Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-11-25
Hsnry Wllses's neykse1.

DETAILS OF uIs ORION AND EARLY HxPxnrENCEs-
HIs FAMILY AND "BouHD" LIFE
The following details, mostly taken from the
Baltimore American, present . fuller view Of
the early life Of Mr.. Wilson than No have else
where seen i: .'
Horny Wilson was born on the 10th day Of
February, 1919, near the village Of Farming
ton, New Hampshire. Even now the locality il
considered remote and rude, and in 1912 IL
possessed still fewer attractions. Dover,
eighteen miles distant, lis tho only town Of any
importance In that nsighborhood, and when
Henry Wilson was youth everything that was
raised for market in the vicinity OF Farming
ton had to he hauled 10 Dover In wagons. The
people were poor. worked hard and lived on
omioi and lucky could expect to amass = for
tune large enough to save their children from
life OF similar deprivation and drudgery.
Winthrop Goliath, the father Of Henry WILSON,
was among the poorest Of the inhabitants Of
this undeveloped and sterile country. His
father and grandfather had been poor men, and
brought up as he was, with the family Ideas all
associated with extreme poverty, shut out from
the world Of enterprise, deprived Of the oppor-
tunity TO change his condition by the circum.
stance that the days wages must be used for
the day's sustenance, there was apparently no
incentive and no chance to rise in the world.
The maiden name Of Henrys mother was
Witham. She was Of = poor family with gener-
81 surroundings similar 70 tho one into which she
had married, 10 that on both sides there was
not much for the poor boy to look back to, but
the history Of hardships and want. Their rep
utasion, however, was simply that Of poverty and
obscurity, and not Of anything worse. Henry
was the eldest son Of family Of eight boys. At
ten years Of age he was boupd to service with
Mr.. Knight, farmer who lived in that neigh
borhood, and from whom another boy had re-
gently run away. From this time forward, he
became Belf-supporting, aud ceased to be tax
on his parents. Just before this there hap
pened . little incident which proved Of immense
ID ss.Du T. Su him and POSSIBLY .sssts
boy Of the same age were scuiiiiDg OH
. sand bank when . lady came riding by,
and, seeing the rude play. stopped to reprimAnd
the boys. Henry entered into conversation
with her, and she was 30 struck with his ii.telli-
Rence that she invited him to come to her house
and select such books from her husbands library
~ he desired to read. This lady WAS Mrs. East.
man, wife Of the village lawyer, aud sister TO
Levi Woodbury., Governor Of New Hampshire,
and Afterwards Secretary OF the Treasury, and
Associate Justice OF the Supreme Court OF the
United States. This opened up new world to
the ragged, little boy. Mrs. Eastman not only
loaned him books, but in all suitable ways stim.
ulatsd his love Of knowledge and gave it proper
direction. He was great reader, and was re-
garded by his parents and relatives ~ y very
WA u vu..uu uus W service ms nad
not much time for reading. Mi. Knight was
farmer who had got start in life, and WAS doing
well. But thrift in farming at that time implied
early rising, immediate attention to the t3rs
thing in hand, adherence to the order Of business
| through the day, strict watch Of all the loose
ends, and careful economy Of time and money
There was work always, and when the day wa
over boys and men were usually tired, and mos,
OF them glad to go to bed. 1t was not the prac.
tce for working farmers to light up Of evenings
to read and talk but the blazing logs In the
open fireplace gave light enough for 80 much
recreation Of this kind Is the wearied limbs
would permit But Henry had an excellent con
stitution. could endure more work than mos'
boys, and when the family retired he would re-
main behind in the chimney-corner, And
read till the last Pickering embsr gave
up the ghost and no longer could be
for his benefit. BY the indentures that bount
him to the service Of Mr.. Knight he WAS to en-
joy the privilege Of attending school one month
in each year, but his master construed the con
tract so AZ to permit the schooling to be taker
when there was the least work-during SNOW
storms and when the weather was too cold fol
outdoor operations. On the first day that hs
went to school he took . copy OF Murray gram
mar with him and was assigned . lesson. Fol
the next three weeks Mr.. Knight had work fol
him, and he did not get back to school. Wher
teacher to recite his grammar lesson, and kept
on repeating the text from memory unit
the teacher began to wonder when ht
would stop. After dozen pages or no had beer
reclted the teacher made some remark about fin.
tshing the lesson, and was astonished to learn
/ that Henry had committed the whole book and
was prepared to answer every question. For !
boy who worked during all the hours Of daylight
and was stranger to the invention Of candles
this IL about a. good = feat Of memorizing a. ID
recorded in history. And 30 he went on for
eleven years, receiving twenty-six days Of in.
struction in each year, Of the quality afforded
| by the common schools Of the period. At the
end Of that time he could not be said to be a
well educated man, but he had acquired large
stock Of useful knowledge.
Having served out his apprenticeship with Mr..
Knight, Henry Wilson, = stout young man OF
twenty-one, tied up his scanty stock OF clothing
in cotton handkerchief, cut himself q stout
hickory cane and started for Nstick, MassacIIu.
be earned at shoenAking. He had not learned
the trade, but he felt certain that he could lie.
come an expert cobbler after working q few
weeks under instruction. lie made the Journey
| u hundred miles or more) on foot, and went
some miles out Of his way to see Bunker Hill
After he had grasliied this patriotic impulse lac
went on to Natck, and WAS not long in obtain.
ing employment. His trip cost him Just one
dollar and i've cents. He engaged good work.
man to give him instructions in shoemaking, and
ct the end Of month he was able to carry on
business for himself. By working Al
night he managed to earn As nnol
| ~ twenty dollars month and pay
his board besides. Having made some
money he concluded to go back to New Hamp.
shire and try his luck at trade. He bought Z
load Of poultry and took it to Boston, but the
venture turned out badly. He went back to
Natick fully Convinced that it would be best for
him to obey the classic maxim and ''stick to hi
last" In two years and five months he made
and received pay for six thousand pairs OF
shoes But this severe labor began to tell Oh
his constitution, and at the age Of twenty -four
he WAS obliged to leave the bench and rest. II
occurred to him that he would go TO schoo
while lie was recovering his health, and he was
soon enrolled NJ = pupil at Stafford Academy
New Hampshire. He taught country school.
during the winter and attended the academy in
the summer for several terms. In 1884 he re
turned to Natick and went into the shoe bust.
ness on his own account. BY industry and per.
severance Ire prospered, and at the end Of five