The life, speeches, and public services of James A. Garfield, including an account of his assassination, lingering pain, death, and burial

Front matter

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THE LIFE,

SPEECHES, AND PUBLIC SERVICES

Preface

HISTORY is but the aggregate of individual biog raphies, and it sometimes happens in the history of great nations that the biography of a single man, comprehensively written, contains all the important history of the government through a series of years. The study of biography in the records of nearly every nation furnishes the surest and easiest means of obtaining certain and lasting information concern ing the institutions, character, events, and time. It is, however, in the moral effect upon the readers that the writing and study of biography places its highest claims. It encourages the young, gives hope to the hopeless, warns the careless, cautions the fool ish, and by its descent into the little details of prac tical life furnishes a guide, companion, and counsel or to every student.

The life of the martyred President, James Abram Garfielcl, furnishes a record of peculiar advantage to the young men of our land in their choice of habits, professions, companions, and political principles. It is surely a remarkably transparent and pure life. Yet we have too much confidence in our nation to think that even his life is a very great exception.

PREFACE.

His biography is of equal importance to the women of the land, abounding as it does in incidents of motherly devotion, heroism, and love, and in accounts of the sublime courage, affection, and self-sacrifices of true wifehood.

It is the earnest hope of the writer that the biog raphy of General Garfield in some form may find its way into every library, and that the interest in it may long outlive any present excitement concern ing it ; for the lessons it teaches, the courage it im parts, the love of honor and truth it awakens, and the sweet pictures of domestic affection, filial devo tion, patriotic heroism, and religious faith which it reveals in our American life, cannot be valued too highly in the education of future generations. Of such a life it is a duty and a pleasure to write, and of such he believes it will be a duty and a pleasure to read.

Introduction

COMMONWEALTH OP MASSACHUSETTS, •»

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, BOSTON, September 27, iSSi.j

MY DEAR COLONEL, — In answer to your letter, I regret very much that I have not time to write an extended introduction to your biography of General Garfield, which, now that his noble life is ended, I am glad to know is to be revised and again published. I cordially furnish you, however, my remarks at the dinner, last July, of the alumni of Williams College. But no tribute can do justice either to him or to the deep and loving sentiment of admiration and sym pathy in which he is held in the hearts of the peo ple. The best tribute is in the simple story of his heroic and ascending life and character. The youth of America will read it, and be reminded that they, too, can make their " lives sublime." Very truly yours,

JOHN D. LONO.

The days that cluster around our glorious Fourth, turning its glory into sadness, are days not of alarm,

12 INTRODUCTION.

but sorrow. The heart of the nation is broken and melts in tears, but its faith and courage are un shaken. For the second time in the history of our republic a President has been shot by an assassin. But this time, thank God, no organized political or social purpose or significance crouches close behind the deed. The great victim lies not a sacrifice to partisan or sectional malignity. The party of half the people whose gallant candidate he defeated ; the belt of humbled States which stood solid against his election, as they stood solid less than twenty years ago against his sword ; and even the embittered mal contents in his own ranks, had no hand in his mur der ; but all alike, in the better nobility of human nature, now stand in common horror and pity over his wounds. Nay, the whole world, betraying its gen uine faith and hope in the American republic, lifts its outstretched arms, and its hands are filled with the lilies of sympathy for us and for him. No decree issued through the secret channels of banded social ists made his assailant their slave and tool. Th< Czar fell beneath the avenging and relentless pursuit of organized murder. Abraham Lincoln fell the last and noblest martyr of a civil war which, victorious upon the field, yet carried in its train the forked and hissing flames of treachery and assassination. But Garfield, in a time of profound peace,, when, aided by his own generous words, the sympathies of the Union were welding into their old fraternity, of which there could be no better proof than the trib utes of sympathy that have come up to him from every quarter ; in a time of universal prosperity, when the whole land smiles with the promise of plenteous harvests and with the happy homes and returns of thrifty industry ; in a country the very atmosphere of which is freedom, where no man's lips are tied, and where no man lives who kas not before the law equal redress with every other man, — ay, and full redress for every grievance; in a country which is a very asylum for the oppressed of the whole world else, — Garfield, the embodiment of American humanity ; whose name a year ago was on these walls as the hope and example not only of the scholar, but of the poor and humble ; whose heart never had an ungenerous throb ; upon whom the only criticism was the boyish and bubbling sympathy of his nature; who had risked his life in battle for his fellow-men, and pitched his voice in peace to the highest notes of liberty, — Garfield falls bleeding be neath the crazy pistol-shot of a fool.

