Section 29:  Hallock In-Laws

Some time after we were married, Mr. Hallock removed to Shippensville and we visited there sometimes. I mind one time we took our baby daughter over there and I was amused to see Mary Hallock go into raptures over the little angel as she called her. I had a strong impression myself that the child was rather pretty, but Mary could beat me so for piling on the adjectives that I could only sit and laugh at her. I guess, however, parents are not displeased with an extravagant expression of approbation over their children. Fortunately the child did not happen to cry and spoil her beauty.

I don't think I was naturally very fond of children, but as my little girl developed into a smiling baby I took great pleasure in being with her and spent many an hour learning her to laugh and play, and she was a good, healthy child -- a good girl and became a good woman. She learned to read before she went to school, learned easily, and I tried to give her opportunity to be a scholar up to the time she got married.

Her Mother, Nancy Jane Hallock, is the fourth daughter of Rev. J. K. Hallock. Her Mother's name was Melissa Griffith. They were both natives of one or [sic] the northern counties of the State of New York in the neighborhood of the Ausable River. The Hallocks are an old family -- now greatly scattered and numerous and have a family history written by a member of it now or formerly residing in the City of New York. The volume is in our house but I have never traced out only to see that my father-in-law is one of the descendants of the original stock. After his marriage he removed to Erie County in this State and settled on a farm near McKean's Corner where he lived a number of years and till my wife was some seven years old. He became a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was licensed to preach, and for the greater portion of his subsequent life was a member of the conference and occupied stations through northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania; was finally retired on the superannuated list and finally died two years ago at his son's, at the age of about 87 years. His wife had died several years before at our house and is buried in our graveyard. He had a family of ten children, all of whom were married, and seven are living yet but are scattered through the south and west.

When we were married my wife was a member of the M. E. Church and she is yet. My predilections were all for the Presbyterian, but we never had any trouble about our churches and the children had full liberty to attend either without any constraint on my part, but largely on account of their associations and with their Mother's full consent, drifted into the Presbyterian Church where they all go but one daughter, Harriett, who married an Episcopalian and went with him into that church.