gadola doad bew rork herald lira eliza ballou garfield the aged and beloved mother 0 f the late president jams A garfield grandma garfield as familiarly and throughout the country dud at mentor ohio jan she was born in now hampshire on the of September 1801 eliza ballou was a alco of tab celebrated ho ea ballou an L quent 00 years agcanas very popular throughout new england and the middle states the bailous ballous were of huguenot origin descended aw macurio ballou who fled from franco on the revocation of the edict of nantes and with french refugees joined roger wit liams colony iu rhoda island mrs garfield clearly showed her french 4 r features and it witless inurn her tb t the late president derived his natural eloquence when she was but eighteen years old she married while heilig in massachusetts abraham garfield the son of a farmer who then lived husband she went soon after her marriage to live in a small log house on a new farm in newburg now a vart of the city of cleveland ohio in this log house three children were born to the happy pair in removed to new phila ahio and faor years later returned to the lake country and settled on a farm in orange town hip where the elder mr garfield ad erected another log house in this house on the day of no vember 31 was born james A gat field afterward president of the united states the youngest of their four sons two years later abdrab gar field died and the care of providing for the family devolved upon mra garfield it is related of her that il t before bee husband died be c I 1 led her to hi bedside and said eliza I 1 have planted four saplings in the 4 I 1 leave them carea to your the widowed mother was of stout new england heart and she at once addressed herself to the severe task of providing for those dependent upon her with the sid of her boys abe managed to support herself and family on tb e farm she often worked in the fields with her sons and considered no labor too hard that could be made cond to the comfort and welfare of her children As her youngest son advanced in years be too to the extent of his ability in the general work of the family and it was said of him that there waa rio hair on his bead during the months he toiled earls y and late on the form and the winter days be p e d at his campt diers bench g such litt le jobs of simple rk manship ap the neighbors rewo qi ired there was a village school so called in orangel where the citizens met on winter evenings to read and discuss the books which they possessed and this young garfield attended picking up such in forma altion as be could in the calad ity of a listener it was thero bis desire for mental improvement first became strong upon ham early struggles and successes of president is too well know nto need recapitulation after he had reacted his seventeenth year and had spent some months in exhaustive vork as a boat manon the ohio canal be returned to his mothers house sick with a fever HA there remained prostrate with his nursing him for three months Att heend of that time he had new hopes and pew ambitions as to his future ca reer that fever proved the turn ing int in his life and from that he devoted himself to stud and improvement with what americans are now famili ar the late president at w aye eed his obligation to mother the guidance of bis childhood and thi inspiration which his 11 reps aside from lullow lug theca leer of a boatman to tha t of and the teachers desk her coun tel was always at hand to haip lihn the road which led igini to emi pence after be had in making a home for himself and family bi a mother resided for the most part with him although her other children were comfortably ia life in later years orandina gar field spent most of her ehno at the home of her kon at where her grandchildren and daughter in law the widow of president garfield always endeavor tI to dispel her recollections of the terrible tra gedy abich deprived her of her young elit in fact it was always the aim of her grandchild grand chil dren to make her forget the past in the enjoyment present gre eliza ballou garfield was an acute sagacious old lady small in stature but remarkably vigorous for a person of her vanicer van iced years airs garfield watt characterized by that boroa and clearness of inina w bich so distinguished her il lustri decisive in her ous son she was manver and possessed an 1 fibbi w i in fat just avd 4 I 1 I 1 d I 1 I 1 altu rally be inclined to fortify and encourage by kindly counsels an ambitious son despite the privation priva tiou s nod vi cissi audes tudes of her early life mrs gar field was a cultivated and lady charming in mann er and kind hearted she always found time ta yead such books and newspaper a 11 be could obtain in her neighbor hood and ter wee days of rest and worship ise r du yb ay acred rot the gathering about her af pf her family abile she frequently read aloud to her eye I 1 for years the old lady bad been gradually failing in health the ter bibly tragic death of her faivor ito son having proved n shock fron which she never fully recovered recover rd the end of her bet mind deemed to wani ler and elit for fer jimmy lica goo boy jimmy the bist days of her long and eventful career were filled with a true spirit of christian resignation and were a peaceful and fitting clos to a life of industry and usefulness well spent for husband family ana country