Abraham Garfield
Abraham Garfield | |
|---|---|
 Abram Garfield's house in 2006 | |
| Born | December 28, 1799 |
| Died | May 8, 1833 (aged 33) |
| Other name | Abram Garfield |
| Spouse | Eliza Ballou (m. 1820) |
| Children | Mehetabel (1821–1911), Thomas (1822–1910), Mary (1824–1884), James Ballou (1826–1829) and James Garfield (1831–1881) |
Abraham Garfield (December 28, 1799 – May 8, 1833) was an American farmer and father of the 20th U.S. president, James A. Garfield.[1]
Biography
[edit]Garfield was born in New York to Thomas Garfield (1773–1801) and Asenath Cynthia Hill (1778–1851). On February 3, 1820, when he was 20 years old, he married Eliza Ballou, a New Hampshire woman of Huguenot descent.[1][2] The couple moved to Cuyahoga, Ohio and had five children: Mehetabel (1821–1911), Thomas (1822–1910), Mary (1824–1884), James Ballou (1826–1829),[3] and James Abram (1831–1881).[4] In Cuyahoga, Abram worked on a farm belonging to "Uncle Jerdiah" Hubbell, who often made him do minor jobs such as repair a fence or build a canal (which he finished in October 1827).[5][6] In January 1833, Abram and Eliza Garfield joined a Stone-Campbell church, a decision that influenced their youngest son's life.[7] On May 8, 1833, Abram died in his wife's arms after battling with a sickness.[8]
Physical description
[edit]On March 31, 1870, Eliza wrote to her son James Garfield about his genealogy and said that Abraham was 5 ft 11 inches, "fluent in politics", a zealous Christian, "had a tolerably quick temper but he could govern it well", cheerful, kind, a writer but not good at spelling, and a "good wrestler".[8]
References
[edit]- 1 2 James A. Garfield Papers: Series 17, Miscellany, 1849-1881; Subseries 17D, Family History, Notes, and Record, 1857-1881; 1857-1881. 1857. p. 25.
- ↑ Pennypacker, Samuel W. (1881). James Abram Garfield. Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Bavis & Pennypacker. pp. 9–10.
- ↑ Peskin, Allan (1978). Garfield: A Biography. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. ISBN 978-0-87338-210-6. pp. 4–6.
- ↑ Rutkow, Ira (2006). James A. Garfield. New York, New York: Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8050-6950-1 OCLC 255885600
- ↑ James A. Garfield Papers: Series 17, Miscellany, 1849-1881; Subseries 17D, Family History, Notes, and Record, 1857-1881; 1857-1881. 1857. p. 26.
- ↑ James A. Garfield Papers: Series 17, Miscellany, 1849-1881; Subseries 17D, Family History, Notes, and Record, 1857-1881; 1857-1881. 1857. p. 27.
- ↑ Peskin, Allan (1978). Garfield: A Biography. Kent, Ohio: Kent State University Press. ISBN 978-0-87338-210-6. pp. 6–7.
- 1 2 James A. Garfield Papers: Series 17, Miscellany, 1849-1881; Subseries 17D, Family History, Notes, and Record, 1857-1881; 1857-1881. 1857. pp. 28–30.