The monstrous meaninglessness of the purpose robs the deed of something of its horror. But not meaningless is the lesson. If the will that did the killing was that of a maniac, yet the maniac takes his cue as well as other men. This time, so far as he took it from the Nihil ists' sophistry and the spectacle of the czar's death, let it be a warning. So far as he took it from the poisonous example of great party leaders dragging the honor of American politics into the mire of spoils and plunder, let it be a warning. So far as he took it from a system which makes the holding of civil office the reward of the most persistent camp-fol lower and go-between, let it be a warning.

These are lessons which this awful calamity teaches. But it does not shake the foundations of that " gov ernment of the people which shall not perish from the earth." If the murderer was of sound mind, let his punishment be stern, swift, and sure. If not, or, in any event, terrible as is the blow, it is like the lightning which knows no respect of persons, save that the tallest monarch of the forest oftenest at tracts and takes the stroke. Let no worshiper of more absolute government find in this event a charge against our own. In the prophetic and reverent words

14 INTRODUCTION.

of the President himself upon the death of Lincoln, — reverent alike toward heaven and, as is his wont, toward his fellow-rnen, — "God reigns, and the gov ernment at Washington still lives." And God grant, is the fervent prayer of Massachusetts, that our now stricken President may rise from his wounds to the renewed love and loyalty of his people, and to the yet better administration of their affairs. So shall our chastisement work our welfare. Yes, while Pres ident Garfi eld's administration had not yet worked out of port into the open sea, nevertheless this sud den peril of his life has reawakened us to the great, undoubted nobility of his life, his services, and his character. Whatever else was true, in him a great American heart throbbed at the centre of govern ment. There may have been question of some of his personal selections, but the nation's relation to other nations has suffered nothing in dignity or right, its material and financial interests have been secure, and the frauds that had been suffered to fester in its flesh have been put to the curing and stern knife of excoriation.

And yet, when the rumor came, as it came at first, that Garfield was dead, we called up less the Presi dent than the man. What a graceful tribute to our government of the people it is that, North, South, East, and West, not a true citizen is there whose heart did not go out with the sympathy and tender ness of comradeship ! It is one of our own number that has been stricken down. It is the poor boy of our own youth, bare of foot and weighted with pov erty, lifting his eyes through humble toil to the heights of American education and opportunity. It is our own classmate, revisiting the college halls and classic scenes of his youth to lay the wreath of his great glory at the feet of his alma mater, and to read in the loving eyes of his wife and children the hon-

INTRODUCTION. 15

est pride that comes from the hand-clasp and con gratulations of those who knew and loved him in early days. It is the comrade of our own veterans, who fought with him at Chickamauga. It is our own tribune, who, on the floor of Congress, upon the platform, in many a brave and inspiring word to his countrymen, young and old, has spoken so nobly for humanity, for equal rights, for honest money, for high ideals and systems of political service, and for the national advancement. And it is to the wife and mother, not of the President, but of one of our own number, that our tenderest sympathies go forth as we recall the ripe and bending years of the one, whose brow is still happy with the inauguration kiss of her boy, and whose life spans at once the Western pioneer's cabin and the White House, — a tragedy at either end, — or recall the devotion of the other from school-days till now, who has alike brightened his simple Western home, and to-day, in this terrible crisis, sitting at his bedside, stands for the heroism of American womanhood.

