he held an auction and packed up his things, his wife and his youngest child, his daughter Lidia, age 20, and took the train to sunny California.  There is an entry in the Eureka Post Newspaper dated April 15, 1904 which states that "a resident of the city of Eureka for the past year, he left with his family for California last Monday, where he expects to spend his remaining days"

          Samuel settled in the town of Lodi in the San Joaquin Valley of California south of the capitol, Sacramento.  Lodi is located in a fertile, flat farm area, much like the land back in South Dakota, but with one big difference-the warmer weather!  Today it is a city of 65,000 and is known as a center for wine production.  It still has the feel of a quaint town with a city center that retains much of its old charm and hospitality.  Lodi was incorporated in 1906, and of course, it grew because it was near a river and on the railroad line.  In fact Samuel's house at 225 North Stockton Street was just a few blocks from the railroad tracks and within an easy walk downtown.

         Arlo and I visited Lodi a few years ago and tried to find that address.  Unfortunately, it was not to be found, but Stockton Street is still there with lots of older, smaller, nice homes.  It seems that even though he was retired, Samuel still liked to keep busy because in the 1914 and 1919 city directories, he is listed as being a gardener.

          In April of 1905, the first Baptist Church of Lodi was officially organized with 17 charter members, and among them was Samuel Grenz.  That church still thrives today, and 3 years ago Arlo and I were able to attend the 100th anniversary celebration and dinner at the church in its beautiful, new building.

          Samuel's wife, Christina, died of a liver disease in August of 1904, just a few months after arriving in California.  In June of 1908, Samuel married a widow by the name of Katharina Theurer Nathan who was born in Russia and had married her first husband there.  Samuel and Katharina were married by Pastor Theodor Fry, at the First Baptist Church.

          In the 1910 census they are listed as living in Elkhorn Township in the City of Lodi.  Katharina is listed as being the mother of 13 children, 11 living.  Can you imagine?  Between the two of them, they now had 19 living children!  Now that would have been some family reunion!  In the occupation column of the census, it states "own income."  So Samuel must have been an industrious frugal fellow, who had saved up money for his golden years.  He owned his home, mortgage free.  He was now able to speak English, but Katharina could not.

          Quite a few years ago, in the early 1990's, I went to a mini Grenz reunion in Lodi and met some of Samuel's grandchildren who still remembered him and his second wife.  It is interesting to note that Samuel married Katharina just 3 months after Katharina's son, Richard married Samuel's daughter Lidia.  It was one of Lidia's daughters, Edna, that hosted the reunion at her home and she still has the ornate, framed marriage certificate of Samuel and Katharina.  I secretly wished she would give it to me, but of course, she had not the slightest inclination to do so.  Her son Richard Nathan is also very interested in family history, and was, or still is, I believe a 7th Day Adventist minister in Lodi.  Also, Katharina's daughter Barbara had married the previously mentioned Christian Grenz (Grandpa Fred's brother and the one who was later Logan County commissioner), son of Samuel in 1889 in Eureka, South Dakota.  Barbara and Christian became the parents of Richard Grenz, the minister,