The Newtown bee., 1895-07-19
Fairfield County Chat.
BETHEL
OF HISTORIC INTEREST

At the close of the Revolutionary war a number of young men who were seek ing homes for their little families, moved from the old town of Fairfield up to the high hills of Danbury, where land was cheap and the hills more healthy. Some
 went beyond to the hills of New Fair field, OtherI stopped in Newtown and others gin the parish of Bethel. a Dea James Seeley located his home on Cod fish Hill, so called. Ehenezer Silliman,
 who was in poor health, loeated his home on Hoyt's hill, July 2, 17S2. MT Silliman | took deed of 90 acres of land from Dav- l i'd TayIor of Stratford. It has always | been understood in the family that Day | i'd Taylor, Tory, had become obnoxious | to the patriotic people of Danbury, left the state and never dared to return to his native town. At the close of the war an order was issued that all such persons who owned land in the state must return | on such date or be debarTed of all right l and title to their lands. It was said that MT Taylor returned to Stratford on time | but did not, for some cause. wish to take l a personal possession of his several farms | in Danbury, but procured the services of
 MT Silliman, a man of public ability, to
 establish his rights and sell his landed es-
 tate in Danbury. For his services it was | said that MT Silliman received deed Of
 the Hoyt hill farm. The writer copies 1 the following from the ancient family
 Bible: ''On the 3lst day of March, 17S2,
 then was Ebenezer Silliman and Sarah
 Penfield, both of Fairfield, joined in mar
 riage, who was born June 2l, 1734, and
 my wife was born May 27, TAO. Sarah,
 their only child, was born the same year,
 the 18th day of December, at o'clock in
 the afternoon, and was baptized the 7th day ot February, 17S3, by Rev James 1 Tobpoop nf North Foirfiald g MT Silli-
 mans farm lay back about 100 rods south
 of the highway from Danbury to Fair
 field. On nearly the highest point of the
 hill are located the two large springs of
 pure cool water. It was near these springs where he intended to erect his future home. At the foot of the hill on the road, now called Elm street, there
 lived prominent man of the place, by name of Thomas Taylor, who prevailed on MT Silliman to take two acres of his
 land near the road and within speaking \ distance of his neighbor, favor greatly prized in those days. The old house and
 barn that is now standing on the hill was } built in the years 17S5 and 'S6. It was built in the form of an l. to better with stand the storms and high wind. The
 frame was of oak and chestnut timber l covered with whitewood siding and nail . ed on with nails made by the village
 
 q with brick tops, anchored the house SC
 solid that it has never been known tt = budge an inch in the 1l0 years since il
 was first built. The great old fashioned
 fireplace that used to stand in the soutf
 part of the great kitchen was supplied
 with great back log once every weel
 and which was often so large that 1t wa ,- drawn in by farm horse across tn if heavy oak floor and then rolled in place ] ;y, do ipunnfnI " which made it more handy to keep tn e fire in the great fireplace going the yea O round. Dea Silliman was man o 2 means and had much of this world 10 goods and was prosperous farmer an n often entertained his friends from Fail ,p field. Among his guests was his eide ,t brother, Gen Gold Sellick Silliman c
 Revolutionary fame, and who came 70 Danbury with Gems Wooster and Arnol e on the 27th of April, 1776. The general
 two sons, Gold Sellick and Benjamin, O. ,t ten visited Uncle Ebenezer in the gres
 house on the hill. Benjamin afterwar ot became a professor in Yale college d- New Haven, where his father, grant
 father and great grandfather in thel
 young days were educated. The accoul
 of MT Silliman's death we copy from tf 10 family Bible: "On Thursday, the 22d da 10 of September, 1797, about 45 minutes a at ter o'clock in the evening it has please 50 Almighty God in His holy and benie es providence to remove by death my belo Ir ed husband, Dea Ebenezer Silliman. a m ter we had lived in the greatest love ar i'd harmony from the date of our marrias ,e until his death, which was 15 years, fi' ,c. mouths and P days. When he died " was 62 years, three months and one da 1e- old. He was decently inferred on u It. Saturday following. His funeral was a zo tended by @ numerous concourse of rel
 tives and reputable friends and sermc
 was preached by the Rev John Ely"
 tombstone marks his last resting place .,o the old church yard on Main street. H ne property was willed to his wife al n n daughter, Sarah, who in 1901, became u oo wife of Phineas Judd and ralsed lars ns family of sons and daughters. The 0 :, house and farm, much to be regrette .. has passed out of hands of the descen oh li ents. Many "reminiscences of the 0 t ui house comes to mind that would proba so lv interest few of the readers of IF s BEE.