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Extraordinary Collection of Early Michigan Territory Manuscript Documents

Evidence of a Heated Feud Between the First Secretary of Michigan Territory and the Territorial Governor William Hull

Speech to the Wyandot Chiefs - One of the First Official Communications by a U.S. Official Addressed to the Wyandot

And Other Important Papers for Early Michigan Territory

A remarkable collection of manuscript letters and documents, which sheds new light on the early history of Michigan Territory, and presents source material connected with the grand narrative of America's westward expansion under President Thomas Jefferson. The contents of this collection concern the career of Stanley Griswold, appointed by Thomas Jefferson as the first Secretary of Michigan Territory. A fervent Jeffersonian Democrat from staunchly Federalist Connecticut, Griswold's competence as a political appointee under difficult circumstances in remote Michigan Territory is keenly reflected through these papers. Most of the letters in the present group were written in Detroit, then a frontier settlement with a population of less than 1000 people. Given the scarcity of such materials in the market, this assemblage is a veritable treasure trove for historians of early Michigan Territory, especially for the internal politics within the context of westward expansion in the Jeffersonian era.

Stanley Griswold (1763-1815)

Griswold, a multifaceted figure, emerged from the generation of Revolutionary War-era Yale students to become an editor for a Democratic newspaper, and eventually, the first Secretary of Michigan Territory from 1805 to 1808. He also served as acting governor in the absence of William Hull, the appointed governor of the territory, and with whom Griswold had serious conflicts. The present collection includes vivid documentation of the intense feud between Griswold and Hull as well as additional original material, providing unique insights into this little-known historical controversy in early Michigan Territory.

Wyandot and Native American Relations

Moreover, the collection features documents highlighting the delicate diplomacy with Native American tribes, in particular the Wyandot, as well as encounters with British officers near Detroit. A draft of a letter by Griswold as ex-officio Superintendent of Indians Affairs, addressed to Wyandot chiefs Shawtay-yaw-ron-yah and Son-o-Shase, recounts their grievances with Isaac Williams, who tried to convince them that the Treaty of Swan Creek was not valid in an attempt to gain control of their land. Another draft document, of a letter to Madison, details an altercation with the British known as the Riot of December 8th.

Adding to the ensemble is a small group of personal letters and documents from Griswold's professional life, highlighted by a signed letter of recommendation from Nehemiah Strong, the astronomer and almanac publisher who served as Yale's first Professor of Mathematics.

The significance of this collection is twofold. Firstly, it brings to the fore previously unexplored nuances of the early 19th-century American political scene, notably internal conflicts within the Jeffersonian ranks. Secondly, the collection expands the historical narrative by relating details of interactions with Native American tribes and Britain on the Michigan frontier, underscoring the geopolitical complexities of the era. These documents deserve scholarly attention, particularly as part of a broader historical inquiry into the early politics of Michigan Territory and westward expansion. This rare collection offers an enriched understanding of the personalities and events that shaped this vital period on the Michigan frontier.

Historical Background

According to an early history of Michigan by James H. Lanman, this early period of Michigan history marked the beginning of the end to Native American land tenure in the Territory:

In 1807 the Indian title to the soil began regularly to be extinguished. During that year Gov. Hull entered into a treaty at Detroit with the Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatamie, and Wyandot tribes, which annexed the lands that had not been ceded under former treaties within the line running on the western side of the counties of Saginaw, Shiawassee, Washtenaw, and Lenawe... The principal business of the settlement in Michigan was the fur trade... No permanent settlements of any considerable importance had been made throughout this section of the country besides those at Detroit, Michilimackinac, a small establshment on the St. Mary's River, Fox River, of Green Bay, Prarie du Chien, and certain trading posts of eastern companies.... - Lanman, page 183-184.

It was against such a backdrop, in a decidedly vulnerable frontier situation at Detroit, that Gov. William Hull and Stanley Griswold attempted to administer their respective duties as territorial governor and secretary. In fact, besides the fort that was located outside the stockade of the town, there was no substantial defense to Detroit.

