Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-03-22
SENATOR BLAINE AND HIS
ANCESTRY.

MT. Dialne caWe lnU0 puUlIc lie, IL
not by law of heredity. yet by a strong
association in his immediate family.
His great grandfather, Col. Ephraim
Blaine, of Carlisle, Cumberland County,
Pa, was Commissary-General of the
Revolutionary Army from 1778 till the
struggle in 1888. The high esteem in
which Colonel Blaine was held by Wash
ington and his great compatriot leaders
in the Revolution is attested by numer-
Gus letters from them, official and unof6-
cial, still in the possession of Colonel
Blaine's descendants in this State.
Mr.. Blaine's grandfather, for whom
he is named, intended originally to en-
ter upon professional and political ca
reer, but somewhat prolonged residence
in Europe after he had completed his
studies, diverted him, as it has so many
young Americans, from following his
first and better ambition. He returned
to his home in 1892. bringing with him
as special bearer of dispatches celebrat-
ed treaty with foreign government,
since become historic, and afterwards
led chiefly the life of private gentle
man.
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 adjoin-
ing County of Washington, where he
died before his son was fully grown. He
came West about 1918, having the larg-
est landed possessions of any man of his
age in Western Pennsylvania, owning an
estate which, had it been preserved,
would have amounted to-day to many
millions.
AS single item in that estate, it may
interest the present generation of Pitts
burgers to recall thatin 1926 Mr. Eph-
rain L. Blaine (the Senator's father)
decided to the Economics the splendid
tract of land on which their town with
all its improvements and all its wealth
now stands. The price was S25, 900 for
a property whose value to-day, even if
unimproved, would be princely fortune.
There were also timber tracts on the
Allegheny and coal tracts on the Monon-
gahela, 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
Blaine is now the possessor of one of the
most valuable coal properties in the
Monongahela Valley. In area it is but
a fraction of that which he might have
hoped to inherit. but in value it is man
ifold greater than the whole landed es.
tate of his father fifty years ago.
1t is not matter of much interest in
political annals, but there are some still
living who remember that Mr.. Blaine's
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 were highly educated, and both haG
great deal of that aristocracy of bear
ing and pride Of family from which the
Senator is robustly and cheerfully Free
Special pains were taken by Mr.
Blaine's father to give his son thorough
intellectual training. He was under tn,
best tutorage in his earliest years, ant
at the age of eleven was sent to Lancas
ter, Ohio, to school, where he lived il
the family Of his relative, the Hon
Thomas Ewing, at that time Secretar,
of the Treasury. General Thomas Ew
ing, at present in Congress, his cousin
and of the same age. was his classmat
under the tuition of an Englishmal
named William Lyons, brother of tn
elder Lord Lyons, and uncle of the lat
British Minister at Washington.
In November, 1843, Mr.. Blaine enter
ed the Freshman class of Washington
College, and graduated in September
1047, at the age of seventeen years AM
: eight months. In class of thirty-thre
members Mr. Blaine shared the frs
honor with John G. Harvey, now Super
intendent of Public Instruction a
: Wheeling He was diligent, ambi
tious student, specially excelled in math
!, ematics and Latin, and was marked ais
for his proficiency in Logic and Polit
cal Economy. His college guardian wa
!, his uncle, the Hon. John H. Ewing, q
that time Representative in Congres
from the Washington District, and wh
still lives at an advanced age, with
very lively interest in the fortunes {
his nephew.-Ptttsburg Gazette.
y Talk little, think much.