Editing Thurlow Weed (section)

==Early life==
Weed was born on November 15, 1797, in the hamlet of [[Acra, New York|Acra]], part of the town of [[Cairo (town), New York|Cairo]] in [[Greene County, New York]].{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=1}}{{sfn|"Journalist and Statesman"|page=2}}  His father, Joel Weed (1773-1819) and mother Mary (Ellis) Weed (1771-1841) were Connecticut natives who moved to New York to farm,{{sfn|''Ostrander: A Genealogical Record, 1660-1995''|page=270}} and Weed was the eldest of five siblings, three brothers and two sisters.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|pages=1, 21}}  Neither of his sisters reached adulthood.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|pages=1, 21}} His brother Orrin was apprenticed to a [[New York City]] shipbuilder, [[Henry Eckford (shipbuilder)|Henry Eckford]], and died in 1823 during a yellow fever epidemic.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=1}}  His brother Osborn moved to [[Tennessee]], where he was a successful merchant and hotelier before he died in 1851.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=4}}  Weed was christened Edward Thurlow Weed, named for a presumed family connection to [[Edward Thurlow, 1st Baron Thurlow|Edward Thurlow]], England's [[Lord Chancellor]].{{sfn|"Thurlow Weed: A Character Study"|page=427}}{{sfn|''Room At the Top''|page=265}}  As a boy, Weed dropped his first name; as an adult, he attempted to document the family connection during a visit to England, but was unsuccessful.{{sfn|"Thurlow Weed: A Character Study"|page=427}}

Weed's father later moved the family to the village of [[Catskill (village), New York|Catskill]] where he operated a business hauling freight by wagon from the Hudson River docks.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=2}}{{sfn|''"The Lobby," and Public Men from Thurlow Weed's Time''|page=397}}  Joel Weed's business suffered reverses because of his ill health, the sickness of his horses, accidents, and occasional non-payment by his customers, so his family struggled financially.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=2}}  Joel Weed was eventually sentenced to [[Debtors' prison#Early debtors' prisons (colonization–1850)|debtors' prison]], but friends and customers signed bonds on his behalf.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=6}}  These guarantees permitted him to take advantage of the ''freedom of the prison'', which allowed debtors to travel within permitted limits to earn money to satisfy their obligations, and to spend Sundays with their families.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=6}}  Thurlow Weed received about a year of formal education in Catskill before beginning to work so he could help support his family.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=2}}  At age eight, he was hired to operate a blacksmith's bellows for six cents a day.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=2}}{{sfn|''"The Lobby," and Public Men from Thurlow Weed's Time''|page=397}}  He later worked as an errand boy at a Catskill tavern and hotel, then at a print shop, after which he spent much of his youth working as a [[cabin boy]] on boats that traveled the [[Hudson River]].{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=2}}{{sfn|''"The Lobby," and Public Men from Thurlow Weed's Time''|page=398}}

In 1808, Joel Weed's family moved to [[Cincinnatus, New York]], where he worked as a woodcutter, maple syrup maker, and farm laborer with Thurlow's assistance.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=10}}{{sfn|''Room At the Top''|page=267}}  While living in Cincinnatus, Weed attended a local school for a brief period before the family moved again, this time to [[Onondaga, New York|Onondaga]].{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=14}}  In both Cincinnatus and Onondaga, Weed worked to improve on his formal education by diligent self-study, sometimes walking several miles to visit neighbors who would allow him to borrow books.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|pages=12–13, 16}}{{sfn|''"The Lobby," and Public Men from Thurlow Weed's Time''|page=399}}  In Onondaga, Joel Weed earned a living by cutting wood for a [[potash]] maker, again with his son's aid.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=21}}  Thurlow Weed later worked at an Onondaga iron forge, where his task was to [[Tempering (metallurgy)|temper]] the sand used in [[Casting (metalworking)|casting]] and [[Molding (process)|molding]].{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|pages=20–21}}  During a period when the forge was not in operation, Weed obtained a position as a groomsman and gardener for the [[Onondaga County, New York|Onondaga County]] Clerk, which included his [[room and board]], as well as the promise of additional schooling.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=21}}  For several months, Weed was able to attend a private academy run by the Reverend Caleb Alexander.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=21}}  When the forge resumed operations, Weed returned to his position there.{{sfn|''Autobiography of Thurlow Weed''|page=21}}