Griswold, Louise


Brief Biography:

Research into the life and death of Mrs. Griswold has revealed scant information. At the present time, there is no information regarding her birth or death years, or the year of her marriage to Stephen M. Griswold. Thus far, research has yielded that her maiden name was Roope and that her mother died in 1894. She had at least one sibiling, a sister who married a doctor by the name of Jones. It is also known that the Griswolds had five children, Stephen M Jr, David, George, W.A. and Frederick.

Brief Itinerary:

Mrs. Stephen Griswold, first name Louise, and her husband boarded an English steamship in New York in 1867 and set off on an exploration of Europe and the Holy Land. After eleven days at sea, the Griswolds arrived in Liverpool, England. The Griswolds toured England, including London where they were fortunate enough to see Queen Victoria and her children. After several days in England, the Griswolds crossed the English channel and proceeded to tour France and Switzerland via the railway system. Upon arrival at Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, the Griswolds transportation method changed to a diligence vehicle for the journey over the Alps.

After crossing the Alps, the Griswolds were in Italy, where they again boarded a train for a sightseeing tour through Northern Italy. Eventually they ended up in Naples, where they met with their party of pilgrims leaving for the Holy Land on the steamer Quaker City. The party traveled on the steamer through the Bosphorus Straits to the Black Sea where they became the first American steamer to visit the town of Odessa in Russia. Upon leaving Russia, the pilgrimage party traveled via steamship to the Holy Land.

For the next three months, the pilgrimage party remained together, traveling to the Holy Land via the steamship Quaker City, landed in Lebanon and from there traveled via horses and camels to various religious sites in the Holy Land. In due course, the party boarded the steamer again and traveled to Alexandria, Egypt. In Alexandria, the Griswold's parted company with the other pilgrims and headed for home, after touring parts of Northern Europe.


Brief History of the Text:

Mrs. Griswold wrote "A Woman's Pilgrimage to the Holy Land" during her journey to the Holy Land in 1867. During her trip she kept a log of the places and people she encountered on her journey. Upon her return to America, her friends encouraged her to publish her journal. In 1871 a copy of the book was submitted to the Library of Congress by her husband, Stephen M. Griswold. The book was published in 1872 by J.B. Burr & Hyde publishing company of Hartford, CN. The book had only one edition, but a subsequent printing of her book was noted in 1875.




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