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- Lorain was named Lucus Lorin Lathrop, but changed his name to Lorain L. Lathrop at a young age. Lorain's father was a poor man, a hunter and trapper, with little use for learning. As a result, Lorain educated himself as best he could, sitting up nights with a tallow candle to read and write. His obituary in the Painesville, Ohio, "Telegraph" of Dec. 27, 1883, comments: "Mr. Lathrop was almost entirely uneducated and yet was a remarkably well-informed man, familiar with ancient history and the English classics, and always keeping track of contemporary affairs. He had great force of character, unwavering integrity and remarkably keen clear judgment, together with unusual physical strength and endurance. He was a good neighbor and citizen, never failing to inspire the respect and confidence of whomever came in contact with him. Mr. Lathrop was a staunch Whig and Republican."
About the year 1818, when he was 16, Lorain left home, setting out on his own for the West. He almost never spoke of his father again, though he had high regard for his mother. He made a two-year trek across New York State, down the Ohio river, westward to Indiana and Illinois, walking most of the way. finally in 1820 he settled in Painesville, Ohio, on the shore of Lake Erie. he acquired land, and became a prosperous farmer with two or three farms near the Grand River.
Having been deprived in his own youth, Lorain saw to it that all of his children were well schooled and educated.
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