Just what is the Northeastern
Pennsylvania Griswold Reunion?
Founded in 1906, the group known today as the Northeastern
Pennsylvania Griswold Reunion predates the GFA by 24 years. They have held
annual meetings for 95 years, with the exception of 1943, when the meeting
was cancelled due to wartime gas rationing. Minutes of early meetings call
it the "annual reunion of the descendants of John and Elizabeth Griswold."
In the 1930’s, the wording changed to "annual reunion of the John and
Elizabeth Griswold family."
This is a true family reunion, where all members are the
descendants of one pioneer couple, John Griswold (1754-1843) and his wife,
Elizabeth Crittenden (1761-1851), who settled in Clinton Township, Wayne
County, Pennsylvania in 1813. Their six sons, all born in Massachusetts
before the move, found wives among the other early settlers in the region.
Today, their descendants are spread out across the United States (and one in
Norway!).
John Griswold was the great great grandson of Michael
Griswold of Wethersfield, Connecticut, who emigrated from England. Born
October 15, 1754 in Norwich, Massachusetts, John served in the Revolutionary
War in a local militia unit. In 1790, he married Elizabeth Crittenden in
Sandisfield, Massachusetts. Some years later, the family moved to Schoharie
County, New York, and after about five years there, went on to Wayne County,
Pennsylvania in 1813. Arriving with all their possessions in a two-wheeled
cart drawn by four steers, they cleared land at the foot of a mountain,
built a log cabin, and planted an orchard.
The oldest son, John, (b. 1792) married Louisa Johnson and
had two sons. The second son, Francis (1793-1869) married Jane Loomis
(1792-1881), and had four sons and two daughters. Many of today’s
Northeastern Pennsylvania Griswold Reunion family members trace their
descent back through three of Francis’ children: Laura Griswold (1826-1924),
who married Hiram Loomis; Louisa Griswold (1828-1912), who married Henry
Banning Curtis; and Homer Griswold (1835-1874), who married Alice Van Meter.
John and Elizabeth’s third son, Orrin (1796-1878) married
Lois Deming (? -1875) and had three sons and one daughter. The fourth son,
Sumner (1798-1864) married Clarissa Gelatte. Numerous members of the
Northeastern Pennsylvania Griswold Reunion descend from Sumner’s daughter
Electa Marie Griswold (1846-1929) and her husband Henry Arnold.
Son number five, Horace (1800-1880) married Louisa
McKnight (1809-1866), and some of today’s members trace their descent to
Horace’s fifth child, another John Griswold (1842-1913), who married
Ernestine Bucklish. John and Elizabeth’s sixth son, Sedate (1802-1862) was
married twice, first to Julia Burns, and then to Nancy, whose surname is
still unknown.
Seventy-seven of John and Elizabeth Griswold’s descendants
met in March 1906 to organize the group we know as the Northeastern
Pennsylvania Griswold Reunion. Elected as the first Officers were: John
Griswold, President; Fred Griswold, Vice-President; Theron Loomis,
Secretary; and Nathan Griswold, Treasurer. A collection of $2.25 was taken
"to defray expenses." Entertainment, Table and Reception Committees were
formed, with members of the Corey, Curtis, Cowperwaite, Loomis, Borchers,
Treat and Gaylord families participating.
Over the years, attendance has fluctuated, as with every
family association. Recent years have seen approximately fifty family
members gathering on the third Saturday in August at the lovely Homestead
Golf Course in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. The afternoon begins with
socializing and a delicious covered dish meal, followed by a brief business
meeting. A number of Northeastern Pennsylvania Griswold Reunion members are
also members of the Griswold Family Association, and a report of the GFA
activities is always included in the business meeting. The Northeastern
Pennsylvania Griswold Reunion made a generous contribution to the Michael
Griswold Memorial Stone erected by the GFA, since their entire group
consists of Michael descendants.
On the GFA website, there is a section devoted to the
activities of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Griswold Reunion, including
photographs of the most
recent annual reunion. (Janet
M. Mann) |
Lamoille, Nevada
From National Geographic Traveler, October 2001: Places Of A Lifetime
The Ruby Mountains - a steep, jagged wall of gray and
white, shadow and light - seem painted across the horizon. They are perhaps
the most spectacular example of Nevada's unique basin-and-range landscape,
dwarfing the surrounding valley. At the foot of the Rubies, about 30 miles
southeast of Elko, is the small town of Lamoille...this tiny ranching
community might be the most beautiful spot in Nevada. With its groves of
aspens and cottonwoods, steepled Presbyterian church, rustic ranch houses,
and fields of green, Lamoille is a postcard-image town...Be sure not to miss
the 130mile scenic drive on Lamoille Canyon Road (Richard Moreno, publisher
of Nevada Magazine)
The GFA Western Heritage Tour visited Elko, Nevada, in
July, 2000. Featured activities were a hike to Griswold Lake in the Ruby
Mountains and a bus trip through Lamoille Canyon. |
