USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > History of New Haven County, Connecticut, Volume III > Part 30
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Samuel H. Rosenthal acquired his early education in the pub- lic schools of New Haven and in 1919 was graduated from high school. During the World war period he was employed by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. In the summer of 1919 he entered Georgetown University at Washington, D. C., where he attended classes for three years, after which he entered Ford- ham University, there receiving the degree of LL. B. in June, 1923. On July 10 of the same year he was admitted to the bar by the late Judge Webb, and in 1924 he became associated with his brother, Edward M. Rosenthal. During the intervening period of six years he has gained a large clientele, and his practice is steadily growing in volume and importance. At the formation of the Municipal League Legal Aid Bureau on the 1st of March, 1927, he was appointed by Mayor John B. Tower as director of the bureau and was reappointed to the position on the 1st of February, 1929. Concerning his work in this department he re- ceived favorable mention and merited eulogy from James E. Wheeler, secretary of the Bar Association, October 4, 1929.
On the 21st of September, 1924, Mr. Rosenthal was married to Miss Pearl Cohen, of New Haven, and they have one son, Malcolm Saul. They reside at 36 Hotchkiss street, New Haven. Mr. Rosenthal largely finds his recreation in golf. He is an ex-presi-
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dent of the Atlas Club of New Haven, and his fraternities are Mu Sigma and Tau Epsilon Phi. His interest centers in his profes- sion, and his close application and thoroughness have constituted vital factors in the attainment of his success.
SAMUEL AMES GRISWOLD
Samuel Ames Griswold, who has been continuously and suc- cessfully engaged in the undertaking and house furnishings busi- ness at Branford during the past thirty-seven years, is at the head of the foremost mercantile enterprise of the town as presi- dent and treasurer of the S. A. Griswold Company. He was born in Essex, Middlesex county, Connecticut, March 17, 1867, and is a son of Deacon Samuel and Susannah Elizabeth (Pratt) Griswold. The family of Griswold derive their descent from Humphrey Griswold of Greet, Lord of the Manor, and are men- tioned as an honorable family in English history as early as the sixteenth century. The Malvern estates came into possession of the Griswold family about the year 1600, and through all the changes of three and one-third centuries under English law, they still remain in their possession. From the English records, we find the Malvern estate and coat of arms in 1659 belonging to Humphrey Griswold, of Malvern Hall, who died in 1671. He was succeeded by his brother, Rev. Henry Griswold, who died about 1720. The title then passed to his eldest son, Humphrey, who died in 1772, leaving the estate to his brother Henry. He died, leaving no son, but an only daughter, Anne. The repre- sentative of the family then devolved upon Rev. Mathew Gris- wold, justice of the peace for the county of Warwick. He died in 1778, leaving a daughter, Mary Griswold, of Malvern Hall, who espoused David Lewis, Esq., at death leaving no male issue, but three daughters: Magdalene, who married the fourth Earl of Dysart; Anne Maria, who married the fifth Earl of Dysart; and Eliza, who died unmarried. The father, David Lewis, Esq., by a second wife, had a son, Henry Griswold Lewis, of Malvern Hall, who inherited the Malvern estate and arms of Griswold. He married Charlotte Bridgeman, daughter of Lord Bradford, which lady died without issue in 1802; Mr. Lewis survived until 1829. The estate was then inherited by Lieutenant Colonel Ed-
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mund Meysey Griswold, of the English Army, who died January 6, 1833. At his death the title passed, by a former marriage, to his uncle, Henry Griswold, of Malvern Hall, second son of the Rev. Henry Wigley, M. A., of Pensham, Worcestershire county. On the 8th day of February, 1833, about one month after the death of Lieutenant Colonel Griswold, Henry assumed, by sign manual, the surname and arms of Griswold, instead of his fam- ily name, Wigley. His descendants still retain possession of Malvern Hall, and arms of Griswold.
Mathew Griswold, Esq., of Kenilworth, Warwick county, England, had three sons, Edward, Mathew and Thomas, who were cousins to Humphrey Griswold of Malvern Hall. Mathew, who was the youngest, at an early age joined a company of pil- grims for America, from the counties of Warwickshire, Worces- tershire, Somersetshire and Devonshire, under the leadership of the Rev. John Wareham, a celebrated minister of Exeter, Eng- land. The company sailed from England, during the reign of Charles the First, and landed upon the shores of Massachusetts, the 30th of May, 1630, about ten years after the arrival of the Mayflower. Edward, who was born in 1607, at the age of thirty- one left Kenilworth and joined another company of pilgrims for America. He arrived in Massachusetts in 1639, where he joined his brother Mathew. They both removed to Connecticut the same year. Edward settled at Windsor, on the Farmington river, and Mathew settled at Saybrook, at the mouth of the Con- necticut river. The Rev. John Wareham had already arrived at Windsor, and was the pastor of the first church established there, the deeds of which he brought with him from Exeter. He was succeeded by the Rev. Ephraim Huit, who died at Windsor, September 4, 1644.
