As related to his son-in-law S. W, Heath a few months before his death when on his last visit to Brooklyn, IA

"The Skinners came from England before the Revolution, Two brothers came over and settled in Vermont, My mother's maiden name was Lydia Finney who came from Wales,

Leonard Skinner was the only distinguished member of our family, He was my brother, He was a soldier in the Mexican War taking part in nine battles, He was a colonel in the Union Army during the Civil War, George Sewell, my first cousin, lives in Santa Paula, CA, He is my father's sister's son, He is quite wealthy and has no children, He and his wife were great society people in their younger days and were great singers.

My father Samuel G. Skinner was a blacksmith and lived in Warren County, NY. He afterward kept hotel at Glens Falls, NY and after that moved to Huron County, OH where he followed farming and blacksmithing, He died on the same day that President William Henry Harrison died, In religion he was a Presbyterian and in politics a Whig, He was quite tall being 6 ft 4 and rather portly, He was 55 years 4 months and 2 days old at the time of his death, He had the ague and a cough. The doctor said if he could stop the cough he would get better, He stopped the cough and he died, Father was not much of a traveler as there was but little travel in his day for lack of convenience of travel only by stage coach.

Father volunteered in the war of 1812, but the war closed before he got into a battle. He was a corporal in his company. He never had a picture taken.

My mother was rather portly and dark complected, I have my mother's picture taken in her old age, She was a good housekeeper and a splendid cook, She was too tender hearted to even punish any of her children so father had to do all the punishing,

I was born April 29, 1829 in the town of Queensbury, NY just above Glens Falls. My first recollection is of the falls at the first dam above Glens Falls which is at the headwaters of the Hudson River above Albany, My father owned 336 acres a mile and a half northwest of Glens Falls which extended down to the falls, The land was poor and sandy on which little could be raised except cranberries.

The first money I remember earning was on the schooner yards at Milan, Erie Co., OH. I helped to build the Offsprey schooner which ran on Lake Erie, I worked 110 days in 1852 at $1.25 per day, The next year I got $1.50, The name of my employer was Sates. My first trip on the cars was from New London, OH to Cleveland, OH. My brother Samuel and I were keeping a drug store at New London. My brother being reckless, we lost money in the drug business.

All the schooling I ever received was 6 months in Fittsville Academy in an old log school house with slab seats and desks slanting against the wall, The window consisted of a log or two left out and slats fastened over the space and covered with greased paper through which the light came in but we couldn't see out, The door was made of boards running straight up and down and fastened by a latch on the inside to which was tied a string and passing up a few inches went out through a hole and the door was opened from the outside by pulling the string. The doors of all houses had similar latches and all the people had to do to lock their doors was to pull in their latch string, Most people left their doors unlocked and it was a common saying of welcome, "The latch string always hangs out."

The old slab seats were very crude affairs and so high from the floor made it very tiresome sitting for a small boy. The peg legs stuck up through the slab to keep the boys from shoving each other off, The chimney was made of sticks and mud lined inside and out.

The studies we had in that old log school house were Daballs Arithmetic, Ulney's Geography and Smith's Grammar, the old Blue Back Speller. I completed arithmetic in which I was the best in the school. Grammar was very hard for me as well as spelling. I couldn't get the letters in the right place and had difficulty in pronouncing after I had spelled the word. Our teacher's name was John Dounce. Our school games were town ball and tag.

I always had an interest in tools. When I was 18 years old, when my father was on his deathbed, I went into his shop and made a gouge out of iron for tapping sugar trees. I took it to my father and he called it a good job. About this time I remember walling up a well and siding a house.

I was not much for society, but I occasionally attended a kissing party. My mother and sisters always advised me to keep out of bad company and never form any bad habits. I never used any tobacco nor whiskey. I could never learn to read music by note and song only for my own amusement. I never attended or took any part in a dance. I always liked to attend Sunday School and church. I am sorry I never had the opportunity of a higher education. I came to Iowa in 1854 and located in Montezuma. I entered the land on which I now live 7 miles southeast of Montezuma at $1.25 per acre. The lack of a good education has kept me out of many a good offer. I think an education is at the foundation of everything. Every young man should go to a phrenologist and find out his capacity and then educate himself in that line for which he has special ability. I ought to have been a mechanic instead of a farmer. If I had my life to live over, I would be a carpenter. Success is in selecting a business for which we have a talent and following it with energy. Deal honestly with all is the way to succeed. My brother Sam would get in debt and then try to cheat his creditors out of what he owed them. He squandered his prosperity and died a poor man. He left one son, Argus Skinner, who was, the last we heard of him in Mobile, AL, where he is married and has a wife and one child.

