od he was trained in the principles of patriotism and religio
n.
In 1837 Rufus moved with his family from Monroe County, New York and settl
ed in Hadley, Michigan where they remained for sixteen years. This pla
ce became Rufus' spiritual birthplace. He gave his heart to God and his h
and to the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1839 and for over fifty yea
rs he was a faithful follower of Christ and a pillar in the church. He w
as one of the trustees that held the title to the Methodist Episcopal Chur
ch parsonage.

Rufus appears in the 1850 census at Hadley with four children and he is li
sted as a farmer. In 1863 he moved his family from Michigan and settled n
eaar Cherry Valley, Illinois. There he remained until 1881 when he went w
est and settled in Fonda, Pocahontas County, Iowa.
He died in 1889 at the age of 77 years. His will was dated February 6, 18
89 at Fonda. It is said his Christian life was in every way an exempla
ry one. He was not an extremist in any sense but with a quiet trustful di
sposition and with a holy zeal for the house of God he was a "serving apos
tle known and ready by all men.