USA > Michigan > Wexford County > History of Wexford County, Michigan, embracing a concise review of its early settlement, industrial development and present conditions > Part 1
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 00020526397
1800
Glass
Book
G PI
40
HISTORY
OF
WEXFORD COUNTY, MICHIGAN
EMBRACING
A CONCISE REVIEW OF ITS EARLY SETTLEMENT, INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENT CONDITIONS,
COMPILED BY
JOHN H. WHEELER
TO WHICH IS APPENDED
A COMPREHENSIVE COMPENDIUM OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY AND LIFE SKETCHES OF WELL-KNOWN CITIZENS OF THE COUNTY.
ILLUSTRATED
1903 B. F. BOWEN PUBLISHER
١
F3:
13-16010
PUBLISHER'S PREFACE
N PLACING the History of Wexford County before the citizens, the publisher can conscientiously claim that he has carried out in full every promise made in the Prospectus. He points with pride to the elegance of the binding of the volume, and to the beauty of its typography, to the superiority of the paper on which the work is printed, and the truthfulness depicted by its portraits and the high class of art in which they are finished. Every biographical sketch has been submitted for approval and correction, to the person for whom it was written, and therefore any error of fact, if there be any, is solely due to the person for whom the sketch was prepared. The publisher would here avail himself of the opportunity to thank the citizens of Wexford County for the uniform kindness with which they have regarded this undertaking, and for their many services rendered in assisting in the gaining of necessary information.
Confident that our efforts to please will fully meet the approbation of the public, we are,
Respectfully,
B. F. BOWEN, Publisher.
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
N PREPARING the biography of any prominent person something of the scenes and incidents contemporaneous with the life of the individual are deemed essential to fully bring out motives and incentives that may have prompted the doings or sayings of the man or woman. It is often the case that lives of the parents and even earlier ancestors are alluded to to show the environments surround- ing the birth and early life of the person and how they may have helped or hindered in the early formation of character.
The same is true in writing the history of a city or community. There are always reasons why people congregate in one place rather than another, in starting a village that may grow into a great city, and these reasons are always of interest to the reader and give him a far better conception of the subject matter that is to follow.
What is true of an individual or a city is equally true of a county. There is always an interest in contemplating the reasons which lead people to leave an old settled country, where every facility for comfort and enjoyment are within reach, and emigrate to a wilderness country, remote from civilization, and destitute of even the most necessary conveniences that minister to the comfort of the individual.
The "Forty-niners" journeyed across a continent in ten-ox wagons for gold; and within the past few years we have seen a steady stream of adventurous people mi- grating to the frozen north-land, drawn thither by the glitter of the same shining object. The home-seekers in a new country are lured by no such glittering bauble. While it is no doubt true that every pioneer to a new country expects to better his financial condition by the change, he knows that this betterment must come slowly, and must be accompanied with unceasing toil and untold privations.
Bearing in mind these great privations and this continuous toil which is the lot of all pioneers, I have considered it important to devote the first part of this work to a review of some of the causes which led up to the early settlement, rapid growth and wonderful development of this section of the State, including Wexford County, after which the work will be confined entirely to the county.
THE AUTHOR.
INDEX
COMPENDIUM OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY
PAGE
Abbott, Lyman 144
Adams, Charles Kendall. 143
Booth, Edwin. 51
Adams, John. .. 25
Booth, Junius Brutus. 177
Adams, John Quincy.
6
Brice, Calvin S.
181
Conkling, Roscoe 32
Brooks, Phillips.
130
Cooley, Thomas McIntyre. 140
Cooper, James Fenimore. 58
Cooper, Peter ..
37
Copeley, John Singleton. 191
Corbin, Austin. 205
Corcoran, W. W.
196
Cornell, Ezra
161
Cramp, William. 189
Crockett, David 76
Cullom, Shelby Moore. 116
Curtis, George William
144
Cushman, Charlotte.
107
Custer, George A.
95
Bailey, James Montgomery. 177
Calhoun, Jolın Caldwell. 23
Cameron, James Donald. 1.41
Cameron, Simon. 1.41
Cammack, Addison. 197
Campbell, Alexander. 180
Carlisle, John G. 133
Carnegie, Andrey
73
Debs, Engene V. 132
Decatur, Stephen IOI
Deering, William. 198
Depew, Chauncey Mitchell. 200
Dickinson, Anna .. IO3
Dickinson, Don M. 139
Dingley, Nelson, Jr.
