[1] In 1831 the family moved to Clinton, Oneida County, New York, where his father served as treasurer of Hamilton College after giving up his medical business.

After moving to Brooklyn, New York, in 1846, he founded a private high school, which he operated for 12 years.

In 1858 he moved back to Clinton and opened Dwight's Rural High School, with Reverend David A. Holbrook and Henry P. Bristol as associates.

In 1867 Dwight returned to Clinton and devoted his time to writing, including works on education, philology, a short biography of his father and a massive two-volume history of thousands of his cousins and ancestors.

[1] His publications included: He prepared two more that were not published: Woman's Higher Culture and The True Doctrine of Divine Providence.