Luther Dwight Griswold (1809 - 1897)

Born 7 Feb 1809 in Bloomfield, Hartford County, Connecticut

Ancestors

Husband of Jerusha H (Smith) Griswold — married 25 Mar 1835 in Berlin, Hartford, Connecticut, United States

Died 9 Jul 1897 at age 88 in Oakland, Alameda, California, United States

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Biography

Surgeon Luther Griswold served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: 19 Aug 1862
Mustered out: 1 Aug 1864
Side: USA
Regiment(s): 103rd Ohio Infantry, Field & Staff

Luther was born in 1809 to Elijah Griswold and Lydia Adams. Luther enlisted in the Field & Staff of the 103rd OVI as a Surgeon on 19 Aug 1862. He resigned from his position on 1 Aug 1864.

103rd OVI Memorial Foundation

The 103rd O.V.I. is a private organization whose members are all direct descendants of the veterans of the 103rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. We are always discovering new members; if you believe that you might be a member please contact us. We will check our records; if you are a descendant you are welcome to join us for the entire week of our annual reunion. [1]

Biographical Sketch

"Dr. Luther Dwight Griswold was born February 7, 1809, in Bloomfield, Hartford county, Conn. His father, Elijah Griswold, was a soldier of the revolution, having entered the patriot army when but sixteen years of age. His mother, Lydia Adams Griswold, was a native of Massachusetts. The subject of this sketch was the youngest of a family of eleven children, of whom five were boys and six girls. All save one grew to maturity and became heads of families. But three of the number are now living."

"His father was a farmer and horticulturist. He spent a long life in collecting and cultivating the choicest varieties of fruits of that day, and probably had at one time the best collection in the State. The doctor was raised on the farm and acquired a taste for fruit growing and the cultivation of flowers, which he has retained through life, but circumstances have prevented its gratification to any great extent. His educational advantages were very limited. He attended the common district school summer and winter until he was ten years of age, and in the winter season until he was fifteen. At the age of sixteen he passed an examination, and though poorly qualified, taught a country school through the winter. He had a number of scholars from eighteen to twenty years of age, but had no difficulty in governing the school. At seventeen he determined to obtain better qualifications as a teacher, and attended a school of a higher grade. From that time until twenty-one years of age he taught every winter. While filling the position of a teacher he was an earnest student, and most of the limited education he obtained was acquired by the fireside and by the light of a tallow-candle. He worked on the farm summers until twenty-one years of age, at which time, with twenty dollars in his pocket, he started for the west."

"He stopped at Ludlowville, Tompkins county, N.Y., to visit a brother, where he remained and taught school for one year. In September, 1831, he came to Elyria to visit two sisters who were at that time residing in that township. During the winters of 1831-2, and 1832-3, he taught school in the yellow school-house, it being the only school in the place. In the spring of 1832 he commenced the study of medicine with the late Doctor Samuel Strong, who was then residing in North Amherst. He completed his preliminary studies under the tuition of the late Dr. Asa B. Brown. In the fall and winter of 1834-5, he attended a course of lectures at the Berkshire Medical College, located at Pittsfield, Mass., and at the close of the term received a license from the Massachusetts Medical Society."

"He was married on the 25th of March, 1835, to Miss Jerusha H. Smith, a former resident of Elyria. She died at Dayton, Ohio, on the 11th of March, 1875. For almost forty years she was to him a true and faithful wife and a wise and prudent counselor. Though a great sufferer from ill health during nearly the whole period of her married life, by her energy and force of character, she discharged the duties of a wife and foster-mother with such prudence and sound judgment as to win the love and confidence of her household and of her numerous friends and acquaintances. The memory of such a wife and mother is blessed."

"In the spring of 1835, he returned to Elyria and entered into partnership with the late Dr. R. L. Howard. Business being very dull through the summer, the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent in the fall and Dr. Griswold removed to Grafton, where he continued in practice for one year. In the fall of 1836 he was elected auditor of Lorain county, and returned to Elyria. At the close of his official term, in 1838 he entered into partnership with the late Dr. Luman Tenney, and removed to Amherst where he remained two years. In 1840 he returned to Elyria. He continued in practice most of the time in connection with the late Dr. Eber W. Hubbard (with the exception of two years which he spent in Cleveland,) until the summer of 1862, when he entered the military service as surgeon of the one hundred and third regiment of Ohio volunteers. In 1844 the Cleveland Medical College conferred on him the honorary degree of M.D. In 1856 he was appointed by Governor Salmon P. Chase, a trustee of the Northern Ohio Lunatic Asylum. In 1860 he was re-appointed to the same office by Governor Dennison. He held that on position for the period of ten years, and became deeply interested in that as well as the other benevolent positions of the State. He was one of the active interested in the organization of the Elyria Natural History Society, as well as one of the volunteer lecturers before that institution."