215
Donnelly, Ignatius. 161
Bierstadt, Albert. 197
Billings, Josh. ..
166
Blaine, James Gillespie. 22
Cleveland, Grover.
174
Bland, Richard Parks
106
Clews, Henry.
153
PAGE
Clinton, DeWitt.
IIO
Colfax, Schuyler 139
Conkling, Alfred 32
Agassiz, Lonis J. R.
137
Alger, Russell A.
173
Allison, William B
131
Allston, Washington.
190
Altgeld, John Peter 1.40
Andrews, Elisha B. 184
Bryant, William Cullen. 44
Buchanan, Franklin. 105
Buchanan, James. 128
Buckner, Simon Boliver. 188
Burdette, Robert J 103
Astor, John Jacob.
139
Burr, Aaron.
Audubon, John James
166
Butler, Benjamin Franklin. 24
Brown, John 51
Brown, Charles Farrar. 91
Brush, Charles Francis. 153
Bryan, William Jennings 158
Anthony, Susan B.
62
Armour, Philip D.
62
Arnold, Benedict.
84
Arthur, Chester Allen 168
Barrett, Lawrence.
156
Barton, Clara.
209
Bayard, Thomas Francis 200
Beard, William H. 196
Beauregard, Pierre G. T. 203
Beecher, Henry Ward.
26
Cass, Lewis. . IIO
Chase, Salmon Portland. 65
Childs, George W 83
Choate, Rufus. . 207
Chaflin, Horace Brigham. 107
Douglas, Stephen Arnold
Clay, Henry ..
21
53
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne.
86
Douglass, Frederick.
43
Dow, Neal. .
108
Draper, John William
181
Dana, Charles A. 88
"Danbury News Man" 177 Davenport, Fanny. 106
Davis, Jefferson 24
Carpenter, Matthew Hale. 178
Carson, Christopher (Kit) 86
Bell, Alexander Graham. 96
Bennett, James Gordon 206
Benton, Thomas Hart. 53
Bergh, Henry
160
Bancroft, George. 74 Barnard, Frederick A. P 179 Barnum, Phineas T 41
PAGE
Boone, Daniel. 36
INDEX-PART I.
PAGE
Drexel, Anthony Joseph.
124
Dupont, Henry.
198
Edison, Thomas Alva.
55
Edmunds, George F
201
Ellsworth, Oliver.
168
Emerson, Ralph Waldo
57
Ericsson, John ...
127
Evarts, William Maxwell.
89
-
Farragut, David Glascoe.
80
Field, Cyrus West.
173
Field, David Dudley
126
Field, Marshall. 59
Field, Stephen Johnson
216
Fillmore, Millard.
113
Jackson, Andrew
71
Jackson, "Stonewall"
67
Jackson, Thomas Jonathan. . 67
Jay, John .. .
39
Jefferson, Joseph
47
Jefferson, Thomas
34
Johnson, Andrew
145
Johnson, Eastman.
202
Johnston, Joseph Eccleston ..
85
Phillips, Wendell
30
Jones, James K.
171
Pierce, Franklin. .
122
Jones, John Paul.
97
Pingree, Hazen S.
212
Plant, Henry B.
192
Poe, Edgar Allen
69
Polk. James Knox.
102
Porter, David Dixon.
68
Porter, Noah ..
93
Prentice, George Denison. .
IIQ
Prescott, William Hickling ..
96
Pullman, George Mortimer .. 121
Quad, M.
193
Quay, Matthew S.
171
Randolph, Edmund.
136
Read, Thomas Buchanan.
132
Reed, Thomas Brackett.
208
Reid, Whitelaw ..
149
Roach. John.
190
Rockefeller, John Ravison
195
Root, George Frederick
218
Rothermel. Peter F.
I13
Rutledge, John.
57
Sage, Russell.
211
Schofield, John McAlister.
199
Schurz. Carl.
201
Scott, Thomas Alexander
204
Sharon, William.
