RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENT--JOSEPH'S PROPHECY--HE WORKS FOR MR.
STOAL--BECOMES ACQUAINTED WITH EMMA HALE.
Shortly after the death of Alvin, a man commenced laboring in the
neighborhood, to effect a union of the different churches, in order
that all might be agreed, and thus worship God with one heart and with
one mind.
This seemed about right to me, and I felt much inclined to join in with
them; in fact, the most of the family appeared quite disposed to unite
with their numbers; but Joseph, from the first, utterly refused even to
attend their meetings, saying, "Mother, I do not wish to prevent your
going to meeting, or any of the rest of the family's; or your joining
any church you please; but, do not ask me to join them. I can take my
Bible, and go into the woods, and learn more in two hours, than you can
learn at meeting in two years, if you should go all the time."
To gratify me, my husband attended some two or three meetings, but
peremptorily refused going any more, either for my gratification, or
any other person's.
During this excitement, Joseph would say, it would do us no injury to
join them, that if we did, we should not continue with them long, for
we were mistaken in them, and did not know the wickedness of their
hearts. One day he said, that he would give us an example, and that we
might set it down as a prophecy; viz:--
"You look at Deacon Jessup," said he, "and you hear him talk very
piously. Well, you think he is a very good man. Now suppose that
one of his poor neighbors should owe him the value of a cow, and
that this poor man had eight little children; moreover, that he
should be taken sick and die, leaving his wife with one cow,
but destitute of every other means of supporting herself and
family--now I tell you, that Deacon Jessup, religious as he is,
would not scruple to take the last cow from the poor widow and
orphans, in order to secure the debt, notwithstanding he himself
has an abundance of everything."
At that time, this seemed impossible to us, yet one year had scarcely
expired when we saw Joseph's prophecy literally fulfilled.
The shock occasioned by Alvin's death, in a short time passed off, and
we resumed our usual avocations with considerable interest. The first
move towards business, was to complete the house before mentioned.
This we did as speedily as possible, and, when it was finished, Mr.
Stoddard, the principal workman, offered for it the sum of fifteen
hundred dollars; but my husband refused his offer as he was unwilling
to leave the scene of our labor where we had fondly anticipated
spending the remainder of our days.
A short time before the house was completed, a man, by the name of
Josiah Stoal, came from Chenango county, New York, with the view of
getting Joseph to assist him in digging for a silver mine.[A] He came
for Joseph on account of having heard that he possessed certain means,
by which he could discern things invisible to the natural eye.
[Footnote A: This project of Stoal's was undertaken from this
cause--an old document had fallen into his possession, in some way or
other, containing information of silver mines being somewhere in the
neighborhood in which he resided.]
Joseph endeavored to divert him from his vain pursuit, but he was
inflexible in his purpose, and offered high wages to those who would
dig for him, in search of said mine, and still insisted upon having
Joseph to work for him. Accordingly, Joseph and several others,
returned with him and commenced digging. After laboring for the old
gentleman about a month, without success, Joseph prevailed upon him
to cease his operations; and it was from this circumstance of having
worked by the month, at digging for a silver mine, that the very
prevalent story arose of Joseph's having been a money digger.
While Joseph was in the employ of Mr. Stoal, he boarded a short time
with one Isaac Hale, and it was during this interval, that Joseph
became acquainted with his daughter, Miss Emma Hale, to whom he
immediately commenced paying his addresses, and was subsequently
married.
When Mr. Stoal relinquished his project of digging for silver, Joseph
returned to his father's house.
Soon after his return, we received intelligence of the arrival of a
new agent for the Everson land, of which our farm was a portion. This
reminded us of the last payment, which was still due, and which must be
made before we could obtain a deed of the place.
Shortly after this, a couple of gentlemen, one of whom was the
before-named Stoal, the other a Mr. Knight, came into the neighborhood
for the purpose of procuring a quantity of either wheat or flour; and
we, having sown considerable wheat, made a contract with them, in which
we agreed to deliver a certain quantity of flour to them the ensuing
fall, for which we were to receive a sufficient amount of money to make
the final payment on our farm. This being done, my husband sent Hyrum
to Canandaigua to inform the new agent of the fact, namely, that the
money should be forthcoming as soon as the twenty-fifth of December,
1825. This, the agent said, would answer the purpose, and he agreed to
retain the land until that time. Having thus, as we supposed, made all
secure pertaining to the land, we gave ourselves no further uneasiness
in regard to the matter.
When the time had nearly arrived for the last payment to be made, and
when my husband was about starting for Mr. Stoal's and Mr. Knight's,
in order to get the money to make the same, Joseph called my husband
and myself aside, and said, "I have been very lonely ever since
Alvin died, and I have concluded to get married; and if you have no
objections to my uniting myself in marriage with Miss Emma Hale, she
would be my choice in preference to any other woman I have ever seen."
We were pleased with his choice, and not only consented to his marrying
her, but requested him to bring her home with him, and live with us.
Accordingly, he set out with his father for Pennsylvania.