Generation 1

ROGER GRISWOLD of Wootten Wawen

Parents: Roger may have been the son or the brother of Thomas Griswold of Rowington, husbandman, who signed his will on 23 Feb 1570. He names a son Roger Griswold, a mother Elizabeth, a wife Elizabeth and daughters Mary, Margaret and Isabel. [Ref and editors] Thomas may have been the grandson of Roger Griswold of Rowington who signed his will on 9 Jun 1545, naming a wife Margaret, brother John and sons Robert, William, John and Richard.

Roger Griswold married Elizabeth Unknown. She may have later married John Benford of Henley. An alternative possibility is that this Roger's mother was named Elizabeth and she was the one who married John Benford. [Ref, editors]

Elizabeth Benford, late of Rowington, widow, signed her will on 12 Sep 1614.

John Benford of Henley signed his will on 15 May 1597. He mentions his wife Elizabeth, son Baldwyn, son John, daughter Joan, brother Buck, son Roger Griswold. [Ref]

Rowington and Henley are close to Wootten Wawen.

Children of Roger Griswold and Elizabeth Unknown:

1. George Griswold was baptised on 6 Nov 1574 in Wootten Wawen. He married first Dousabel Unknown. He had an unknown second wife.
2. Roger Griswold of Rowington married, perhaps second, Joan Unknown. He signed his will on 2 Feb 1613. He mentions his wife Joan; sons Thomas, William, Henry, John, Roger, Richard; daughter Katherine; mother Elizabeth Benford. [Ref]

Generation 2

GEORGE GRISWOLD (bp. 1574) of Wootten Wawen

Parents: Perhaps Roger Griswold [Ref]

George Griswold may be the George baptised on 6 Nov 1574 in Wootten Wawen. He married Dousabel Unknown. She was buried on 28 Aug 1615 in Wootten Wawen. He had an unknown later wife

On 19 Jan 1737/8 Capt. George Griswold, age about 72, and Mr. John Griswold, age about 69, sons of George Griswold of Windsor, testified that their grandfather's name was Edward and their great-grandfather's name was George Griswold. They said that he had three sons: the eldest was Edward, the second was Matthew and the third was Thomas. The first two came to New England from Kenilworth in Warwickshire. The also said that Edward's eldest son was reputed to be Francis Griswold. [Ref]

In his will of 14 May 1674 John Riley named his brothers John Belding and Emmanuel Buck and his cousin Matthew Griswold. [Ref]

An Edward, son of George Griswold, was baptised on 26 Jul 1607 in Wootten Wawen, Warwickshire. It is likely that this is the colonist Edward. Also recorded at Wootten Wawen are the burials of Dousabel, wife of George, on 28 Aug 1615 and the baptism of George, son of Roger on 6 Nov 1574. [Ref]

Children of George Griswold and Dousabel Unknown:

1. Edward Griswold was born about 1607, based on his deposition of 15 May 16845 that he was about 77. [Ref] Edward married Margaret Unknown. [Ref] She died on 23 Aug 1670. [Ref] Edward had a son Edward born about 1633.

Children of George Griswold and and unknown later wife:

1. Matthew Griswold married Anne Wolcott.
2. Thomas Griswold

Generation 3

MATTHEW GRISWOLD (b. c. 1620) of Lyme

Parents: George Griswold [Ref]

Matthew Griswold was born about 1620, based on his deposition of 15 May 1684 that he was about 64. [Ref] He married Anne Wolcott.

Based on their testimony of 15 May 1684, Matthew and his brother Edward came to New England about 1639. [Ref]

On 21 Nov 1699 Lieut. Brunson, administrator of the estate of the late Matthew Griswold of Lyme, with the approbation of his mother-in-law Mrs. Anna Griswold, also administratrix of the estate, distributed shares of the estate to Matthew Griswold, son of the deceased, himself, Matthew Beckwith in right of his wife Elizabeth, Elizabeth Colton, daughter of Mr. Thomas Colton and the widow Anna Griswold. [Ref]

George Griswold, age about 67, testified on 9 May 1700 that when he was small he lived with his father Edward in a town called "Keillinsworth in Warrockshire" [Kenilworth, Warwickshire] and that his father said that the house belonged to his brother Matthew Griswold. On 10 Oct 1700 Matthew Griswold complained that all deeds concerning his father Matthew Griswold in old England were withheld. At the perogative court at New London on 28 Nov 1700 Abraham Brunson, Anna his wife, Mary, Dorothy, Elizabeth and Sarah Brunson and James Barremore were questioned about deeds, writings and lands belonging to Matthew Griswold, deceased. [Ref]

