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married with the approbation of both our families.
My wife was younger than myself having been
born on the day of 178 . Of course, we
were a very young couple, too young. I am in favor
of early marriages, but it is possible to marry
at too early an age. I thought seriously on the sub-
ject at the time, young as I was - but I ranked
amongst men - was the Clerk of two Courts. Had
a license to practice law, which I had obtained
in the preceeding month of March from Saml
McDowell & John Allen, two of the Judges of
the District Courts in Kentucky. I had picked up a
little law, at the clerks table & in Court, but I had
never read a Law Book. I had, to be sure, a few
that I had looked into. I believed, that I was as good
a Lawyer, as the most of those, who were at the
Bar, in that part of the country & commenced the
practice, but I soon became sensible of my want
of law knowledge, & declined practicing in attempting
al tho' I was determined to qualify myself for
the bar. I read in a careless & desultery manner
a few books & resumed the practice in 3 or 4 years
and being considered, a good speaker, succeeded
in getting business. I purchased two lots in Monticello,
built cabins & my young wife & myself
went to house keeping, in the fall of 1802. My
father gave me a Negro boy, Frank, who served
me faithfully until the day of 1847 when
he died suddenly in the garden at our present residence
in Talladega County. My wife's father gave
her a young negress named Agness, who is still living
and is now the property of my daughter, Mrs. Bradford.
At the time, we "settled" in Monticello, the only inhabitants
of the place were Joseph Beard, William
Beard and Roger Oatts. Joseph Beard had a little
store, which was kept by my wife's brother Benjamin
Gholson. In the fall of this year, an Irishman
of the name of McNulle brought a small stock
of goods from Winchester, Virga & sold them out here
& laid out the proceeds in the spring of 1803, on the