The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-03-12
~E[-EN 80 = I - -
From the 'New- York Ledger"
EARLYLIFEOF GEN. GRANT
BY MS FATHER.

80 ~ BY Ills FATHER. ~ a. -
~ CONVICTION, kx. Jan. 1S. 1865.
ROBERT BONNER, Esq.-Dear Sir i:
1t is said that every man thinks his
wife is the best woman in the world ;
and if all men think as do: the
saving is correct 3sa .s5t so @
Mrs. Grant was the second daugh-
ter Of Mr.. John Simpson, of Mont
gomery County, Pennsylvania. She
was born and brought up in that
county, about twenty miles from
Philadelphia. When in her nine
teenth year she removed with her
father to Clermont County, Ohio.
The family were very. highly re-
spected people of yeracity and in
tegrity: but not Of any particular
am bition beyond that of living in-
dependent farmers.
Mrs. Grants father was worth
some property but it, was all in
land, and he kept it until he died.
Itwas nearly three years after
taeir removal tc Clermont that we
were married. A few Of the neigh
bors expressed their surprise that
one of Mr. Simpsons daughters
should marry a young man hardly
yet established in business.
But this did me no harm; and as
soon as it was seen how I was get
ting along, I heard nothing more of
it. 1 suppose there could hardly
be a marriage at which somebody
would not be surprised. was not
worth dollar when 1 married but
l did not stay that way long: and
as soon as l was known to be pros
porous the neighbors seemed to
think the match was exactly the
thing--just what l had thought
from the beginning. IN wse e@ars %
At the time of our marriage, Mrs
Grant was an unpretending country
girl handsome but not vain. She
had previo usly joined the Methodist
church and l can truthfully say
that it has never had q more devo-
ted and consistent member. Hel
steadiness, firmness and strength
of cha, acter have been the stay OF
the family through life. She was
always careful, and most watchfu
over children; but never austere
and not opposed. to their free par
! tfcipation- in innocent sements
The leading passion of Ulysses, al
most from the time he could go
alone, was for horses. The frs
time he ever drove q horse alone
he was about seven and half years
old.ss Ihad goneeaway from home
to Ripley, twelve miles off. I went
Iein the morning, and did not get
Ehack till. night. I owned at tht
time a threeeyear old colt, whicl
had been ridden under the saddle tc
carry the mail, but had never had 6
collar on. While I was gone, Ulys
ses got the colt and put q collar an6
the harness on him, and hitchec
him up toga sled, then he put "a sin
gle line onto him and drove off,
and loaded up the sled with brush
and came back again. He kept a
it, hauling successive loads, all day
and when I came home at night, hs
had pile Of brush as big as q cab
in. ya-g, - -g-
J. He used to harness horses Wher
he had to get up in the manager te
put the bride and collar on, and
then turn the half bushel over and
stand on that to throw the harness
on. Z AHC!i ,3ff#&siI8 sEI.fJ NJ Z
At eight and q half years of age
he had become regular driver
and used to work my team all day
day after day, hauling wood There
would be man in the woods tc
load, and another at the, house tc
unload, but Ulysses would drive ths
team Silg q fs:,.f.-s
At about ten years of age ht
used to drive a pair of horses alone
from Georgetown, where we lived
forty miles, to Cincinnati, and bring
back load Of passengers.
Whens Eiy'sses <wasra- boy, ifsa
circus or any show came along, il
which there was a call for somebody
to. come forward and ride a pony,
he was always the one to present
himself, and whatever he .underto Oh
to ride he rode. This practice he
keptup, until he got togbe SO large
that he was ashamed to ride q pony
|Dn Once. when he was a boy, show
came along in which there was &
mischievous pony, trained to go
round the, ring like lightning, and
';he was expected to throw any boy
that attempted to ride him.