165
Shaw, . Henry W.
166
Medill, Joseph ..
159
Sheridan, Phillip Henry.
40
Miles, Nelson A.
176
Havemeyer, John Craig.
182
Hawthorne, Nathaniel.
135
Miller, Cincinnatus Heine.
218
Hayes, Rutherford Birchard ..
157
Miller, Joaquin.
218
Mills, Roger Quarles. 211
Monroe, James.
54
Moody, Dwight L.
207
PAGE
Morgan, John Pierpont.
208
Morgan, John T.
216
Holmes, Oliver Wendell.
206
Hooker, Joseph.
52
Morris. Robert
165
Howe, Elias.
130
Howells, William Dean.
104
Houston, Sam.
120
Hughes, Archbishop John
157
Hughitt, Marvin.
159
Hull, Isaac.
169
Huntington, Collis Potter
94
Ingalls, John James.
114
Ingersoll, Robert G.
85
Olney, Richard.
133
Irving. Washington.
33
Paine, Thomas
147
Foote, Andrew Hull.
176
Foraker, Joseph B.
143
Forrest, Edwin ..
92
Franklin, Benjamin.
18
Fremont. John Charles
29
Fuller, Melville Weston.
168
Fulton, Robert ..
62
Gage, Lyman J
71
Gallatin, Albert. . 112
Garfield, James A. 163
Garrett, John Work 200
Garrison, William Lloyd.
50
Gates, Horatio ..
70
Gatling. Richard Jordan.
116
George, Henry.
203
Gibbons, Cardinal James. 209
Gilmore, Patrick Sarsfield 77
Girard, Stephen.
137
Gough, John B. 131
Gould, Jay.
52
Gordon, John B. 215
Grant, Ulysses S. 155
Gray, Asa.
88
Gray, Elisha 149
Greeley, Adolphus W. 142
Greeley, Horace.
20
Greene, Nathaniel.
60
Gresham, Walter Quintin
183
Hale, Edward Everett. 79
Hall, Charles Francis.
167
Hamilton, Alexander.
31
Hamlin, Hannibal 214
Hampton, Wade.
192
Hancock, Winfield Scott.
146
McClellan. George Brinton .. 47
Hanna, Marcus Alonzo. 169 Harris, Isham G. 21.4 Harrison, William Henry 87
Harrison, Benjamin. 182
Harvard, John ..
129
Mackay, John William. 148
Madison. James.
42
Marshall, John. 156
Mather, Cotton .. 164
Mather, Increase.
163
Maxim, Hiram S.
194
McKinley, William.
217
Meade, George Gordon. 75
Livermore, Mary Ashton 131 172
Locke, David Ross.
Logan, John A.
26
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 37
Longstreet. James.
56
Lowell, James Russell.
104
Lamar, Lucius Q. C.
201
Landon, Melville D.
109
Lee, Robert Edward. 38
Lewis, Charles B.
193
Lincoln, Abraham.
135
Kane, Elisha Kent
125
Kearney, Philip.
210
Kenton, Simon.
188
Knox, John Jay.
134
Peffer, William A.
164
Perkins, Eli.
109
Perry, Oliver Hazard
97
Palmer, John M.
195
Parkhurst, Charles Henry.
160
"Partington, Mrs."
202
Peabody, George
170
Peck. George W
187
Motley, John Lathrop.
130
"Nye, Bill"
59
Nye, Edgar Wilson
59
O'Conor, Charles
187
Morse, Samuel F. B
124
Alorton, Levi P. .
1.42
Morton, Oliver Perry
215
Sousa, John Philip
60
Hill, David Bennett.
90
Moran, Thomas.
98
Spreckles, Claus.
159
Shillaber. Benjamin Penhallow 202
Smith, Edmund Kirby,
114
Henry. Patrick.
83
PAGE
Hobart. Garrett
A
213
Sherman, Charles R.
87
Sherman, John ...
86
Sherman, William Tecumseh.
30
Hendricks, Thomas Andrew .. 212
Henry, Joseph. .
105
McCormick, Cyrus Hall.
172
Scott, Winfield ..
79
McDonough, Com. Thomas ..
167
Seward, William Henry
44
Jones, Samuel Porter
¥15
INDEX-PART I.