Amid these halls for the education of American youth, most earnestly do I claim that such a crime is utterly un-American, — as shocking and irrelevant as the monstrosities that now and then sully the fair perfection of nature herself. All the more for that reason the contrast brings out the normal placidity and security of our freedom. Grief and pity and sorrow are ours, but with them come the lesson and the duty, — to stand closer, to raise the standard higher, to rise above the meanness of wrangle and setfish plundering, to scatter the miasmatic fog of fanaticism with common sense and good example, and to live more for ourselves by living less for our selves and more for our fellow-men and country. I offer the prayer which is in all your hearts, and which is breathed by the whole Commonwealth, from

1 6 INTRODUCTION.

Greylock's top to the pebbles upon the beach at Provincetown, — prayer for the restoration to health and duty, and for the return another year to these beautiful scenes, with which his name and memory will be forever associated, of Williams' foremost grad uate, Massachusetts' distinguished descendant, and the nation's beloved President, James A. Garfield !

Chapter I

Genealogy of the Garfield Family. — Earliest Mention of them iu Eng land. — Associated with Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, favor ite of Queen Elizabeth, — The Family in Wales. — The Home of Edward Garneld in Chester, England. — The First oi the Family in America. — The Coat of Arms. — History of Captain Benjamin Garfield. — Abraham Garfield at the Concord Fight, in 1775. — Emigration of Solomon to New York State. — Death of Thomas at Worcester, N. Y. — Birth of Abraham Garfield. — Ilia removal to Ohio. — His Marriage with Eliza Ballou. — Brothers marry Sis ters. — Their Remarkable Characteristics. — Early Married Life along the New Canal. — BLrth of the first Children. — Selection of a Home in the Woods, 25

Chapter II. The Old Homestead

The Opening of Ohio to Settlers. — The Early Habitations. — Th» Primitive Forests. — Wild Beasts. —Appearance of Cleveland. — Fertility of the Soil. — Abram Garfield and his Wife. — Excursion of the Brothers into the Woods. — Selection of a Home. — The first Clearing. — Small Quarters.— Arrival of the Boynton Family. —The first Cabin. — The Removal of the Garfield Family. — The Forest Road. — Two Families in One. — Joy of the Sisters. — No Place like One's own Home. — The Garfield Log Cabin. — Settle ments opened about Them. — Clearing their Farm. — The School- House, 38

Chapter III. Birth Of James And Death Of His Father

Birth of James. — The Fourth Child of the Family. — Rejoicings. — Humble Surroundings. — Named after his Uncle and his Father. — Effect of that Calamity. — Sympathy of the Neighbors. — In Debt. — Widow advised to give away her Children. — Attempting to save the Home. — Finishing the Rail Fence. — Industry of Thomas. — His Self-sacrifice. — Occupation of the Widow. — Her Lore for Reading. — Teaching Little James, .... 46

1 8 CONTENTS. 9

Chapter IV. Habits And Incidents Of His Boyhood

Not precocious. — Hia Plays. — A petted youngest Child. —His early Tasks. — Absence of a Father's Discipline. — His absolute Truth fulness. — Could not lie to las Mother. —Ashamed to be called a Coward. — His Uncle Ainos. — Wholesome Fear. — Love of Poe try. — Names the Trees and iiocks after Heroes and Heroines. — Reading at home. — Country Lyceum. — Mother's Watch-care, 55

Chapter V. Youthful Occupations

Early Matiirity. — Boiling Salts. — A Man's Work at Harvesting. — Ambition to be a Carpenter. — New Frame House at Orange. — Learning the Trade. — Out of Work. — Chopping Wood. — Wish es to be a Sailor. — Visits a Ship at Cleveland. — Abandons the Idea of being a Sailor. — Finds Employment on the Ohio Canal.

