, 1870-08-01
A CONNECTICUT CENTENARLAN.


l.
sings n $onE-Skrtch OF kIks f.tf~.
Il correspondent OF the Hartford CoIranf
gives the following account of tho tirthdAr
Celebration IT the Oldest nan iu Connecticut:
ssThe a3d OF JULY viii long be remembered
By the inhabitants OF Marlborough aud vicinity.
human being-a thing 10 r1zo in this age ot
fast living, that It is wosthy Of concuenoEa-
ton, and very proper that He should pause ia
our ruth from, the cradle to the grave. and
look hack with this veteran oycs the battle Of
life that has covered 70 many yeArr, and Wit
world. The day WAS line. though very wasn.
and toward noon there might be seen Winding
over The bills ind through the valleys Of a1a1l-
borough and neighboTng towns, loads Of
hot aud dusty travellers, with Eyeterfoustbhs-
kets tucked AWAY in one corner OF their Ee-
Licles, all destined to the 9ld, gray. weather.
worn Loure on the hillside Ascending the
Lii. the drst thing. We observed VIA the old
flag floating above the tfees near the dwelling:
LII front of the house = nice nhadF a1boI had
bsen erected for be protection OF the tables.
which we're loaded With tempting edlhea-shs
people Of the tovn-for even sooer-smit Maz1-
Borough can be stirred up upon the birthday
Of her oldest lsing, son. and We must conteas
she did Justice to the occasion. The ancient
we'll sweep WAS still in operstion, and the
water from the "old oalen bucket" was
never 10 good a On this hundredth birthday.
! Everything bore the marks Of time Ike tho
| venerable resident. Even the turkeys had :
digpitied air appropriate to the surroundings.
| Passing in at the front door We were met ny
| the nnafteE OF ceremonies, and informed TINT
we could 70 anywhere in the house except that
loom where the old gentleman Was enjoing
4 little rest. Soon, however. the doors
of seeing and shaking by the hand a
censeaHz1an. There he sat in large arns.
chair, patriarch ike unto the days Of old
erect as he always ~1e, \ splendid head Of gray
ha!1. eyes din With hundred yeArs. tAce calm
| and composed. and u beautiful peace resting
upon his countenAnce-A monument Of hos
gently Time deals with the children true Il
nature. His voice was feeble, but lis memoE.
fresh IL ever u he welcomed one after another
and with some reaiy remark referred to By
gone days. At 3 o'clock. the ceremonies war
opened " readinngof the ScriPttsea ndpssye
Is Rev. NJ. Ruskin, Of Marlborough. the ol,
gentleman having taken seat 1t the iron
door and deyou1ly listening. Next followed
historical eketch Of biz Life. bE Rey. Hirau
Bell, Of WestcAehtes, Of Which We viii give
Oh the 23d Of July. ITO, ia the County Q
Hartford. Town Of Glastonbury. and Parish Q
Marlborough. Two OF his unclea wished hi1
to le named for themselves, aud lis mothe
consented, On condition that they woul
present lin with suit Of clothes, b1
III tAey N0uu Hut agree u uu 1ts III
appended the name 10 has toruc t
this day. He has been married twice, hi
second wife having died some twenty yeal
ago, einee which time he has lived = lionel
, life He las had seven children, three {
wLom arc Low living. He L:s been men
Der of tue Congregational Church in th
: place for thi1ty-nine yearr, and faithful =
tcuJant too. lie entered this life under Bri
ish rule, and lived to rec these thirteen feeb
, colo1lts become one OF the most rowett
: nations on the face of the Garth. uo yots
for Washington 1t Ills reelection, aud b
>uted At every Presidential election nince til
| time, though not always succeseful, am sor
: to say. and he ea5s he hopes be shall lire
i | vote unce more. lie llaa never chAnged
} politics il al that TIME
~ very touching scene then followed. II
= old gentleman wished ail the children to
!. brought 10 him, and there, leaning upon
: Gaze. his head covered and his dim eyes loo
l. ing away into The great unknown, euns I.
ycrres with Drolcu voice tlla, sound
already from far-away land. Then lie
pcated the ten commandments, asked thu
few questions in The eatechisln, and 81
r | them some parting sdEice. Tie chilhr
!. | eat,r linn a situt,1e gong aud then retired"