"In reference to his military services, the doctor, while his regiment was stationed at Frankfort, took possession of a comfortable dwelling house and converted into a regimental hospital, which was complimented by the medical inspector as a model institution. While here an event occurred which may be worth relating. It was during the era of slavery, and the troops were ordered to drive all negroes from their camps, which order was not very rigidly enforced. A poor fellow named Ben, who had joined the regiment some forty miles in the rear, was brought to the hospital by the chaplain, with the request that he should be taken care of. So the doctor set him at work. Some two weeks afterwards Ben came trembling into the office saying his master was after him. The surgeon placed a revolver in his breast pocket, with the handle projecting, so as to be prepared for any emergency. Soon the owner came in, accompanied by two city marshals and a Catholic priest, and said very blandly: " You have my boy here, and I have come after him."

"Your boy," said the doctor; "you may be some of the negro thieves that are following the army, and arresting colored men in order to get the reward offered. I don't know you, sir. You must do two things before you can have him. First, you must prove your loyalty; and second, you must prove before the court your title to him, and if you, or either of you, lay a hand on him before you comply with these terms, I will shoot you."

"After conferring together for a few minutes, the owner, the priest and one of the marshals retired, and in about two hours returned with two writs, one commanding the doctor to appear before the court, and, on the owner's giving bond in the sum of sixteen hundred dollars, to appear before the court at its next term, and prove his title to Ben, he was to be given up. The other writ was for the doctor to appear at the same term, and prove his title to the slave. By this time, a mob of about one thousand people had gathered in front of the hospital, and a company with the regimental band had paraded, also, in front, for the purpose of escorting the doctor to the court house. He sent them back to camp, mounted his horse, with Ben at his side, surrounded by a howling mob, and reported in court."

"The officials were exceedingly polite, and presented a bond for his approval, which probably represented half a million of dollars, and Ben was handed over to his master. Had not the doctor been backed by a 'regiment of bayonets, he would, doubtless, have been torn to pieces by the mob."

"The doctor placed his own lawsuit in the hands of John M. Harlan — a brother of Justice Harlan, of the supreme court — who took him before a notary, and he subscribed an oath that he was in the military service of the United States, which put the case off till the close of the war. In about a month, the doctor received a letter from Ben's master, proposing that, if he would pay the costs, he would withdraw the suit. The surgeon replied that, if the court at Cleveland decided, after the war, that he should pay the costs, he would do so. In about a year, while in East Tennessee, he received a letter from Mr. Harlan, stating that the case had been dismissed at the plaintiff's cost. So ended his Kentucky lawsuit."

"In August, 1863, the regiment, (with the twenty-third army corps,) crossed the Cumberland mountains into East Tennessee, the rebel army retiring before them."

"Early in November, the Union army was all concentrated at Knoxville, indulging the vain hope that they were going into winter quarters. Before the cabins for quarters were completed, General Longstreet appeared before the city, with ten thousand troops, and the siege of Knoxville commenced. The skirmishers, on both sides, were under fire, day and night, for twenty-two days. Several battles occurred during the time."

"The battle of Armstrong's Hill was fought on the 27th of November, in which the one hundred and third bore a conspicuous part. The rebel assault was repulsed, with great loss to them. The one hundred and third lost, in that engagement, two killed and thirty-two wounded, many of whom died of their wounds. Surgeon Griswold made temporary dressings of their wounds, as they were brought in, treating union and rebel soldiers alike, and sent them in ambulances to a new hospital in the city. He visited the hospital the next day, and found the wounded lying on the floor, in their bloody clothing, without even blankets to cover them. He proposed at once to take charge of his own men, and soon after was appointed surgeon in charge of the hospital. He soon procured, through the quartermaster, a supply of wooden bunks, and the union ladies of Knoxville, (of whom Mrs. Smoyer — a daughter of Parson Brownlow and now the wife of Dr. Boynton, late of this place — was a leading spirit,) a quantity of bed-ticks. He also secured a load of straw and blankets, and the poor wounded soldiers soon had comfortable beds. He was also appointed surgeon in charge of hospital No. 4, which contained five hundred patients, and, for a time, had charge of two hospitals, containing, in the aggregate, eight hundred sick and wounded soldiers."

"The men suffered greatly for want of proper nourishment, during the siege, but after the siege was raised, and railroad communication opened, by aid of the government and the christian and sanitary commissions, they were supplied with everything necessary for their comfort."

"On the first of May, the twenty-third army corps started on the Atlanta campaign. The one hundred and third regiment fought its first great battle on the 12th of May, at Resaca, Georgia. It went into the fight three hundred strong, and came out with a loss of twelve killed and eighty-two wounded."

