4 A SAGA OF THE SEAS 
the valley of the Housatonic river, not far from the New York 
state line. The population was small but it had produced 
Colonel Ephraim Williams, the founder of Williams Col- 
lege; and the eloquent but disturbing Jonathan Edwards 
had lived and preached there. In those days the worth of a 
town depended upon quality rather than upon quantity. 
The Field family had moved their goods up from Haddam, 
Connecticut, where the Reverend David Dudley Field had 
started his career as a preacher fifteen years before and had 
brought his young bride. Even the trip of less than a hundred 
miles from Haddam to Stockbridge was a task of great difficul- 
ty and even danger in that period, especially with several 
young children and a load of household goods to manage. 
This short trip required several days; today it could be com- 
pleted in as many hours. 
The Field family was a respected one. It can be traced back 
to Zechariah Field, who came to Massachusetts from Ardsley, 
Yorkshire, about 1629. He was a grandson of John Field, the 
astronomer, who courageously introduced the unpopular 
Copernican theory into England as early as 1556—long be- 
fore Galileo was persecuted for teaching it in Italy. An in- 
formative article about John Field was published in the Gen- 
tleman’s Magazine of May, 1834. The family is believed to 
have come to England from France during the Norman con- 
quest. The name originally had “de la” before it and, as was 
customary, was spelled in various ways, such as “Felde”’ and 
“Feild.” ‘The well-known Chicago merchant, Marshall Field, 
was descended from these same ancestors. 
Cyrus Field’s grandfather, Timothy Field, served as captain 
in Washington’s army; even in later life, when fashions were 
changing, he continued to wear a cocked hat, short breeches, 
long stockings, and silver shoe buckles. His son, the father of 
Cyrus, attended Yale College, where he was influenced by 
that stubborn old conservative, President Timothy Dwight. 
In connection with his pastoral work, the Reverend David 
