George Griswold and Tracy Families

GEORGE GRISWOLD: Kenilworth is a small market town in Warwick­shire, England. It is particularly noted for the castle of that name founded in 1120 by Geoffrey de Clinton. The castle passed by marriage (1359) to John of Gaunt, and to his son, Henry IV, King of England. The castle continued a crown possession until 1563, when Queen Elizabeth conferred it on Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Sir Walter Scott used the castle in his novel "Kenilworth" as the setting for the romance between Robert Dudley and the unfortunate Amy Robsart. It was near this historic spot that George Griswold lived and reared his family. He had five sons, one of whom—the youngest—was Edward Griswold. Edward and three of his brothers came to America and settled in New England.
EDWARD GRISWOLD, was born in 1607. In 1628, he married Margaret (surname unknown). In 1639, with his wife and four children, he left England with a company of Pilgrims for Massachusetts. There he joined his brother, Matthew Griswold, the first of the four brothers to reach America. In the same year, Edward moved to Windsor, Connecti­cut, and Matthew to Saybrook, Connecticut. In 1662, Edward went to the Hammonasset River, in Connecticut, and with other settlers, founded the town of Kenilworth, named for their native home in England. The name of this town was later changed to Killingsworth, and then to Clinton. Records show that Edward represented Killingsworth in every General Court from 1678 to 1689, and during this period repeatedly served as Commissioner. At one time Edward, his son, Francis, and his brother, Matthew, were rep­resentatives in one Court. Margaret died at Kenilworth on August 23, 1670. In 1672, Edward married a widow, Sarah Bivins, of New London, Connecti­cut. He died at Kenilworth in 1691. Ten children were born of the marriage of Edward and Margaret Griswold, the eldest being Francis Griswold.
FRANCIS GRISWOLD, born in 1629, at Kenilworth, England. When 10 years of age, he came with his parents to America. In 1656, he settled at Saybrook, Connecticut, and in 1659, moved to Norwich, in the same colony. The first proprietors’ list of Norwich included the name of Francis Griswold. From 1661 to 1671, Francis was a Deputy to the General Court. It is not definitely established, but apparently Francis married Mary Tracy, daughter of Stephen Tracy, of Saybrook, who came over on the Ship Ann in 1623. Francis died in October, 1671, and his wife in the same year. Nine children were born of this marriage, the eldest of whom was Sarah Griswold.
SARAH GRISWOLD, born March 28, 1653. On June 27, 1671, she married Robert Chapman, Jr., second son of Robert Chapman and Ann Bliss. Sarah died on April 7, 1692; her husband on November 10, 1711.
The George Griswold Family thus merges with the Chapman Family.