PAGE
PAGE
PAGE
Stanford, Leland. IOI
Thurston, John M. 166
Washburne, Elihu Benjamin .. 189
Stanton, Edwin McMasters .. 179
Tilden, Samuel J. 48
Washington, George. 17
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. . 126
Tillman, Benjamin Ryan. 119
Watson, Thomas E. 178
Stephens, Alexander Hamilton 32
Toombs, Robert. 205
Watterson, Henry. 76
Stephenson, Adlai Ewing .... 141
"Twain, Mark" 86
Weaver, James B.
123
Stewart, Alexander T .. 58
Tyler, John.
93
Webster, Noah.
49
Stowe, Harriet Elizabeth
Van Buren, Martin. 78
Weed, Thurlow.
91
Beecher
66
Vanderbilt, Cornelius. 35
West, Benjamin. 115
Stuart, James E. B 122
Vail, Alfred. 154
Whipple, Henry Benjamin. 161
Sumner, Charles .. 34
Vest, George Graham. 214
White, Stephen V. 162
Vilas, William Freeman 140
Whitefield, George 150
Talmage, Thomas DeWitt 60
Voorhees, Daniel Wolsey 95
Whitman, Walt. 197
Taney, Roger Brooks. 129
Whitney, Eli. 120
Taylor, Zachary.
108
Waite, Morrison Remich. 125
Whitney, William Collins. 92
Teller, Henry M.
127
Wallace, Lewis. . 199
Whittier, John Greenleaf. 67
Tesla, Nikola
193
Wallack, Lester. I21
Willard, Frances E. I33
Thomas, George H.
73
Wallack, John Lester. I21
Wilson, William L 180
Thomas, Theodore 172
Wanamaker, John
89
Winchell, Alexander. 175
Thurman, Allen G.
90
Ward, "Artemus". 91
Windom, William. 138
PORTRAITS OF NATIONAL CELEBRITIES.
PAGE
PAGE
PAGE
Alger, Russell A.
16
Field, Marshall. 117
Longstreet, Gen. James. 16
Allison, William B
99
Franklin, Benjamin.
63
Lowell, James Russell. 27
Anthony, Susan B.
63
Fremont, Gen. John C. 16
McKinley, William .. 45
Armour, Philip D.
151
Gage, Lyman J ... 151
Morse, S. F. B. 185
Arthur, Chester A
81
Garfield, James A. 45
Phillips, Wendell. 27
Barnum, Phineas T.
II7
Garrison, William Lloyd. 63
Porter, Com. D. D. 185
Beecher, Henry Ward. 27
George, Henry 117
Pullman, George M. 117
Blaine, James G. 151
Gould, Jay. 99
Quay, M. S. 99
Booth, Edwin.
63
Grant, Gen. U. S. 185
Reed, Thomas B. 151
Bryan, Wm. J.
63
Greeley. Horace.
81
Sage, Russell. II7
Bryant, William Cullen.
185
Hampton, Wade. 16
Scott, Gen. Winfield. 185
Buchanan, James.
81
Hancock. Gen. Winfield S. 185
Seward, William H. 45
Buckner. Simon B. 16
Hanna, Mark A.
117 81
Sherman, Gen. W. T. 151
Carlisle, John G.
151
Hayes, R. B.
45
Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. 27
Chase, Salmon P.
16
Hendricks, Thomas A. 81
Stowe. Harriet Beecher. 27
Childs. George W
99
Holmes, Oliver W.
151
Sumner, Charles. . 45
Clay, Henry.
81
Hooker. Gen. Joseph. 16
Talmage, T. DeWitt
63
Cleveland, Grover
45
Ingersoll. Robert G 117
Teller, Henry M .. 99
Cooper, Peter.
99
Irving, Washington. 27
Thurman, Allen G. 81
Dana, Charles A.
151
Jackson, Andrew. 45
Tilden, Samuel J. II7
Depew, Chauncey M.
117
Jefferson, Thomas. 45
Van Buren, Martin. 81
Douglass, Fred.
63
Johnston, Gen. J. E.
16
Vanderbilt. Commodore. 99
Emerson, Ralph Waldo.
27
Lee, Gen. Robert E.
