common affair, and from it no augury of the
future could be made.
  My birth took place May 13, 1818, as I
learned from my father's Bible. Of the accu-
racy of this date I have no doubt. My father
was a very honest and sensible man, and would
not falsify dates to give me a particular birth-
day. Indeed, I have always observed that the
truest history we have is the family history
written in the Bible. Not many men are so
hardened as to write a lie in the sacred volume.
They may write any number of falsehoods about
the Bible, but in the book itself they write the
truth.
  The place of my birth was Wayne county,
Indiana. It was about three miles south of
Centreville. I was the oldest of four children.
The two next to myself died young and entered
paradise. The youngest of the four, a sister,
lived to be fifty years old, and died only a few
years ago, a Christian woman. I was born in
a cabin, a house with one room. We had a
large fire-place on one side for burning wood,
and only one window with small panes of glass.



10



WILL MAKES WA Y.