The house at 447 Old Main Street in Rocky Hill was built around 1760 and was home to the Deming family. The covered Federal-style front doorway portico was added to the house around 1800. The property was later owned by members of the Merriam family. Around 1863, James Warner acquired the house, which was valued at $10,000 in the 1860 census. The property continued to be farmed by members of the Warner family over several generations. It was passed down to Carl Warner, an optician who later retired to St. Petersburg, Florida, where he died in 1967. Carl Warner also owned the house next door, which was built in 1773 and later demolished. The current owners of the James Warner House purchased it in October 2011 and have a blog called Confessions of An Antique Home in which they relate their adventures in owning a historic house.
Dan, Thank you for featuring our home on your site. I do appreciate the links that you placed, not only referencing our own blog but also to sites that can help us further our knowledge of the history of the home that we live in.
Hi. I just stumbled across your article about the James Warner House in Rocky Hill. Do you happen to know WHICH James Warner he was? I have one, b.abt 1787 in Massachusetts who bounced between CT, PA and Brooklyn. Last seen in the 1855 Brooklyn Census. Thanks. Nancy
I do believe this is the house of my ancestors!! I remember my Grandmother, Ruth Warner Brooks would always point it out when we drove by!! We also have passed the family name of Deming down through the generations as a middle name, my youngest daughter is Olivia Deming!!
Beth and Nancy, though I have no connection to this site and there are no updates sent directly to myself or to you, I do hope that at some point you will check back over here and read this comment as I have no way of contacting you directly. You can always contact me directly through my blog’s page at confessionsofanantiquehome.blogspot.com.
Nancy Neely, the surname Warner is quite popular. Even in the Wethersfield/Rocky Hill area, there are several Warner’s being mentioned having little relation. Having said that, the specific Warner that lived in my home and started the Warner line of residency was James Warner, born 1822, died 1899. He moved into our home in 1859 and later became a representative for our Town to the State Legislature in 1864 and 1865. His son, James H. Warner, did so as well in 1882. Unfortunately, this James Warner does not seem to fit with the one you mentioned.
Beth Cunningham,
Please do contact me to discuss this in detail. I have some information on the Deming family and it would be delightful to exchange information! confessionsofanantiquehome@gmail.com