185
Webster, Daniel. 27
Evarts, William M. 99
Lincoln. Abraham. 81
Whittier, John G .. 27
Farragut, Com. D. G.
185 Logan, Gen. John A. 16
Washington, George 45
Field, Cyrus W.
63
Longfellow. Henry W 185
Watterson, Henry. 63
Sherman, John. . 99
Butler, Benjamin F 151
Harrison, Benjamin.
Webster, Daniel. 19
Stewart, William Morris. 213
INDEX HISTORICAL
PAGE.
Chapter I -Michigan 219
II Kautawaubet or Wexford County. 223
III-Arrival of New Settlers Continues 227
IV-First Election. 232
V-First Railroad. 239
VI-Woman Suffrage-State Census County Elections-Bear Trapping 24-1
VII-The County Seat-Efforts to Secure its Removal from Sherman Schemes to Prevent Removal -Final Result . 249
= VIII -- New Judicial Circuit -- Greenback Party. 256
.. IX-New Railroad -- New Villages-New Impetus to Farming and Lumbering. 262 X-City and Village Organizations 269
XI-Our Honored Dead Pioneers .. 299
.. XII-Old Pioneers Who Have Removed from Our Midst. 310
INDEX BIOGRAPHICAL
PAGE.
A
Allen, George
430
Anderson, Aaron F
546
Anderson, Gustave.
459
Anderson, Johannas.
551
Auer, Henry C.
385
Averill, David B.
498
B
Baker, James A.
545
Ballou, Henry.
410
Bechtel, Charles J
521
Billings, Henry M.
556
Blue, George W.
360
Bostick, Charles H
550
Boyd, Marion B ..
525
Boynton, Elisha M
345
Bredahl, Rasmus P
514
Brehm, Edward C.
389
Burman, Axel G ..
522
C
Cadillac State Bank 337
Callis, T. Henry 461
Carlson. Charles J 434
Carnahan, Samuel
404
Cassety, Samuel J.
387
Chittenden, Hon. Clyde C ... 325
Cobbs, Frank
321
Cobbs, Jonathan W 365
Colvin, Marvin D. 463
Corlett, Thomas A., M. D.
517
Cornell, Elon
448
Cox, Edward
Crawford, Ralph W 457
Crosby, Thomas W 392
Cummer, Jacob ..
327
Cummer, Wellington W
338
Curtis, D. W
408
Daugherty, Chester C. 495
Davidson, Donald. 374
Dayhuff, Mrs. Cynthia
480
Denike, Andrew B
400
Huff, Henry B.
394
PAGE.
Denike, Thomas P
509
Diggins, Fred A. 324
Discher, Jacob
534
Drury, Charles H.
478
Dunbar, John.
413
Dunham, Charles C.
473
Dunham, Nelson H
524
Dunton, Lucius A
453
Dutton, Charles W
436
E
Evitts, John A
496
F
Fales, Willford D 381
Frederick, George A
515
Frederick, Reuben D.
489
G
Gasser, Sanford .
435
Gates, Lucas W.
553
Gilbert, Esedore.
464
Goldsmith, John.
438
Goodyear, Frank L
476
Graham, George S.
549
Gray, Taylor W. 481
Gray, William H. 508
Guernsey, Willis D
358
Gustafson, John A.
402
H
Hagstrom, Carl E
422
Hagstrom, Otto. 423
Hansen, Henry 426
Hanthorn, James
396
Harger, Ezra
537
Harvey, John. 458
Haskin, John A.
399
Haynes, James.
492
Hector, Frederick W
380
Hodgson, Thomas 440
Hogue, John R. 510
Holmberg, Andrew
377
PAGE.
Huntley, Victor F., M. D
506
DeVoe, Henry I.
487
Hutzler, Horace G ..
547
J
Jenkins, Ira
502
Johnson, Andrew
519
K
Kaiser, Daniel E.
456
Kellogg, Phillip.
528
Kelley, William
497
Kluss, John
427
Kneeland, Dr. Howard S
518
Knowlton, Henry.
342
I
Lake, George A. . .
349
Loveless, William W
376
M
McBrian, Nelson
403
McCane, Joseph
520
McCoy, Daniel ..
