Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-10-15
SEEICI
OF THE
Lie al! Publ. Service.
OF
Josiah W.Bega!e
Governor OF Michigan.

n, Y, Jan. Goth. 1918. His parents were
of French descent and settled at an early
period in the State of Maryland His
maternal grandfather. Captain Bodies,
was an officer in the war Of the revolu-
ton. At the beginning of the present
century both his grandparents with seve-
raj other families became dissatisfied with
the institution of slavery, althoughlthem-
selves slave holders, andIhey emigrated
to Livingston county, New York, then a
new county, accompanied by number
of their former slaves who volunteered TO
90. His father was an officer and served
allsthrough the war OF 1872
Governor Begolc was one year oldlWhen
his father hewcd his way through two
and half miles of woods to his farm in
Livingston county; he was twelve years
old before public road passed that farm.
His father had contract lor the farm
for eight dollars per acre, and it waS'siX-
teen years before he received the deed OF
il.
Governor Begoles education was SINH
lar to that of thousands of boys born In
the same circumstances He attended no
school whatever until he was ten years
old. and then went TO log school house
not far from his fathers farm, until he
entered the Temple Hill Academy at
Geneseo. Being the eldest son of family
of ten children. whose parents were in
moderate though comfortable circum-
stances, he was early taught those habits
of industry which were so valuable to him
in after life. When twenty one years of
age. being OF an ambitious turn of mind.
he resolved TO seek his fortune in the "far
west" as II was then called. Two days
before he started west he and his father
threshed wheat with horses on the barn
Moor. and carried II 10 Rochester, dis
lance OF 33 miles, 10 get money enough
10 nav his expenses and give him small
Start i'm life. lie left his fathers roof
with 800 in his pocket with which TO
purchase land, and with some fourteen
dollars besides to pay his expenses on the
way. The blessings of kind father and
tears of brothers and sisters followed him
10 the new country, where he was to make
his home.
From an address delivered by Governor
Begole in Shiawassee county, the 23rd Of
last June. we gather in his own words the
story of his journey to Michigan. 1t is
told with such keen appreciation of the
ha.aships of pioneer life that we give it
nearly in full
Ladies and gentlemen of Shiawassee
county, am one of the early pioneers Of
this great State. | came here in my early
manhood and for 4S years have made
Michigan my home. It affords me great
pleasure to meet you this pleasant morn
ing and on this beautiful spot 10 talk over
our early history. Many of you have
never met before and shall probably never
meet again. Pioneers are always at home
with each other. Week before la1t |
visited my old home in western New York
where | was born. My father aud mother
were among the early pioneers Of that
country, so you see that | have always
been pioneer OF a new country. II was
in that cemetery where | could see ten
familiar names where | could"see one
familiar face on the street. In the even
ing the citizens, though nearly all stran-
gers to me, turned out en- mosSe with a
band of music To greet one who had left
that town so many years before. Nearly
fifty years ago left the old home To seek
in this wilderness country "a future home.
AT that time Shiawassec county was only
inhabited by Indians and a few white
traders settled up aud down the beautiful
river that passes through your county.
Il does a citizen of Michigan good to go
abroad 10 compare his home aud surround
ings with those of other people; Michigan
never suffers by the comparison. No
people are more favored by nature with
inexaustiblc stores OF material wealth
none can exhibit more energy and capacity
in turning them to profit, aud none have
more reason 10 thank God and take cour.
age understand this meeting TO be one
of your time honOred customs. IL is here
where our feelings. our sympathies, our
pride in the prosperity of our state is the
same We are proud of our work and we
have now come here To- tell our children
what we have done and through what
privatious we have passed 20 accomplish
our work
In looking over this vast audience | see
but very few Of those who were the