The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1870-09-17
Our Very Aged.
by SUSAN SNAPP.

Just before her ninety fourth birthday,
while apparently in perfect health and in
full possession of her faculties, she sud
denly grew tired, and, like Il little child,
fell asleep in her Fathers arms.
OF late years. one of her chief delights
has been to learn of other aged pilgrims
who, like herself, were nearing their hun
dredth year. Sometimes, John, when he
came home from the city, would enter the
room with: We'll, grandma, | saw fine
old gentleman to-day-hard on to CEN
fury hale, though, hale and hearty
''Do tell, child - she would exclaim,
laying down her knitting. "Did you hap
pen to learn his name?" (she had a way of
half hopping, whenever any very old per-
son came to light, that it might prove to be
one of the lost cronies of her girlhood.)
AS for myself, on taking up a paper, one
of the first things, after reading the deaths,
marriages, and kilograms, was to hunt for
an account of some real old, old person for
grandma. This is how | happen to know
of quite number of Americans now liv-
ing, who are older than our dear one would
be, if she were here to-day. A venerable
group are they. Blessings on them for her
sake She prayed for them all, as if they
were indeed her brothers and sisters.
Joseph Cobb, of GAINESVILLE, Ohio, was
ninety-eight last winter, and in January,
skated among the merriest on the Muskin-
gum River. He is said to have been always
man of temperate, quiet habits.
His older, by four years, is John Rontcrs,
a colored man, now living at Flushing,
Long Island. He was one of party of
twenty-four who rowed General Washing
ton from New York to Flushing, when the
latter went to purchase trees from the old
Prince nursery. John is one hundred and
two, but he hardly can expect to see his
hundred and third birthday, as he is feeble,
though able to ''be about as nc says
Until lately, he could read without his
spectacles.
Boston is not without its veterans. The
other day, Mr.. Alpheus Chapin-father of
the clergyman-was coming out of the
Springfield street Chapel. He had recently
been famed by an accident, and was there
fore assisted on either side by Father
Cleveland, who is ninety weight, and another
spry young gentleman of hundred sum-
mers. 1t must have been an odd sight to
see an old man calamity supported by two
who were grown up when he was born.
Mistress Mary Brockaway-a bright old
lady living in Boston, and locally known as
Aunt Polly-found herself centenarian
in April last. She is hale and hearty, and
her sight, hearing, and memory are good.
Being among the pioneer settlers of the
place, she has endured hardships unknown
to this generation. Her whole life has
been one Of industry and frugality, and
even now not waking hour is allowed to
pass unemployed by her busy hands.
Captain John Webster, of the Snug
Harbor on Staten Island, is one hundred
and four years old lie went to school
with John and Charles Wesley, conversed
with Washington, and walk ed arm-in- arm
with Daniel Webster. / wonder if he is
as happy and grand as the veteran whom
John and / saw at the De laware Water
Gap last summer-a festive individual of
one hundred and six years, who had just
walked two miles to have his photograph
taken; or whether he is as settled in his
opinions as Mrs. Mary Arnod, of Brooklyn,
who celebrated her hundredth birthday
nearly eleven years ago. Mrs. Arnod is an
ardent advocate of Woman's Rights and
for her sake, 1 really do think the people
ought to hurry up and settle Matters
Time grows precious when one is hun
bred and eleven. Here is a newspaper
scrap about her that we found in grandma's
work basket. All me !. it seems only yes
terday she read it aloud to us, remarking
quietly at the close that the ''old lady GER
tainly was getting pretty we'll on in years -
"Mrs. Mary Arnod has completed her
Tooth year. and is still living, hale and APP
parently hearty in body. and with mind
little impaired by age. Yesterday, several
gentlemen from New York visited the old
lady at her sons residence. Brooklyn, and
held a conversation with her, during which
she related many incidents of the Revolu-
ton and the war with Great Britain. She
was married at thirty-five, and has had
eight children. Five of them-;,ll daugh-
ters-arc still living, the youngest being
sixty years of age. In the house with the
venerable old lady, her great-great- grand
children are living. Her immediate de-
scendants number 137. During the CONVEX
sation, Mrs. Arnod reminded one of her
visitors that three years before he had
promised to visit her, and had not done so
as soon as she expected"
But one hundred and nine years are not
so very many, after all. Mrs. Diana Vres,
of Nashville, Tenn, is one hundred and
fourteen. She is healthy and vigorous, and
has over four hundred descendants living.
There's a snug little family tea party for
you The lady has lost three husbands,
but as they all served in the early Ameri-
can wars, she has drawn pensions for each,
which must be some consolation.
Mrs. Vres, in turn, is cclipsed by an In
| dian mother of Sioux City, Iowa, who, if
she lives till October, will see the yearly
| Frightening of the forest for the hundred
and eighteenth time. She has had rather
| rough life of it, poor creature and says
she hasn't seen the mosquitoes SO bad for
a hundred years as they have been this
summer.
But Mrs. Vres, and the Indian mother,
| and all the rest are eclipsed by Joseph Crele,
| of Wisconsin, who, unless he has departed
this life very recently, is probably the old
est man living. Think of it Think Of
being the oldest man in the world ! We
found scrap about him, too, in the spool
| pocket of the work-basket cut from a Wis
consin paper, and sent by somebody who
knew of our liking to hear of such cases
| "Joseph Crele was born in Detroit, of
French parents. The record of his baptism
in the Catholic church shows that he is
now 139 years of age. He has been resi-
| dent of Wisconsin for about a century,
| Whenever mention is made of the oldest
inhabitant, there need be no question as to
| the person. Joseph Crele is undoubtedly
| the man. He was first married in New
Orleans, 100 years ago. Some years after,
he settled at Prairie du Chen, while Wis
consin was yet a province of France. Be-
fore the Revelation war, he was employed