Garfield Administration - Early Life

Early Life

James Abram Garfield was born into a working class family in Orange Township, Ohio, on November 19, 1831. Garfield was named for his father and for a brother who had died in infancy. His parents, Abram and Eliza Garfield had met in their native Worcester, New York, and married in 1820. They moved to Orange Township, Ohio, near Cleveland, and raised two sons and two daughters. Abram Garfield worked on the railroad and as a farmer. When Garfield was only 18 months old his father caught a cold and died soon after. The loss of his father affected Garfield for the rest of his life. After his father's death young James grew very close to his mother, whom he helped support and to whom he credited his successes. The young Garfield worked for a short time as a barge driver on one of Ohio's canals. Later, Horatio Alger wrote a campaign biography for Garfield titled From Canal Boy to President.