Family-histories and genealogies : containing a series of ...

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in Solihull, and still later the Malvern Hall estate a few miles distant.
So far as we have learned there has been no family of the name elsewhere.
There would not be likely, therefore, to be two families of the name there
of distinct origin.
In accordance with these views, believing that the emigrants Edward
and Matthew Griswold belonged to the landed gentry of England, we do
not hesitate to place the arms of the ancient family of Greswold of War-
wickshire at the head of this monograph.
" Matthew Griswold died in his house at Lyme [September 27, 1698],
was buried at Saybrook ;
his gravestone is not to be found." Mrs. Gris-
wold survived him, and was living September 1 7, 1 700, when she and her
son-in-law Abraham Brownson were both cited to appear before the New
London County Court, as administrators of her husband's estate ; but she
had, probably, died before May 22, 1701, when Brownson was summoned
alone as administrator, by the same Court. Her age in 1699 was seventy-
nine years."'
Matthew and Anna (Wolcott) Griswold had five children, named in
the following order in a family-record : Sarah^
Matthew^ Johii;" Eliza-
beth^ Anna? But neither the family-papers nor the existing public
records of Windsor, Saybrook or Lyme (all of which have been consulted)
give us their birth-days, excepting that of Matthew, who was born in
1653. This date being given, it is immediately evident that the order of
names, at one point at least, should be changed ; for, if Elizabeth was the
second child born after Matthew, her birth could not have occurred before
1655, whereas she was first married in 1670—which is quite improbable.
Accordingly, we shall assume an order which seems hkely to be nearer the
truth, as follows :
I. Elizabeth ;'^ born, according to corrected order of names, not
later than 1652, and very likely, from the date of her first marriage
" See her testimony of Jan. 5, 1699, in Col. Records, Private Controversies, v. doc. 145, MS.