John Grosvenor, the earliest representative of the family in New England and the progenitor of all who bear the name in America, was born in 1641, and died in 1691 in Roxbury, Massachusetts, where his burial occurred. His wife, Esther Clark Grosvenor, a woman of great strength of character and self-reliance, came with her family, consisting of five sons and one daughter, to Pomfret, where she engaged in the management of her landed property, and added the practice of medicine to her other attainments.
Her son, Thomas, born in 1687, married Elizabeth Pepper, and was the father of Amos, who married Mary Hutchins, and settled as a farmer in Pomfret. Among his children was a son, Benjamin, born in 1771, who married Chloe Trowbridge, to whom were born eight children, the two eldest sons dying in early life. John William, the third son, whose birth occurred in 1806, died in 1862, in Pomfret, where his life was spent in the pursuits of a farmer. He married Phebe G., daughter of Charles Spaulding, of Plainfield. Their children are: Hannah, deceased, wife of C. P. Grosvenor; Julia E., deceased; Charles W., born May 11th, 1839; and Benjamin, whose birth occurred September 21st, 1841.
Charles, the elder of these two sons, entered the army in 1862, during the late rebellion, as sergeant of Company D, Eighteenth Connecticut Volunteers, participating in all the important engagements in which his regiment bore a part. Mr. Grosvenor, as a republican, has twice represented his native town in the state legislature and once in the senate. On the 7th of March, 1866, he was married to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of George B. Mathewson, of Pomfret. Their children are three daughters, Mary M., Julia E. and Louise P.
Benjamin, the younger of the two sons of John William, was born in Pomfret, where his life, with the exception of five years in Nebraska, has been spent. In 1871 he purchased his present home in Pomfret. Finding pleasure in the pursuits of business and the ownership of land, he has from time to time added to his original property, until now he has over 700 acres under cultivation. He was married December 23d, 186r, to Miss Anna, daughter of George B. Mathewson, of the same town. Their children are a daughter, Charlotte M., and a son, John P.
Pomfret having through all its history been a farming town, has within the last twenty years, through the energy and ability of the Grosvenor brothers, preceded by that of their father-inlaw, George B. Mathewson, made rapid material progress. Commencing with small things it has become a favorite resort for summer guests, and so rapidly has the popularity of the place increased that Mr. Grosvenor has had occasion repeatedly to enlarge his quarters, adding successive buildings and cottages to his domain. Attracted by the natural beauty of the adjacent country, the salubrious air, and the improvements constantly progressing, much capital has been invested in summer homes in the vicinity.