JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD.

PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, 1881.*

EDWARD GARFIELD, the early ancestor of James Abram, was one of the one hundred and six proprietors of Watertown, Mass., as recorded in 1635, and lived to the age of ninety-seven.

Edward, son of Edward, resided at Watertown, was a freeman in 1635, and was a church member.

Benjamin, fourth child of Edward, Jr., resided at Watertown, “remained at home in the old mansion," and "was nine times elected to the Colonial Legislature.”

Thomas, eldest son, by second wife of Benjamin, was born in 1680, married in 1706, Mercy, daughter of Joshua Bigelow, by whom he had twelve children. "He also made his home at the old homestead."

Abram, in the fourth generation from Thomas Garfield, and father of James Abram, was born in Worcester, N. Y., December 28, 1789; when fifteen years of age went to St. Lawrence County, where he remained several years, and from there removed to Ohio. Here he married February 3, 1820, Eliza Ballou, whose family moved from New Hampshire to this same Worcester, where the children, who, now become husband and wife, commenced their acquaintance. The mother of Mr. Garfield was early inured to hardship. Her father, James Ballou, died when she was eight years old, and the widow with her four children moved from their New Hampshire home to Worcester, N. Y., thence, when Eliza was fourteen years old, to the state of Ohio. She packed her goods

Biographies of Garfield by Bundy, Conwell, and Coffin. The latter visited Mentor, Ohio, to gain materials, and a portion of the proof sheets were read by Mr. Garfield. "Garfield's Words," by W. R. Balch.

in a wagon, beds, boxes, pots and pans, and this wagon was the home of the family during the six weeks journey. And the home of Eliza in Ohio, having become the wife of Abram, was a log cabin.

James Abram Garfield, the fourth child of Abram and Eliza Garfield, was born at Orange, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, November 19, 1831. Affliction entered the family at an early day, and James was left fatherless when only eighteen months old. A fire broke out in the woods near the "clearing" where was their little home. Their wheat field was exposed, and by great exertion on the part of the father, the fire was warded off and the home saved. But the work was too much, and fatal in its results. He came in at night heated and exhausted, and got suddenly chilled. At the age of thirty-three, in the fulness of his strength, he was called away. Immediately before his death, he got up and walked across the room, looked out at his oxen and called them by name, went back and sat down on the bed, and said, “Eliza, I have brought you four young saplings into these woods. Take care of them." And she did take care of them. She kept the family together, though urged to put the children out. Thomas, the oldest, was but nine years old, with Mehitable, Mary, and James. She sold land and paid off the debts, leaving a home of thirty acres. The wheat crop spoken of was secured by fences, except about a hundred rails. There were in readiness for splitting into rails, great "chestnut cuts," and a few days after the funeral Widow Garfield took her son Thomas out to the pile of "cuts " and with his help, split the needed rails. She was a good seamstress, and would go to the shoemaker's and make clothes for his children, while he, in return, would make shoes for her children. She had a few sheep, and wool was carded and wove into cloth. With all her care and exertion, she was a cheerful woman. She was a good singer, and knew a great variety of hymns and ballads, and the war songs of 1812. Shortly before James was born, she with her husband, through the preaching of a Mr. Bentley, became converted to the "Disciples " faith as it was called. This Mr. Bentley carried on a mill and store not far from the Garfield homestead, and preached throughout that country. Alexander Campbell, president of Bethany College, and originally a Presby

JAMES ABRAM GARFIELD.

235 terian, was the founder of the "Disciples " sect. Mrs. Garfield was a great Bible reader, taught her children to read the Divine Word, and with them walked to her "Disciples meetinghouse," three miles away. On a little corner of her farm, she tendered a building site for a school-house. A log building was erected, with seats made of split logs, hewed on the top and supported with pegs on the round side. Here James commenced his education. As he grew in years, he was able to turn his hand to any honorable industry, whether at the carpenter's bench, or as a hand on the canal, or swinging a scythe in the hay field, or chopping his hundred cords of wood at twenty-five cents a cord, making his two cords a day.

During the winter which followed his eighteenth birthday, he taught school to defray his expenses at Cuyahoga Seminary. In the little school-house a, "Disciples" preacher held a series of meetings, and Mr. Garfield attended, was impressed, and yielded his heart to the Saviour. He made a public profession of religion, and was baptized in the faith of his mother.

