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The Hamiltons
The experiences of the Danbury Hamilton family run through 350 years of U.S. history. Originating in Glasgow in 1640, family members hunted whales off Cape Cod and were charged with witchcraft. They purchased large swaths of land on Bear Mountain in Danbury’s Pembroke district. They served as militia captains both before and during the Revolution. When the British burned Danbury in 1777, one Hamilton narrowly escaped death as sword-swinging Redcoats chased him on horseback.
In 1856 one Hamilton struck out, like many Americans, to find fortune in the real Wild West. He traveled the Mississippi by steamship, and staked a claim in Minnesota Territory amidst Indians and villains.
The Civil War found three of four brothers enthusiastically enlisting. They were shipwrecked at Cape Hatteras before advancing into intense fighting in New Bern. They complained about officer corruption in the newspapers. They fought in the battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg. One brother deserted, but then reenlisted with a new artillery unit. He was captured by Rebels in late 1864 in the battle of Cedar Creek. He was sent to Salisbury prison, and died of starvation and maltreatment in February 1865.
The Hamiltons had been farmers around Danbury until the industrial age. They then discovered the printing press, and ran the Hamilton Press for almost a century. Their descendants moved away in the 21st century, with a few remaining in the Connecticut book business.
This work was based on antique family papers, deeds, journals, and scraps of paper, preserved for centuries and now residing in the Connecticut State Library. It includes original illustrations, and recalls U.S. history through the eyes of one family, which seemed to sense that the history they experienced was something very special.
