Susan was born on March 27th 1832 in Chemung County. The Chemung River Valley is a lush and beautiful place teeming with wild animals and birds. The river meanders slowly and crookedly through the valley. Across the river a little to the West is Sullivan’s Monument where the battle between Clinton and Sullivan took place in 1779, only 53 years earlier. Her father David and mother Phoebe Burnham first lived in a cabin and then a modest wooden house. The school #4 was next to their house. Neighbors were close for those days as most people had been issued tracts of land for participation in the American Revolution. The Smiths, Wells, Griswolds, Hewitts, Battersons, Burnhams, and Roberts were a few members of the community.

Susan was one of eleven children. Her brother Ben was 11 years her senior, followed by George who was 10, David who was six, Mary who was four and the twins Christopher and Isabella who would be two in April. This was a busy household. After Susan was born there was brother John two years younger and sister Phoebe five years younger, and then another set of twins in 1839 William and little Josephine who died at birth.

This was a close family, but an adventurous one. Grandfather Benjamin was a Revolutionary War soldier, in Sullivan’s Campaign, who along with his wife Johanna came from Warwick, up the Susquehanna in 1795. Benjamin and Johanna Burt were already living in a cabin in Chemung when Asahel and Johanna Burnham arrived. The Burnhams stayed with the Burts for a short time after their arrival and the building of their own cabin. (The Western Gateway’ by Ray Herrington) It was the union of Benjamin and Johanna’s son David with Asahel and Johanna’s daughter Phoebe came the family of these eleven children.

As the family grew on their farm hopes and ideas, purposes and visions were talked about and many plans for the future were discussed. This generation seemed to be about the business of discovering and being a part of settling this great land.

In the book “The Emigrants” Henry and Ulalia Burt of Springfield by Roderick H. Burnham in 1892, on page 118 is the recorded record of David and Phoebe’s sixth generation issue. There is also a small paragraph that was copied from David Burt’s own handwriting. “I was raised here, a wilderness, as it was in 1789. I had but little chance for education. But in an early day I formed a scheme in life. Endeavored to inform myself as fast as possible. For Knowledge was my greatest object. Not so much for wealth or office but a comfortable living and a profound knowledge of Nature.” (his thirst after knowledge gave him the name of Philosopher.) “I was always pleased with land and thought it the best I could get. There was large tracts of unsettled lands at that time back from the river. But the title at that time was not known to us. I secured much but did not like to improve them at a risk. Made farming my occupation. And gave to each of my children from 125 to 150 acres.”

Because of the belief in his children and a knowledge of the value of each human David and Phoebe gave each of their children, both male and female, 125 to 150 acres of land each. This increased the children’s material value as well as their physical value.

Susan married a local boy Abner Griswold probably in the late 1850’s, the exact year has yet to be discovered. They made their plans to be settlers and to go to Lawrence, Kansas. The Kansas-Nebraska bill was passed in 1854 opening up a new territory to be settled. Slave or free what was Kansas to be?

“Let us settle Kansas with people who will make it free by their own voice and vote.” William H. Seward had foreshadowed this policy in a speech in the United States Senate. “Come on, then, gentleman of the slave states. Since there is no escaping your challenge, we accept it in the name of freedom. We will engage in competition for the virgin soil of Kansas, and God give the victory to the side which is stronger in numbers, as it is in right. (“history of Lawrence” by Richard Cordley page 2.) Susan Burt and Abner Griswold made their way to the new Kansas Territory hoping to keep Kansas a free state.

On March 26, 1860 Susan gave birth to twin sons M.D. and D.B. Griswold. I have no record of their birth only a record of their death, one on March 27, 1861 just one year old and one on February 19th, 1862 almost 2 years of age. She also bore another son Sigel F.D. Griswold on April 20th, 1863 and died on July 20th, 1863 at just 3 months of age. (‘Complete Tombstone Census of Douglas County’ by Jean Snedger’.)

Susan and Abner now had buried three sons at Oakhill Cemetery, Kansas. Susan now had one more trial to endure. On August 23, 1863 her beloved Abner was shot down and their home was torched in Quantrill’s Raid, Lawrence, Kansas. She then buried her husband beside their three sons in Oakhill Cemetery.

There were others that went to Kansas from Chemung County. In 1856 Hovey Everitt Lowman and his brothers John G. Lowman and Lyman went to Kansas to seek fame and fortune in that new territory. Hovey along with others established a newspaper in Lawrence, Kansas called the Kansas State Journal. (‘The Lowmans in Chemung County’ by Seymour Lowman. 1938) Susan’s sister Isabella married George Lowman a cousin to the boys that went to Kansas. They lived in Chemung County.

The Lawrence, Kansas Census listed Susan as a seamstress in 1865. Sometime after that whether in Kansas or somewhere else she became aquatinted with a soldier from Yates County, New York who had enlisted in the war in 1863. His name was Cuyler Sawyer and between 1865 and 1877 Cuyler and Susan were married.

All property in Kansas was sold by 1886. Cuyler and Susan were recorded as visiting her younger brother William in Chemung many times in William’s diary. They came for the funeral of Phoebe, Susan’s mother. They also came to visit when all the siblings were home. Susan’s name is usually present in the diaries along with sister Phoebe Ann, they were a very close family. Cuyler and Susan lived near Rushville, New York for ten years. Cuyler died in 1896 as a result of surgery for gallstones.

Susan returned to Chemung after Cuyler died. She lived there in an attached portion of her younger brother John’s house. On August 2, 1902 a lease made and executed between John W. Burt and Susan B. Sawyer in the Town of Chemung. The land lying north of the house and of the door yard occupied by the party of the first part in the said Town to the highway and the privilege of going about the garden and use of the water and the privilege of using the kitchen for cooking. The right of ingress and regress to said premises all on said premises where party of the first part resides with the privileges and appurtenances for and during the natural life of the party of the second part which term will end at the death of the party of the second part. The rent of about $300.00 by building a small rooms on the North side of said house for her own home to use and occupy during said term of her life. (recorded in Chemung County Courthouse.)

On June 28th, 1912 Susan had a stroke of paralysis. Her right side was paralyzed. Her brother William Herschel brought her to his farm home, and hired a nurse, Mrs. Haggerman to care for her. William’s wife had passed away. John’s wife was also gone. Susan needed care and the companionship of women.

On October 15th William Herschel bought 2 tickets and accompanied his sister Susan to Michigan. She would spend her remaining days under the care of her sister Phoebe Ann Burt Gardner and her daughter and son-in-law Wells and Mabel Townley in Fenton, Michigan.

Susan was eighty when she went to Michigan. She lived until July 18th, 1917. She lived to be 85 years old. Her body was sent back to New York State to be interred next to Cuyler Sawyer in Rushville Cemetery, Rushville, New York. I’m sure she was accompanied by her family.

Susan left a beautiful landscape painting that she had done in Michigan. Also, her trunk, that had gone to Kansas with her and had been dragged from her house before it was torched, is in Michigan. Her relatives in Michigan are gggrand niece, Mable Holland, gggrand nephews Bernard Rogers, and Charles and Maryellen Rogers.

Susan’s wedding ring from Abner Griswold inscribed to SBG is in the possession of her gggrand niece Barbara Boyce in Chemung County. This wedding ring is what motivated the story of Susan’s life.