"Surgeon Griswold was ordered to the rear, at the beginning of the fight, to establish a field hospital for the third division. As fast as hospital tents could be put up, they were filled with wounded, and in about three hours the hospital contained three hundred and sixty-two wounded men. The hospital of the second division, nearby, contained about the same number. The doctor being at the time chief operator for the division, was engaged for thirty-six hours, with a corps of assistants, in performing the necessary operations and in dressing the wounds. He performed a number of capital operations, including three amputations of the thigh and two of the shoulder. As soon as possible, the field hospital was broken up, and the patients sent to Chattanooga, as the army had moved on in pursuit of Joe Johnson, the rebel general. He was then placed in charge of the corps hospital, which in about two weeks was also broken up, and the patients sent to the rear. He soon joined the main army, which was about forty miles in advance. As a line of skirmishers was kept constantly in advance, who were day and night exchanging shots with the rebel skirmishers, wounded men were brought to the rear for treatment every day, and the surgeons were not idle. During this campaign, Dr. Griswold slept on the muddy ground, under a dog kennel tent, almost every night. It rained twenty-two days in succession, and his blanket and clothing were never dry during that time."

"At length, after crossing the Chattahoochee River, having arrived within eight miles of Atlanta, the objective point of the campaign, Dr. Griswold found himself so reduced in strength by the diseases and fatigues of the camp and field, that he very reluctantly resigned his position in the army and returned home. After regaining his health, he again entered upon the practice of his profession."

"In 1865, he was elected to the Ohio senate, and was re-elected in 1867. During his four years' service as senator, he was faithful in the discharge of his duties, being always in his seat, and gave general satisfaction to his constituents. He was principally instrumental in securing the passage of a law for the establishment of the Reform and Industrial School for Girls. He had felt for years that the interests of the people of the State demanded a home for incorrigible and vicious young girls, where they could be reformed, educated and fitted for lives of usefulness. In order to carry these views into effect, during the session of 1868, he offered a resolution for the creation of such an institution and for the appointment of a committee to fix upon a location, and to report at the adjourned session. The resolution was agreed to, and the doctor was appointed a member of the committee. The work of the committee was thrown principally upon him, and during the summer recess he corresponded extensively with the authorities of kindred institutions in this country and England. Soon after the general assembly re-assembled, he presented a report which attracted considerable attention, and a large number of extra copies were ordered to be printed. The bill accompanying the report became a law, and thus was established one of the most beneficent institutions of the State."

"After the close of the war of the rebellion, Dr. Griswold, with many other members of the grand army of the republic, felt a deep interest in the welfare of the orphans of our dead soldiers, many of whom were homeless and inmates of county infirmaries. At a meeting of the grand army at Sandusky, in the spring of 1869, measures were instituted for the establishment of a home for soldiers' orphans, where they could be provided for and educated. The Rev. Geo. W. Collier was appointed a general agent of the society, who traveled extensively through the State, addressed public meetings, and collected considerable money for the establishment of such a home. In December following, the home was opened in the city of Xenia, and sustained for several months by contributions of the grand army of the republic. In the spring of 1870, it was adopted by the general assembly as a State institution, and Dr. Griswold was appointed its first superintendent. The people of Xenia and the county of Greene has donated to the grand army one hundred acres of excellent land, located within half a mile of the city, composed of clear land for cultivation, and an open forest, and commanding a fine view of the city. They had also agreed to put up buildings for the accommodation of two hundred and fifty children. The grand army had erected two brick cottages, and got out timber for a large barn. Xenia put up the frame, and in a very rough manner converted it into school rooms and a home for the children. This was the condition of things when the doctor took charge of the home. The grand army had previously turned the entire property over to the State. The grounds required to be cleared up; tree tops, brush, chips and stumps were gathered and piled in large heaps by the children. The burning of these piles at night afforded them great delight. The doctor remained in charge of the home a little more than four years, when he was superseded from political considerations only".^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ "History of Lorain County Ohio," Philadelphia, Williams Brothers, 1879, pages 138 to 140

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55112714/luther-dwight-griswold: accessed 08 May 2023), memorial page for Dr Luther Dwight Griswold (7 Feb 1809–9 Jul 1897), Find a Grave Memorial ID 55112714, citing Ridgelawn Cemetery, Elyria, Lorain County, Ohio, USA; Maintained by William Stark (contributor 46521610).

• Ancestry.com. Ohio, U.S., Soldier Grave Registrations, 1804-1958 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. Original data: Graves Registration Cards Collection, Ohio History Connection, Columbus, Ohio.

• Ancestry.com. California, U.S., County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1849-1980 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. Original data: California, County Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1830-1980. California Department of Public Health, courtesy of www.vitalsearch-worldwide.com. Digital Images.

• "History of Lorain County Ohio," Philadelphia, Williams Brothers, 1879, pages 138 to 140