Sketches of the old inhabitants and other citizens of old Springfield of the present century, and its historic mansions of "ye olden tyme," . aves in Hatfield, Mass., atsix dollars a month, and lived with him two years. Hewent to school in the winter and learned enough to readthe Bible. At the age of fourteen he removed with hisfather to Madison county, New York. At nineteen heworked one winter with his brother (who was a chair makerby trade) at turning stuff for chairs. When war was de-clared between the United States and Great Britain in1812, his brother enlisted in the service for one year.
Sketches of the old inhabitants and other citizens of old Springfield of the present century, and its historic mansions of "ye olden tyme," . aves in Hatfield, Mass., atsix dollars a month, and lived with him two years. Hewent to school in the winter and learned enough to readthe Bible. At the age of fourteen he removed with hisfather to Madison county, New York. At nineteen heworked one winter with his brother (who was a chair makerby trade) at turning stuff for chairs. When war was de-clared between the United States and Great Britain in1812, his brother enlisted in the service for one six months he returned home, when Chester offeredhimself as a substitute, and was accepted, filling the posi-tion as a drummer. With his brother he had a contractfrom the United States for the making of drums. Aboutthe close of the war (1815) he went with his brother into thecabinet and chair manufactory in Caledonia, N. Y. Aboutthis time he married Caroline Woodruff, a woman of muchamiability of character, and for a time was engaged in tav-ern-keeping. He next tried his fortune in the then far 212 SKETCHES OF THE OLD INHABITANTS. CHESTER HARDING. AND MANSIONS OF SPRINGFIELD. 213 West, going to Pittsburgh, Pa., where he took up the signpainting art. While thus engaged he met a portrait painterby the name of Nelson, and it was in his studio that hefirst conceived the idea of painting heads. For his firsteffort, a razeed portrait of an Englishman, he receivedfive dollars. He afterwards went to Paris, Kentucky,where he began his career as a professional artist. In sixmonths he had painted one hundred portraits at twenty-fivedollars each. He spent two months in Philadelphia de-voting his time to drawing in the Academy and studying thebest pictures. After returning to Kentucky he decidedto try new fields, and went to Cincinnati, but, meeting withno success for orders, he moved on to St. Louis, and hav-ing letters, he presented one to Governor Clarke, whokindly assisted him in
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectspringfieldmassbiogr
