He died at the age of 33, leaving a
widow and four small children, of whom James was the youngest. Mrs.
Garfield brought up her family unaided, and impressed upon them a high
standard of moral and intellectual worth. James attended school in a log
hut at the age of 3 years, learned to read, and began that habit of
omnivorous reading which ended only with his life. At 10 years of age
was accustomed to manual labor, helping out his mother's meager income
by work at home or on the farms of the neighbors. Attended the district
school in the winter months, made good progress, and was conspicuous for
his assiduity. At the age of 14 had a fair knowledge of arithmetic and
grammar, and was particularly apt in the facts of American history. His
imagination was especially kindled by tales of the sea, and he so far
yielded to his love of adventure that in 1848 he went to Cleveland and
proposed to ship as a sailor on board a lake schooner. Seeing that this
life was not the romance he had conceived, he turned promptly from the
lake; but loath to return home without adventure and without money, he
drove some months for a boat on the Ohio Canal, when he was promoted
from the towpath to the boat. Attended the Geauga Seminary at Chester,
Ohio, during the winter of 1849-50. In the vacations learned and
practiced the trade of a carpenter, helped at harvest, taught--did
anything and everything to earn money to pay for his schooling. After
the first term he asked and needed no aid from home; he had reached the
point where he could support himself.
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