Freeborn Garrettson.

ON a beautiful bold bluff, which extends into the Chesapeake Bay, still stands a venerable dwelling, whose quaint little bricks exhibit not only the age in which they were made, but their European origin. The dwelling was erected by Garrett Garrettson, the great grandfather of the REV. FREEBORN GARRETTSON, and the first of the family who emigrated to this country; and well had he chosen the place of his abode. On one side, the Susquehanna poured its noble waters into the broad bay, which, on the other, was seen as far as the could reach; while many a point of land projecting into it gave grace and variety to the landscape.

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Rutland Garrettson, the only son of Garrett Garrettson, was married to Elizabeth Freeborn, an English lady, who was also an only child, and thus the name borne by so many of their descendants was introduced. They had a numerous family of sons and daughters, who were afterward all settled near this first home of their father. The plantations of five of the brothers lay side by side in a part of Harford County, still known as the Garrettson Forest; and side by side in the old Spesutia church stood their antiquated pews.

John Garrettson, who was one of these brothers, married

Sarah Hanson; she died when the subject of this memoir was quite young, leaving five sons and several daughters. Though Mr. Garrettson never again married, his family remained unbroken, and his children were brought up in those principles of integrity and virtue by which they were afterward characterized. Of the good order that obtained in his father's family, the Rev. Freeborn Garrettson often spoke, remarking, among other things, that he had never heard a profane word spoken in his father's house, either by children or servants.

The means of education were limited in that day, yet Mr. Garrettson endeavoured to supply the deficiency to his children by engaging teachers who resided with him, and taught his own and his brothers' children; and thus from the age of eight until seventeen, Freeborn, his third son, was kept at school-obtained a good English education, began to study Latin and French, but preferring the "exact sciences," abandoned the study of languages and devoted himself more exclusively to them. "I was," says he, "so drawn out in these studies, particularly astronomy, that I spent hours alone, both by night and by day, until my school-fellows began to laugh at me." Grave, sedate, and thoughtful from his early boyhood, beloved by his friends, esteemed by his teachers, with no stain on his moral character, the beautiful youth stood in the opinion of all as a rare example of Christian virtue; and when the Spirit of God showed him his real condition, and in the bitterness of his heart he sought by multiplied observances to find peace and safety, it is not at all surprising that in their darkened state they counted him as mad.

The minister of "old Spesutia," in whom he had trusted,