The Conflict Between Griswold and Hull

The conflict that eventually surfaced between Hull and Griswold would stem from a misunderstanding between the two in which Hull thought that Griswold had disparaged him to Congress. A series of letters ensued, rising in tone to a fever pitch, and which Griswold copied and forwarded to Madison in an attempt to preempt further problems. In the end the two men reconciled, with Hull offering two apologies to Griswold for his untoward behavior. The documents relating to this conflict (described in detail below) shed significant (and new) light onto the careers of both men and in particular of Hull's personality and susceptibility to deception, which would be an issue in his later role during the War of 1812. Hull would gain notoriety for his surrender to the British after the Siege of Detroit during the War of 1812, receiving a death sentence (never carried out), in the ensuing courtmartial. He was later pardoned by President James Madison.

Stanley Griswold

Stanley Griswold (1763-1815), a Yale-educated Jeffersonian newspaper editor from Connecticut, served in the militia during the American Revolution. Originally from Torrington, Connecticut, he graduated from Yale College in 1786, taught school in Norwich, Connecticut, while pursuing theological studies. He began his career as a Congregational clergyman in New Milford, Connecticut, becoming, in 1789, the pastor at the First Congregational Church in New Milford, where he preached until 1802. Due to his Republican political leanings, life became uncomfortable for him in Federalist Connecticut. Consequently, he left the ministry in 1803 and became the editor of The Political Observatory, a new Democratic newspaper in Walpole, New Hampshire. Griswold held this position until the spring of 1805, when President Thomas Jefferson appointed him Secretary to the newly established Territory of Michigan (1805-1808). He would also serve as acting governor of Michigan. Griswold ordered the construction of Fort Croghan (aka Fort Nonsense), intended to protect livestock from raids by Native Americans. Due to the difficulties with territorial governor William Hull, Griswold would eventually be expelled from the Territory in 1808 and fined after a dubious trial for inciting militiamen. He then relocated to Ohio, filling a vacancy in the United States Senate in 1809. Subsequently, Griswold moved to the Illinois Territory, where he worked as a federal judge and practiced law until his death in Shawneetown, Illinois, in 1815.

The documents are as follows:

Twelve items concerning Griswold / Hull / Madison Correspondence.

William Hull arrived in Michigan on July 1, 1805, along with Griswold, twelve days after the Great Fire of Detroit. He left for Boston approximately October 11, 1805, leaving Griswold as acting Governor. While Hull was in Washington he appears to have tried in vain to get Congress to pass a bill allowing him to appoint his own Territorial Secretary. Griswold wrote against the attempt, and one of Hull's correspondents wrote to Hull saying that Griswold had disparaged him in a letter to Congress, rather than simply opposing Hull's attempt to replace him with his own patronage appointment.

These events were the basis for a very heated conflict, which if the tone is any indication, very nearly became violent. Hull proceeded to write an insulting letter, which led to the correspondence that Griswold then copied and forwarded to Secretary of State James Madison. Eventually Hull apologized, admitted that his correspondent never sent anything that would substantiate the claim that Griswold was disparaging him. When Griswold was fined and expelled from the territory in 1808, it seems clear that there was a long-running attempt by Hull or Hull's supporters to push him out and that Hull either went along knowingly (perhaps unlikely, given he does offer a sincere apology, twice), or that Hull was part of a larger power play, perhaps by Judge Augustus Woodward, who seemed intent on gaining as much power and authority as possible, and thus limiting Hull's authority (see letter to Madison from Griswold, 27 November 1806). Regardless of the exact behind-the-scenes maneuverings, the correspondence is historically quite significant for illuminating the hitherto unknown dynamic between Michigan Territory's first two acting Governors, and for showing, more broadly, the types of conflicts that could arise in the Jeffersonian system when a figure like Griswold, who came from a relatively humble background, was forced out of his position. Had the conflict escalated, as appears to have been a possibility from the tone of the letters, Michigan Territory's early political history may have included a duel between its first two acting governors. The correspondence deserves study for those interested in Hull and his later actions in the War of 1812, as it would appear that some of the same character traits that led to Hull's surrender of Detroit are presaged here. Hull pushed out Griswold, who trained and prepared militia against possible incursions from Upper Canada, and who attempted to protect the interests of established settlers against speculators, likely in response to what was to become the 1807 Treaty of Detroit (see letter to Thomas Jefferson from Griswold, 30 January 1807), which allowed for a weakened Governership that effectively crumbled during the War of 1812.

