David Stillman was born in Westerly, R. I., May 30, 1787. His father, Joseph Stillman, was a grandson of George Stillman, who came from England to Hadley, Mass., in 1701. His mother was Elizabeth Maxson. His parents removed to Petersburg, N. Y., when he was about nine years old. He married, July 1, 1809, Lillis, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary (Tanner) Rose. They came to Alfred in the spring of 1818 with three children and Peter Rose, Mrs. Stillman's brother, with his family. Their conveyance was a wagon of the "prairie schooner" style drawn by two pair of oxen. A horse was purchased on the road to lead the team. Their cow was tied behind the wagon. They were a month on the journey, every day but one it rained or snowed. Stillman had previously brought a load of goods and stored them with his brother Silas Stillman, and purchased the improvements of John Teater on lot 14, on which he built a house the same season, the oldest house, with one possible exception, now standing in town, and now occupied by his daughter, Amanda Stillman, and his grandson, Charles Stillman, and where he died April 27, 1872. He took an active interest in public, educational and church affairs, and was one of the first farmers to do his haying without liquor. He held the office of supervisor six years besides other minor town offices; was one of the original projectors of Alfred Academy, which was merged in Alfred University, and was the first president of its board of trustees. His children were: Lavinia, who married David R. Potter and died in Alfred, Dec. 19, 1893; Amanda, Orra, who died at Westerly, R. I., April 22, 1890, and David R., who was born in Alfred, Dec. 15, 1822, and lives on the home farm within speaking distance of the place of his birth, the old farm residence.
