Silas Bronson - Knowledge

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An enterprising merchant in busy centres of trade, he was not forgetful of his native town, but bequeathed to it the fruit of his industry for the establishment of a free public library, seeking thereby "to encourage and sustain good order and sound morals." Let all who read these books and find help

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A year after Bronson's death, the Waterbury authorities used his $ 200,000 gift to establish the Silas Bronson Library, whose service remains in operation today. In the later years of the 19th century, an unnamed friend of his commented on his generosity; in a 1966 thesis, M. W. Mitchell deemed him

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Since Elijah Bronson's income was modest, his children were encouraged to support themselves at a young age. While still in Connecticut, his son Silas had a limited common school education, and took up carpentry for four years; he also worked as a farmer and store clerk in his youth. Around the age

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in 1848. News of the library funds surprised most of the town's residents, most of whom never knew him. Contemporary and later biographies did not state whether Bronson possessed an affinity for books or reading.

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in 1830, he specialized in selling dry goods and later moved on to commissioning. Although he ran an increasingly successful business and became a millionaire (despite facing some setback after 1835's

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and $ 200,000 towards the funding of a public library in his former hometown of Waterbury, a gift allegedly prompted under the imploration of his longtime associate Lucien S. Bronson.

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Bronson never married, nor did he often revisit Connecticut or his relatives there. He died on November 24, 1867 at New York's St. Nicholas Hotel. In his will, he left:

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by the time of his death. At the end of the 19th century, his legacy was commemorated in a portrait and bronze inscription at the facility named after him.

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and New York. Although he seldom revisited Connecticut or his relatives there, he managed to bequeath US$ 200,000 towards the funding of a

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Bronson's decision to bequeath money for library services in Waterbury may have followed on the heels of

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area and eventually spent at least 15 years as a merchant there. Upon moving to

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An Historical Study of the Silas Bronson Library of Waterbury, Connecticut

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In 1890, the library commissioned a portrait of its namesake founder by

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Silas Bronson was born on February 15, 1788 in the West Farms area of

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A Fine Place for a City: Titus Bronson and the founding of Kalamazoo

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