Source: https://archive.org/details/commemorativebio12inbeer
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COMMEMORATIVE  BIOGRAPHICAL  RECORD. 463 excitement.  By  canal  he  reached  Buffalo,  thence l)v  boat  he  went  to  Tokdo,  thence  again  by  canal, ;ii)(l  here  the  canal  gave  way  and  the  passengers Middciily  found  their  boat  high  and  dry  on  land in  the  woods.  Each  one  had  to  do  the  best  he could,  Mr.  Griswold  finally  reaching  the  Queen L'itv  by  team.  He  soon  found  employment  at  his trade,  with  Greenfield  &  W'inchell,  and  there  for  a ])criod  of  three  years  worked  as  a  journe^nnan. Returning  to  Meriden,  he  worked  for  Pomeroy  & Leonard,  and  later  removed  to  Holyoke,  Alass., where  he  first  started  in  business  and  remained two  years,  and  then  returned  to  Meriden.  In  1854 he  started  in  the  tinning  business  for  himself,  first with  George  F.  Searles  as  partner,  who  later  sold out.  With  Henry  J.  Lewis,  son  of  the  well-known citizen,  Isaac  C.  Lewis,  the  business  was  conducted under  the  firm  name  of  Griswold  &  Lewis,  until 1876,  when  Mr.  Charles  C.  Glock  became  a  partner, and  the  firm  became  Griswold,  Lewis  &  Glock. Mr.  Lewis  later  sold  out  to  Mr.  J.  L.  Richmond, the  firm  thus  becoming  Griswold.  Richmond  & Glock.  In  1889  the  firm  changed  into  a  stock  com- pany, known  as  the  Griswold,  Richmond  &  Glock Co.,  of  which  Mr.  Griswold  is  president  and  Mr. Glock  is  superintendent. Mr.  Griswold  has  conducted  a  successful  busi- ness for  nearly  half  a  century,  succeeding  on  ac- count of  his  ability,  energy  and  keen  foresight.  A man  of  kind  and  genial  disposition,  large-hearted and  generous,  he  is  very  frequently  called  upon  for aid  for  charitable  purposes,  and  liberally  responds. In  his  religious  views  Mr.  Griswold  avows  himself an  agnostic,  declaring  his  belief  to  be  founded  on facts  and  science,  in  the  place  of  superstition  and faith,  which  has  been  opposed  to  progress.  Mr. Griswold  believes  there  is  much  wisdom  in  Paine's ■'-Age  of  Reason"  and  in  IngersoU's  "Age  of Truth,"  and  closes  his  testimony  with  the  gentle assertion,  "with  malice  toward  none,  and  charity for  all,  I  simply  confess  that  I  don't  know."  Mr. Griswold's  spotless  private  life  and  his  imtarnished public  reputation  disarm  all  criticism,  and  he  is  in every  way  a  citizen  of  whom  his  city  is  justly proud. In  Meriden  Mr.  Griswold  married  Eliza  Will- iams, a  native  of  that  town,  where  she  died,  and her  remains  rest  in  the  A\'est  cemetery.  She  was  a consistent  and  valued  member  of  tne  L'niversalist Church.  The  children  born  to  this  union  were : Ella  A.,  who  married  Eugene  H.  Ray.  superintend- ent of  the  Silver  City  Plate  Co. :  Charles,  who  died in  young  manhood,  and  now  sleeps  in  the  West cemetery  by  his  mother;  Frank,  who  died  while a  resident  of  Chicago;  and  Lewis  F.,  who  is  a  de- signer for  the  Charles  Parker  Co.  For  his  second wife  l\Ir.  Griswold  wedded  Mira  Rockwell,  who was  born  in  Hartford,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  Samuel Rockwell,  and  is  a  lady  of  high  culture  and  of  fine attainments.