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Sparks, William Henry, 1800-1882

"The Memories of Fifty Years Containing Brief Biographical Notices of Distinguished Americans, and Anecdotes of Remarkable Men; Interspersed with Scenes and Incidents Occurring during a Long Life of Observation Chiefly Spent i"


In all the relations of life, A.B. Roman was a model--gentle and
affable in his manners, punctiliously honorable, faithful in all his
transactions, affectionate and indulgent as a husband and father, kind
and obliging as a neighbor, faithful to all the duties of a citizen;
and ambitious to promote the best interests of his native State, he
gave his time and talents for this purpose, wherever and whenever they
could be of service. The war, in his old age, left him destitute and
heart-broken. I had the opportunity of several conversations with him,
and found him despondent in the extreme. Our last interview was the
week before his death.
"In my old age," he said, "I am compelled, for a decent support, to
accept a petty office--recorder of mortgages--and I feel humiliated. I
see no future for me or my people. My days are wellnigh over, and I
can't say I regret it."
Only five days after, he fell dead in the street, near his own door. A
wise and good man went to his God when A.B. Roman died. He was one of
a large and respectable family, long resident in the State, and surely
was one of her noblest sons.


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