ut into God's vineyard to do God's work, he
as an ordained man of God and she an ideal minister's wife who never
faltered in her duty through the roughest pioneer days in the swamps
of Illinois to the last journey to California to build up the Church
of God even here in the farthest west by the Golden Gate. All that was
mortal of these two faithful pilgrims rests in the new cemetery in
Stockton, always united in life and in death were not divided:

"What's this that steals, that steals upon my breath,
Is it death? is it death?
If this be death, I soon shall be
From every sin and sorrow free.
I shall the King of Glory see,
All is well, all is well."

(Father and mother's last hymn.)

CHAPTER FIVE

BOSTON. DEDHAM CHOIR, 1858. THE CIVIL WAR. FAMOUS MUSICIANS. RETURN TO
CALIFORNIA. SANTA CRUZ.

In January, 1859, I accompanied my husband to Boston to visit his
relatives. My son George was seven months old. My husband realized my
voice was more than ordinary and as he was a fine tenor, and also a
good pianist, he desired that I should have the best advantages that
could be procured, so once more I made the pilgrimage of the ocean and
the Isthmus. We arrived at noon in New York in the midst of a heavy
snow-storm--gloomy, cold and raw--snow everywhere. I remained in the
depot while my husband attended to our baggage and secured the tickets
for Boston, and we left New York at three o'clock in the afternoon.
Blockades of snow twice stopped our train and shovel ploughs had to be
used. On the following day, taking rooms at the nearest hotel and
having been made comfortable, my husband sought his relatives. On his
return at four o'clock in the afternoon we went to the home of his
uncle, William Lincoln, on Chestnut street, who had been my husband's
foster father after the death of his parents. Here we remained until
we moved to 120 Charles street, afterward moving to Dedham, where Mr.
Blake was made a fine business offer.

In this city I began my musical studies. It was noised about that the
young merchant's wife was a singer from California. In a short time I
became a member of Dr. Burgess' choir, composed of men and women of
the first families in Dedham. Mr. Blake and myself were the only two
persons who ever sang with them that had not been born and bred there.
They had sung together for over sixteen years, some of the members had
grown old in the service. They were instructed each w