George (1833-1919) & Lilly Gillette Warner (1838-1915)

George Warner married Nook Farm resident Elisabeth “Lilly” Gillette, daughter of Francis and Elisabeth Gillette, in 1867, and in 1873, built their own home just north of the Gillette’s. George and Lilly Warner’s home, combining many architectural styles, was designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter, who subsequently designed the Clemens’ house. George and Lilly sold the house in 1884 to brother Charles and his wife Susan, who lived there until 1900. The house was torn down in the 1950s for a new Hartford high school. A talented artist, Lilly painted with Harriet Beecher Stowe. In 1876, the family moved into her parents’ home, the Gillette House just next door.

Susan Lee (1838-1921) & Charles Dudley Warner (1829-1900)

Author and editor Charles Warner married Susan Lee in 1856. In 1860, the couple moved to Nook Farm when friend Joseph Hawley offered Charles the associate editorship of the Hartford Evening Press. Susan was a distinguished pianist with a warm personality, who held informal weekly concerts at home. She helped establish the Hartford Philharmonic Orchestra in 1899. Charles became editor of The Hartford Courant and his book My Summer in a Garden (1870) comically detailed life at Nook Farm. He co-authored The Gilded Age in 1873 with his friend Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain).

Frank Gillette Warner (1867-1931)

George and Lilly Warner’s oldest child Frank grew up in Nook Farm just as his mother and uncle did. He enjoyed fishing, sledding, and ice-skating on the Park River with his friends. His mother’s letters to her husband describe Frank’s frolics in the neighborhood. Frank Warner became a successful commercial photographer.

Margaret Warner (1872-1931)

George and Lilly’s youngest child Margaret, nicknamed “Daisy”, was a friend of the three Clemens daughters. She was a bold, courageous girl, with an interest in art. Daisy graduated from Bryn Mawr in the 1890s.