, at the age of seventy-four. She had been a consistent member of
the Presbyterian Church for fifty years.

Mrs. William A. Platt, the sister of Governor Hayes, who died July 16,
1856, at the age of thirty-six, was a lady whose virtues and good deeds
are enduring memories in Columbus homes. The Hon. Aaron F. Perry, of
Cincinnati, in a public address, made this allusion to her worth: "Mrs.
Platt, in the prime of a happy womanhood, passed beautifully away; not
a white hair on her head, not a wrinkle on her brow, not a cloud upon
her hopes; but in the full maturity of life and love she has gone where
life and happiness are perfected." He whose character it is our duty to
make known reflects this tender light from two lives: "She loved me as
an only sister loves a brother whom she imagines almost perfect, and I
loved her as an only brother loves a sister who is perfect. Let me be
just and truthful, wise and pure and good for her sake. How often I
think of her! I read of the death of any one worthy of love, and she is
in my thoughts. I see--but all things high and holy remind me of her."

The conclusions which we draw from the examination of the records of the
ancestral descent of Rutherford B. Hayes are, that his progenitors have
in each generation displayed courage and capacity to fight limited only
by the strength of the enemy to hold out. It was a habit they had to
fight on the side in the right, and on the side that won. Three of his
immediate ancestors--Elias Birchard, Israel Smith, and Daniel
Austin--gave proofs of valor and patriotism in the War of Independence.
Another characteristic of the Hayes stock is the almost uniform tendency
toward longevity. It is a robust race, presenting an extraordinary
number of large families. The divine injunction to increase and multiply
has been obeyed with religious fidelity. Upon the whole, the stock is
good, and bids fair to become better. As men suffer discredit from
disreputable progenitors, they ought to enjoy credit from reputable
ancestors.

CHAPTER II.

BOYHOOD AND EDUCATION.

_Birthplace--University--Springs--Kossuth's Allusion--Early
Instructors--Sent East--College Life--Began the Study of Law--At
Harvard Law School--Story, Greenleaf, Webster, Agassiz, and
Longfellow--Admission to the Bar._

The town of Delaware, the county seat of the county of Delaware, is
located near the center of Ohio, twenty-five miles northwest of
Columbus. It is