Major Richard Sill, one of our Revolutionary War soldiers "from" Bethlehem, was born (1755) and raised in Lyme Connecticut in an area known as Sill Town. He was a descendant of Johanna and John Sill who arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1637. He was the youngest son of John Sill's (1710-1796) ten children. Richard's mother was Hepzibah Lee (?-1783), John Sill's second wife (after Phebe Fithen but before Lucy Peck).*
 |
| A map of Sill town from the book Old Sill Town, Something of its History and People by Sarah Sill Welles Burt |
Richard graduated from Yale in 1775 and soon became involved in the Revolutionary cause. Let me just quote the family genealogy book, its easier.
"He entered the Continental army as a Lieutenant, in 1776, was on Long Island at the time of the battle, and with the army at King's Bridge. He spent the winter with the army at Valley Forge, and was connected with the quarter or pay master's department, and the most of his time seems to have been employed at West Point, and towns in the vicinity of the Hudson. In 1782, he was appointed aid-de-camp to the American general, Lord Sterling. He was known as Major Sill.
At the close of the revolutionary war, Major Sill studied law in the office of Col. Aaron Burr, and settled in the practice of that profession in the city of Albany. He was favored with an extensive and successful practice for several years, till his health became impaired."
 |
| See page 18 for info on Major Sill |
It is probably through Arron Burr that Richard met his wife Elizabeth Nicoll (1764-1821). She was a daughter of the prominent Nicoll family of Bethlehem. The Nicoll's were connected to the Schuylers and Van Rensselaers. And we know that Burr visited Bethlehem house.**
Richard and Elizabeth were married in 1785 and had two sons together, William Nicoll Sill and John Lee Sill.***.
I have conflicting information about where the family lived. Several sources, including Richard's own will (where he left his "dwelling house in the city of Albany and the lot of Ground on which the same Stands" to his dear wife Elizabeth's use while she remained a widow) report that they lived in Albany where he practiced law.
Allison Bennett, in an article entitled "A Wedding House Present on the River" (The Spotlight, April 8, 1976) opens with this statement " When Elizabeth Nicoll married Maj. Richard Sill in 1785, her father, Col. Francis Nicoll, gave her a sumptuous wedding gift - the beautiful house pictured here. The home was built for Elizabeth on land adjoining the Nicoll mansion, or Bethlehem House as it was more properly called, near the falls of the Vlaumanskill Creek at Cedar Hill." She then goes on to detail the then current owner, their family and household antiques. Bennett does not document where this info about the wedding house comes from. Read Allison's whole article here
https://webapps.bethlehempubliclibrary.org/spotlight/years/1976/1976-04-08.pdf
 |
| Photo from Bennett's book Times Remembered |
I am going to go with the idea that Richard and Elizabeth had both of these dwellings. I imagine that they enjoyed the house at Cedar Hill as a summer home, or a place to be close to her parents, but not too close if you know what I mean.
That said, when Richard's poor health caught up with him in the spring of 1790, sources report that the family removed to Elizabeth's parent's home, Bethlehem House, aka the Nicoll-Sill House. Sadly, Richard died there on June 4, 1790 at the young age of 34. He was buried in the cemetery plot across the street from the old home.
Major Richard Sill lived in our area for only a short time, and actually died before the town of Bethlehem was even created (which was 1793). Elizabeth Sill went on to marry twice more, Samuel Nicoll and then Robert Ludlow. She died in 1820 and is buried next to her first husband, Major Richard.
++++++++++
* Richard's oldest brother, David Fithen Sill, also served in the Revolutionary War.
Under Captain Joseph Jewett, along with several fellows I am going to assume were his cousins (Privates Ezra, Isaac and Micah Sill) David "marched from Lyme for the Relief of Boston in the Lexington Alarm April 1775". David Sill continued in service with the 1st Connecticut line throughout the war. The Old Sill Town book mentioned above includes the drawing below of David's powder horn. It maps out David's service and includes Saratoga, Stoneabby (this might be Stone Arabia), Fort Johnson and Albany.
**I even wrote a short post about it - pop over here to read it. Be sure to follow the link there to the Altamont Enterprise article - it is really good and includes a letter written by Richard Sill.
https://bethlehemnyhistory.blogspot.com/2016/11/hey-yo-im-just-like-my-country-im-young.html
*** John Lee Sill married Abigail Noyes who was from Old Lyme. They moved from our area (Albany I think) back to Lyme about 1815. Their house in Lyme, known as the John Sill House, still stands and is part of the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts. Pop over to this website for more information. Be sure to find the bit about the goods hidden in the house by smugglers! There is also a wonderful portrait of Abigail.
https://flogris.org/profiles-abigail-noyes-sill/
William Nicoll Sill married Margaret Mather and remained in the Bethlehem area.
++++++++++++
Richard Sill and Cornelius Glenn
If you made it all the way down here you get the extra story connecting Richard Sill with Cornelius Glenn. I wrote about Cornelius here
https://bethlehemnyhistory.blogspot.com/2025/05/cornelius-glen-its-complicated.html
As I have been writing these little biographies of Revolutionary War soldiers "from" Bethlehem, interesting connections present themselves. Like the fact that Richard Sill and Cornelius Glenn were good friends. Indeed, one of the executors of Richard Sill's will was "my beloved and trusty friend Cornelius Glen of the City of Albany, merchant."
They were also related by marriage, sort of, across a generation. Richard's wife Elizabeth Nicoll had an aunt, also Elizabeth Nicoll, who was married to Cornelius Glenn. Does that make Glen Sill's uncle-in-law?
And remember the Balloting Book which recorded all of the land grants soldiers received? Cornelius Glen is listed four times, all in the Book of Delivery Section which details the Patentee's name and to whom the patent was delivered.
On page 155, the book records that Joseph Carley's patent was delivered to "Corn. Glen, exec'r to Rich. Sill's estate".
Glen's other entries do not connect with Sill, but they are interesting.
Goodale, Benjamin.....To Martin Hoffman, for Cornelius Glen
Haynes, Thomas.... To Martin Hoffman, for Cornelius Glen
House, Henry........ To Bartholomew Fisher for Cornelius Glen
I am wondering if Glen, and perhaps Sill too, were trading in those land patents. Glen was an attorney, so perhaps it is just that.
