232 LIFE OF BENJAMIN SILLIMAN. 



Puritan, deeply imbued with the spirit of religion, 

 and fearless in the discharge of every duty, he stands 

 among the heroic figures in our national history.* 



His son, the second Governor, and the father of 

 Mrs. Silliman, was worthy of such a parent. After 

 filling various important offices, which will be men 

 tioned hereafter, he was made Governor of Connecti 

 cut in 1798, and held this station until his death in 

 1809. 



In one respect, Mr. SLlliman's marriage had more 

 than the ordinary influence resulting from such a 

 connection. The Revolutionary character and ser 

 vices of the family to which he was now allied 

 strongly moved his feelings, and contributed to 

 establish him in the political ideas, as well as patri 

 otic sentiments, in which he had been educated. 

 He has recorded, in a separate manuscript volume, 

 notices of Governor Trumbull and his family ; and 

 a portion of these, independently of their bearing on 

 his own personal history, will be interesting to all 

 who would know New England as it was in the 

 past.f 



JONATHAN TRUMBULL was the second of that name who 

 held the office of Governor of Connecticut. In stature he 

 could not have exceeded five feet and eight inches. In 

 form he was slender, erect, well proportioned ; in move 

 ment alert, but with an air of energy and decision. The 

 impression which he made on an observer who was a 

 stranger to him, would lead him to conclude that he was 



* A life of the first Governor Trumbull has been written by Isaac 

 Stuart. 



t Important letters of General Washington, and a letter of Martha 

 Washington, addressed to Governor Trnmbull, the father of Mrs. Silliman, 

 are printed in the Appendix to this Memoir. 



