Ephraim Hawley House - Ephraim Hawley

Ephraim Hawley

Ephraim, the son of Joseph Hawley, was born on August 14, 1659 at Stratford. He was chosen as a fence viewer with Benjamin Beach on January 17, 1687. He was propounded as a freeman (Colonial) to the court of the Connecticut Colony at Hartford in May 1687 with his brother Captain John Hawley. To be elected a freeman in the Connecticut Colony at this time, one had to own real property, a dwelling house, in his name.

Ephraim died on April 18, 1690 and the inventory of his estate was taken on May 14, 1690 and filed on June 12, 1690. Local legend is that he and his horse were killed by lightning, and since no grave has ever been found and the inventory of his estate did not include a horse, this may be true. Fairfield County raised an army on April 11, 1690 to defend Albany, New York following the Schenectady Massacre during the King William's War. Hawley may have died during the trip there, from fighting or disease (small pox). His peer who served in the war, Lt. John Hubbell, died on May 1, 1690 at Wood Creek (Fort Ann) in New York and was buried at the spot where he died. Lt. Agur Tomlinson, Ensign of the army raised in Fairfield County, would later marry Ephraim Hawley's widow Sara Welles in 1692.

The house lands and meadow were appraised at 352 pound (currency) by the Fairfield County Probate Court. Since Ephraim died intestate, without a will, and according to English Law at the time, title to the dwelling house passed to the oldest living male heir, his half brother Robert. His widow's dowry was returned to her out of her eldest son Daniel's double portion of lands, which were sold, and she received all of the movable estate or personal property. Hawley's estate was not distributed until December 14, 1706.