My Genealogy Hound

CHARLES A. GRISWOLD was born in Pennsylvania August 5, 1840, and is one of a family of ten children born to James F. and Lydia (Franklin) Griswold, both of whom were natives of New York State, his mother being a daughter of Daniel Franklin, a Revolutionary soldier, and a distant relative of the famous Dr. Franklin, and his father a son of James Griswold, who served his country with distinction in the War of 1812 and subsequently became a man of some local political note. Mr. Griswold’s parents moved to Pennsylvania in 1830, when the country was comparatively new, settled on a timber farm which the father cleared and on which he maintained his family, both parents living to the ripe age of seventy-three years. Here now live the most of C. A. Griswold’s brothers and sisters, he being the only representative of the family in Nebraska. Charles A. Griswold was in his native country brought up on a farm and trained to the habits of industry and usefulness common to farm life. He received but an ordinary education, having mostly to make his own way in the world. He learned the carpenter trade when a young man and followed it till he enlisted in the Union army in 1861, on the opening of the Civil war, entering Company E, Ninth Pennsylvania cavalry, and serving his country faithfully three years and three months, during the most trying period of her history. His command was with the armies of the Cumberland and the Tennessee and took a part in all the hard-fought battles in which those armies were engaged, ending with Sherman’s “March to the Sea.” He was never wounded, but was once captured while charging a battery at an engagement on the French Broad river in East Tennessee and narrowly escaped the horrors of prison life which befell many of his gallant comrades. He regained his liberty, however, through his own vigilance and fleetness of foot, and did a soldier’s duty till the expiration of his term of enlistment instead of having to languish in a rebel prison. After leaving the army Mr. Griswold returned to Pennsylvania and shortly after went to work at his trade. In 1867 he married, then kept a store, farmed a little and subsequently worked at his trade in Pennsylvania up to 1877; in April of that year he came to Nebraska and located in Franklin county, entering a homestead claim on the southeast quarter of section 4, township 4, range 14 west, Antelope township. That was an early date for that part of the state and Mr. Griswold was the third man to locate in the township. He settled on raw land and began on the sod and had rather a hard time of it at first, but he stuck steadily to the claim, and after the first season of hardship was past, his condition began gradually to improve and his affairs have prospered since. The homestead has grown from a mere claim on the prairie to a well improved, neat, comfortable place, furnished with a good dwelling, barns, orchard and groves, and is well stocked with good breeds of cattle, horses and hogs. He has given his attention mainly to farming, but in 1881 he put up a building on his place which he filled with goods and began mercantile business. He shortly afterwards secured a post office for his locality and received the appointment of postmaster, conducting the post office and selling goods till the spring of 1887, when, the B. & M. R. R. having built within a mile of his place, and a station being started on it near by, he was obliged to remove to the new town with his store, and the post office was given to a Mr. Porter, there being a democratic administration at that time. In 1888, when Harrison was elected, Mr. Griswold received the appointment of postmaster and took the office in June, 1889. The new town was called Upland and Mr. Griswold became one of the chief factors in building it up. Three post offices of the vicinity being consolidated into one, Mr. Griswold now divides his time between the post office and his store, keeping one clerk.

In 1867 Mr. Griswold married Miss Martha M. Arnout, a daughter of Joshua and Martha (Chilson) Arnout, natives also of New York State.

Mrs. Griswold’s father died in 1859; her mother is still living, being a member of Mr. Griswold’s household. Mr. and Mrs. Griswold have had born to them a family of four children, all daughters — Cora B., May M., V. Grace, and Lillie G., the last named being deceased. Mr. Griswold has taken a prominent part in the affairs of his township, having served as justice of the peace and assessor, director of the school district three times, and, as stated, as post master. In politics he is a temperance republican, as might be supposed from his antecedents and personal history already recorded. He is a zealous Mason and a member of the Grand Array of the Republic.