Raymond Francis Grizzell

Submitted by Jan Caldwell from The History of Kentucky page 407

Raymond Francis Grizzell is superintendent of the city schools of Brooksville and his work as an educator has attracted wide and favorable attention in several counties of Northern Kentucky.

He was born at Alexandria in Campbell County July 2, 1896. He represents the fourth generation of this family in Kentucky. His great-grandfather was a native of Virginia, and as a young man moved to Kenton County, where he, followed farming the rest of his life. His son, William Grizzcll, lived all his life in Kenton County as a farmer, and married Elizabeth Jane Marshall, a life-long resident of Kenton County. They had two children: William Franklin and America, the latter the wife of William Wayland, of Livingston County.  Mr. Wayland being a veteran Union soldier.

William Franklin Grizzell was born in Staffordsburg, Kenton County, November 4, 1849, was reared and married in his native county and followed merchandising, but in 1891 removed to a large farm, 1 1/2 miles northeast of Alexandria, in Campbell County. For several years he was an extensive fruit grower, but latterly his efforts have been largely directed to to stock raising.  He is a republican, an active member of the Baptist Church, and is one of the best known Odd Fellows in Kentucky, being a charter member and a past grand of Alexandria Lodge No. 121 and has been a delegate a number of times to the State Grand Lodge. He is also a charter member and a past chancellor commander of Jewel Lodge, Knights of Pythias of Alexander, and has represented this lodge in the Kentucky State Lodge a number of times. The first wife of William Franklin Grizzell was Sarah Lipscomb, who was born and died in Kenton County.  She was the mother of six children: Clara, wife of E F Sporing, superintendent of schools of Newport and a resident of Fort Thomas.  Lucy, wife of James Hulley, an employee of the Street Railway Company at Cincinnati; Jane, of Alexandria, widow of William Parr, who was a farmer; Elam, a carpenter and builder at Los Angeles California; Miss Naomi, who died at Alexandria at the age of thirty; and Nora, who died at the age of six years.

By the second marriage of William Franklin Grizzel there are two children; Emil Duncan, associate professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania, living at Philadelphia; and John, an employee of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Company, with home at Silver Grove.  The mother of Raymond Francis Grizzell was Harriet Rebecca Grizzell, who was born near Falmouth.  He is the older of her two sons, the second being William Grizzell, an employee of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Company living at Alexandria.

Raymond Francis Grizzell grew up on his father's farm in Campbell County, attended country schools, graduated in 1914 from the Campbell County High School in Alexandria, and then by summer work completed a two years course in the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, and one year's work in Miami University at Oxford, Oh.  He is a member of the Tom Corwin Literary Society at Lebanon.  During the school year of 1915-16 he taught in a rural school at Claryville in Campbell County, was principal of the graded school at Alexandria in 1916-17, was principal of the high school at Glencoe in 1917-18, was superintendent of city schools of Warsaw in 1918-20, and in the fall of 1920 took up his duties as superintendent of city schools at Brooksville.  He has six teachers comprising his staff and a scholarship enrollment of 225.  He was also principal of the Bracken County normal school, under the extension department of the Eastern Kentucky Normal in the summer of 1921.

During the World War Mr. Grizzell spent much time in working with the committees in Red Cross, YMCA and other drives in Gallatin County.  He is a republican, a member of the Baptist Church, is affiliated with Brooksville Lodge No. 154, F and A M Brooksville Chapter No. 56; RAM; Covington Commandery No 7, K T; Alexandria Lodge No. 21, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and Beacon Lodge No. 53, Knights of Pythias.

In 1916 he married Miss Grace G Wright, a daughter of Joseph and Emily (Ripley) Wright, the latter still living at Alexandria, where her father died.  He was a farmer, banker and one of the influential democrats of Campbell County.  Mrs. Grizzell finished her education in the Seminary at Oxford, Ohio.  Three children were born to Mrs. and Mrs. Grizzell, Harriet, Patricia and Ann, both of whom died in infancy, and Harriet, born April 14, 1920.