THE MATHER FAMILY

The Mather family has a long history in the United States, dating back to 1635 when Reverend Richard Mather and his family sailed from England to Boston on the ship James as part of the “Great Migration” escaping religious persecution. Four generations later, Reverend Moses Mather moved to Darien, then part of Stamford, to become the first minister at the Middlesex Parish, now the First Congregational Church of Darien. His son, Deacon Joseph Mather built the Mather Homestead in 1778 on 100 acres of farmland inherited by his mother, Hannah Bell. Six generations of Mathers proceeded to live in the home, most notably Stephen Tyng Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service. His daughter, Bertha Mather McPherson, one of the first female architects in Connecticut, raised her three children in the home and they donated the home and property to the newly created Mather Homestead Foundation in 2017.

The Early Puritan Mathers

17th century

Rev. Richard Mather and his family left England in 1935 on the Ship James as part of the Great Migration facing religious persecution. MORE

Revolutionary Mathers

18th century

Reverend Moses Mather was the first Minister of the First Congregational Church of Darien and a fiery Patriot. His son, Deacon Joseph Mather, built the Mather Homestead in 1778 during the Revolutionary War. MORE

Stephen Tyng Mather

(1867-1930)

Stephen Tyng Mather, the great-grandson of Deacon Joseph Mather, summered at the Mather Homestead during his childhood while he grew up in California, and became its sole owner in 1906. He became the first Director of the National Park Service and is considered the father of our modern national park system. MORE

Bertha Mather McPherson

(1906-1993)

Bertha Mather McPherson was the only child of Stephen and Jane Mather. She was one of the first female architects in Connecticut and a founding member of the Darien Historical Society. She lived in the home from 1906 until 1993 when she passed. She filled the home with a collection of period antiques and tended the gardens while raising her three children. MORE