It was his wife's singing that led him to the Lord

"Solomon and Emma were married August 27, 1893. They did not have the financial start in life that many think is necessary. . . Solomon was in debt $50. Emma had $5. And there was no easy way for farm people to make money, with eggs 8 cents a dozen, butter 15 cents a pound, and a man's wages $2.50 a week. This was in the midst of what was called the "Cleveland Panic" and the severe depression following it. . .

Emma had such a beautiful singing voice, and she did lots of singing as she went about her household duties. Her godly life and melodious voice seemed to touch a tender chord in Solomon's soul. When he would be out at work and come in near the house, the songs of the church would fall upon his ears. When Emma saw him coming in the house, she would quit singing, which "got to" Solomon because he realized she was not wanting to be too persuasive. . . One summer day as Solomon came home from town, Emma was in the kitchen singing hymns, and he could hear her beautiful voice as it came floating out the open window. He stopped and stood along the woodshed and listened to the beautiful old hymn she was singing. And as he listened and meditated, it was there that he decided to accept the Lord and come to the church. So at the age of 22, Solomon Stoner was baptized into the Old German Baptist Church. In his last years, he said it was Emma's singing that brought him to the church. . ." Shuman, Herman, "The country preacher; the life and ministry of Elder Solomon Stoner," Hudson Printing Co., Anderson, IN (1992), pp. 4-5.

The author, Herman Shuman, and I were 2nd cousins (share the same great grandparents). He lived on a farm near Pendleton, IN, and authored several books on the Old German Baptist Brethren. He died last year at 93.