We find by the records of the state of Connecticut that Wind- sor was the first settlement ever made by the whites in that state, and the principal names of its settlers were Wolcott, Griswold, Hayden, Holcomb, Ellsworth, Stiles, Phelps and Pinney.
The children of Edward Griswold were as follows: Francis, George and Sarah, born in England, who came with him, and Anne, Mary, Deborah, Joseph, Samuel and John, born at Wind- sor; his first child, Francis, was born in 1632; his last child, John, was born August 15, 1652. In 1658 he was representative for Windsor. In 1664 he removed from Windsor with his son
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John to Killingworth, Connecticut, so named from Kenilworth, his native place; he was elected a representative for Killingworth several times, and there died in 1671.
Francis soon removed from Windsor to Saybrook, where his uncle Mathew lived. There he remained some time, and then moved to Norwich, Connecticut. Sarah married Samuel Phelps, January 10, 1650. Mary married Timothy Phelps, May 19, 1661. Deborah married Samuel Buel, November 30, 1662. Joseph married Mary, daughter of John Gaylord, of Windsor. One of his nephews, Captain Benjamin Griswold, is spoken of in one of the early records of the town, as follows: "Born in Wind- sor of an ancient and honorable family. He married Esther Gaylord, with whom he lived in great peace and unity until his death, which was July 26, 1772." George, a man of high re- spectability (see Stiles' History of Windsor, 1859), married Mary, daughter of Thomas Holcomb, by whom he had several children. On the 21st of April, 1659, he purchased a tract of land of the Indian chief, Wattowan, and Towanno, his wife, which is part of Windsor, called Poquonock, so named from its being a battleground of the Indians. He died September 3, 1704, leaving several sons and daughters; among the descendants of Joseph and George are Noah, Daniel, Levi, John, Niles and other well known citizens of Windsor and Poquonock; Squire Samuel Griswold, as he was respectfully termed, in company with mem- bers of the Pinney and Holcomb familes, removed from Windsor to Simsbury, where he purchased five thousand acres of land, and built a house on the banks of the Farmington river, one of the most charming places, it is said, along that beautiful stream. One of his sons, Elisha, married Eunice, daughter of John and Lois Veits, leaving at death a numerous family of children, of more than ordinary talent, one of whom was the celebrated Bishop Alexander Veits Griswold, born April 22, 1766. (See Stone's life of Bishop Griswold, Philadelphia, 1844.)
Another son, Ezra, removed early to Worthington, Ohio, where he became instrumental in organizing the first Episcopal Church of that diocese. Another brother of the Bishop, Samuel, was educated at Yale College and became an able and popular minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church of the state of Connecticut ; he after- wards removed to western New York, where he died.
In returning to the year 1645, we find that another relative
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of Edward and Mathew, whose name was Michael Griswold, came from England and settled at Wethersfield, Connecticut. He was a son of George Griswold, of Kenilworth, County War- wick, England, and a brother of Edward and Mathew Griswold, also of Francis Griswold, who settled in Cambridge, Massachu- setts, about 1636. Michael Griswold was a mason by trade, a yoeman in civil rank and owned land as early as 1640 in Weth- ersfield, Connecticut. He held the offices of constable, assessor and appraiser of lands. He died September 26, 1684. The rec- ords of that town show his first child, Thomas, born 1646; Esther, born 1648; Mary, born 1650; also several other children from whom have descended a numerous family.
Mathew Griswold, who settled at Saybrook about the year 1640, married Anne, daughter of Henry Wolcott. He died in January, 1691, leaving two sons and three daughters. One of his sons, Mathew, was several times elected representative of Saybrook and Lyme. He married Phebe Hyde, of Norwich, Con- necticut, May 25, 1683, by whom he had several children, one of whom, John, was the father of Mathew Griswold, governor of Connecticut from 1784 to 1786. His wife was the daughter of the Hon. Roger Wolcott, of Connecticut, by whom he had a son Roger, born at Lyme, who was also governor of Connecticut. (The above concludes the ancestral record of the family prepared by Stephen M. Griswold of Brooklyn, Long Island, in 1872.)
