at all places. And thus she has "gone to her rest," her "fine gold undimmed," to the last. She might truly say "Our Father," for she truly seemed to feel, that, in moral, and social privileges, and responsibilities, she belonged to the whole human family.

On the 21st day of June, in the year 1854 her second husband, Col. E. N. HOUSE, died, at the age of about sixty-nine years, (a little less,) after a long, and very harrassing, and at times, very painful, chronic visceral derangement, of some two years continuance,- -more or less-during almost the whole of which time, but more especially the closing months, the subject of this sketch was being almost constantly annoyed by, and deeply suffering from the malign influence, of broken rest-constant watchings, and attendance, deferred hopes, and abiding fears; the unceasing restlesness of her sick, suffering, and dying husband, and then the catastrophe, which all combined, left her in a condition of physical and mental depsession, little more to be desired, than that of him, her late husband, whose remains had been so recently interred. But the restorative properties of a constitution generally healthy, soon enabled Mrs. HouUSE to take note of, and prepare herself for that portion of the pilgrimage of life, yet remaining, for her to accomplish; and she removed within a few days after, the interment of the body of her late husband, from the dwelling lately occupied by the family, to one which had been in the process of construction, during the sickness of Col; HOUSE, on premises owned by Mrs. HOUSE, in her own right and to the occupancy of which, it was expected that the family would remove, when the necessary work on the same was accomplished, to make a comfortable habitation for such a household; the premises where her late husband died, having been previously sold, and in the occupancy of the family of J. M. RAY, a son-in-law of her late husband, E. N. HOUSE, aforesaid. To this new building she removed, as before stated; and here she gathered around her the objects of fancy, desire, and affection; here she passed the last six and a half years of her useful life, in rural pursuits; in the cultivation of her flower and kitchen gardens in the humanizing of her pet animals, (no cat or dog among them,) in the society of such friends as she chose to select in her accustomed acts of benificence, in the daily searching of the scriptures and contemplation of scripture truths, in the

perusal of many religious, ethical, and political works, (mostly religious) and in wishing and doing good to all mankind as she had opportunity. Up to the time of her sickness she spent these last years of her life, as she many times said, more to her satisfaction, more happily, than any other portion of her life of equal extent and up to the said time of her last sickness, made frequent allusions to the many blessings clustering around her earthly home. But the adversary was at hand. The worm in the fruit was gorging itself at the core. The pall of fell disease was about to be laid over and to remove under its direful folds. this not oft recurring instance, of a rational and satisfactory enjoyment of the secular bounties of the Almighty Being; and in the latter part of September, A. D. 1859, she was again almost helplessly prostrated on a bed of sickness, by an attack of the same discase, of which she came near dying, in the fall and winter of the years 1844-1815, but of which she had been in good degree free, from that time to this. She was now seriously and severely affected by the attack, yet after several weeks of quite harrassing, and at times painful indisposition, she appeared to be in part restored; and gradually resumed some portion of the less laborious parts of her previous occupations, and seemed in some sensible degree, again to appreciate and enjoy her home comforts, and neighborhood society; but she never again attained any satisfactory measure of health or strength, and at about one year after the time of the commencement of the above mentioned indisposition, the imperious destroyer, placed his iron hand upon her much debilitated body. The same disease was again developed in its most virulent, and fatal form, and after long protracted, and most excruciating sufferings, all borne with the patience and heroism of one believing in the advent of a bright and glorious future, at five (5) minutes past three o'clock, P. M., on the tenth (10) day of February, in the year 1861, her organs of life ceased to act; her blood was stayed in its course, and her breath passed into the keeping of Him who gave it. No groan or struggle distinguished her expiring moment; but she passed away with the quietness of sleeping innocence; noislessly as the rays of the morning sun, remove the early dew. From its commencement, her disease was characterized by paroxysms, extremely distressing and unbearable-and some fifteen or sixteen hours before she ceased breathing one of these paroxysms came upon her,

F

of more than usual vehemence, greatly exceeding all the ones preceding it, in its intensity of pain, and distress; as was most clearly indicated by the almost unearthly groans, and screams of the pitiable sufferer. As this aggravation of symtoms subsided and passed away. She apparently fell into a condition of unconscious existence, manifesting no more pain, or suffering of any kind; and entirely unobserving of all surrounding objects or circumstances, and in this condition she left us, and passed away from among men, into the rest of the grave, at the time above mentioned, aged seventy years, three months, and two days.