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Griswold  reside  in  their beautiful  home  on  Lincoln  street,  where  they  offer a  bounteous  hospitality. The  Rockwell  family,  of  which  Mrs.  Nathan F.  Griswold  is  a  descendant,  is  one  of  the  oldest  in Hartford  county.  Williatn  Rockwell,  the  first  of the  family  in  America,  was  born  in  Dorchester, England,  April  14,  1C24,  was  married  in  his  native country  to  Susannah  Capan,  a  daughter  of  Bernard Capan.  They  came  to  America  in  1630,  locating first  in  Dorchester,  Mass.,  where  he  was  one  of  the twenty-four  freemen  who  took  the  oath  of  fidelity on  May  18,  163 1,  was  a  deacon  in  the  church  there, and  was  one  of  the  jurors  in  the  first  manslaughter case  tried  in  the  Colony.  In  1637  he  removed  his family  to  Windsor,  Conn.,  where  he  passed  the  re- mainder of  his  days,  dying  ^Nlay  15,  1640.  William Rockwell  was  also  a  deacon  in  the  church  at  Wind- sor. On  May  29,  1645,  his  widow  married  for  her second  husband  Mathew  Grand,  and  she  passed away  Nov.  14,  1666.  The  children  were;  Joan, born  April  25,  1625,  in  England;  Samuel,  July  18, 1627,  in  England;  John,  March  28,  1631,  in  Dor- cnester,  Mass. ;  Ruth,  in  August,  1633,  in  Dor- chester; Sarah,  July  31,  1634,  in  Windsor,  Conn.; and  Joseph,  in  1635,  in  Windsor.  Ruth  married Christopher  Huntington,  and  removed  to  Say- brook  in  1660,  and  later  to  Norwich,  where  they were  early  settlers.  Sarah  became  the  wife  of Walter  Gaylor. Sergeant  Samuel  Rockwell,  son  of  Deacon  Will- iam, was  born  in  England,  came  to  America  with his  parents,  and  removed  with  them  to  Windsor and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  what  is  now East  Windsor,  and  there  engaged  in  farming  until his  death,  in  171 1.  On  April  6,  1662,  he  was  ad- mitted to  membership  in  the  Windsor  Church,  and on  April  7,  1660,  he  married  Mary  Norton,  of  Guil- ford, a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Grace  (Wells) Norton,  and  to  them  were  born  these  children : !\Iary,  baptized  in  January,  1661,  married,  Oct.  23, 1683,  to  Josiah  Loomis ;  Samuel,  baptized  Oct.  19, 1667;  Joseph,  ]\Iay  22,  1670;  John,  Alay  31,  1673; Abigail,  April  11,  1676,  married,  Nov.  9,  1704, John  Smith,  and  died  Oct.  12,  1741 ;  and  Josiah, baptized  ^Nlarch  10,  1676. Lieutenant  Joseph  Rockwell  was  born  in  East Windsor,  where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  was  en- gaged in  farmiup-  all  his  life,  dying  on  June  26, 1733.  His  marriage  was  to  Elizabeth  Drake,  born Xov.  4,  1675,  s  daughter  of  Job  and  Elizabeth  (Al- vord)  Drake,  and  to  them  were  born  six  children: Joseph,  Nov.  23,  1695;  Elizabeth,  Dec.  12,  1690, died  in  infancy;  Benjamin,  Oct.  26.  1700;  James, June  3,  1704;  Job,  April  13,  1709;  and  Elizabeth, July  24.  I7r3,  married  Jonathan  Huntington. Benjamin  Rockwell,  son  of  Lieut.  Joseph,  was born  in  East  Windsor,  Oct.  26,  1700.  At  the  age of  nineteen  years  he  removed  to  Staft'ord,  Tolland county,  where  he  became  engaged  in  farming  an<l passed  the  remainder  of  his  life.  He  married  ]\Iar- garet  Park,  a  daughter  of  Robert  Park,  of  Preston. Conn.,  and  their  children  were  Margaret,  Samuel and  Elizabeth. Samuel  Rockwell,  only  son  of  Benjamin,  was