Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1870-12-08
An Aged Woman.
ORLASp, Nov. 2l, 1870

ORLANp, Nov. 21, 1870.
To the Editor cy the Wig d Courier:
There died in this town Nov. l4th,
Mrs Luella Gross, aged l07 years and
some months Her name, on account
Of her extreme age, has appeared in
your columns before. So seldom is it
that human life is prolonged beyond a
century, that when it is thus prolonged,
its possessor becomes an object Of
wonder and curiosity, often question
ed her in regard to her age, and her
answer was invariably: IL have been
borned great many years"
Seldom is there occasion to chronicle
the death of one so aged, and in thus
doing and while other localities are
from time to time publishing accounts
of their aged dead. allow me, through
your columns, to claim for Orland,
Hancock County Maine, one of the old
est, if not the oldest person whose
death has occurred in this country for
many years.
The subject Of this sketch was born
in 1868. She distinctly remembered
incidents of the Revolutionary War,
many of which have heard her relate,
often speaking of the British who came
up the river and drove away her fathers
cattle. Such incidents of her girlhood
made deep impression upon her mind
and in her last years she enjoyed re-
hearsing them.
Her parents, who were among the
first settlers of Bucksport, then resided
at North Bucksport. She was one OF
large family, not particularly distin-
guishsd for hardihood or longevity.
She married early in life, had family
of children. and lost her husband some
30 years agoby drowning. since which
time she has lived widow. She lost
a son years ago, who died in old age,
himself having passed the three score
years and ten allotted to mankind.
Her physical organization was Of the
most perfect kind. to which her lon
gevitv was owing, and not to any par
ticular habit of life, which as whole
was in grave contradiction to our con
ceived laws of health. She was born
to a life of privation and toll. aud in
early girlhood, through life until death,
she was imnodcratcly addicted 10 the
use of tobacco, especially in the form
of snuiF-in this as in most cases OF eN-
treme longevity, We look in vain 10 see
our cherished hygienic rules for the
preservation of health, cXemplitied.
The organism of this Old lady was 4
model, and from careful examination.
she would in all probability haye been
selected rs person likely to survive
To 4 good old asc. In statute sne was
ofmedium height five feet three inches
chest measures thirty-cight inches in
clined To corpulency cve!y part of her
body we'll developed. Upon rigid cx-
animation, both before and after death,
l could see nothing particularly re-
markably i'll her organization. except
the extreme size of her arteries and
veins, or | might say her entire Vas
cular System.
She never had any severe sickness,
and all her bodily functions were well
performed to the last. With the cx-
ception of being nearly blind and
partially deaf, there was nothing about
her to Indicate her extreme age Her
appetite was always good, her sleep
sound and healthy. In her mental pow
ers she was in her dotagc, memories Of
early childhood and childish thoughts
being the solace Of her last DAYS.
\ month ago she bid fair 10 live,
but symptoms of "Senilc gan.rcne"
began To manifest itself, in the right
leg, caused by ossilication Of the
femoral artery, gradually increasing
until some few days before her death,
when from ms-step she fractured her
right hip, thus Fastening the hour of
her departure from this to kinder
world.
In making a post mortem cXtmlna-
ton, l found the bones chalky and
crulnbly from age, and the arteries ut'
the leg ossified (turned to bonel. Her
vital organs were sound.
Her last days were made comforta-
bile by the kind attention of Mr.. and
Mrs. Hartman under whose care she
has been for few years past. She had
become town charge and rs such, has
been supported by Capt. Hartman,
contractor for the poor, under whose
care she has received only kindness
and attention I. II. CHASE, NJ. ID.