Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1888-05-04

the writer OF TINS Sketeh WAS "lNn0Eeu RS
a Journalist To report his speeches and
especially his noted debates with Hon.
George IT, Pentllc;on: and i'll that duty
passed some pleasant hours at the Gar
field rural home ut Mentor. The mother
was then pleasant: soft spoken lnatron
of .5 wears and her stories of the early
days in ONO had al! the freshness of per-
sonal gossip and the clcarMeSs of we'll
written history.
1--WE We're very poor then, she said
''but everybody else was poor, too. and so
we We're all bound together. 1t wasn't
like being poor now i'll a city, oh. no-all
the neighhors could be depended ON in
sickness, but we did not have much of
that
The resemblance to her distinguished
son could still be noted, especially in the
round smooth forehead and clear. strong
ewes. Her general bearing also Indicated
that she had large share of that self
reliance and readiness of hand With which
cold New England endows her daughters.
These qualities descended in good measure
to her two sons and TWO daughters: Dut
in Thomas Garfield. che Oldest they We're
exhibited in a capacity for work end bllss-
ness contlivancc rather than iii ANY grea-
longing for books or professional pursuits.
From his youth, however, he had great
confidence in the future of HIS NoIn"er
brother, and one of his first great f,spira-
lions was that "Jimmie' shoUld lluvc IL
p,4,tEar president and is still an ac.i sc and
valuable citizen.
James ~ Garfield had no recollection
of his father, for when the Youngest was
but years old Abram Garfield died of q
congestion. brought on by over cXertion
/ in fighting Il forest fire The situation #
! the widowed Eliza Garfield was indeed
] gloomy, in a log cabin i'll IL very new corn-
try. With four children, the oldest but 10
Years old but she was no weak woman,
and firmly resolved to keep the family to-
| getler and Keep the farm The widow
and the boy, With a little help from kind
neighbors. cultivated the small clearing
that year and furnished the necessary
fencing: the next year and the next they
cultivated the tract alone, and afterward
Thomas worked at other places for such
money as he could earn. The mother re-
lated with pride that his first earnings
Went to buy Il pair of shoes for Jimmie ~
so he could go to the school Il mile and a
half away. \ little later Il log school house
was put up on one corner of the Garfield
fa,m. to the great delight Of the widow
and Thomas. as '.Timln:4'' could now at
tend school ut whatever season there was
any. Like nearly all boys of talent. the
little fellow $ tastes first showed in Il pas
sionatc love of narrative. which his mother
gratitietl by relating stories of the family
experience. as she had heard it in tradi
tions which ran back to the revocation of
the Edict of Nantes. \ little later the
universal American boys appetite for
Indian stories seized on the child. and
when mis- mother had retailed all she knew
in that line he was so impressed that he
gave each tree i'll the orchard the name of
an Indian chief. This cs,c of Indian lore
stail With Garfield a long time. and when
he visited the far west near forty wears
;ifterwar,l. he took fresh delight in all the
Mornlons and other old settlers in the in
terror cutld tell him of the Ute and Sho
Sl,onc traditions From hi, mother. also
he inherited q tralt seldom alluded to il
his hiograp phieS-thc capacity to give !;
Very dry anG cutting answer to amy ono
who Mtlll,lrd irrelevant or unpleasant
statements upon him. a journalist WHO
90, this sort of an answer from him once
took particularly good care not 10 risk il
;!g;.ll. Considering. however. the eX
trene traits of his early life. and her Ilri
vationS and tolls in the new country. ii Is
surprising that mother and son retained
SO large a measure of geniality. Some
persons nlost intimate with the fln.ily. in
s;>t that. through all the changes of l2t
Years and the numerous intcrmarriages
the mother still inherited IL large share o
that French vivacity which has AWAY:
distinguished the people of Rochelle
France, for she was Il descendant O
Ma.urin Ballou, Hugucnot exile
Several Americans, Of some wit ant
ability. are descended from him, anon:
them the noted Hosea Ballou, ~ cousin o
Mrs Garfield.