The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-06-28
JAY GoULD's BOYHOoD.
His Snccess as Student, Clerk. Surveyor and
Tanner-A Sharp Real Estate
Transaction

Yesterday. Tde was born ana passed MS
boyhood days on a farm about one mile from
Roxbury, Delaware county, n. Y, at which
place l was engaged in business before l
came West. 1 was well acquainted with the
whole family, and they were very nice peo-
pie. Mr.. Gould was small in stature, like his
son, and lame, He was a Democrat, and
took a great interest in local politics, attend
ing every town meeting and electioneering
with the greatest earneStness. Tn male
members of the Gould family
were remarkable for their pre-
cocity. They came into manhood much
earlier than most boys, and at fifteen Jay
was as sharp as most young men at twenty
two. Jays mother and sisters were all intel
ligent, refined women. In the fall of tine
year that Jay was sixteen years old his father
proposed to trade his farm for my place in
town. We managed to come to an agreement,
and a bargain ws made, the transfer to take
place the following spring. Young Jay had
a desire to attend the village school, so he
offered to work for me for his board, and l
Kept him all winter. He was an excellent
boy. His habits were all good, and he de-
voted most Of his evenings to study. He
was always the first one up in the morning,
and he had the fire burning and the teaket-
tie boiling by the time my wife was ready to
prepare breakfast. The next spring | moved
to the farm and Jays father took possession
OF my house in town. | was running a tin
shop, and l could not very well attend to
that and the farm. Jay bought me out, and
for a year turned his attention to selling
pans and milk-pailS and doing jobs
OF tinkering. The business did not
suit his tastes, however, and he disposed OF
the shop. He was a fine penman and a first
class accountant, and he soon secured a posi-
tion as confidential clerk to a merchant, who
combined the real estate business with his
mercantile pursuits quite extensively. 1t was
in this position that Jay first gave evidence
OF the shrewdness which is a part OF his
nature. A portion OF an estate which had
been the subject of litigation for years was
about to be sold, and JAYS employer had en-
deavOred to purchase it. There was some
disagreement about the price. TIT executor
asked 81, 500, but the man for whom young
Gould worked was not willing to give more
than $4,000. Jay, OF course, read all and wrote
part of the letters that passed between the
two, and it occurred to him ttfat ne might
make a strike. He discovered that the
property was worth at least 81, 900 in the
market, and understood that there was a
chance to speculate. Accordingly, without
his employers knowledge, he borrowed
$500 from his father and vent down to
Kingston, where the executor of the estate
resided. He said that he had come to pur-
chase the land, and laid Town the money,
The bargain was soon closed, the deed being
"a III hS AdAhCA > ildulC, utld lllSlAAt v tNO
weeks Jay sold the land for $1,000, clearing
$500 by the transaction. This breach of
faith caused a separation of Gould and his
employer, and also bursta little matrimonial
bubble, in which the former and a female re-
lation of the latter were the central figures.
while at school Jay paid considerable at
tentlon to mathematics, and acquired quite a
knowledge of civil engineering. This attain
ment came into play at this time. A man
named Oliver was making a sectional map of
Ulster county, which joins Delaware, and he
wanted an assistant. Jay rendered his ser
vices and was employed. His duties con
sisted of wheeling a perambulator along the
country roads and across fields, and noting
the distances. He remained with Oliver for
one season, and in that time acquired so much
knowledge of map-making that he started out
for himself to make a map of Delaware
county, He next took his cousin, who lived
at Albany, into partnership, and they sent
men to Ohio to make the first maps of Lake
and Geauga counties. Men were also sent to
Michigan, to map the county in which Pom
tiac is situated These undertakings were
never completed by Gould, the work having
been transferred to a man living in Philadel-
phia.
"Atthis time, when Gould was between nine
teen and twenty years of age, he was consid-
cred a good surveyor, and his services were
in great demand. A short distance from
Roxbury lived Colonel Pratt, who had been
sent to Congress from that district. He was
an ignorant man, but being worth about
$100, 900, was considered the most important
person in that section. He felt his own inn
portance, and delighted to see his name
painted on the fences and printed on large
bills. He was a farmer, tanner and sheep
raiser, and he usually placed all the titles
after his name when he wrote it. He had a
great desire to make his the model farm and
add fresh laure!s to his wealth of renown.
Accordingly he sent for young Gould to
come and make a survey of the place and
arrange it in a tasty name Gould saw
that the old man was susceptible to hattery,
and when he had concluded his work and
was about to leave, he said:
"Colonel, you are astatesman, farmer, tan
ner and sheep-grower. o ought to make
yourself more famous still by building the
largest tanuery in the world
by George! l would said the Colonel.
If / knew where l could get plenty of bark.
That was enough for Gould. He went
Town into Lackawanna county Pennsylva-
MIA, near where Gouldsborough now stands.
found thousands of acres of hemlock timber
uncut. He asked the people living about
there il they would give him land on which
to build the largest tannery in the world.
They readily agreed to give him all the land
he desired, and he then made contracts in
his own name for bark, at twenty-five cents
per cord. sufficient to run the tannery for
twenty-five years. He returned to Colonel
Pratt, who was astonished at his success, and
who told him TO go on and build the tannery,
and he would furnish the money. In the
course of time the mammoth establishment
was in full blast, under The firm name OF
Pratt & Gould. Such a great concern must
have banking facilities, so Gould organized
a wildcat bank at G-ouldsborough, and.
as he was not of age, he induced
his rel atiyes to take u large portion of the
stock aud appoint him their proxy. lie was
elected director of the bank, and everything
by the bank bore a picture of the tannery or
some part of it, and the tannery controlled
everything in Gouldsborough. Gould with
drew from the bank and deposited $25. 900 of
the banks funds with Leupp 6 Lee, brokers.
OF New York. and thereby obtained a credit
which did him good service later on. All