Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1895-01-11
LIFE OF JUDGE NICHOLS

LlT L OF } y IL l. lNiCFiOLS
Editor of ALMA RRcoEp:--
Dear Sir-Haviug made a flying
visit to your beautiful little city ON
my way to Frankfort ] drop few
iucs at your request in regard 10 ny
ariy life and pioneer life IN the
vest.
was born in the town of Nor
wav, lIerkimer county, \ Y, Ju,v
II, 1903; brought up on farm
until 1 was p years Of age At
the age of IA years my father houghl
500 acres OF wild land in J,tferson
county, n. y. aud moved onto il,
where l worked clearing land and
splitting rails five years when |
should have been at school, but none
there only Webster's spelling book
and a little Murray's grammar book
which carried in my pocket and
which was given 80 me by 2 friend
J studied it while in the field n
work until ! committed il (he rules
To- memory. As good luck would
nave il my father about this time
raded his farm here for a farm IN
lIerkimer county, y Y, where he
moved, and ] spent one term AT au
Academy about one and one-half
miles from home. Here l improved
my grammar aud arithmetic so that
az the end of the term | got Ger
ticate from my professor that !
was qualified 10 teach a common
school In the country. | laugh.
,hrce winters ~ ten dollars per
month aud boarded around among
tbc scholars. At one place whore |
'aught in 81. Lawrence county when
my school coscd they couId not
raise money enough to pay my sal
airy $4,000 and 80 | took all except
enough 10 Ike me home out of the
store. | then got q clerk,hip in
store for one year at $500 per month,
sawed the wood for the store and
took care OF horse and COW. Tn"
next year ! went into another store
$50 $500 per year and then tried
cuisines, tor myself without capital.
Dui @ recommend from my former
employer to 90 TO New York Guy
and buy all goods wanted on time
I tried this for about three years but
without any Roadway. | sold out aud
with $1,000 and one suit of clothes
] started for the west and travelled
oy canal ON line boat and was one
week reaching Buffalo, and then by
Steamboat to >audusky, Ohio, and
theu travelled through Ohio some of
he time by stage and some of the
time on foot stopping az diffcren'
places seeking business as far as
Newark on the OHIO canal There
took boat 90 Cleveland, where !
had letter from my old proprietor
% friend OF bis, cashier in one Of
'Lc banks, but ! didn't stop 20 show
% {or ! was bent for farther west
hen took a boat Tor Detroit, which
was 4 lively little city Of about SIX
thousand luhlbliants. / could get
nothing TO do there 20 | started for
I Ihic0go, Lut was told at Detroit uo}
20 20 to Chicago as it was in a mud
hole and would never amount To-
anything. Wen / took passage il
. an open.waeou that carried the mail
and got as far as Michigan City; WA
told there no, to 90 TO Chicago and
urged To stop there as that was to
be the great city on the Jake in
Indiana. conld get nothing TO do
even there and looking over my
finances found ! was getting rather
short and SD | took the back track
10 Detroit and then 10 Cleveland
where | thought of my letter to the
cashier and that I would shOw it az
probably it might do me some good
and 20 on presenting my letter the
cas- hier asked me q few questions as
TO what could do and told me TO
look around town and see if | could
. Gnd anything to do.
told him of my situation aud
that could not stop at the hotel
Dong for was getting short Of
I money and was on my way back TO
.llorkimer county. He told me not
10 90 back there as he was from
Utica and / could do nothing there
But Cleveland is the place for You
ana if you can't get anything to do