Samuel A. Griswold, the immediate subject of this review, is a representative of the eighth generation descended from Michael Griswold, the American progenitor of the family who settled at Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1639-40 and married Ann The direct line of descent is as follows: Thomas Griswold, born October 22, 1646, who married Mary Howard, daughter of Henry and Sarah (Stone) Howard; Jacob Griswold, born February 5, 1679, who on November 30, 1696, married Abigail Hand (1681-April 18, 1747), daughter of Stephen and Rebecca Hand of Guilford; Hezekiah Griswold, born in October, 1697, who married Mary Olmstead, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Rowley) Olmstead; Daniel Griswold, who married Abi- gail Porter, daughter of William Porter; Lieutenant Selah Gris- wold, born January 6, 1754, who died January 6, 1835, and who married Mary Starkey, daughter of Squire Timothy and Rachel (Bushnell) Starkey; Daniel Griswold (March 15, 1780-January
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12, 1870), who on January 17, 1801, married Fanny Babcock (April 11, 1779-July 10, 1859), daughter of Samuel and Rachel (Conklin) Babcock; Deacon Samuel Griswold (August 21, 1821- April 13, 1906), who on October 18, 1840, married Susannah Elizabeth Pratt (June 29, 1826-February 26, 1898), daughter of Elias and Abigail (Pratt) Pratt; Samuel Ames Griswold, born March 17, 1867. The last named is also a descendant of Rev. Henry Whitfield, the first minister in Guilford, who built the Old Stone House there, and of Rev. James Fitch, the first minister of Norwich, Connecticut. He is a descendant, more- over, of Major John Mason, the famous Indian fighter, and also of the first three judges appointed for the Connecticut general court, namely: John Mason, mentioned above; Thomas Stanton ; and Lieutenant William Pratt. Some of the Mayflower ancestors are Edward Dotey, John Howland and John Tilly.
Deacon Samuel Griswold, the father of Samuel Ames Gris- wold, was born in Essex and when a youth of eighteen years took up the profession of teaching. He conducted a preparatory school for a number of years, also taught in other schools of Middlesex county during a period of forty years and later re- moved to Meriden, where he spent his last years. He was a very public-spirited and prominent citizen and was called upon to fill various important offices in his town, and he was a deacon of the Congregational Church. He married Susannah Elizabeth Pratt, a daughter of Elias and Abigail (Pratt) Pratt, who were natives of Essex, her father being of the seventh generation of black- smiths who occupied the same location. Elias Pratt was a de- scendant of Lieutenant William Pratt, who removed from Boston to Hartford, Connecticut, with Thomas Hooker and his followers. They proceeded on down the Connecticut river in 1644 to Saybrook, now the village of Essex, and selected a site for a home, where Mr. Pratt then built his dwelling. This has been in the Pratt family from that time to the present and is now the property of Samuel Ames Griswold, one of his direct descendants in the tenth generation. The children of Samuel and Susannah Elizabeth (Pratt) Griswold were: Frederick Pratt, born March 3, 1850; Daniel Porter, born February 8, 1856; and Samuel Ames, born March 17, 1867.
In young manhood Samuel A. Griswold learned the piano action manufacturing at Ivoryton, Connecticut, where for two
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years he was employed by the firm of Comstock & Cheney, after which he removed to Wallingford, there spending five years as associate of his brother in the furniture and undertaking busi- ness. He was next in charge of a furniture and undertaking establishment at Westfield, Massachusetts, and had already gained a comprehensive knowledge of the undertaking business when in 1892 he entered Clarke's College of Embalming at Bos- ton, Massachusetts, which conferred a degree upon him. On the 16th of September, 1893, he bought the furniture and under- taking business of S. B. Miller of Branford, Connecticut, who had conducted an establishment of that character for over twenty years. The business prospered and in 1897 he erected the Gris- wold block, a three-story building on Main street, opposite the Green. He carries a very complete stock of house furnishings and in addition has a thoroughly equipped hardware department. He occupies the only block in Branford that was built for an especial business. In addition he is one of the largest collectors of antiques in Connecticut, having in his collection furniture of the earliest New England cabinetmakers and some of the old early English pieces of furniture brought to New England by the first settlers of this section of the country. He has recently completed a new funeral home of colonial style furnished through- out with old colonial furniture and antiques; there is no finer establishment in the state. On the 21st of January, 1924, Mr. Griswold incorporated his business under the name of the S. A. Griswold Company, Inc., of which he is president and treasurer. He is also a director of the Branford Trust Company, has exten- sive real estate holdings and enjoys high standing as one of the most prominent and prosperous citizens of New Haven county.
