CHAPTER I.

The "Great Heart of the People."--Bereaved of their Chief.--Universal Mourning.--Wondering Query of Foreign Nations.--Humble Birth in Log Cabin.--The Frontier Settlements in Ohio.--Untimely death of Father.--Struggles of the Family. 11

Boyhood of James.--Attempts at Carpentry.--First Earnings.--His Thirst for Knowledge.--The Garfield Coat-of-Arms.--Ancestry, etc. 21

Life at the "Black-Salter's".--James wants to go to Sea.--His Mother will not give her Consent.--Hires out as a Woodchopper.--His Powerful Physique.--His Strength of Character. 25

James still longs for the Sea.--Experience with a Drunken Captain.--Change of Base.--Life on the Canal. 30