Griswold's other letters to Madison and Jefferson are preserved in the National Archives and can be examined on founders.archives.gov. However, the letter from Griswold to Madison is not included, and likely was excluded from the archive by Madison so as to avoid embarrassment.

• Manuscript retained copy of a letter from Griswold to James Madison, Secretary of State. March 20, 1807. Bifolium. 3 full pages of manuscript text. Marked "Copy" in upper left corner of first page.
  • A detailed summary explanation of Griswold's conflict with Hull. Griswold here tells Madison that he is forwarding letters from Hull. He mentions his knowledge of a bill before Congress which would allow the Governor to appoint Secretaries of the Territory, which prompted him to write Congress on his own behalf advocating against the bill's passage. He states: "A young gentleman, a particular connection of the governor's, arrived here after him last summer, with the avowed expectation of being Secretary of the Territory, and there was evidence fully to believe he had the promise of the governor to that effect... This fact is capable of the most satisfactory proof, which will at any time be produced if required... I thought of forwarding the proof along with this communication, but concluded it might be premature, as I hope it will not be wanted, or if wanted, time will doubtless be given for its justification..." The letter goes into great detail on the timeline of the events. Griswold continues to make his case to Madison: "I had performed the duties of the Govenor during [Hull's] absence of eight months, without a cent of compensation, and greatly to the injury of my small pecuniary resources. I supposed he was absent on business useful to the territory - not plotting my destruction... I have no disposition to injure Gov. Hull in the smallest degree, whatever may be.. his attempts against me."
• A.L.S. from Hull to Griswold, February 26, 1807. Bifolium. 1 page. With integral address leaf intact: "Stanley Griswold, Esq. / Detroit." Wax seal present. Docketed: "Gov. Hull, on my letters to Congress. 26 Febry 1807. Rec'd Feb. 27th."
  • Hull asks Griswold to prove his loyalty: "I have now in possession a letter from a member of Congress, in which he says he has seen private letters from you, from the tenor of which it is easy to perceive, that you are unfriendly to me - I demand from you whether you have written a letter to this effect - I shall expect a positive direct answer."
• Manuscript retained copy or draft of Griswold's reply to Hull. February 27, 1807. 1 page of manuscript text, with corrections and emendations. Docketed on verso: "Answer to Gov. Hull's letter of yesterday, on my letters, &c. 27. Feby 1807."  
  • Griswold replies to Hull, assuring him that he said nothing disparaging, and only wrote in an attempt to keep his job as Secretary: "...Give me leave to assure you, that the benignity of your disposition has been reciprocated on my part, in reference to some reports which have come to my ears regarding your conduct. I hope the same liberality will ever govern both. In no letters have I expressed any want of friendship or respect for you. Some naked facts and transactions bearing a public complexion, notorious here, and capable of ample confirmation, have been related to my correspondents, faithfully and impartially, without favor or affection for any concerned in them. And this was done, partly in consequence of confidential communications received by me (which possibly might exite your surprise, if I were at liberty to disclose them), and partly from a regard to that principle of self-preservation which rules all, and which you know there was occasion for me to attend to in this session of Congress..."
• Manuscript copy of Hull's letter to Griswold. March 2, 1807. Docketed on verso: "Copy of a Letter from Gov. Hull received 2n March 1807 and returned to him the same day, on account of its extreme injustice and indelicacy."
  • A remarkable letter from Hull, here present in a copy retained by Griswold, in which Hull angrily denounces Griswold's reply of the day before as being insufficient and accuses Griswold of being a spy. The first section concerns matters of land allotment in the city - which are in themselves significant as they relate to the original plans of Detroit presented to Congress at this point. Given the purpose of the letter, is appears that perhaps through misunderstanding he believes that Griswold had been referring to Hull's actions in Congress regarding land allotment in Detroit, when in fact Griswold had been referring to Hull's efforts to pass a law allowing him to appoint his own Territorial Secretary. He writes "With respect to your correspondence, I regret that you have not given me satisfaction, you might have produced copies of your letters... when I receive them I shall take such measures as my honor and reputation render necessary... I am entirely indifferent to your secret commission, who it is from I know not. If under your duties under it, you only communicate the truth, I will be satisfied. I congratulate you on your new appointment... God knows I envy no man, the privilege of a spy or informer - I only regret that the Secretary of the Territory has been thought to possess qualities which have fitted him for such an office... until I receive the detail of the fact you have communicated, I shall suspend all further correspondence on the subject..."