— A Driver Boy. — Fever and Ague. — A Quarrel. — An Acci dent. — Goes Home to his Mother, ,..,.. 67

Chapter VI. Efforts To Obtain An Education

Slow Recovery. — Meeting with Mr. Bates. — A Private Tutor. — De termined Beginning. — The Geauga Seminary. — Estimates the Cost of a Term at School. — - Earns a small Sum to start with. — Hia Mother's Help. — Hoarding himself at Chester. — Pudding and Molasses. — Ad vantages of a healthy Body. — Teaching School. — Vacation Work. — Interest in Religion. — Disciples of Christ. — Religions Persecution. — Trustworthy Work. — A Good Name, 78

Chapter VII. Scholar And Teacher At Hiram

Leaving Chester. — Description of Hiram. — The Crown of Ohio. — The Eclectic Institute. — Course of Study. — A Leader among the Students. — Janitor of the Building. — Urged to become a Preach er. — Determined to attend College. — The Debating Club. — A Revolt. — Outside Studies. — Work as a teacher. — Works on alone into the College Text-books. — Borrows money of his Uncle Thomas. — Starts for Williainstown College, . . . .91

Chapter VIII. Life At Williams College

His Health. — Appearance ol the Hoosac Valley. - Scenery aboui Williams College — The Great Natural Amphitheatre Th* Mountains in October. — Character of the StuUenta. — G»rfi«ld'* Habits M a Student. — Enten tho Junior Class. — HisMode«ty

— Friendship of President Hopkins and Professor Chadbourne. — Hi» Truthfulness at College. — Hta Graduation.— Classmates, 102

CONTENTS, 19

Chapter IX. A Preacher And Professor

A Preacher in the Church of the Disciples. — Estimation of big- Abil ities among his old Neighbors.— Rise of Infidelity at Chagrin Falls. — Spiritual ism and Christianity. — Exciting public Discus sion. — Professor Dentou vs. Professor Gartield. — How the Victo ry was won. — Mr. Gartield's Popularity as a Teacher. — Testimo ny of Students. —Marriage with Miss Lucretia Rudolph. — Hii Speech at Hiram, . . Ill

Chapter X. Politician And Lawyer

Political Sympathies. — Hope of making the Law a Profession. — En ters his Name as a Student. — Years of hard Study. — Profitable Use of all his Time. — His Legal Research. —Interest in Local Politics. — A Stump-speaker's Challenge. — First Speech. — Nom ination for the State Senate, — In the Service of the State. — Leaving the Gospel for Politics. — Mrs. Garfield's Love of Domes tic Life, 124

Chapter XI. The Eventful Year Of 1 86 1

Admission to the Bar. — Withdraws from Ministerial Work. — Oppo sition to Slavery. — Leadership in the State Senate. — The Gov ernor's Assistant. — Providing for the Troops. — The Regiment of Hiram Students. — Depletion of the Classes. — Appointment as Lieutenant-Colonel. — Promotion. — Departure for the Field. — Consultation with General Buel. — Plan of a Campaign. — March against Marshall. — Battle of Preatonburgh. — The Account of F. H. Mason. — Promotion, 134

Chapter XII. Campaigns In Kentucky And Tennessee

Lack of Provisions. —The Great Flood. —Dangerous Situation of the Troops. — General Garlield goes to the Ohio River. — Perilous Voyage up the Big Sandy. — Reception by the Hungry Troops. — Expedition against the Enemy at Pound Gap. — General Orders connected with his Campaign. — His Transfer to Louisville. — His New Command. — Forced Marches. —The Battle of Corinth. — Refusal to return Slaves to their Masters. — Election to Congress. Appointment as Chief of General Rosecrans' Staff. — Battle of Chickamauga. — Promotion to Major-General. — Resignation, 157

2O CONTENTS.

