Periodically, our resident Historian, Richard Donohue will feature an individual or family who is buried here in Hillside Cemetery. The latest history lesson is about Eben Wilcox.
Eben Wilcox was born on September 29, 1789 to Eliphalet and Abigail Shephard Wilcox of the Middletown Upper Houses. As a young man, he worked on his father’s farm and sparsely attended district schools. Before he reached 21 years of age, he went to sea three times with his earnings going to his family. When his money became his own, Eben began to purchase land and started raising beef commercially. In 1813, he went into business with Cornwell Doud and established the village’s first distillery but referred to the operation as a “cider mill.” That same year, Eben married Lucretia Stratton Mildrum, daughter of John and Lucretia Mildrum of the Upper Houses and the couple would have a total of 8 children between 1815 and 1834. Eben continued to acquire land in the Upper Houses and when his father passed away, he earned a position amongst the largest land holders in the village. In 1816, he built a large, Federal style home on Prospect Hill Road that is now part of Holy Apostles College. He became a local expert in real estate dealings and acquired considerable wealth. The reputation of his “great financial ability” earned him an appointment as a director of the Middletown Savings Bank. In 1838, he was elected on the Whig ticket to represent Middletown in the state senate which he did for several years. He was a supporter of the separation of the Upper Houses from Middletown and once Cromwell was founded, served as a selectman and County Commissioner.