Pioneers of St. Clair County, Michigan - Person Sheet
Pioneers of St. Clair County, Michigan - Person Sheet
NameSarah 2831, p 249
Deathbef 16772579, p 3
Individual Notes
• Torrey gives as [?Mary/?Sarah Post?].2447, p 327

• Name unknown but she is said to be a Widow Wiswall, maiden name Fitch, for which there is no primary evidence.2579, p 3

• The chief reason why a satisfactory identification of the “widow Wiswall” has eluded Bradford family researchers is that there simply was no widow Wiswall who could have married Major William Bradford about 1673.2831, p 246
For all of these reasons I would like to propose the hypothesis that Major William(2) Bradford’s second wife, identified by Bradford family tradition as “a widow Wiswall,” was actually the widow of Francis(2) Griswold. According to this hypothesis the pronunciation and spelling of the name became garbled after a few generations of oral transmission, or perhaps through the smearing of an early written record that is no longer extant.2831, p 248
In summary, I believe it to be highly likely that Major William(2) Bradford’s second wife, heretofore identified as “a widow Wiswall,” was actually Sarah (____) Griswold, the widow of Francis(2) Griswold of Norwich.2831, p 249
Spouses
1Francis GRISWOLD
DeathOct 1671, Norwich, New London, Connecticut2447, p 327; year & place only,2831, p 247; date only Age: 42
FatherEdward GRISWOLD (1607-1691)
MotherMargaret HICKS? (-1670)
Individual Notes
• He was one of the founders of Norwich who had moved there from Saybrook, Connecticut, with the other original settlers.2831, p 247
Francis Griswold had held several public offices. He was Deputy for Norwich to the Connecticut General Court for eleven sessions, between 1664 and 1671, and was Lieutenant of the Norwich Train Band. His social standing was therefore comparable to that of Major William Bradford, wo likewise served in several offices of public trust.2831, p 248
Marriageabt 1652, Saybrook, Middlesex, Connecticut2447, p 327,2831, p 247 & p 248
Marr Memobased on birth of 1st child in 1653
Family Notes
• Francis and Sarah Griswold were the parents of nine children, the eldest of which was born in Saybrook in 1653.2831, p 248
Birth17 Jun 1624, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts2759, p 6,2829
Death20 Feb 1704, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts2759, p 6,1815 Age: 79
FlagsMayflower Descendant
FatherGov. William BRADFORD , MCS-02 (1590-1657)
MotherAlice CARPENTER (~1590-1670)
Individual Notes
• Res Northside of Jones River in section known as Stony Brook, Kingston. Inherited large estate from father. Maj Comm-in-chief of Plymouth Forces at Great Swamp Fight 1675 and severely wounded. Dep Gov of Plymouth 1682-6, 1689-91.1815, p 4
ChildrenJoseph (1675-1747)
Last Modified 31 Aug 2001Created 8 Aug 2023 using Reunion for Macintosh
Updated 8 Aug 2023
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