Chapter XIII. Review Of His Military Career

Fitness for Military Affairs. — How he became fe^it^r with Infantry Tactics. — Carries the chief Characteristics of bis Boyhood into Army Life. — His Knowledge of Law. — Military Trials. — The Tullahoma Campaign. — His Ability as an Engineer. — Hia great Plan for an onward Movement from Mnrfreesboro.' — His Official Report. — Compliment from General Rosecrans. — His Resigna tion, 175

Chapter XIV, Service As A Legislator

A new Field. — The highest Test of human Greatness. — The Ameri can Congress. — Frequent Failures of noted M«n. — The Trials of that Crisis. — Placed on the Military Committee. — The Style of 'hi« Speeches. — His Industry. — His Reply to Mr. Long. — An impromptu Speech. — The Compliments of Old Members, . 187

Chapter XV. Early Speeches

His Position concerning the Draft for the Army. — Differs with his own Party. — Contends for Frankness and Truth. — Hopeful View of the Nation's Success. — National Conscience and Slavery. — Emancipation the Remedy for National Evils. — Defense of Gen eral Rosecrans. — Tribute to General Thomas. — His Account of the Battle of Chickamauga. — The Doctrine of State Rights.— Camden and Amboy Railroad vs. the United States. — What is the Power and Prerogative of the Nation, . ... 202

Chapter XVI. Eulogies Of Noted Men

To Abraham Lincoln. — The Anniversary of Mr. Lincoln's Death. — Cause of the Assassination. — Effect of his Death. — A Beautiful Tribute. — Oration on Carpenter's Painting. — Signing the Eman cipation Proclamation. — its Place in History. — John Winthrop and Samuel Adams. — The Gift of Massachusetts. — General Garfield's Tribute to New England. — The Lesson of Self-restraint. — Remarks upon the Death of Senator Morton 216

Chapter XVII. Period Of Unpopularity

His Piacticeof Law. —His first Case in the Supreme Court. — Hii 8UOM8B as a Lawyer. — Unpopularity of his Defense of Rebels in Court. — His Connection with a Matter called the Do Golyer

CONTENTS. 21

Pavement Case. — How he was Maligned. — Persistency of Enemies. — The great Credit Mobilier Case — Vindication of General Gartield. — His S lory of his Dealings with Oakes Ames. — His Opposition to the Increase of Salaries in Congress. — The Censure of his Constituents. — His Explanation. — Restoration to Public Favor .... 244

Chapter XVIII. Labors In Congress

Appointment on Committees. — Variety of Work. — His Leadership. — List of Speeches. — The Electoral Commission. — Speech in Wall Street. — His Views on Finances. — Resumption of Specie Payments . . 318

Chapter XIX. Senator And Candidate For The Presidency

Action of his Old Neighbors. — Election to the U. S. Senate bv the Ohio Legislature. — His Speech. — Views of his Family. — Their New Home at Mentor. — The Chicago Convention. — Strange Prophecies. — The Great Partisan Conflict. — His Nomination on the 36th Ballot. — The Slanderous Campaign. — General Garlicld's Behavior. — Triumphant Election 324

Chapter XX. Inauguration

Assailed by Office Seekers. — The Responsibilities and Annoyances of a Pres ident.' — Methods of Securing a Hearing. — General GaYfield's Self-Sac rifice. — His Home Life Broken Up. — Ceremonies of Inauguration. — Difficulties in Selection of Counselors. — The Cabinet. . . -335

Chapter XXI. The Assassination

Charles J. Guiteau. — Seeking an Appointment. — Events of his Life. — His Dishonesty. — A Lawyer, Writer, and Stump Speaker. — Applies for a Consulship. — The Refusal. — Ik-adly Purpose. — Encouragement from the Political Contest in the Senate. — Determines to Murder the Presi dent. — Hopes of Escape. — Following tlie President. — Failure of his Courage. — Mrs. Garlield's Pale Face saves the President. — The Final Attempt. — The Meeting. — The Fatal Shot. — The Prison. — The White House. — Universal Grief. — Exhibitions of Heroic Devotion and Love. — The Prisoner in his Cell 342

22 CONTEND

Chapter XXII. Death And Burial

Removal to Long Branch. — The Francklyn Cottage. — Views of the Sea. — — Pictures of Grief. — The Phy.-icians. — Tlie Attendants. — Last Mo ments. —•Syinpatliy of ilu: People and of the Nations — The Funeral Procession. — In State at Washington. — Funeral at Cleveland. — His Resting Place ... 354

Chapter XXIII. In Memoriam

Incidents, Anecdotes, Tributes, and Reflections 377

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PORTRAIT OF GENERAL GARFIELD. Steel.

