The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1871-10-13
The eldest HAN.

In 1914, when Pittsburgh was but
a village, an old man named Jacob
Journals, then aged about seventy
years, came there from Canada, and
after a brief sojourn proceeded to
New Orleans in q kcel-fOat. That
old man died q few weeks ago in
Kansas City, at the age Of one hun
dred and thirty-four years, FOurn-
ais was probably the oldest man liv-
ing. He was q Canadian French
mand by birth, but for more than
half century was a hunter and o
trapper in the employ of the fur
company, one of the French (vOya-
eurs,) as they are called.
He was never sick, and only few
minutes before he died was walking
about the room. lie said to the fam
lily in the morning that he would
'never see the sun go down gain, "
and just before sunset the machine
stOpped-and the old man was dead.
His age was entered on the census
roll last year as one hundred and
thirty-fOur years, which is as near
as from the best evidence it could be
affixed.
His recollection OF important
events was very good, and, as he
was an illitePate man, his memory
held to isolated occurrences, not Of
history, as obtained from reading
books. This while it made his in
formation fragmentary and unsatis-
factory as TO the history of that early
period of bis life. yet afforded the
best evidence as to his graf age.
lie said he was working in the
woods on a piece OF land he had
bought for himself near Quebec,
when Wolfe was killed on the
Heights of Abraham. This .7as
! September Il, 1859, and from what
he told of his life previous to that,
must then have been over twenty
| one years OF age. Thinking he
might have concluded Wolf with
Montgomery-I775-he was ques-
toned fully, but his recollection OF
names and incidents was too dis
tinct to leave any doubt, and the
same account had been given to
others long before.
Another event which he remem.
bered well, and which he seemed al
ways to look upon as a good joke
was that during the occupation O.
New Orleans by General Jackson
1S14-l5-he had been refused enlist
ment because he was too Old" The
old man often told this with grea.
i glee. lie must then have been abou
! eighty years old.
! He accompanied the expedition 0
Lewis and Clark in their exploration
} of the Missouri and the discovery o
J the Columbia River in 1867. Hi
experience during the trip making
him q valuable man to the fur com
pany, he was afterwards employed
as we have stated, until thirty year
ago.
For the past seven or eight year
the old mans TecOlleCtiOns of face
were often at fault, but his memorl
of events and incidents seemed a
strong as eveT-like pictures in hi
5 mind-and this retention of occur
rences was the great help in deter
mining his age.
The last thirty years Of his lif
were passed in quiet and comfort
! He preferred living by himself, an
! always had his own house, where b
: kept his pipe and tobacco-pOuch, an,
. such things as were articles Of com
fort to him, mostly such as he ha
g brought from his residence with III
lndians-not forgetting his rosar
and few religious pictures whic
T. hung above his bed. He was yer
}. neat in his person, clothes, and house
), keepiRg, and up to the day OF hi
: death attended, IN summer, to his tC
n bacco-plants and his cabbages. On
t OF his great desires was to see q raj
: road, and when the first IOcomotiv
S came screaming into the bottom nea
= Kansas City, which was in full vie
u of his house, lie was nervous as
child until he visited It. He then e1
, pressed himslf satisfied, saving L
: could tell God lie had seen a raj
road and never after expressed an
d curiosity on the subject.
Truly, Kansas City could boast
E, having the champion old man. "