His father taught him the tanner's trade; but a restless disposition drove him to frequent changes of scene and effort when he grew to manhood.

He attempted surveying.

He became a divinity student.
He tried farming and tanning in Pennsylvania, and tanning and speculating in real estate in Ohio.

Cattle-dealing was his next venture; from this to sheep-raising; and by a natural transition to the business of a wool-factor in Massachusetts.

This not succeeding, he made a trip to Europe.