USA > Ohio > Twenty-five years in the West > Part 28
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who were so acceptably prosecuting their important work.
Their success in Danville was so marked that they were solicited and urged to return north and open a ladies' seminary in Warrenville, the home of Miss Warren. They accepted the invitation, and made the seminary a popular and widely patronized institution.
MARRIAGE.
While these teachers were at Danville, a Universalist church was dedicated at Perryville, Indiana, fifteen miles away. They were invited by one of their students to ride over. One of the clergymen who assisted in the dedica- tion was Rev. Erasmus Manford, who was publishing a paper at Lafayette, called the " Christian Teacher." They were introduced to him, and received an invitation to write for his paper. They sent him occasional articles. This was the beginning of their literary ventures. The result of these ventures was not altogether unusual, for they led the young editor to find a wife in one of these corre- pondents. The marriage took place July 2, 1844. The ceremony was performed by Rev. W. W. Dean, then one of the active ministers of the Universalist church. They were married in Wilmington, Illinois, at the home of the sister with whom she came to the state. It was a time of great floods, and no railroads, and the minister had to swim a creek to get to the wedding. (For an account of the wed- ding trip see page 180 of this volume.)
TERRE HAUTE.
They went to Terre Haute, where Mr. Manford had moved his paper. This city seemed to them a sort of par- adise at that time, high and dry above all floods, charm-
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ingly located on the east bank of the Wabash river, and named for its situation High Ground. It was well laid out, abundantly supplied with shade trees, and had many pleas- ant streets and homes. Among the pleasantest of these were the street and house into which they went to live.
Mr. Manford was a traveling preacher and editor, and was soon off to fill his appointments, leaving Mrs. Manford to fold her hands in the bliss of having nothing to do. After a few weeks she went one day to his office and found him mailing papers. Looking on a little while, she said : " Why can't I do that as well as you ? I believe I can write better than you do." She insisted on trying it, and so slipped her hand into a noose that has held her fast ever since. She soon began to look after the book-keeping, proof-reading, and to make herself so generally useful that she became a necessity in this self-imposed work.
At this time Mr. Manford had a partner who had charge of the office and the manual labor of getting out the paper. She saw in a little while that the paper was the result of her husband's brain and toil, and that he was dividing an income that was chiefly his own. So she began to talk about an end of this one-sided partnership. When this was effected, she became the essential partner of her hus- band in business, as well as in conjugal life. This partner- ship in fact, though without the name, has continued with only a few breaks ever since. He has occasionally taken in other partners, though always with unsatisfactory results to both parties. When Mrs. Manford had an oversight of the business interests in Mr. Manford's absence, the ex- penses were lighter, and the stream of profit, though al- ways small, flowed wholly into their family treasury. Mr. Manford's uniform success in making his publications profitable, has been greatly promoted by her uniform co-
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operation. Very largely she has been the pilot at the wheel who in all weathers and all storms, has stood faith- fully at her post. Of course, the pilot is not the captain and crew, but these make uncertain progress without the firm hand on the wheel.
INDIANAPOLIS.
From Terre Haute the Manfords moved to Indianapolis, to be at the capital of the state, the more easily to reach every . part in his travels. The subscription list grew rapidly, and the paper became more and more important and influential. Their bow of promise was bright. They built a house and entered upon housekeeping, the ever de- lightful experience of young married people. What a charm has the first meal in one's own home! How ever- remembered is the first night under one's own roof ! A new home of their own; their paper growing in favor ; ' finances improving ; young love and hope spreading pic- tures before them ; why should they not see a roseate future immediately before them ?
A NEW-COMER.
Into the midst of this fair promise there came a tiny, little girl, whom they named MAE MANFORD. She soon became an important personage ; broke into the usual sys- tematic arrangements of business, and made help neces- sary, which resulted in a partnership with Rev. Hiram Torrey. He was hopeful and large-visioned, and soon thought that Cincinnati, the Queen City of the West, was none too large for so important a paper, and to that city it was taken, Mr. Torrey to be editor and office manager.
Mae was but a few months old when Mrs. Manford was aken severely ill, which brought sickness in a little while
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to the child also. Two of her sisters came to care for them. Great anxiety was felt lest mother and child should fail to recover. But at length, by the care of friends and the skill of physicians, both came up from death's door ..
