News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-09-03
THE GRISwoLD FAMILY.
Historical Sketch of the Family In John
son and HYDE Park.

ASNSAS F@oShN'hG ~
of the Griswold family and is pub
lished becauce of it's interesting &C.
count of that well-known family
My brothers, my sisters, my friends,
one and all who have left your homes
and your labors to spend this day
with us in this beau tiful grove, we bid
you all most hearty welcome. We
are glad to be here; we are glad you
are able to be here with us and we
hope each one will endeavor to make
this an ell joyable occasion. No doubt
you all know why we have met here;
especially wetive brothers and sisters,
children of the home-nest 10 the long
ago. It is because we still love The
old homestead with all the sweet and
tender recollections that cluster
around it. Memory takes us back to
the years OF our childhood and youth
that were passed in this dear old
home with father and mother. Time
has strangely changed us, and instead
of the boys and girls of long ago we
meet to. day as men and women, not
even climbing the ladder of life to it's
summit, bui passing down on the
other side, growing old, streaks of
silver i'm the brown of our hair, tired
bodies, where once we were so 1.-the
and strong. Father and mother have
passed away, and we too are swiftly
speeding toward the end of life.
Homes have we of our own now, but
we leave them all to. day and come
together for family reunion on the
dear old homestead to talk OF olden
times and dear old father and mother,
to paint word pictures as well as
memory of the Incidents of the long
ago life when we lived together here
in the place which has 80 often been
the scene of our dreams during the
years since passed.
Though keenly realizing my own
incompetency to do the subject JUS
tice, feel it meet on this occasion to
give short sketch of the life and
labors of our beloved parents, who,
by their untiring zeal, made for US
the pleasant home, the loving remem-
brance of which we shall carry with
us through all time. But my humble
self being next to the youngest of the
family my memory only reaches back
part OF the way and | find myself un-
able to recall many things which l
must have heard and ought to know,
so my sketch will necessarily be very
imperfect. 1t reminds me of the webs
that mother used to draw into the
old loom, for we made cloth in those
days. Mother taught me to draw in
the warp into the loom for the webs
of cloth to be woven, but sometimes
| made mistakes, and that is what |
will do to-day. | will draw in the
warp of the family story and then de-
pend upon the rest to weave in the
filling and correct my mistakes if
they see them.
Our father, Barney Griswold, was
born in this town, about one mile
from this grove, in theyear 1909. He
was early deprived of a mothers
love, as his mother died when he was
a very little boy. He was given
away, but afterward taken back home
where the vacant place, caused by the
mothers death, had been filled and
where the little boy, Barney, grew up
toward manhood 10 the midst of a
large family, of what we sometimes
hear termed "three sets of children"
When he arrived at the age of six
teen years it was decided that he
should go to the south part of the
state and "work out" He therefore
took what few clothes he had in a
parcel and started on foot for South
ern Vermont. His father accom-
panied him for quite distance, then
they parted; the father returning
home and the boy going on. A
stranger to strange land.
We will now leave the boy for a
time and take a glimpse of the wee
Patty, our mother that was to be.
Her parents, Jacob Hayford and
wife, came to this town from Wealth
ersfeld, VT, when she was year old.
She, too, grew up in the midst of a
large family and, being the eldest of
the children, with the exception of a
half-sister who lived with the grand
parents, she found more work than
play in her youthful days; but mid
all the tending of babies for mother,
milking COWS and doing all sorts of
chores for father, she grew up to
young womanhood.
Meanwhile an acquaintance had
sprung up between our fairgirl Patty
and Barney Griswold, who came
home from time to time to visit the
scenes and friends of his boyhood.
Both being good singers they often
met in the choir, and finally the
friendship between them grew to be
love, and after period of nine years
of hard labor "down below" as used
to hear it expressed, he returned
home and soon after the marriage
ceremony was soleminized between
him and Patty; and the struggle OF
life was begun in dead earnest, he at
the age of twenty-five and she at
twenty-one. Both had, after arriving
at years of maturity, given their
hearts to Christ and united with the
M. E. church, of which they were life
long members, and thus they COM