467
McIntyre, Donald 'E. 334
McNitt, Henry C.
450
McNitt, William .
536
Macey, Lester C.
445
Manning, John H 424
Mansfield, James E 491
Massey, Richard W
485
Miller, Carroll E., M. D.
354
Miller, Humphrey W.
432
Mitchell, Austin W 370
Mitchell, George A. 318
Mitchell, William W 322
Moffit, Edward G .. 357
Morgan, Edward, M. D).
512
Morken, Elias
471
N
Neilson, Nels
487
Nichols, Isaac. 386
Nichols, John J. 505
Nordstrom, Nels P
469
Norris, Richard C ..
532
382
INDEX-BIOGRAPHICAL.
PAGE.
O
Seaman, Sylvester R 463
Seaman, Warren 428
Shaver, William H 412
Smith, Albert L
442
Tyler, Cyril H.
451
Smith, Elijah 466
Smith, N. Jacob 472
V
Vance, Asaph T.
477
Waddell, Robert 2
369
Wall, Samuel J. 538
Wardell, Joshua M., M. D .. 372
Webber, Arthur H.
454
Westbrook, William P.
395
Westover, George D. 446
Whaley, James. 417
Wheeler, John H 317
Terwilliger, J. M 333
Wheeler, Porter. 500
Williams, George F 542
Williams, Walter S
554
Sawyer, Eugene F
346
PAGE.
PAGE.
Torrey, Nelson R. 415
Tripp, Lewis J. 353
Tweedie, Ariel W 406
Otis, George H. 364
Parker, John T. 368
Parker, Lyman E. 540
Payne, Henry J
418
Southwick, W. E. 431
Peck, Alvah.
397
Stanley, George S. 391
St. Ann's Church 379
Starkweather, Isaac. 405
Stewart, Joseph. 359
Sturtevant, Heman B.
383
Sturtevant, Walter L.
409
R
Reynolds. George A. 504
Reynolds, Norman A. 534
Rose, William.
351
Rydquist, Peter A.
416
S
Thomas, George E 420
Saunders, William L. 331
Tibbits, Lemuel A
516
Torrey, John S ..
419
Wilson, Lewis T
367
Olsen, John 443
Ostensen, Hans. 530
Southwick, Albert B.
488
Peck, Elwood.
483
Peterson, Carl B 541
Powers, Perry F
362
Prud'homme, Rev. L. M.
378
Smith, Ward P 527
T
Teed, George C.
390
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY . . OF ..
CELEBRATED AMERICANS
G EORGE WASHINGTON, the first president of the Unit- ed States, called the "Father of his Country," was one of the most celebrated characters in history. He was born Feb- ruary 22, 1732, in Washing- ton Parish, Westmoreland county, Virginia. His father, Augustine Washington, first married Jane Butler, who bore him four children, and March 6, 1730, he married Mary Ball. Of six children by his second marriage, George was the eldest.
Little is known of the early years of Washington, beyond the fact that the house in which he was born was burned during his early childhood, and that his father there- upon moved to another farm, inherited from his paternal ancestors, situated in Stafford county, on the north bank of the Rappahan- nock, and died there in 1743. From earliest childhood George developed a noble charac- ter. His education was somewhat defective, being confined to the elementary branches taught him by his mother and at a neighbor- ing school. On leaving school he resided some time at Mount Vernon with his half
brother, Lawrence, who acted as his guar. dian. George's inclinations were for a sea- faring career, and a midshipman's warrant was procured for him; but through the oppo- sition of his mother the project was aban- doned, and at the age of sixteen he was appointed surveyor to the immense estates of the eccentric Lord Fairfax. Three years were passed by Washington in a rough fron- tier life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very essential to him In 1751, when the Virginia militia were put under training with a view to active service against France, Washington, though only nineteen years of age, was appointed adjutant, with the rank of major. In 1752 Lawrence Washington died, leaving his large property to an infant daughter. In his will George was named one of the executors and as an eventual heir to Mount Vernon, and by the death of the infant niece, soon succeeded to that estate. In 1753 George was commis- sioned adjutant-general of the Virginia militia, and performed important work at the outbreak of the French and Indian war, was rapidly promoted, and at the close of that war we find him commander-in-chief of
Copyright 1897, by Gev A. Ugle & Co.