This was in 1849, the first season of the cholera in Cin- cinnati. That terrible scourge, then so little understood, was very fatal. Many took alarm and left the city for rural retreats far away ; among them the new partner and editor. The office business suffered ; the editing was poorly done ; bills accumulated ; subscribers dropped off.
Mr. Manford learning how things were going, hastened to Cincinnati and sold the paper to Rev. J. A. Gurley, then publisher of the " Star in the West."
Mrs. Manford's long sickness, the unfortunate partner- ship, the removal to Cincinnati and the cholera alarm, left him much embarrassed. That bright bow of promise rapidly faded.
SAINT LOUIS.
In 1850, Mr. Manford went to St. Louis and started THE GOLDEN ERA. Mrs. Manford soon followed and took up her old occupation of manager and silent partner, while her husband traveled and preached far and wide, spreading the gospel of grace and salvation.
The new paper did fairly well, but it was a struggle to get it established. It was a new field for Universalist literature. By conversation, preaching and discussion, Mr. Manford had to convert many to his faith before they would become patrons to his paper. It was a slow, toil- some work, persevered in against great difficulties. Mrs. Manford had an equal struggle to do her part in that great and expensive city. But with faith and courage equal to all their difficulties; they persevered and succeeded.
Soon after going to St. Louis, they joined with the few
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Universalist friends there in a movement to found a church. Rev. G. S. Weaver was secured as pastor in 1852. The work was continued with excellent results till the rumors of war and the financial depression that preceded the war, made it seem best to suspend operations for a time. Then the war came to break up and scatter the little happy church family.
Mrs. Manford became deeply interested in the religious life and work of this church. She united with it, and took her little Mae to the altar with her, and mother and child received together the water of baptism, symbolical of conversion to the spiritual life. It was one of the most impressive occasions of her life, and marked an era in her religious experience. The church and union with it, its rites and uses, became clearer in their meaning and usefulness to her than before.
ANOTHER TURN.
While engaged on the Golden Era, they built a house, which, after a year or two, was burned, and they rebuilt. Soon after this the Golden Era was sold, and Mrs. Manford took the occasion to visit some among friends. During one of these visits to Louisiana and Hannibal, Missouri, she received a pressing invitation to open a school in Louisiana. As Mr. Manford was away nearly all the time, and she had no special employment, she saw no way to be more useful, and so opened a school, and took her daughter with her as one of the pupils. It was successful ; and after a year was left in the hands of a subordinate teacher.
THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE.
In 1857 Manford's Monthly Magasine was started. This was a new move. It had no list of subscribers. So Mr.
Mrs. H. B. Manford. 409
Manford started into the field again. It was like a new child born into the family to be fed, clothed and cared for. It was a good move, and worked well. The people liked the form and price. He was successful in getting subscribers, and in serving up the intellectual repast ; she in giving the magazine the embellishments of her brain and hand. From his field of labor he sent back frequent theological articles, accounts of travels, discussions, curious expe- riences, giving the magazine great interest among its read- ers. It soon came to have a constituency of its own. It was a monthly, and interfered with no weekly. It was a pamphlet, and could be preserved and bound. From the start it gave evidence of a successful career. They soon felt that they had struck the vein to work while they could work.
THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
But just as the magazine had got to doing well, the war broke out, and the mails in the south, where they had seve- ral thousand subscribers, ceased to be carried, and Mr. Manford had to turn his face north and north-west for pat- rons, and move his family and paper away from the pres- ence of army operations. They went to Chicago and made another strong push. In a few years the Magazine was well established again, by the old process of travel on his part, and editorial work on her part. Their bow of prom- ise became bright again. They built a house in Chicago and set up their home again under their own roof. Not long had they been in this, before the Chicago fire broke out and burned their office and all their fixtures and books, except their list of subscribers, which their faithful clerk had taken to her home for the night. Several thousand dollars of their hard earned property perished. Now, they had met floods, sickness, cholera, war and fire, and
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lost heavily by them all; but, undaunted, they held on their way of hard and faithful work for the cause dear to their hearts, and again built up their magazine to a pros- perous condition. Through all these years in Chicago, as before, Mrs. Manford continued her work for the maga- zine, managing its affairs in her husband's absence, and assisting in its editorial work.
