Another adventure should be chronicled here. It has been said that there
are but three real important events in a man’s life, namely, his birth,
his marriage, and his death. The second of this great trio in the life
of our subject occurred during the period embraced in this chapter. It
is a common saying with him that he does not believe in early marriages,
hence, he deferred this important step until he was eighteen years
old. And on the seventh of January, 1857, he took to himself a wife in
the person of Miss Katharine Copeland. She proved to be a worthy and
sympathetic companion, heroically assuming her part of the burdens and
responsibilities that belong to the family of an itinerant preacher.
That her lot was not an easy one may be readily assumed when we consider
what the ministerial calling involved in that early day. Its peculiar
hardships fell most heavily upon the wife, yet these she endured without
protest. Brave in heart, gentle in temper, and in heartiest accord with
her husband’s interests, she proved to him a real helpmeet, and an
inspiration to his loftiest endeavors.