On the 30th of April, 1909, at Bartow, Florida, Mr. Griswold was married to Marie Elizabeth Pratt. On the 7th of Septem- ber, 1927, Mr. Griswold married secondly Ruth Lee Griswold, who was born in Chicago, May 5, 1889, and is a graduate of Smith College. She has membership with the Daughters of the American Revolution and, like her husband, traces her ancestry back in direct line to Michael Griswold, who arrived in Wethers- field, Connecticut, in 1639-40 and who married Ann Her descent is through the following line. Thomas Griswold, son of Michael and Ann Griswold, was born October 22, 1646, and on November 28, 1672, married Mary Howard, who was born in
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1651 and was a daughter of Henry and Sarah (Stone) Howard. Thomas Griswold, son of Thomas and Mary (Howard) Gris- wold, born January 11, 1674, became a blacksmith of Guilford in 1695 and died October 19, 1729. On the 9th of May, 1697, he married Sarah Bradley, who was born October 17, 1676, and was a daughter of Stephen Bradley, Jr., and Hannah (Smith) Bradley and a granddaughter of George Smith of New Haven. Thomas Griswold, son of Thomas and Sarah (Bradley) Gris- wold, was born March 26, 1708, and died January 11, 1784. On the 19th of February, 1735, he married Ann Graves, who was born April 12, 1715, and died May 29, 1801, and who was a daughter of John and Elizabeth (Stevens) Graves of East Guil- ford. Thomas Griswold, son of Thomas and Ann (Graves) Griswold, was born September 1, 1737, and died January 7, 1821. On the 17th of December, 1761, he married Hannah Cruttenden, who was born August 22, 1740, and died March 31, 1816, and who was a daughter of Joseph and Lucy (Spencer) Cruttenden. Joel Griswold, son of Thomas and Hannah (Cruttenden) Gris- wold, was born December 6, 1764, and died July 19, 1835. In 1790 he married Lucy Lee, who was born July 8, 1770, and died March 24, 1854, and who was a daughter of Captain Samuel Lee, captain of the Coast Guard during the Revolution, and his wife, Agnes (Dickenson) Lee. The latter, a daughter of Azariah and Hepzibah (Walkly) Dickenson, of Haddam, was born March 11, 1745, and died July 2, 1830. Joel Griswold, son of Joel and Lucy (Lee) Griswold, was born February 27, 1796, and died August 29, 1879. On the 5th of January, 1820, he married Polly Bart- lett, who was born November 20, 1801, and died November 14, 1876, and who was a daughter of Noah and Sally (Judson) Bart- lett. Henry Bartlett Griswold, son of Joel and Polly (Bartlett) Griswold, was born November 25, 1824, and died January 8, 1916. On the 25th of November, 1845, he married Polly Eliza- beth Wilcox, who was born October 21, 1825, and died August 19, 1866, and who was a daughter of Selah and Sally Maria (Wil- liams) Wilcox, of Clinton. For his second wife Henry Bartlett Griswold married Eugenia Maria Scranton, who was born Feb- ruary 11, 1840, and died September 29, 1927, and who was a daughter of Hamilton Wilcox and Ann Maria (Rowe) Scranton. Henry Wilcox Griswold, son of Henry Bartlett and Polly Eliza- beth (Wilcox) Griswold, was born February 21, 1850, and on
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the 25th of February, 1879, was married at Chicago to Mettie Maria Morrison, who was born in Albion, Michigan, January 19, 1851, and died at Chicago, Illinois, April 18, 1896. Ruth Lee Griswold, daughter of Henry Wilcox and Mettie Maria (Mor- rison) Griswold, was born at Chicago, May 5, 1889, and on the 7th of September, 1927, was married at Guilford to Samuel Ames Griswold of Branford.
Samuel A. Griswold is a republican in his political views. His religious faith is that of the Congregational Church, while fraternally he is affiliated with the Masonic order, belonging to Widows Son Lodge, No. 66, A. F. & A. M., and to Fair Haven Chapter, R. A. M. His residence, one of the finest in New Haven county, contains a large and splendid collection of antique fur- niture. He has always been keenly interested in genealogy and for twenty years he has been collecting data on the Griswold line, now having the records of more than one thousand families.
REUBEN POLLOWITZ
For eight years Reuben Pollowitz has practiced as a certified public accountant in New Haven, and the period has been char- acterized by steady progress in his profession. He was born in New York city, December 22, 1893, and is a son of Maurice and Rose (Greenberg) Pollowitz, both natives of Poland, whence they came to America about 1883, settling in the eastern metropolis, where they were married. The father has devoted his life to manufacturing interests and is now a resident of Brooklyn, New York.