Matthew and his brother Edward came to Windsor in 1639 with the Rev. Huit. [Ref] Matthew later went to Lyme; Edward remained in Windsor. [Ref]

In (1680?) Mathew and Thomas Bliss were chosen by the town of Saybrook to "lay out a lot of land to an Indian named The Giant," near Black Point, in what is now East Lyme, Conn. [Ref, p. 34]

Children of Matthew Griswold and Anne Wolcott:

1. Sarah Griswold married Capt. Thomas Coltan.
2. Matthew Griswold, the husband of Phebe Hyde, died on 13 Jan 1715/6 in Lyme. [Ref] He married first Phebe Hyde. He married second Mary DeWolfe. [Ref] Mary was the daughter of Balthazar DeWolfe. [Ref] Mary was born about 1656 in Hartford. [Ref] She died on 24 Oct 1724 in Lyme as the widow of Matthew Griswold. [Ref] She married first Thomas Lee. [Ref] Thomas was the son of Thomas and Phebe (Brown) Lee. [Ref] He was baptised in Rusper, Sussex, England and 29 Sep 1644. [Ref] He died on 5 Jan 1704/5. [Ref] He married (possibly second) Sarah Kirtland. [Ref] Sarah was the daughter of Nathaniel Kirtland and, possibly, an unknown first wife. [Ref] She was born in Southampton, Long Island. [Ref] She died on 21 May 1676 in Lyme. [Ref]
   There was a marriage covenant between Mr. Matthew Griswold and Mrs. Mary Lee, both of Lyme. Her daughters are referred to. [Ref]
   
3. Anna Griswold married Lieut. Abraham Brunson.
4. Elizabeth Griswold married first the Quaker John Rogers. [Ref, ch. 52] They divorced. [Ref, ch. 52] She married second Peter Platt. [Ref, ch. 52] He died on 24 Mar 1685. [Ref, ch. 52] She married third, as his second wife, Matthew Beckwith in 1689. [Ref, ch. 52] Martin was the son of Matthew and Mary (Lynde) Beckwith. [Ref, ch. 52] He died on 14 Jun 1727 in Lyme. [Ref, ch. 52] He married first Elizabeth Unknown. [Ref, ch. 52] He "seems" to have married third Sarah Unknown. [Ref, ch. 52]

Generation 4

SARAH GRISWOLD (d. 1690)

Parents: Matthew Griswold and Anne Wolcott [Ref, 2;122]

Sarah Griswold was born in Lyme, CT. [Ref, 2;122] She died on 12 Sep 1690 [Ref, 2;122], a day after her stillborn seventh child. [Ref] She married Capt. Thomas Colton on 11 Sep 1677. [Ref][Ref, 2;122]

References

Allen, William, "Longmeadow (Mass.) Families," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 31, 1877, 417-420; 33, 1879, 202-204.

Bliss, John Homer, Genealogy of the Bliss Family in America from about the Year 1550 to 1880, 1881, 2nd edition, Henry Putnam Bliss, Middletown, CT, 1904,
Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2002.

Doherty, Frank J., The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Dutchess County, New York: An historical and genealogical Study of all the 18th century settlers in the patent, six volumes, orig. pub. by Frank J. Doherty, Pleasant Valley, NY, 1990–2001, Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2003.

Driscoll, Althea, "Early Settlers of Windsor," Connecticut Nutmegger 6, 1973, 343.

Griswold, Glenn E., The Griswold Family: England-America, Middleboro, MA, Griswold Family Association of America, 1935.

Jacobus, Donald Lines, "Lyme (Conn.) Land Records," The American Genealogist 22, 1945, 258-262.

Jacobus, Donald L., "New London Probate Records: Files before 1710," The American Genealogist 11, 1934, 155-156.

Kiepura, Genevieve Tylee, "Griswold Ancestry in England," The American Genealogist 39, 1963, 176-179.

Stott, Clifford, "Humphrey Blake (1494? - 1558) and his Descendants in New England and South Carolina: Blake, Richards, Selleck, Torrey and Wolcott," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 163, 2009, 85-97, 199-211, 278-295; 164, 2010, 63-74.

Vital Records for Lyme, New London, CT on DUNHAM - WILCOX - TROTT - KIRK, http://dunhamwilcox.net/.

Weald, Frederick W., "The Family of Nathaniel Kirtland," The American Genealogist 36, 1960, 88-91.