18
COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
all the forces raised in Virginia. A cessation of Indian hostilities on the frontier having followed the expulsion of the French from the Ohio, he resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces, and then proceeded to Williamsburg to take his seat in the Virginia Assembly, of which he had been elected a member.
January 17, 1759, Washington married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Curtis, a young and beautiful widow of great wealth, and devoted himself for the ensuing fifteen years to the quiet pursuits of agriculture, inter- rupted only by the annual attendance in winter upon the colonial legislature at Williamsburg, until summoned by his coun- try to enter upon that other arena in which his fame was to become world-wide. The war for independence called Washington into service again, and he was made com- mander-in-chief of the colonial forces, and was the most gallant and conspicuous figure in that bloody struggle, serving until Eng- land acknowledged the independence of each of the thirteen States, and negotiated with them jointly, as separate sovereignties. December 4. 1783, the great commander took leave of his officers in most affection- ate and patriotic terms, and went to An- napolis, Maryland, where the congress of the States was in session, and to that body, when peace and order prevailed everywhere, resigned his commission and retired to Mount Vernon.
It was in 1789 that Washington was called to the chief magistracy of the na- tion. The inauguration took place April 30, in the presence of an immense multi- tude which had assembled to witness the new and imposing ceremony. In the manifold de- tails of his civil administration Washington proved himself fully equal to the requirements of his position. In 1792, at the second presi-
dential election, Washington was desirous to retire; but he yielded to the general wish of the country, and was again chosen presi- dent. At the third election, in 1796, he was again most urgently entreated to con- sent to remain in the executive chair. This he positively refused, and after March 4, 1797, he again retired to Mount Vernon for peace, quiet, and repose.
Of the call again made on this illustrious chief to quit his repose at Mount Ver- non and take command of all the United States forces, with rank of lieutenant-gen- eral, when war was threatened with France in 1798, nothing need here be stated, ex- cept to note the fact as an unmistakable testimonial of the high regard in which he was still held by his countrymen of all shades of political opinion. He patriotic- ally accepted this trust, but a treaty of peace put a stop to all action under it. He again retired to Mount Vernon, where he died December 14, 1799, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. His remains were depos- ited in a family vault on the banks of the Potomac, at Mount Vernon, where they still lie entombed.
B ENJAMIN FRANKLIN, an eminent American statesman and scientist, was born of poor parentage, January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was appren- ticed to his brother James to learn the print- er's trade to prevent his running away and going to sea, and also because of the numer- ous family his parents had to support (there being seventeen children, Benjamin being the fifteenth). He was a great reader, and soon developed a taste for writing, and pre- pared a number of articles and had them published in the paper without his brother's knowledge, and when the authorship be- came known it resulted in difficulty for the
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young apprentice, although his articles had been received with favor by the public. James was afterwards thrown into prison for political reasons, and young Benjamin con- ducted the paper alone during the time. In 1823, however, he determined to endure his bonds no longer, and ran away, going to Philadelphia, where he arrived with only three pence as his store of wealth. With these he purchased three rolls, and ate them as he walked along the streets. He soon found employment as a journeyman printer. Two years later he was sent to England by the governor of Pennsylvania, and was promised the public printing, but did not get it. On his return to Philadelphia he estab- lished the "Pennsylvania Gazette," and soon found himself a person of great popu- larity in the province, his ability as a writer, philosopher, and politician having reached the neighboring colonies. He rapidly grew in prominence, founded the Philadelphia Li- brary in 1842, and two years later the American Philosophical Society and the University of Pennsylvania. He was made Fellow of the Royal Society in London in 1775. His world-famous investigations in electricity and lightning began in 1746. He became postmaster-general of the colonies in 1753, having devised an inter-colonial postal system. He advocated the rights of the colonies at all times, and procured the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766. He was elected to the Continental congress of 1775. and in 1776 was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, being one of the commit- tee appointed to draft that paper. He rep- resented the new nation in the courts of Europe, especially at Paris, where his simple dignity and homely wisdom won him the admiration of the court and the favor of the people. He was governor of Pennsylvania four years; was also a member of the con-
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