Trained to be a country lawyer, John Marshall was no farmer, and even though Americans were extraordinarily litigious, it would take time (and denser population) to build a law practice that could support a family. He fell back on keeping store, and againdid not thrive. Given that the river was where a merchant had access to markets, John Marshall moved his family to the as-yetunincorporated town of Hannibal, about 30 miles east-northeast of Florida.