Isaac, 3;
Jemima, b. in Keene, July 1755; m. Timothy Dewey, Jr., q. v. probably also Mary* (or Mally), 4;
and Clara, 5.
he lived in S., on the place named until 1776, when he sold it to Joseph Ellis, Sr.
Flavia and Esther, daus. of Stephen Griswold, who were bap. in Keene, July 7, 1785, were most likely, also, daus. of the elder Stephen by his second wife. *We do not know any more of them.
Joseph Griswold of Surry, who was m. in that town, Apr. 8. 1801, by Key. P. Howe, to Susannah Fowler of Surry, may possibly have been a son or grandson of Stephen Griswold, Sr.
Asahel Griswold of Walpole, also, who m., Sept. 1796, Prudence Bliss of Gilsum, may have been another son of Stephen Griswold, Sr. No one of his ch. was b. in what is now Sullivan. We cannot discover the family record.

2. STEPHEN" GRISWOLD, JR., son of Stephen', 1, m., Sept. 2, 1790, in Keene, by Rev. A. Hall, to Cynthia Kingsbury, b. in Wrentham, Mass., June 27, 1769; dau. of Daniel and Nancy (Thurston) Kingsbury. They lived in Keene and Gilsum, and removed to Keene, N. H. He owned for two years, 1805-07, the old farm in S., which was later the farm of Rev. C. Cummings, at 178. It is not probable that he lived upon it. He lived at Gilsum "Lower Village," and had a store. His father also lived there and operated a mill. We know of seven ch...

3. ISAAC GRISWOLD, son of Stephen,1. m., Aug. 10, 1778, Mrs. Lucy (Osgood) Wilder, b. in Leoininster, Mass., Jan. 2, 1752; dau. of Joshua and Lucy (Carter) Osgood, and widow of Thomas Wilder. They were m. in Keene, by Rev. A. Hall. Eight ch...probably the Isaac who m., Mar. 11, 1803, Orpah Bliss of Gisum, b. there, ab. 1780, dau. of Jonathan and Sarah Bliss; ...

4. MARY (or MOLLY) GRISWOLD, probably a dau. of Stephen, 1, m., Sept. 2, 1784, ac. to a Gilsum record, Zadok Hurd, b. in East Haddam, Conn., ab. 1760. ..

5. CLARA GRISWOLD, probably dau. of Stephen, 1, m. in Keene, Apr. 26, 1803, by Lockhart Willard, Esq., to Luther Rockwood of Elizabeth town, N. J.

For family trees and all source information, link to my RootsWeb File