FRONTTSPTKCB

PORTRAIT OF MRS. GARFIELD. Steel. Opposite pix^e 120

EARLY HOME OF GENERAL GARFIELD. " •' 44

TOW BOY " "7-4

HIRAM COLLEGE " " 9«

CAPITOL AT COLUMBUS . . . . . "135 "GIVE 'EM HAIL COLUMBIA" . . . Opposite pape 140

PLAN OF CHICK AM AUGA BATTLE-FIELD " " 171

CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON .... "191 RESIDENCE AT MENTOR . . . Opposite " 32G

WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON .... "341

ASSASSINATION " "350

SCENE IN SICK ROOM " " 354

FRANCKLYN COTTAGE AT LONG BRANCH " " 355

PORTRAIT OF HIS MOTHER ..." " 357

GROUP OF HIS FIVE CHILDREN . . " " 359

LYING IN STATE AT THE CAPITOL . " " 363

VIEW OF PROCESSION, CLEVELAND . " " 374 VIEW IN LAKE VIEW CEMETERY, THE

LAST RESTING-PLACE OF PRESIDENT

GARFIELD " " »W

' 07

OF

GENERAL JAMES A. GARFIELD.

Chapter I

GENKALOGY OF THE GAKFIELD FAMILY. — EARLIEST MENTION OF THEM IN ENGLAND. — ASSOCIATED WITH ROBERT DUDLEY, EARL OF LEICES TER, FAVORITE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH. — THE FAMILY IN WALES. — THE HOME OF EDWARD GARFIELD IN CHESTER, ENGLAND. — THE FIRST OF THE FAMILY IN AMERICA. — THE COAT OF ARMS. — HIS TORY OF CAPTAIN BENJAMIN GARFIELD. — ABRAHAM GARFIELD AT THE CONCORD FIGHT, IN 1775. — EMIGRATION OF SOLOMON TO NEW YORK STATE. — DEATH OF THOMAS AT WORCESTER, N. Y. — BIRTH OF ABRAM GARFIELD. — HIS REMOVAL TO OHIO. — HIS MARRIAGE WITH ELIZA BALLOU. — BROTHERS MARRY SISTERS. — THEIR RE MARKABLE CHARACTERISTICS. — EARLY MARRIED LIFE ALONG TUB NEW CANAL. — BIRTH OF THE FIRST CHILDREN. — SELECTION OF A HOME IN THE WOODS.

SHOULD the time ever come when it shall be proven by scientific investigators that man, as a be ing, is but " the aggregation of minute developments and of varied experiences," the genealogical history of his ancestors will be shown to be of the first im portance in forming an estimate of his ability and

26 THE LIFE, SPEECHES, AND PUBT.IC SERVICES

character. If it be true, as now claimed by scien tific leaders of modern thought, that the child is born with all the experiences and mental accumulations of his progenitors, paternal and maternal, latent in his brain and system ; then, to gain a knowledge of his physical mould and of his mental peculiarities, the student of biography would need to secure impossi ble information about the lives of the generations past in order to measure the physical power and mental capabilities of the man whose life he studies. Whether the writers and scholars who devote so much of their time to genealogical studies take this scientific view of the matter or not, it is certain that, for some reason, the study of genealogy is taking a prominent place in the pursuits of scholarly men. Having, however, no faith in the theory that the men of to-day are but the aggregation:- ui experi ences and developments in the past, and giving but little credit to the aristocratic claim that ancestry makes the nobleman, we give the line <>i the Garfield family for the benefit of such as may deem it import ant. The tendency of this record is to show that all the individuals of the different races are born into the world with very sirhrlar characteristics arid with much greater equality in mental endowments than aristocracy is willing to admit. It shows, too, that it is not what our fathers were so much as what we make of ourselves, that determines our right to no bility or praise. Ancestry and health wield a per ceptible and sometimes a strong influence ; but the capital we are born with may be increased a hundred fold by our own exertions. It is this increase which constitutes the noblest claim to human greatness.