• A.L.S. from Hull to Griswold, 3rd February [i.e. March] 3, 1807. Bifolium. 2 pages of manuscript text. With original separate address leaf, docketed: "Gov. Hull's letter, sending the one I returned. 3 March 1807."
  • Hull writes to Griswold following Griswold's return of the previous day's letter, defending his actions and demanding satisfaction on the point of Griswold's correspondence. The tone of this letter is quite elevated, and with Hull's repeated claims for satisfaction and violent language (e.g. "I will not be stabbed at dawn"), it is not unreasonable to assume that Hull may have been willing to defend his honor via a duel. He writes, "I have, from high authority, evidence, that you have written letters, to my injury... If, Sir, you had been conscious of having written nothing improper, by exhibiting copies of your letters, you might have satisfied me, that the information I had received was not true, and my just indignation would not have received the severe animadversions, contained in my letter, which you thought proper to return. ...I will not be stabbed in the dawn, I will vindicate my honor at every hazard."
• Manuscript retained copy of a letter from Griswold to Hull, March 4, 1807, in reply to Hull's letter the day before. 1 page. Docketed on verso: "Copy of my answer to Gov. Hull / 4 March 1807."
  • Griswold writes Hull explaining his actions, saying that he wrote to congress only regarding a bill and "the Bill has probably failed."
• Manuscript retained copy of a proposal to Governor Hull, sent through George McDougall, May 25, 1807. 1 page. Docketed on verso: "Copy of proposal to Govr. Hull, thro' Geo: McDougall, Esq. / 25 May 1807."
  • States that Griswold would like to resolve the dispute in writing. 
• A.L.S. from Hull to Griswold, May 25, 1807. Folded quarto lettersheet. 3 pages. May 25, 1807. Docketed on verso: "Govr. Hull's letter of retraction / 25 May 1807 / Rec'd 26th." 
  • Original letter from Hull to Griswold stating that he never received any specifics from the informant who had accused Griswold and that McDougall had seen Griswold's letter and found nothing of offense to transmit. Hull attributes the misunderstanding to his informant, who, he says, was unable to provide any specifics on what exact offense Griswold had committed, and acknowledges that "the observations in my letter were improper." Hull goes so far as to encourage Griswold to move on from the episode.
• Manuscript retained copy of a letter from Griswold to Hull, May 27, 1807. Bifolium. 3 1/2 pages. Docket on verso: "Answer to Govr. Hull's letter of retraction / 27 May 1807."
  • A retained copy of Griswold's reply to Hull, with extensive corrections. Griswold is still understandably upset about the episode, stating "I am unexpectedly called to act in relation to an affair, in which I received more abuse than I ever before experienced in my life. I would that it could not only be fairly passed over, but if possible erased from memory. Friendship is valuable to my heart, and I hesitate not to declare, that I will make every reasonable sacrifice to re-establish it." This sentiment is short-lived, as Griswold then reminds Hull that he had "more than insinuated that I was a vile 'spy...' these insinuations were thrown out very unnecessarily and wantonly... now, may I ask, are these your true ideas of my character?" He ends the letter in a more conciliatory tone, expressing his openness to re-establishing their friendship.
• A.L.S. from Hull to Griswold, June 3, 1807. Bifolium. 2 pages. Integral address leaf intact, wax seal. Docketed on verso: "Gov. Hull, his final retraction of abuse to me in his letters / 3d. June 1807."
  • Original letter from Hull to Griswold, apologizing again for the misunderstanding and reiterating that his information was bad and that he retracts his earlier remarks. He adds: "If this has the desired effect, I shall be happy - it it has not, I shall have the consolation to believe that on my part, I have done all that an honorable man ought to do, in a case similar in circumstances..."
• Manuscript retained copy of a letter from Griswold to Hull, June 8, 1807. 1 page. 
  • A retained draft of Griswold's reply to Hull, in which Griswold states with some reservations that he is willing to put the matter behind him. He writes, "however extraordinary some passages in them may have been, your present letter ought undoubtedly to be considered thus far a retraction, and I have no hesitation in saying, is, in respect to that correspondence, satisfactory."
• Large folio sheet captioned in upper left corner of first page: "(Copies)." 2 pages (densely covered with manuscript text on both sides), comprising a copies of all of the correspondence between Hull and Griswold, beginning with Hull's of May 25th. Accompanied by a separate outer cover sheet, docketed in Griswold's hand: "Govr. Hull's last correspondence with me, in May & June 1807, retracting the improprieties of his former, in Feby. & March last."

