In the summer of 1875 business became more slag so that we only had work half time, and my wages went down to $3 per day.

The last day of December 1875 my little boy Henry became sick, and on the 5th day of January 1876 he died. A few weeks after my boy's death, I sold my house for $3000 cash.

Now I began to make preparations to go in the country to become a farmer again, and in March the 20th 1876 I quit work in the shop with Lydecker & Schmidt where I had been. I left New York City for prospecting and came first to Pennsylvania in Pickes County, but the country there looked kind of rugged, so I left from there to Toledo Ohio, and from there I went to Ottawa Lake in Michigan. Here the country made a good impression on me and I rented a farm for one season. Now I went home again and got my family, where we arrived at Ottawa Lake April the 10th 1876.

In August of the same year I bought a forty acre farm of my own in Riga Township, Lenawee County, and moved into it late in the fall. This farm had a log house and log barn rather in rough condition and about half the land was cleared off and full of stumps, while the other half was woods yet. I paid for the place $2150. Now we went to work and in four years the place was all clear and in cultivation.

The first year when we lived here, it was in March 1877, we received the news from Germany that my Mother had died. Now both our parents were gone from this world, and so it was, we never had seen them any more! The only token of memories we had, was their photographs.

In spring 1880 I bought another 40 acres for $700. This was all woods but we went on to clear it to make a farm of it, and three years later I deeded it over to my oldest son Christopher H. to make a home for him.

In 1883 I was elected by the Township of Riga as Supervisor, which office I held for four years, and on refusing to serve any longer, they elected my oldest son Christopher H. for the same office. Later I served 3 terms for Township Treasure, and was nominated once for County Treasure, but failed to be elected.

In 1883 I bought another 40 acre land for my second son William for $1000 to make a home for him. The two sons got married and there had to be homes for them.

Christopher H. had to pay the $700 himself, and I gave him the improvement we had made, which I gave William $300 cash towards his place as equivalent, and then I helped the boys to get a start on whatsoever became necessary until they were fully established.

John the youngest one stayed with me. From the time he was twenty one years of age I paid him the first year, wages, and afterwards gave him half the income of my farm. In this way we went on until September the first, 1895, when another radical change was made in the family, but before this another event took place which I will give a short description of.