In 1847, the factory was moved to Hartford, Connecticut. Daniel and Cynthia eloped and made 37 Pleasant Street in Hartford their home. Daniel continued to work for his brother as a journeyman gunsmith until Edwin's death in 1849.

In 1852, Daniel met Horace Smith. They formed a partnership in 1853 and began the first Smith and Wesson factory. In 1857, the factory was moved to Springfield, Massachusetts and Wesson patented the famed repeating action cartridge revolver.

With the outbreak of the Civil War, Daniel Wesson's business reached new heights. He then began to sell his arms to the rest of the world and become one of the wealthiest industrialists in the United States.

At Cynthia Wesson's request, Daniel purchased a large estate in Northborough in 1886 and built a magnificent home across the street from his mother-in-law's modest dwelling. White Cliffs was said to have cost three hundred thousand dollars to build. Skilled craftsmen from Italy were employed to work on the imported tropical woods and marbles used in the mansion. Each room was of a different design with the furniture made from the same wood used in the room. Wesson's inventive nature was involved in the construction of an aqueduct and pumping station which supplied hot and cold running water to every bedroom in the mansion.

The Wessons traveled from Springfield to White Cliffs in May of each year by horse and buggy with their grandchildren. They spent the Summer months in Northborough, returning to Springfield in October.

In 1906, after fifty-nine years of marriage, Daniel and Cynthia Wesson died within two weeks of each other. White Cliffs was left to their children, who sold it in 1910. There have been several owners over the years. Today, White Cliffs is the epitome of Victorian grandeur and as a premier function facility, is host to numerous social and corporate events year-round.