Two Additional Important Michigan Territory Documents

• Griswold's draft of his October 22, 1805 letter to chiefs Shaw-tay-yaw-ron-yah and Son-o-Shase at Sandusky, written at Detroit. 1 page. With corrections. Docketed on verso: "Copy of a letter to the Chiefs - Shawtay-yaw-ron-yah, and Son-o-Shase. Sandusky. 22d Oct. 1805."
  • A fascinating manuscript document, with extensive corrections, of one of the first official communications by a U.S. official addressed to the Wyandot. A document of great interest to historians of frontier Native American relations during the Jefferson administration. Griswold was acting as both Territorical Govenor and ex-officio Superintendent of Indian Affairs at the time of this address. In the letter he discourages the chiefs from trying to make pleas to the President regarding the Treaty at Swan Creek. He states that he is unable to provide conveniences to them below their village, and raises "the probability that Sandusky falls within the government of Ohio." The letter relates to Wyandot concerns stemming from the actions of Isaac Williams, who attempted to convince the Wyandot that the Treaty of Swan Creek was fraudulent in an 1805 effort to defraud them of their land. Griswold specifically refers to Williams in his address, though . The letter is in line with Hull's policy, and an outstanding example of the "paternalism and expropriation that characterized the administration's Indian policy." - ANB. See Charles Moore, "The Beginnings of Territorial Government in Michigan" in Michigan Historical Collections, Vol. 3, pages 542-544, for Griswold's letter requesting compensation for expenses in entertaining Indian Nations Chiefs, described as approximately 100 meals: these were likely the same chiefs he was hosting.
  • Griswold addresses the the Chiefs as "My Children":
    • Acting as Standing in the place of your father and as Governor of this country, in the absence of your father, the Governor, who is gone to the seventeen fires, to visit our great father, the President of the United States, and the great Council of the nation, I have the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 9th instant, by Mr. Marshal, the contents of which I have taken into consideration, and now send you an answer. From my heart I return your assurances of the same friendly dispositions and respectful regards which are contained in your letter. We are truly your friend, and believe you to be our friends. It will give great satisfaction to your father, the President of the United States, as it does to us who are appointed to the government of this country, to hear that you desire to live in peace and friendship with the white people...One great spirit made us all, and he made this world earth, for us all to live on upon, red men as well as white men - we are of all one flesh and bone - and our Maker has forbidden us to destroy, oppress, or in any way hurt one another - I cordially take you by the hand, with the other chiefs, your old men, young men, women and children, and heartily wish you and them every comfort and happiness. I am glad to hear that friend Mr. Williams is true and faithful and that he has acted an honorable part towards the United States, as well for you towards... I received a letter from him along with yours, giving the same assurances, and shall write him an answer. I refer you to the my letter I shall write to him, for some things relating to ideas concerning the Treaty at Swan Creek, and the address you intend to send make to the President of the United States. Considering all things, I approve of your going in person to carry the address to the President, and I will cheerfully do all in my power to help you on the way. As I have no power south of Lake Erie I am not opposed to your sending an address to the President, if that be your wish, but I think it unnecessary that you should go in person to carry it, it will be probably be labor and expense lost It is probable the good you would obtain by going will not be equal to the trouble it will cause you.. besides, you can make your wants known to your father here, or at Chilicothe, who can communicate them to your great father, the President... I cannot command conveniences to see furnished for you... below your own village, as my authority reaches no farther south than there... it is not yet ascertained and the probability is, that Sandusky falls within the government of Ohio.
  • A postscript seems to make an oblique reference to Williams as a "bad man":
    • I would cheerfully do every thing [sic] in my power to serve your real and substantial interests. Listen not to bad men. Turn a deaf ear to such as would excite troubles among you. Live in peace and be content.
