DOB/DOD: February 23, 1719 (Lyme, CT) – September 21, 1806 (Darien, CT); 87 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Married to Hannah Bell on August 23, 1758, in Stamford, CT, who passed in 1755. Married to Elizabeth Whiting on January 1, 1756, in Stamford, CT, who passed in 1757. Married to Rebeckah Raymond on August 23, 1758, in Stamford, CT, who passed in 1785.
CHILDREN: Children with Hannah: Hannah, Bell, Joseph, Isaac. A child with Elizabeth: Noyes. A child with Rebeckah: Samuel.
UNIT: Householder in Captain Jonathan Bell’s Company; October – December 1776
OTHER: He graduated from Yale University in 1739 and was ordained over the Congregational church in Darien in 1744, a post he held until his death. Princeton University gave him the degree of D.D. in 1791. He published two books: Infant Baptism Defended in 1759 and Election Sermons in 1781.
Reverend Mather was the first minister in Darien. He was captured on July 22, 1781, along with 47 other men and transported across Long Island Sound. Dr. Mather and his parishioners spent five months in foul British prisons in New York City before those who survived their confinement were exchanged and returned to their homes.
The inscription on his headstone reads, “Death is a debt to nature due which I have paid, and so must you.”
Mural in Darien Town Hall depicting the capture of Rev. Mather by the British
Buried in Old Five Mile River Cemetery / Brookside Cemetery, 414 Rowayton Avenue, Norwalk. Photo from findagrave.com.
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