ble place of six large rooms. The furniture
had preceded the family and everything looked homelike and
comfortable, so mother had not the sadness of coming to a bare,
cheerless, empty house. We were cordially greeted by the elders' wives
and families, and when we arrived dinner was upon the table for us.
This welcome was more homelike because of our own things having
preceded us. And then we were such a busy family that we had little
time to waste in repinings. We were all put in the harness--the
Sabbath school and choir. We made visits with our parents to the sick
and the poor. Because we spoke nothing but the German language, we
were obliged to go to school. My oldest sister, Mary, was soon
established in the German department of the public school. She was
graduated from the Monticello Seminary, St. Louis, before coming
there. She taught during the week in the public school and on Saturday
taught English in the synagogue. On the Sabbath she played the
melodeon in our church. It was there that, as a child, I learned the
grand old German hymns of the church under her guidance and which
helped to make me the singer I am today.

We had now been seven years in Cincinnati and the church had
flourished so greatly that a second German Reformed church was the
outcome of father's ministry. It was built on Webster street for the
purpose of housing the overflow of the first church on Betts street.
In all this prosperity California gold and missionary fields were
opened and discovered in November, 1847. Father was chosen for
California, and the only way to go was over the plains. What a sad
family was ours while preparations were made which would take father
and brother George, who was now 17 years old, away, as we thought, to
the other end of the earth. At last the hour came and the tie that
bound pastor and people, father, mother and children was severed. My
brother George told me the story of the trip as follows:

"The party left Cincinnati down the river on the steamer Pontiac about
May 10th, 1849, arrived in St. Louis four days after the fire, May
18th, and remained four days at Weston. We purchased a yoke of oxen.
At St. Joseph, Mo., we purchased two more yokes. On the 28th we went
up the river and crossed over on flatboats. Here we camped for the
night. As far as the eye could see it was one level stretch of land.
May 29th we started on the long journey across the plains to
California. Our first mishap came in crossing ov