• Griswold's draft of a letter to Secretary of State James Madison. Territory of Michigan, Detroit, 21 December 1805. Large sheet, densely filled with manuscript text on both sides, with extensive corrections. Docketed on verso: "Copy of my letter to J. Madison, enclosing an authenticated account of the Riot here on 8th Dec. 1805." Concerns the incursions from British and British-paid Native Americans coming from Fort Amherstburgh (Fort Malden) under the command of Lieutenant Lundee (and Captain Adam Muir, though unmentioned in the letter), looking for deserters while under arms and entering Michigan and a settlement town. The British officers proceed to Detroit where they threatened a family, weapons were fired (including by Captain Muir, who shot himself in the leg), and the British were eventually disarmed and arrested by a marshall - events referred to as the Riot of December 8th. The fracas might have escalated into a serious international incident had not Major Campbell, the commanding British officer at Fort Malden, disavowed the actions of the British officers, and upon their conviction their sentences were made trivial, preserving the honr of all involved. Griswold's first draft contains many corrections not seen in the final version, which is held at the Michigan State Historial Society, and would be of interest to historians of the incident. An excerpt here follows:
  • Sir, A more particular and authenticated statement of the aggression committed by some British officers and soldiers in this vicinity, and town, on the 8th instant, I have now obtained, and am under the necessity of transmitting, for the information of govt. on the following day...had legal cognisance of the the transaction to furnish me with the testimony as it appeared on oath before them, which they were so obliging as to do, and certified my abstract of the same with their signatures... On the ground of the facts stated in this testimony, together with certain information communicated to me about the same time by our public interpreter and other citizens, I conceived it my duty to take notice of the affair in a national point of view, as the rights and honor of our government and country appeared to be implicated. Of course I wrote to the British commanding officer of the garrison at Malden (Amherstburgh), from whence the aggressors came ...
  • The information given me by our interpreter, corroborated by that of other citizens & some Indians, was, that a number of Indians or enlisted are hired by the British to come over occasionally to the Indian villages between this town and our settlements at the southwards, to apprehend deserters passing on the great road leading through those villages, and convey them to the British shore. I was informed that some Americans had already met with trouble from those Indians; and some citizens, I am told, are now fearful to pass on that road, paricularly strangers. I am also informed that an unusual intercourse has recently been kept up with certain Indians on our shore, by an individual or individuals, from the British shore, possessing great influence with them.
  • Our civil magistraies and courts of justice are doubless sufficient to cause satisfaction to be rendered for the outrage committed upon the private rights and peace of the citizens. If the general government should think, that the affair ought to end here, and that our national rights, sovereignty and honor have not been infringed, I shall be happy to be corrected of my mistake, and shall receive its orders with pleasure.
  • I think it my duty to state, that the insult upon the government is conceived to be aggravated by the circumstance, that one of the British officers concerned in this outrage, viz. Lieutenant Lundee, waited on the legislative board last fall at this place, to take the opinion of government on this very point - Whether British deserters might be pursued and forcibly arrested in this Territory? And after due consultation, Governor Hull delivered to him a decided opinion, that it might not be done, to the disturbance of the peace of our citizens. He has now come and done it, in a very high-handed manner.
  • To justify my viewing it as an act of hostility, I will cummarily describe the facts as they appeared to me from the evidence I have seen: - A boat full of armed British soldiers, commanded by officers of no small rank, cross in open day the boundary line of the United States, and entering one of our small rivers, proceed into the heart of a flourishing settlement, - on the way hailing and searching the boat of a Deputy Marshal. Arriving in the settlement, they enter the house of a citizen's and place a centinel at the door, with Indians, in their employ. A canoe on our river is announced in sight! - they immediately man their boat and pursue, for the purpose of taking by violent means whom they pleased - some being left to guard the house, which was a tavern. A stranger arrives and calls for refreshments, is forcibly seized; our Deputy Marshal interferes, the stranger is wrested from his protection and abused, the Deputy, by summoning more aid, and procuring arms , refuses the stranger, whom he brings off to Detroit for safety. The two officers, hearing of this, fly to Detroit, where after visiting the garrison, late in the evening they enter the house of a citizen in the centre of the town, and seize the stranger, presenting pistols at the heads of the family and other citizens, threatening to blow their brains out if they should offer to interfere! A bustle ensues, pistols are fired - the citizens prevail, and wrest the arms from the assailants, the Marshal appears and takes the aggressors into custody...

