Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/186

 138 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY over the cornfield, and then bounded like a deer to get out of my reach; but she was too late. Without rising, I threw myself forward in the direction she was going, grasping desperately at the same time. I caught the hem of her garment and something gave away. When I recovered an upright position and my equa- nimity, I saw a dark piece of feminine apparel lying on the ground, and what to my astonished gaze appeared to be a pair of preambulating tongs scudding through the corn. The girl hid herself behind a shock and commenced pleading for her clothes. After tormenting her enough, I exacted a promise that she would behave herself and go to work, and then, sent one of the boys with the desired garment. When she rejoined the company her coun- tenance had a very 'decided vermilion tinge, and I thus discov- ered that a s<|iiav could blush." Joseph W. Hancock was born in Orford, N. H., April 4, 1816. He attended the public schools at that place and followed this by a course at the academy located in Bradford, Yt. As a young man he taught in various places in New England, and in 1841 started out for the West. He journeyed down the Ohio river to the Mississippi, and then came north as far as Quiney, 111. Here he taughl school for a while and soon afterward had a class among the Winnebago Indians in Iowa. Later he taught a private school in Prairie du Chien, Wis. He found, however, that although he had come west for the sake of his health, the change of climate had not worked the desired change and consequently he returned to the East and spent some time at Saratoga. N. Y., where he found the water from the springs to be of great benefit. In 1846 he was united in marriage with Martha Maria Houghton, a sister of H. 0. Houghton, the noted Boston publisher. In 1848 Mr. Hancock received ;i commission from the American Board of Foreign Missions to become a missionary to the Sioux Indians, west of the Mississippi, and was sent to the Indian village of Red Wing, in the Northwest territory, where a band of Indians had long been located, and where missionary efforts had previously been conducted. The first white person known to have been buried within the limits of Goodhue county was the wife of Mr. Hancock. After two years of service among the Sioux her health gave away and she died March 21, 1851. To this union were born two children. William died in infancy, the other is Mrs. William Holliday. In 1852 he was married to Sarah Rankin, who died in March, 1859, leaving two children, Stella and James Otis. In October, 1860, he was united in marriage with Juliet Thompson, who died in 1897. Mr. Hancock began preaching to the early settlers in 1852. and in January, 1855, organized the First Presby- terian Church of Red Wing, of which he was pastor for seven years. During the remainder of his life he was connected with