Page:The life and letters of John Brown (Sanborn).djvu/23

1784] "I lived at home in 1782; this was a memorable year, as there was a great revival of religion in the town of Canton. My mother and my older sisters and brother John dated their hopes of salvation from that summer's revival, under the ministry of the Rev. Edward Mills. I cannot say as I was a subject of the work; but this I can say, that I then began to hear preaching. I can now recollect most, if not all, of those I heard preach, and what their texts were. The change in our family was great; family worship, set up by brother John, was ever afterward continued. There was a revival of singing in Canton, and our family became singers. Conference meetings were kept up constantly, and singing meetings,—all of which brought our family into a very good association,—a very great aid of restraining grace.

"About 1784 the Rev. Jeremiah Hallock became the minister at Canton. I used to live with him at different times, and received a great deal of good instruction from him. About this time I began to make shoes, and worked mostly winters at shoemaking, and at farming at home summers. In the winter of 1787 I took a trip into Massachusetts, through Granville, Otis, and Blandford. In these towns I worked at shoemaking over half of the winter. I was but a bungling shoemaker, yet gave good satisfaction, was kindly treated as a child, and got my pay well, in clothing and money. I then went to Great Barrington, Sheffield, and Salisbury. Here I hired out to a very good shoemaker, at about half price, with a view of learning to be a better workman. I returned home in the spring of 1788 and worked on the farm through the summer. In 1789 I lived at home, but in the fall I went to Norfolk, and worked at shoemaking all winter, mostly around at houses, for families.