Alexander Viets Griswold Papers, 1806-1856
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Not requestable
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains approximately 150 letters addressed to Alexander Viets Griswold, the Episcopal Bishop of the Eastern Diocese from 1811 to his death in 1843. The correspondence covers personal and church business from parishes in the Eastern diocese and from other Episcopal clergy. Also present are two documents written by Griswold and photographs of church officials.
Folders 1 to 5 contain letters to Alexander Griswold discussing church affairs such as ordination into the priesthood, pastoral visits, relocation of priests, church rituals, expansion of the church, and church convention business. There are also multiple letters from prominent clergy including Samuel F. Jarvis (1786-1851), Benjamin T. Onderdonk (1791-1861), Stephen H. Tyng (1800-1885), who married Griswold's daughter Anne, and Jonathan M. Wainwright (1792-1854).
Folder 6 contains one letter and a fragment of a letter written by Alexander Griswold concerning church affairs. Folder 7 contains ten photographs of Episcopal officials, nine of which are identified by name.
Dates
- Creation: 1806-1856
Creator
Restrictions on Access
This collection is open for research use.
Biographical Sketch
Alexander Viets Griswold was born on April 22, 1766 in Simsbury, Connecticut, the son of Elisha and Eunice Viets Griswold. He was ordained as deacon and priest in the Episcopal Church in 1795 and served in Litchfield County, Connecticut, from 1795 to 1804; Bristol, Rhode Island, from 1804 to 1830; and Salem, Massachusetts, from 1830 to 1835. In 1811 he was chosen the first and only Bishop of the Eastern Diocese, which included all of New England with the exception of Connecticut. He received the Doctor of Divinity degree from Brown in 1810, from Princeton in 1811, and from Harvard in 1812. He married Elizabeth Michelson (1768-1817) in about 1786, with whom he had twelve children, and after her death he married Amelia Smith (1792-1862) in 1827, with whom he had two more children. Griswold died in Boston on February 15, 1843.
Extent
0.25 Linear feet (1 box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection contains approximately 150 letters addressed to Alexander Viets Griswold, the Episcopal Bishop of the Eastern Diocese from 1811 to his death in 1843.
Physical Location
Phillips Library Stacks
Provenance
This material was purchased in May, 1938.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Lee Jacoby, June 2014.
Subject
- Griswold, Alexander V. (Alexander Viets), 1766-1843 (Person)
- Cook, William (Person)
- Jarvis, Samuel F. (Samuel Farmar), 1786-1851 (Person)
- Onderdonk, Benjamin T. (Benjamin Tredwell), 1791-1861 (Person)
- Tyng, Stephen H. (Stephen Higginson), 1800-1885 (Person)
- Wainwright, Jonathan Mayhew, 1792-1854 (Person)
- St. Paul's Church (Boston, Mass.) (Organization)
- St. Peter's Church (Salem, Mass.) (Organization)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Topical
- Title
- ALEXANDER VIETS GRISWOLD PAPERS, 1806-1856
- Author
- Processed by: Lee Jacoby; machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Phillips Library Repository