From the last of her intelligent communications, on the subject of her views of a future state, or the condition of the dead, we undoubtingly infer that she believed in the vicarious atonement of the Son of the Highest, and that at the last day, He would take her up, with the full myriads of the Redeemed from among men, to meet Him in the air, and so to be forever with the Lord. An after death examination of her body, disclosed the existence of very great derangement of the organs of nutrition. The billiary and pancreatic organs with no apparent healthy function remaining; and of the abdominal viscera, the stomach alone perhaps showing any indications of being in a healthy condition, and the left mamillary organ in a most virulent state of induration throughout its entire structure-a scirrhous tumor of the most obstinate class.

On Tuesday, the 12th day of February, two days after her death, her remains were interred in the burying ground at Lenox Center, at the right side, south, and near to the grave of her last deceased husband, Col. E. N. HOUSE, whose body was laid there, June 22d, A. D. 1844, the day succeeding his death, (June 21st, 1844.) The funeral services for Mrs. HOUSE were commenced at her late residence by the meeting there of mourners, friends, and others, at eleven o'clock, A. M., and after suitable preparations, the body was moved by the assembled in procession, to the Free Will Baptist and Methodist meeting house, where at twelve meridian, Elder WILKINSON of the Methodist persuasion, preached a sermon on the occasion, taking for a text, the last clause, of the first verse, of the twentieth chapter of the second book of Kings. Thus saith the Lord:-"Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not

ABIGAIL HOUSE.

75 live." After the sermon, her remains were taken to the grave, prepared for them, at the Center Cemetery, accompanied by a respectable concourse of mourners, friends, and acquaintances, and the true regrets of all those who knew her best; where (as she supposed,) they will rest until "Christ, The Life shall appear."

In the Ashtabula SENTINEL, dated February 20th, A. D. 1861, was inserted the following Obituary notice:

"Died, at her residence in Lenox, on Sunday, Feb. 10th, A. D. 1861, ABIGAIL HOUSE, relict of the late Col. E. N. HOUSE, of Lenox, aforesaid, from the time of his decease, June 21st, 1854. She became his wife on the 8th day of February, in the year 1818, since which time she has constantly been a much distin. guished resident of this township. Known among us from the very first, as eminently endowed with many, (almost all) of the christian's moral and social virtues and graces, she soon became distinguished here as one of the most strenuous advocates, and consistent supporters, of religious, moral, and social rights, and rational liberty of conscience; and by her active, and generally effective benevolence, she readily came to be distinguished by the necessitous, as their always prompt and ready helper, and well deserving the proud appellation of the "Good Mother House," accorded to her with universal consent, in the pleasant savour of which title she has moved for many past years; surrounded and enwrapped in which she has now descended to the grave, her final earthly rest: aged a little more than seventy years. Her mortal disease a complication of many ailments."

Thus, as far as practicable, in view of other business, necessarily occupying a considerable portion of attention, and subjecting to interruptions innumerable and inimitable, and my fitness *for the work, have the wishes of the subject of the foregoing brief memorial sketches, as expressed by her during her last sickness, been cheerfully complied with. "Nothing has been extenuated," nor 'aught set down in malice." The offering is of gratitude. The altar friendship. From an acquaintance, extending over more than forty years, the sterling qualities, of her who is no longer among us, are known, and declared: And having received, during all that time, from her, and every member of the family with which she was connected by her last marriage, favors great, and innumerable, untiringly and

ungrudgingly bestowed, I should be intolerably mean and contemptible, and worse than altogether brutish, were I not grateful. I have done.

Lenox, May 27th. 1861.

JOSIAH ATKINS.

REFLECTIONS CORRESPONDENCE, ETC.

ON ST. JOHN XVII, 20.

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word.”

That they all also may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me."

This chapter shows us a oneness with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ; and the Holy Ghost has been given to us, that we may have fellowship with the Father and the Son, and all those that are born of the Spirit. By this same spirit we have access to the Father through the Son, by the Holy Ghost; whereby we cry, "Abba Father." Is it not our duty, made so by His revealed will, and declared in his word? When the word and Spirit agree, we may rest assured that we have a right knowledge of the Scripture of truth, and may rely upon our faith. Christ speaks largely of his love to his disciples, and to be such, we must manifest our love one to another.

He saith again, "As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I sent them into the world." "I have given them thy