Much has been written about the prestigious Connecticut family, the Beechers, in previous issues, and in this edition we will cover the historic Benton/Beecher house...the house where Lyman Beecher spent his childhood with his aunt Catherine Lyman (his deceased mother’s sister) and uncle Lot Benton...his mother having died two days after his birth.

   Lyman was a sickly child who managed to hang on for 88 years and three wives. His Uncle Lot was sure that Lyman would become a fine farmer, but fate had another idea. The young boy was truly useless at anything around the farm and eventually Lot gave up and asked the boy if he would like to go to college. The answer, after a day of considering, was yes, so Lot, with the boy’s father’s blessing, sent him to Yale.

   Lot and Lyman’s father decided that the uncle would supply clothes as Aunt Catherine was quick with the needle and could do just about anything she was asked for. Between the two men they outfitted Lyman and paid for his first semester at Yale. Lyman was to keep good grades and study diligently.

Benton Farm at Lyman's time

Benton Beecher Housse

   On vacations Lyman would return to the house in Guilford to catch up on family business and visit with neighbors. Lot would shake his head and wonder why this young man disliked farming so much, but little did he realize that Lyman would one day turn out to be one of America’s most famous preachers.

   On one of these vacations Lyman met Roxana Foote, who could speak French, was an artist who painted miniatures and could play the guitar well. Lyman was smitten. They soon realized that they were in love and married. The newlyweds left the Guilford area to go to his first pastorate in East Hampton, Long Island, where the children began coming quickly.

   Although Uncle Lot had bequeathed the farm to his nephew, also named Lot, after the nephew’s death, Lyman was heir to the home and land worth $2,000. Guilford was home to one of the most prestigious preachers of the nineteenth century, and the house in which he was raised still stands on Broad Street. One wonders if all the people who have passed this house in later years even knew who Lyman Beecher was. A famous man in his time, he has almost become a footnote in American history.