Genealogy Data Page 363 (Notes Pages)

[dkelly.ged]

Rector of St. Michael's Church, Bristol, RI 1804-30 and of St. Peters,Salem, MA 1830-35. Whe n what was known as the Eastern Diocese of theEpiscopal Church was organized. He was consecr etated its first bishop in1811. He published "The Reformation and the Apostolic Office"(1843) .Consult Stone, "Memoirs of Bishop Griswold.(184). GRISWOLD, AlexanderVeits, bishop of the E astern diocese and 12th in succession in theAmerican episcopate, was born in Simsbury, Conn. , April 22, 1766; son ofElisha and Eunice [p.433] (Veits) Griswold; grandson of Samuel Griswo ldand of John and Lois Veits; and grandson of Dr. Alexander Veits, a Dutchsettler of New York , who came to Simsbury, where he purchased the coppermines, which under his management prove d unprofitable. The Griswolds weredescended from Matthew, who came from England to Nantucke t island, May30, 1630, and whose son Edward appears on the records of Windsor, Conn.,in 1640 . Elisha Griswold was a member of the Established church andintended to educate Alexander a t Yale. His preparatory education wasacquired under the instruction of his uncle, the Rev. Ro gers Veits, therector of St. Andrew's church, Simsbury, who owned a good library, almostever y book of which Alexander confessed to have read. His uncle in 1785decided to remove to Digby , Nova Scotia, and Alexander was invited toaccompany him to his new home and continue his stu dies. Meantime he wasbetrothed to Elizabeth Mitchelson and he decided to forego a collegeeduc ation, to marry and take his bride to Nova Scotia. He was married thelatter part of 1785 an d cared for his uncle's farm and household duringhis absence the next summer in his new paris h. The family removed to NovaScotia in 1787, but the opposition of the young bride's parents , who hadlearned that the place was not healthful, determined Alexander to remainin Simsbur y and become a farmer. He joined a club of young men who hadtaken up the study of law and mad e rapid progress, continuing his farmlabors and teaching the district school, but finally dec ided to offerhimself to the convention that met in June, 1794, as a candidate fororders in th e church, and was accepted, and after reading one printedsermon he was permitted to preach hi s own sermons. He was invited toofficiate in three parishes, Plymouth, Harwinton and Litchfie ld, and forone year he served the three, travelling from one parish to the others onhorseback . He was admitted to deacon's orders at the convention atStratford, June 3, 1795, and to prie sts' orders at the convention inPlymouth, Oct. 1, 1795, by Bishop Seabury. He continued as re ctor of St.Matthew's, East Plymouth; Trinity, Litchfield, and St. Mark's, Harwinton,till May , 1804, when he was called to Bristol as rector of St. Michael's.In 1810 he was the unanimou s choice of the convention assembled in Bostonfor bishop of the newly organized eastern dioce se, comprising all the NewEngland states except Connecticut, and he was elected May 31, 1810 , andhis consecration took place in Trinity church, New York city, May 29,1811. The bishops w ho performed the consecration ceremony were WhiteProvoost and Jarvis. His wife Elizabeth die d Sept. 10, 1817, and hiseldest daughter Julia in 1826; and in 1828 he was married to Mrs. Am eliaSmith, widow of a brother of Benjamin Bosworth Smith, first bishop ofKentucky. Bishop Gri swold continued as the rector of St. Michael's inaddition to his Episcopal duties until 1830 , when he removed fromBristol, R.I., to Salem, Mass., and took charge of St. Peter's church . In1835 the increasing care of his growing diocese compelled him to resignhis rectorship an d he removed to Boston, Mass., and on Dec. 29, 1842, Dr.Manton Eastburn of New York was conse crated assistant bishop and relievedthe bishop of his heaviest burdens. On the death of Bisho p White, July17, 1836, Bishop Griswold became senior bishop of the American episcopateand pre siding officer of the house of bishops. He received the honorarydegree of A.M. from Brown i n 1810, and that of S.T.D. from Brown and fromthe College of New Jersey in 1811 and from Harv ard in 1812. He wasconnected with Brown as a fellow, 1812-15, as a trustee, 1815-28, and asch ancellor, 1815-28. His published works include: Discourses on the MostImportant Doctrines an d Duties of the Christian Religion; The Reformationand the Apostolic Office; Remarks on Socia l Prayer Meetings; andoccasional sermons and addresses. See Memoir of the Life of the Rt. Rev .Alexander V. Griswold, D.D. (1844) by John S. Stone, D.D., rector ofChrist church, Brooklyn , N.Y. He died suddenly on the doorstep of thehouse of Bishop Eastburn in Boston, Mass., Feb . 15, 1843.