My brother Leonard was always worrying when he got into debt until it was paid. He was a careful financier and made a success. He moved to California and lived until his death at Santa Paula where he accumulated a great deal of property and left a nice home.

The only traveling I have done since I came west was a trip to Milwaukee, WI to get my mother. I have not been in Chicago for 30 years. I have attended the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines nearly every year until the last year. Whenever I saw a convenient contrivance for use on the farm I came home and made one. Sometimes they were not as convenient as they looked to be and that is true of many patent invention. I have always been interested tn all kinds of improvement machinery.

I judge men by the shape of their heads and the expression of their countenances. The most noted man I ever heard speak was Tom Corwin of Ohio. After his speech he invited his audience over to the tavern to get a drink. As I didn't drink, I didn't accept his invitation.

The books outside of the Bible which I have read and which influenced me most have been medical books on hydrotherapy treatment which I have followed and been greatly benefitted. I prefer to read books of a scientific character. I have about 70 books in my library. I have no books of fiction neither have I any patience with that kind of reading. I have never read a novel unless "Pilgrim's Progress" might be so called.

The only secret society of which I have ever been a member was the "Sons of Temperance." Modern secret orders such as the Masons and Odd Fellows seemed to me to be too selfish and I didn't care to spend my money in their support.

I joined the M.(ethodist) E.(piscopalian) Church Jan. 1 1844 at a revival meeting conducted by Rev. Lewis Johnson in an old log school house. The essential points in my belief are the doctrines of eternal rewards and punishments according to our deeds. I believe that is the teaching of the scriptures. My advice is to take the Bible and read it for yourself and take no man's advice as opinion for it is lo here and lo there and you have to make up your opinion after all.

In politics I have voted with the Republicans and Greenback parties but never with the Democrats. In politics I read and judge for myself taking the moral side of every issue and for internal improvements.

As to my father's family, I have five sisters, Mary, the oldest, married Leonard B. Chapin who died leaving one girl and three boys. Satira died when 18 with malaria fever. The doctor hadn't sense enough to break it up. I could have taken a dishrag and broken it up in a short time.

Mr. Chapin left $75,000 which was all squandered except that of his son Leonard who is said to be worth $40,000. He lives in Berlin Hights, OH. Leonidas Chapin asked my advice about marrying his cousin. I told him if he wanted to raise a lot of fools, he could do it that way. He didn't heed my advice but married his cousin and they had two daughters both deaf and dumb. Lorenzo had a family but I know nothing about them.

My sister Lydia was an old maid and died at Lowell, WI.

Arnarilus married a man by the name of Galway Lindsey. They had two children Charlotte and Irwin. Irwin lives in Norwalk, OH a painter by trade. I don't know what became of Charlotte. Lindsey and his wife parted and she followed the millenery.

Safronia, my 3rd sister, married Amos Irish, and they had one son Edward who ran a harness shop at Glens Falls, NY.

Minerva married Lucius Copeland and lived in Middletown, VT. They had one son who is in the banking business in New York City.

Methuel, my oldest brother, died with measles when 13 years old.

Samuel was the next oldest and married Kate Parker of Fairfield, OH. They had one son who married, and last heard from at Mobile AL.

Colonel Leonard Skinner was the next oldest and married Sarah Barlow of Virginia. They had three boys and two girls. Satira, the oldest, married Oscar Forbes of Ohio. They had two boys. Satira is dead and George their oldest boy was killed by the explosion of a piece of gas pipe which was being used as a toy canon on the 4th of July. Cecil, the younger, is a carpenter working with his father.

Lydia Finney, mother of Edward Skinner, had two brothers in Milwaukee, WI, one named Henry who had an only son named Dewey. The other brother was named Rasinus, but family is unknown.