Stephen Bronson (1735-1809) was a “thrifty farmer” and a deacon of the Congregational church. His only son to survive to adulthood was Bennet Bronson, who became a prominent lawyer and the first president of the Waterbury Bank.
An African American man named Dick was enslaved by Stephen Bronson. He would have worked Bronson's farm, allowing Bennet the luxury of pursuing his academic studies.