The earliest known mention of the Garfield family is in 1587, when it appears that one Jarnes Garfield (or Gearfeldt), was given a tract of land on the bor ders of Wales, near Chester, England, through the influence of Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. A natural inference would be that he had performed some military service on the Continent, under thai celebrated favorite of Royalty, or was of some spea-i'. service to Robert at Kenil worth or London. Tae

-rate thus conferred is said to be situated near Qssvestry, and not far from the most beautiful and cele- Drated vale of Llangollen, on the border of Wales. What was the nationality of James Garfield, whether Welch or English, German or Dutch, does not ap [•ear. The most probable conjecture is that he wa^ Welch, and was a warrior of some note, perhaps a de scendant of the old Knights of Gaeriili Castle. The estate conferred upon him was either released by him, taken from him, or for some reason his children did not inherit it, and no mention of them appears, so far as is now known, in any record of the Garfield ramily until 1630, when Edward Gearfield of Ches ter, England, came to America, in a company oi colonists, who embarked with his family under the

iuspices of Governor John Winthrop.

The name appears again at Watertown, Massachu setts, in 1635, and is probably the same man. He A-as born in 1575. Of this Edward Garfield (or Gearfield) quite full accounts come down to us, and cunous searchers into the family history claim to have discovered his Coat of Arms. If the following de scription of the family escutcheon be correct, as claimed by those who have given the matter study, it goes far to confirm the previous conclusion that the Garfields were a martial family of wealth and in fluence in the days of Queen Elizabeth, and perhaps in the Crusades. It had three horizontal bars of red on a field, or background, of gold in the center of the shield, and a red Maltese cross on an ermine can ton or corner piece. The crest consisted of a helmet with the visor raised, and an uplifted arm holding a drawn sword. For a motto were the words : "In cruce vinco," (by the cross I conquer).

This Edward Garfield, from whom the present large Garfield family in America has descended, ap pears to have taken no great pride in his lineage or lordly titles, for he took a personal and laborious share in the manual labor connected with the clearing of his land in Watertown, and left but a meager trace >f his armorial badge. His house was built on a beautiful spot in Watertown, overlooking the Charles River, and the site is still pointed out to visitors, near the railroad station of the Fitchburg railroad. In this house he lived but a few years before he was able to purchase a much larger estate in the western part of Watertown, near the present location of the Waltham town line. On this land he erected a capa cious mansion, and surrounded himself with all the comforts and elegance of the " gentleman " of that period; and the estate now known as the " Gov. Gore place," still holds its position as one of the most beautiful and valuable estates in Massachusetts. Ed ward Garfield, Sr., had two sons, viz., Edward, Jr., and Samuel. The latter lived a bachelor's life, but Edward, Jr., was a selectman three years, and mar ried a lady of Newton, Massachusetts, who died April 16, 1661. She had, however, before her death, given birth to three sons and two daughters, viz., Samuel, the date of whose birth we cannot ascertain, but who died November 20, 1684; Joseph, who was born August 14, 1631 ; Rebecca, who was born March 10, 1640; Benjamin, who was born in 1643, and died November 28, 1717; and Abigail, who was born June 29, 1646.

BENJAMIN GARFIELD, Edward, Jr.'s fourth child, remained at home in the old mansion, and married Mehitable Hawkins, in 1673. After the birth of two children, viz., Benjamin and Benoni, she died De cember 9, 1675, and her gravestone is still standing in the cemetery at Watertown. Benjamin married Elizabeth Bridge, of Watertown, for his second wife, January 17, 1677. By this second marriage there were born to him Elizabeth, whose birth was June 30, 1679; Thomas, born December 12, 1680, and who died in Weston, Mass., February, 1752; Anne, who was born June 2, 1683; Abigail, who was born July 13, 1685 ; Mehitable, whose birth was December 7, 1687; Samuel, whose birth was September 3, 1690; and Mary, who was born October 2, 1695.