Reuben Pollowitz was graduated from a high school of his native city and further prepared for life's practical and respon- sible duties by pursuing a course of study in New York Uni- versity, from which he received the degree of B. C. S. in 1917. He became connected with the explosive division of the war de- partment as a civilian and early in 1918 enlisted in the regular army at Fort Slocum, New York, but was drafted out of the in- fantry and transferred on special orders from the adjutant gen- eral's office to the finance division of the ordnance department, where his duties consisted of all sorts of financial activities and the disbursing of moneys. He was discharged from military serv-
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ice in May, 1919, and was retained by the government in a civilian capacity to complete all the work that was left, remaining until the last contract was settled between the government and the var- ious manufacturers of ammunition in the New York ordnance district. He then joined the international revenue service at Washington, D. C., and occupied positions as an auditor in the capital city. Subsequently he entered the field service as an in- ternal revenue agent but resigned in November, 1922, to engage in business as a certified public accountant.
Removing to New Haven, Mr. Pollowitz has since followed his profession in this city, building up a very fine business and speci- alizing in federal tax matters. He was admitted to practice be- fore the treasury department and the United States board of tax appeals, and such is the breadth and accuracy of his knowledge along this line that his opinions are largely accepted as authority upon any question relating to federal tax problems. He has mem- bership in the Connecticut Society of Certified Public Account- ants.
On the 17th of June, 1922, Mr. Pollowitz was married to Miss Anna Cooper, of Glasgow, Scotland, and they have two children, David and Sylvia Ruth. The family residence is at 206 Goffe ter- race, New Haven, and Mr. Pollowitz has his office at 152 Temple street. He is a Mason, loyal to the teachings and purposes of the order, but gives the major part of his time and attention to his professional duties, which are constantly growing in volume and importance.
JERVIS D. BROWN, JR.
Among the talented members of the New Haven county bar is numbered Jervis D. Brown, Jr., who served for ten years as judge of the town court of Milford, and is now engaged in the private practice of law, maintaining his office at 15 River street, Milford. He was formerly a member of the Connecticut legis- lature and has rendered good service to his community and state.
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, July 29, 1890, Mr. Brown is a son of Jervis D. and Annie (Jennings) Brown, natives of Fall River, Massachusetts, and has back of him an ancestry honorable and distinguished. He is a lineal descendant of John
JERVIS D. BROWN, JR.
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Brown, who settled in Plymouth in 1640; was a friend of Mas- sasoit, chief of the Wampanoag tribe of Indians, and represented the town of Swansea in the general court of Massachusetts. In the maternal line he traces his lineage to the Chace family, who settled in Freetown, Massachusetts, and fought for American independence during the Revolutionary war. Andrew J. Jen- nings, an uncle of Jervis D. Brown, Jr., was a lawyer of superior ability and achieved fame as counsel for the defense in the han- dling of the noted Borden murder case in Fall River.
Coming to Milford with his parents at the age of two years, Mr. Brown later became a pupil in its public schools and next attended the Hopkins Grammar School, from which he was graduated in 1908. He then enrolled as a student in Yale Uni- versity, which awarded him the A. B. degree in 1912 and that of LL. B. in 1914. Following his admission to the bar of Con- necticut he entered upon the practice of his profession in Mil- ford in association with Omar W. Platt. His practice was inter- rupted in 1915, when he was chosen to represent Milford in the general assembly of Connecticut, and in the proceedings of that law-making body he took a prominent part, becoming a member of the judiciary committee in 1917. In the same year he was elected judge of the town court of Milford, over which he pre- sided with dignity and ability until 1927. The prestige won by Judge Brown while serving on the bench has brought him a large practice, which is constantly increasing in volume and impor- tance. He also has financial interests and since 1917 has been a director of the Milford Trust Company.
Mr. Brown was married July 22, 1915, to Miss Ruth Wilcox, and they have three children: Ruth Phyllis, who was born June 8, 1916; Jervis D. (III), born February 8, 1918; and Florence W., born May 24, 1919.
In 1917 Mr. Brown became a member of the Milford board of education, on which he is still serving, and during his tenure of office has worked earnestly and effectively to further the prog- ress of the public schools in this district. His fraternal con- nections are with the Masonic order, the Royal Arcanum, the Improved Order of Red Men and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a Rotarian and also has membership in the Algonquin Club of Bridgeport, the Graduate Club of New Haven, Morys Association of New Haven and the New Haven County
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