OUTSIDE WORKS.
In Chicago, as in St. Louis, Mrs. Manford has found great pleasure and profit in doing what she could for the church of her choice. Constant in her interest and help, she has promoted its affairs by every personal endeavor. For several years, as president of "The Ladies' Aid Society " of the Church of the Redeemer, she contributed to the prosperity of that church, which has long been her spiritual home, and which she cherishes with great affection. As an evidence of the affection being mutual, the follow- ing graceful acknowledgment of a gift, over her initials, appeared in the Magasine, April, 1876:
A SURPRISE .- Our home was visited on he evening of the fourth of March by a large number of the good people of the Church of the Redeemer, and other friends from various parts of the city. They came full-handed and full- hearted. Immediately we were placed in the center of a charmed circle of some seventy generous souls, who, with Rev. Sumner Ellis for the presentation speech, made us a gift of an elegant and costly gold watch and chain, bear- ing this inscription :
"MRS. H. B. MANFORD, From the Friends of the SECOND UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY, Chicago, March 2d, 1876."
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Mrs. H. B. Manford.
The surprise was too great for us to command language, and we delegated our response to the Hon. Willard Woodard, who is always happy in impromptu speeches. Mr. H. S. McLain followed with some timely remarks. The evening passed pleasantly with music and conversa- tion. They brought their caterers, and a most beautiful and bountiful table was spread.
Long may the pleasant relations with the dear people continue ; and may friendship's chain grow brighter as time wears away. H. B. M.
During seven years she was president of The Universalist Women's Association of Illinois. The object of this association is to aid the missionary and educational causes connected with the Universalist church. It has held many series of gospel meetings, revived many lan- guishing churches, and been in many ways helpful to the cause. It gave material aid in establishing the Boarding Hall connected with Lombard University, and in renew- ing the cabinet and library of that institution. In all these works Mrs. Manford was a most inspiring leader. Aside from these constant labors at home and for her church, she has found time for occasional lectures and addresses on the subjects of temperance and education, before temperance and college and literary societies. Three subjects have so held her abiding interest through nearly all of her adult life as to be a part of her religion. Her judgment, her heart and her conscience have been thoroughly enlisted in them. They are education, tem- perance and woman's elevation. With voice, pen and hand she has been anxious to do what she could to pro- mote what she has regarded as humanity's great causes. Although home and business duties have largely occupied her mind and hands, she has found frequent opportu- nities to do much outside work as a charitable contribu- tion to the world's improvement.
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HER HOME.
Mrs. Manford has always been a lover of home. No public career, however successful, could have won her from home and its sanctities ; and the heartiness of much of her work has come from a desire for the comforts and pleasures of a good home. The domestic affections were born in her, and the virtues that grow out of them she has cultivated with assiduous care. Misfortunes in many forms have baf- fled these desires, but not defeated them, for during the greater part of her married life she has presided over her own home, and for several years has enjoyed a commodious and well appointed home, where she has dispensed hospi- talities with a free hand and a happy heart, as all know who have crossed its threshold.
It has been said that literary women are careless house- keepers and without taste in dress ; but this is not true of her. She is painstaking and faultless in both particulars.
As a mother, she has been happy in her daughter, who has never been separated from her, but who, since her marriage with Dr. Norman Bridge, in 1874, has lived in the city, at a convenient distance from home, and now re- sides in a substantial and elegant home of her own, but a few blocks from her parents.
PERSONAL QUALITIES.
Mrs. Manford was a petite child ; small in her youth ; is below the medium stature as a woman. She is firmly built, and in the enjoyment of excellent health.
Her leading characteristics are, conscientiousness, earn- estness, benevolence and religious devotion. Possessing a fund of good nature, she is warm-hearted and true to her friends, and as true to her convictions of right, conscien- tiousness giving color to all her motives and actions. With
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a versatility of talent, progressive in thought, joyous in spirit, she has through all these years held her position in the world's work with a wonderful power.
Thus has run on this human life from its little beginning in New York, through its years of development and strug- gle in this growing west ; growing itself through all its years, serving and being served, a power for good, an ex- ample of womanly grace and worth, a comfort and joy to her many friends-to go on when her summons shall come to the better home, in the faith and hope which her life has so loyally illustrated.
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