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the eldest of eight children born to his father, Benjamin Ferrel, and his mother, whose first name is unknown. His mother was a farmer's daughter, and his family owned a farm in the Allegheny Mountains on which he was raised. At age twelve, he was working on both the farm and the saw-mill on it. They moved to what would become West Virginia in 1829. His formal elementary schooling was limited and he only attended for two winters, but was inspired by science especially due to witnessing a partial solar eclipse in 1832. Using science books,

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