-two, to another Elizabeth,
one of the King family. She lived only eighteen days, and a little more
than a year later, he again embarked on the sea of matrimony, this time
with a widow, Mrs. Jane Parrott. By his first wife he had eleven
children, the usual number in those days.

In 1783, one year after his first marriage, he built his home on Duck
Lane (33rd Street), which he called "Mamre," from the Old Testament.
After Abraham and Lot had separated, Abraham giving Lot the first choice
of location, "the Lord told Abraham to look over the whole land which He
would give to him and his seed forever, and Abraham moved his tent and
dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, and built there an altar unto the Lord."

In 1799, when a street was graded through, it completely ruined his
property and he was obliged to take refuge with neighbors. One of his
neighbors was James Calder, who was a trustee of his church, and Mr.
Crookshanks lived near by. Dr. Balch had an island on the river called
"Patmos." This time he went to the New Testament and named it for Saint
John's abode, where he wrote the Book of Revelations. This island
supplied wood for his fires. He had, also, a little way out of town, a
farm of ten acres.

One Fourth of July, his son, Thomas, aged eight, as he tells us in his
_Reminiscences_, wanted to deliver an oration which he had prepared--in
Scotch Row, near by his home. All of his comrades had gone to see
Captain Doughty's Company on parade with the fife-and-drum corps. But
the little boy was not to be deterred. He went up on Bridge (M) Street,
hunting an audience and a distinguished one he brought back with him. If
small in number, it made up in quality, for he had General John Mason
and Monsieur Pichon, a "bland and elegant" Frenchman sent by Napoleon to
receive the $15,000,000 for the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. Mr.
Pichon was a Huguenot from the city of Lyons and lived, while here, near
the Bank of Columbia. This son followed in his father's footsteps as a
minister and did not have to go out always for his audience.

A short while after the death of General Washington, Dr. Balch gave
notice that he was going to speak on the life and services of the great
statesman. He preached in the open air to more than a thousand people.

The last years of Dr. Balch's life were spent at number 3302 Gay (N)
Street, where a bad fire destroyed many valuable papers and the records
of his church. He wrote to a friend: "Only the