Other Papers Relating to Griswold's Life and Career

• License to preach, East Hartford, December 31, 1788. Signed by Eliphalet Williams, Nathan Perkins, Nathan Strong, and David M'Clure. 1 page. Docketed on verso: "Licence for Preaching."
  • Griswold would enjoy a long tenure as a minister before his Republican views forced him to leave Connecticut for New Hampshire in 1803. His sermons for this period are held at Harvard.
• Manuscript poem, titled The Mercury's Newsboy 1799 - or, an An Ode on Ends, apparently submitted to the American Mercury of Hartford. Bifolium. 3 pages of manuscript text, written in two column format. Docketed on verso: "On Ends."
  • A remarkable and lengthy poem by Griswold containing references to topical events, including political and religious figures. Part historical survey, part political commentary and part metaphysical ode, with a good measure of humor, it is unclear whether Griswold was successful in publishing this work. Griswold's political views can be seen in the work, which he wrote in 1799, before his eventual ostracization and departure from Connecticut. The original crossed-out title of the poem is still legible: The American Mercury's Printer's Devil to It's His Customers Good Customs, or the Doctine of Ends:
    • Of all things ENDS abound the freest: For, everything has two at least..This very ode of two's possess'd, - soon with a Finis you'll be bless'd. The very cause, which sets us singing, Is seeing '99's beginning; Having in safety stood the batter of '98, & seen its latter...Once thro' New England ran a spirit...Gainst Churchman, Witches & the Quakers: Now in deep peace live e'en the Shakers....Of late the pulpits roar'd like thunder to bring the Whore of Bab'lon under: But now she's down, the tone is turn'd... This brings us on to Politics: For fruitful argument, sweet chicks! Kings long had reign'd, e'er fire of whigs was hurl'd with vengeance at their wigs. Columbia set the bold example, on George's fiats dar'd to tramble... Strange changes! this no sooner's done, than Whig-terms out of fashion run. Dame Liberty and Rights of Man are slid downhill - with Thomas Paine (On Press's freedom & on Speech's Sedition - Law great wonders teaches) ... (Of ending, now must have a care Illuminati & Voltaire)...How many folios lie in College, And never stir'd forgetting knowledge? (Paine's Common Sense an end has smitten, Because of other books he's written) - I know I cannot prophesy, that all the books in vogue must die; But this I'd have all authors heed, That Ends are of the thriftiest breed. Besides, remember, that to write a book, is Jacobinic quite. Alas for Printers! how their papers cut for my doctrine mournful capers? (Like Bees, they visit every flower, Get all the honey in their power, Load out their yellow legs with comb, Then to the public hive fly home: - Like Drones, they're hiss'd & kick'd & stung and Starv'd & off the platform flung) 
• Letter of Reference written by Nehemiah Strong. New Milford, [Connecticut], August 12, 1802. 1 page of manuscript text. Docketed on verso: "N. Strong Esqr's Recommendation."
  • A scarce early surviving document by Strong, who was an important astronomer and early professor of Mathematics at Yale. Strong left Yale in 1781, before Griswold's arrival, and writes as a parishioner on Griswold's behalf, citing several outbreaks of disease as the reason for Griswold's departure and recommending Griswold enthusiastically for any appointment or position in his travels "abroad." It is possible that Strong shared Griswold's political views, as he speaks of being "frequently conversant with him in his more private retirements." An excerpt here follows:
