A cousin writes: “It is a long time to remember what passed fifty years ago. It was a lovely morning, the 2d of December, 1840. Your dear father came to our old home in Guilford. My memory says ten o’clock was the hour for the ceremony, and it took place in the north room, now the parlor. Your grandfather, Dr. Field, was the clergyman. I was bridesmaid. Your dear mother and I wore dresses made alike of gray cashmere. Lunches were an unheard of arrangement in those days; the refreshment was three kinds of cake and wine. Then we drove to New Haven; your uncle, Joseph Stone, lived there. I went to visit some cousins; your parents went to a hotel, and came and spent the evening with us.”
Mr. Justice Field of the United States Supreme Court was groomsman for his brother. Fifty years after this same group stood once more together at the Golden Wedding on December 2, 1890. The married life thus begun was singularly happy. It is impossible for the children of this marriage to recall a word of unkindness as having been spoken by either father or mother. Their little son’s death in 1854 drew them closer to one another. He writes that during his business troubles his wife was perfectly calm, and that she looked upon the loss of money as but slight in comparison to the happiness that had been left to her.
On December 3d Mr. and Mrs. Field left New Haven and came to New York by boat; immediately on their arrival they drove to the house of Mrs. Mason in Bond Street, and it was there that they boarded for the next two years.
“In six months” (that is, on April 2, 1841) “E. Root & Co. failed, with large liabilities, and though I was not the principal of the firm, yet on me fell the loss and the burden of paying its debts. Such was the condition in which I started in life, without capital or credit or business, and with a heavy load of debt upon me. We were for many months afterwards getting the affairs settled. I dissolved the firm immediately and started on my own account. Some of the creditors came to see me, and those that did not come I went to see, and on the best terms I could settled and compromised and got released.
“My office at this time was in Burling Slip, and it was in 1842 or 1843 that the partnership of Cyrus W. Field & Co. was formed, the company being my brother-in-law, Joseph F. Stone.”
With characteristic regularity the home life as well as the business life went on. I have on the table before me two account-books, which show both how methodical were the young merchant’s habits and how simple was his life at the outset of his career.
“No. 1, Cyrus W. Field, 1840, ’41 and ’42,” and
“No. 2, Cyrus W. Field, 1843.”
The following are extracts from No. 1:
| “EXPENSES ACCOUNT | |
| 1840 | Dr. |
| Dec. 2, to carriage to New Haven | $ 7 00 |
| “ 2, to 50 newspapers | 1 00 |
| “ 2, to gate fee | 25 |
| “ 3, to expenses at the Pavillion | 9 50 |
| “ 4, to porter | 25 |
| “ 4, to New Haven to New York | 4 00 |
| “ 4, to newspapers | 12 |
| “ 4, to hack | 1 00 |
| “ 4, to cartage | 44 |
| 1841 | |
| Jan. 15, to bill for board for 2 months | 120 00 |
| “ 29, to bill for vaccination | 1 00 |
| “ 31, to figs and crackers | 17 |
| “ 31, to oysters and laudanum | 22 |
| Feb. 7, to doctor’s bill—one visit | 1 00 |
| “ 18, to one box of pencil-leads | 5 |
| May 25, to one umbrella | 1 00 |
| “ 28, to repairing silk hat | 88 |
| Sept. 8, to letter from Mrs. Field | 13 |
| Oct. 20, to paid Dr. Catlin in Haddam | 5 00 |
| Nov. 13, to Mrs. Nolan’s bill | 27 50 |
| “ 15, to one willow cradle | 2 00 |
| Dec. 1 | $1,467 12 |
“The above are our expenses for one year, from December 2, 1840, to December 2, 1841.