few days ago, in the State of Ohio, whither he had gone on business. Our personal acquaintance with this gentleman was not of long standing; but it was long enough to place him high in our estimation. The simplicity of his character accorded well with the republicanisin of his principles. He was a genuine patriot, of the good old stamp, and had, by a steady and firm devotion to the interest of his country, in the most trying times, well earned the honor which his native State bestowed upon him. With integrity and stability, in him were combined the purest morals and the most amiable manners. In a single word, he was worthy of the name of a Republican, in its best acceptation."

In Connecticut, one of the best journals in the State said of him: “It is our melancholy duty, to announce the death of the Hon. Elijah Boardman. He died in the town of Boardman, Ohio, whither he had gone on a visit to his son, and for the purpose of attending to his private busi

ness.

"By the death of Mr. Boardman, the State has been deprived of one of its most distinguished and valued citizens; and his family have been called to mourn a loss which they alone can justly appreciate. He was a firm and faithful friend, an affectionate husband, and a kind and indulgent parent. A confident and practical believer in the doctrines of Christianity, he performed all the duties of life with great promptitude and exactness; and to his benevolence the many who were its objects will abundantly testify. To do good was his delight.

66

Engaged in various and complicated mercantile con

The Republican Farmer, published at Bridgeport; in the paper of Sept. 10th, 1823.

cerns, he maintained the high character of an honest man. As an ardent and firm patriot, Mr. Boardman has long been distinguished. Early devoted to the cause of liberty, in the war of the revolution he took up arms, and voluntarily participated, with the common soldier, in all the fatigue and exposure incident to the military life, often reposing on the ground, by the side of his musket. The calls of his country he ever cheerfully obeyed; and in the gloomiest period of the late war, he stood unshaken, in support of the measures which were deemed necessary to the success of that eventful contest.

"In the year 1818, Mr. Boardman was elected a member of the Council of his native State; and, in the following year, took his seat in the State Senate, of which he continued a valuable and highly respected member, until he was elected a member of the Senate of the United States. He was a useful member of that body, and a vigilant guardian of the rights and interests of his constituents and the nation.

"His frankness and sincerity, combined with the amiableness of his deportment, endeared him to all his associates in the national council; while his extensive practical information, his sound judgment, his undeviating republican principles, stern integrity, and disinterested patriotism, entitled his opinions to great respect, and secured to him, in an eminent degree, the esteem and confidence of those with whom he was called to act."

After mentioning the arrangements made for carrying their father's remains to New Milford, William wrote to his sister Caroline, respecting their afflicted mother's case: "I was much alarmed on her account. Her watching, grief, and anxiety, came near destroying her at one time; and I was apprehensive that we should be deprived of

both parents at once. But we have succeeded in restoring her, in some measure." "She is now at Canfield, expecting to hear the Rev. Mr. Morse, of Steubenville, preach."

*

In a few weeks, she was on her dreary homeward way. And when she crossed the threshold of her house, oh how keenly did her sympathetic heart, with its exquisite sensibilities, feel the contrast between the past and the present; between her paradise that was replenished with every smiling comfort, and her home now rifled of its chief joy! In a letter to her son Henry, in Ohio, she thus depicts her state of mind. "Oh, how did I ever live to reach this desolate home? Every mile by which we approached it, seemed to add a fresh pang to my lacerated feelings. I go from room to room, scarcely conscious what I am seeking. Almost every thing in and about the house, seems to tell me how great is my loss. I know, that I ought to be resigned; and to consider, that a merciful God does not willingly afflict the children of men. Yet I cannot but remember, that such things were, and were most precious to me."

She sat solitary, in her widowhood, "smitten of God, and afflicted." But she was not disconsolate. The same touch of the hand that bereaved her, also consecrated her as one who, in her character as a widow, could look to Him for comfort, who had proclaimed himself the "friend" of such. And by the influence of the Holy Spirit, she was enabled now to illustrate, in a remarkable manner, those heavenly graces that impart a sacredness to Christian

sorrow.

* A town in the southern extremity of what was then called Trumbull county. + April 22d, 1824.

V. HER WIDOW HOOD AND OLD AGE.

Prosperity is the blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New, which carrieth the greater benediction, and the clearer revelation of God's favor." LORD BACON: Essay on Adversity.

"Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth."

FROM the mournful epoch of her husband's death, she presided over her family, with exemplary faithfulness and assiduity, for the space of almost five and twenty years.

The homestead, around which now hung some melancholy shadows, had acquired a peculiar sacredness in her mind, from the many thrilling memories of her honored and beloved dead, which hovered there. When one of her daughters,* in a letter to her, indulged in glowing assurances of love for her, and attachment to the hallowed spot, she said, in reply: "Your expressions of affection are very grateful to my heart. And I hope that we may yet be permitted to spend many days, in peace, if not in happiness, under this roof, endeared to us by so many interesting associations. It was provided for us, by one of the best of fathers and friends. Here he watched over us, and, by the blessing of God on his exertions, made ample provision for all our reasonable wants. Sacredly cherish his memory; and treasure in your heart every

* C. E. B.

word he spoke to you on his dying bed. Endeavor to live, as you think he would wish to have you live; and I shall be sure, that you will not stray far from the right path." The precincts of this hallowed home she rarely left, even for the short space of a single day. When urged to pay a visit to her affectionate son Henry and his family, at their residence in Boardman, she said, "My friends little know what a trial it would be to my feelings, to go over that ground again. The gloom of death is upon every part of Ohio where I have been. I wish that I could think of Henry's home, without such extremely painful associations. It may be said that I have suffered much here. Truly, no language can express the heartrending sorrow I have experienced; but familiarity with scenes, in some measure lightens the impression they make on the mind."

Her deafness, which increased as she advanced in years, not only deprived her of the enjoyment of general society, but gave her an increasing disinclination to exchange visits with any persons except a few devoted relatives, and some very intimate friends. It was soon after her marriage, that she was called to endure this trial of the loss of hearing. And as she was then placed in the midst of many very interesting social circles, and, at the same time, deprived of the ability to enjoy "the feast of reason and the flow of soul" refreshing and exhilarating all around her, she felt her affliction to be truly tantalizing.

Speaking of it, in a letter to her husband, which was written at the time, she said: "The doctor does not flatter me, nor give me much encouragement. I have only to learn resignation; but it is a hard lesson, in this instance. Should I tell you all my feelings on the subject,