    • This may certify whom it may concern, that the Reverend Stanley Griswold, Bearer of this, is a gentleman of eminence, of good Reputation and highly respectable. About twelve years past he has been settled in the Work of the Gospel Ministry in this Town...But by Reason of a terribly distressing peshlential Fever, which, in the hot seasons, has for several years past, been wont to spread and prevail in this Town, and, like the Besom of Destruction, has swept off great Numbers of the Inhabitants into their graves; And he himself, in particular the Bitterness of the Cup of Affliction in his own Family, by the very disturbing calamity of Sickness and Death sent among them the year past; and supposing it probable there may be Periodical returns of the same peshilential Fever in Future, he has, upon mature Consideration, conceived it his Duty, for the greater Security (under Providence) of his own and Family's Lives and Health, from the Dangers of so fatal a contagion, to leave the Town, and no longer officiate among the People as their Minister...Thus he is recommended by this Subscriber, who has, for a Number of Years been one of his Parishioners, an Attendant on his Ministry, a communicant in his Church, and frequently conversant with him in his more private Retirements. Nehemiah Strong, late Professor of Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Yale College.
• Handwritten note recording Senate votes for Griswold's appointment as judge in Illinois.  [Washington?], circa 1810. 1 page. Docketed on verso: "Ayes & Nays on S. G's appointmt. as Judge of Illinois."
  • A tally of votes for Griswold's appointment, which he won by a 23-8 margin. Among the dissenters is Henry Clay. It is unclear whether this document was used by the Senate or just kept by Griswold for his own records.

Summary

Crucially, these documents reveal previously unknown details of a political feud within the Jeffersonian ranks, with important ramifications in the careers of all involved. The letters documenting the Griswold-Hull conflict demonstrate an aspect of the power dynamics at play within the early 19th century American political landscape, with additional documents extending the scope of the collection to encompass Native American relations on the Michigan frontier and geopolitical headbutting with the British. The items documenting the conflict between Hull and Griswold deserve scholarly attention within the historical context of the early politics of Michigan Territory, while the collection as a whole can be seen in light of westward expansion and frontier relations with Native Americans. Hull would gain large land cessions from several American Indian tribes under the 1807 Treaty of Detroit, negotiated with the Odawa, Chippewa, Wyandot, and Potawatomi tribes. The treaty ceded most of southeastern Michigan and northwestern Ohio to the United States, to the mouth of the Maumee River where the city of Toledo developed. Such efforts to expand American settlement in the region would eventually ignite opposition from Native leaders, particularly from Shawnees such as Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa, who urged Native American resistance to American culture and any additional land cessions. Griswold's speech to the Wyandot chiefs, couched in paternalistic language, reflects the administration's policy of protection under an overarching power system. While the draft of the report addressed to Secretary of State James Madison regarding the British incursion presents a significant source for diplomatic history. Griswold's other papers, including the letter of recommendation from Nehemiah Strong, provide additional context about his life and career while buttressing his historical status as a competent official in the early Republic.

Rarity

Original manuscript material of consequence relating to the early internal politics of Michigan Territory is extremely rare in the market.