In the spring of 1851, he applied for admission to the Eclectic Institute at Hiram, Portage County. The Board of Trustees were in session at the time, and he stated his case: "My mother is a widow with very little money. I want to obtain an education, and would like the privilege of making the fires, and sweeping the floors of the building to pay part of my expenses." The privilege was granted, and he commenced study.

Mr. Garfield entered Williams College in 1854. He would naturally have chosen Bethany in Western Virginia, founded by Mr. Campbell, and sustained by the Disciples. Touching the matter of choosing Williams, Mr. Bundy produces the following communication from Mr. Garfield, which he finds in Whitelaw Reid's "Ohio in the War: "

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There are three reasons why I have decided not to go to Bethany First, the course of study is not so extensive as in Eastern colleges; second, Bethany leans too heavily towards slavery; third, I am the son of Disciple parents, am one myself, and have had but little acquaintance with people of other views, and have always lived in the West. These considerations led me

to conclude to go to some New England college. I therefore wrote to the Presidents of Brown University, Yale, and Williams, setting forth the amount of study I had done, and asking how long it would take me to finish their course. Their answers are now before me. All tell me I can graduate in two years. They are all brief business notes, but President Hopkins concludes with this sentence: If you come here, we shall be glad to do what we can for you.' Other things being so nearly equal, this sentence, which seems to be a kind of friendly grasp of the hand, has settled the question. I shall start for Williams next week."

Of his career in college, different parties have made note as follows:

"General Garfield was not sent to college; he came. This often makes a distinction between college students."

"I think he was considered our best debater."

"He was a man of a sweet, large and wholesome nature, and endeared himself the most to those who knew him best."

"He early joined the Mills Theological Society, and successively filled the offices of Librarian and President."

"We used to have an annual holiday called 'Mountain-day.' At the close of one, a Fourth of July evening, on the summit of 'Greylock,' seven miles from college, there was a goodly gathering of students about their camp-fire, when Garfield, the recognized leader, taking a copy of the New Testament from his pocket, said: Boys, I am accustomed to read a chapter with my absent mother every night; shall I read aloud?' All assenting, he read to us the chapter his mother in Ohio was then reading, and called on a classmate to pray."

On finishing his course at Williams, Mr. Garfield became an instructor at Hiram College, and finally President of the Institution. Four hundred students and more were in attendance. One of his students, Rev. J. L, Darsie, of Danbury, Conn., writes: "No matter how old the pupils were, Garfield always called us by our first names. He played with us freely, walked with us in walking to and fro, and we treated him out of the class-room just about as we did one another. Yet he was a strict disciplinarian." He combined teaching with the work of the Gospel, occupying some pulpit on the Sabbath.

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At the Republican Convention held at Ravenna 1859, he was nominated for State Senator. How this nomination was received by the Disciple churches, and of Mr. Garfield's own view of the question, Clark Braden gives particulars.

"He was nominated Tuesday, and on Friday following, the Cuyahoga County annual meeting of the Disciple churches began in Solon. The writer lived in Solon, and attended the meeting. Almost the only topic of conversation was the nomination of Brother Garfield. A large majority were earnest in their opposition to his abandoning the ministry for politics. Garfield was preaching for the church in Solon, and attended one of the meetings. Soon as the audience was dismissed, he was surrounded by men and women, entreating him to say then and there, that he would not accept the nomination. To all, he replied pleasantly, that he had not accepted, and would not till satisfied that duty required him to do so. On walking home with the writer, he said: Clark, what do you advise me me to do?' I replied, 'Brother Garfield, I advise you to follow your own convictions of right and duty. You have achieved success as a preacher. But if you believe you can take with you into political life, your integrity and Christian manhood, and retain them, there is a more useful career open for you there. We need Christian statesmen.' After a moment's silence, he replied: 'I believe I can enter political life, and retain my integrity. . . . Mother is at Jason Robbins's. I will go there and talk with her. If she will give her consent I will accept the nomination.' I saw him the next day. He told me his mother said, in substance: 'James, I have had a hope and a desire, ever since you joined the church, that` you would preach. I have been happy in your success as a preacher. But I do not want my wishes to lead you into a life-work that you do not prefer to all others. If you can retain your manhood and religion, in political life, and believe you can do the most good there, you have my full consent, and prayers for your success.' He concluded: 'I have written and accepted the nomination.'

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In 1861, Mr. Garfield entered the army as Colonel of the Fortysecond Regiment of Ohio Volunteers, and subsequently was appointed a Brigadier-General. In 1862 he was elected a Rep