Putnam patriot., 1929-04-11

nrst Of all a worthy contribution to Americana. A further challenge to the reader lies in the fact that it is compiled by Gertrude Tyler's daugh- ter and her grandson, Edith K. Roo sevelt and Kermit Roosevelt. Final ly the work is of special interest to residents of Windham county since l it's history began in Brooklyn. tine county seat, where it continued to record itself for more than one hun dred years.
 When, some few years since, Mrs. Roosevelt purchased Mortlake House in Brooklyn, it became known that II was the ancestral home of her family. The line was this:
 Job Tyler, born in Shropshire, Eng land, in 1919, is found in Newport in 1888. His second son, Hopestill, was born in Groton. Hopestiips son was the first Daniel Tyler. Four Daniels ensued, the fourth being Edith Ker init Roosevelt's grandfather, a West Pointer, distinguished General in the Civil War. student, and a trav- eler. All four Daniels lived in Brook lyn, Windham County. Conn.
 Daniel, the second. was born in 1899 and died in 1900. and claimed, heretofore, Co have lived in three centuries the sixteenth, seventeenth and eighteenth. On his tomb stone he caused to be written:
 Although hundred years I've seen,
 My life was short.
 Twas all a dream"
 He lived in true patriarchal style. He had three wives Gin proper sue cession), twenty-one children, fifteen grandchildren, and l20 great grand children. It is evident therefore that unless Brooklyn of the eight eenth century was more populous than today, a large proportion of it's inhabitants was comprised in this ancestral tribe which Mrs. Roose- welt has honored by recovering and restoring Mortlake House, once known as Mortlake Manor In passing, it might be said that most of Daniels offspring was grouped about him when he died.
 Daniel, the second, was a designer and householder, and the story is told that, when over eighty years of age, he walked the ridgepole of the church, still a landmark of Brook lyn, which he was at this time con- strueting.
 Daniel Tyler, 3rd, who would be Mrs. Roosevelts great grandfather, was apparently his fathers favorite son. At any rate he inherited 1000 or more acres in Brooklyn, and in one severe storm, he is said to have had twelve barns unroofed. This Daniel married, directly after grad uating from Harvard in l77l, Mehita- bel. daughter of General Putnam, and served under the general in the Revolution for two years before rais- ing and equipping at his own expense, an artillery company. which he com manded with the rank of major.
 This marriage added another large connection to the already extensive Tyler family. The two families ex- changed hospitalities, as was natural. at Christmas and Thanksgiving, the Tyler house being the meeting place on the latter occasion, and the Put nam (EpiseopaD at Christmas.
 Mortlake Manor
 The family homestead was Mort lake Manor, and each of the sons, when he married, was given a home stead of his own. Mortlake was we'll supplied with servants both white and black, and the farm hands had a table of their own. Every well-to-do fam ilv had a sideboard, well set out with decanters containing brandy. rum, and gin, of which every visitor was expected to partake. Parsons ire auently refreshed themselves between sermons with their favorite tipple. Farm hands in having and harvest time were served with stated rations of stimulants. and in the winter cider flip and mathegiin were favorite bev- erages.
 After the death of his first wife Mehitabel Putnam, Daniel Tyler 3rd married Sarah Edwards, granddaugh- ter of Jonathan Edwards, and widow ! of Benjamin Chaplin.
 One wonders whether Benjamin Chaplin belonged to the town or Chaplin, and whether he might have been responsible for the conspicuously beautiful houses there; also, whether Daniel 2nd, since he was an architect, and did build the Brooklyn church, could have been concerned m the famous Prudence Crandall house of Canterbury. though it was doubtless built after his time-perhaps by Ben jamin Chaplin.
 This is the sort of speculation stim- ulated by following the first hand history that makes up this book. So graphic. so authentic is the record, that the reader finds himself sharing the life of the day in which these char acters moved.
 It was of this second union that Daniel 4th was born. so that the Put nam line is not in the Roosevelt sue cessiOn, though the Jonathan Ed wards line is. At this period there was much less austerity in the stand ards of the community than prevail cd some years afterwards. The coun try families played cards, and danced at their parties, and even gave ordina- ton balls. when the new minister was expected to lead of with some favor ed partner.
 Lotteries were in vogue. By them churches were built, method apt to be deeried today, when defiance of law. social, political. and moral IS condoned if not overlooked.
 Daniel, 8th, the youngest of a large family. and the pride and darling Qf his parents, was born in Brooklyn m