Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-03-18
Senator Blaine and his Ancestry.
From the Pittsburg Gazette

Mr.. Blaine came into public life, if not BY
law of heredity. yet by a strong associa-
ton in his immediate family. His great
grandfather, Colonel Ephraim Blaine. of
Carlisle, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania,
was Commissary General Of the Revolution
airy Army from l77S till the close Of the
struggle in 1888. The high esteem in which
Colonel Blaine was held by Washington and
ton is attested by numerous letters from
them, official and unofficial, still in the pos
session Of Colonel Blaines descendants in
this State.
Mr.. Blaine's grandfather for whom he is
named, intended originally to enter upon a
professional and political career, but a some
what prolonged residence in Europe after he
had completed his studies. diverted him, as
it has so many young Americans, from fol-
lowing his first and better ambition. He re-
turned to his home in 1893, bringing with
him as special bearer of dispatches a cele-
brated treaty with a foreign government,
since become historic, and afterwards led
chiefly the life of private gentleman.
Mr.. Blaine's father was born and reared
in Carlisle, and after an extended tour in
Europe, South America and the West
Indies, returned to spend the greater portion
of his life in the adjoining County of Wash
ington, where he died before his son was
fully grown. He came West about 1918,
having the largest landed possessions Of any
man of his age in Western Pennsyly ania,
owning an estate which, had it been pre-
served, would have amounted to-day to
many millions.
As a single item in that estate, it NAV
interest the present generation of Pitts
burgers to recall that in 1925 Mr.. Ephram
l.. Blaine tthe Senator'S father decided to
the Economics the splendid tract OF land on
which their town with all its improvements
and all is wealth now stands. The price
was s2j 1000 for a property whose value to-
day. even II unimproved, would be a
princely fortune. There were also timber
tracts on the Allegheny and coal tracts on
the Monongahela, at that day of no special
value, which now represent large fortunes in
the hands Of those lucky enough to hold
them. Very near the large tracts owned by
his father and grandfather, Senator Blame
is now the possessor of one Of the most
valuable coal properties in the Monong
Valley. In area it is bu, fraction of that
which he might have hoped to inherit, but
in value il is manifold greater than the
whole landed estate OF his father fifty years
ago.
IL is not matter OF much interest in
political annals, but there are some still
living who remember that Mr.. Blaine
father and grandfather were especially and
widely noted as gentlemen of great elegance
OF manner and culture Both had travelled
IN foreign lands in the early DAYS when
travelling abroad was rare, both we're highly
educated. and both had great deal OF that
arIsiocracy of bearing and pride of family
from which the Senator is robustly and
Cheeriuly free.
: Special pans were taken by Mr.. Blaine,
father to give his son thorough intellectual
training lie was under the best ,utorage
in his earliest years, and at the aye of eley-
en- was sent 10 Lancaster. Ohio, TO school
where he lived in the family OF his relative
the Hon. Thomas Ewing, at that time Sec
retary of the Treasury. General Thomas
Ewing, at present in Congress his cousin
and OF the same age, was his classmate
under the tuition of an Englishman named
William Lyons, n brother OF the elder Lord
Lyons, and uncle of the late British Minister
a, Washington.
In November, 1913, Mr.. Blaine entered
the Freshman class Of Washington College
and graduated in September, ls47, at the
age OF seventeen years and eight months.
In class of thirty-three members Mr..
Blaine shared the first honor with John C.
Hervey now Superintendent of Public In
structon at Wheeling. He was a diligent,
ambitious student, specially excelled in
mathematics and Latin, and was marked
also for his proficiency in Logic and Politi-
cal Economy. His college guardian was his
uncle. the Hon. John H. Ewing, at ,ha,
time Representative in Congress from the
Washington District, and who still lives at
an advanced age. with a very lively interest
in the fortunes OF his nephew.