Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-04-23
From the New York Herald.l
The Oldest Man in America.
HISTORY OF GEORGE lie BARRE.
A YOUTH WHO SHOOK HANDS WITH WAsH-
INGT0S.

DkLAWAEk NAIEh 6AFf fA.t Jan 10, 20.
Taking q sleigh and driving thir-
teen miles west of here yesterday in
to q wild, unfruitful region of coun-
try, found in a weather-beaten farm
house off the roadside the oldest man
in America, George LIE Barre, who
was born at Mount Bethel, ,NOrthamp-
ton county, in this State, in the fall
of l75S, and is consequently approach
ing his one hundred and fifteenth
year. / had for a companion, on the
visit to this remarkable centurisn,
Mr.. Edward l.. Brodhead, q gentle
man belonging to one of the Oldest
families in the State, and an authority
in genealogical lore. We stopped at
Sam Bushes tavern at the cross roads
to inquire the precise location Of lie
Barrels residence. Sam asked, as we
were about to leave, "Got suthin spiri-
tool for the old man ?''
why, no." we answered; "he
wouldn't drink"
Better fetch him drink" contin-
ued Sam; ''he takes a nip OF whisky,
and when he chueks in two or three
stiff horns he talks like bird. You've
got to open his heart and set his
tongue agoin' in this way or he won't
tell you anything worth cent"
A PARTING INJUNCTION.
"Put a little water in that for him"
added Sam as we departed with GIN
ger beer bottle filed with the alcohol.
ic sesame. "It's above proof and may
bother him summit. Not much wat
er, mind; jest enough to prevent him
from coughing" la
Sans injunctiOns were Pre- perly
followed, and the result was such as
we were led to anticipate. Though
every body knew George lie Barre il
was only q favored few that appeared
to enjoy his personal scqusintance.-
His residence, In
A VERY STERILE SECTION
of the country and away from the
highways and centres Of population,
kept him apart from his neighbOrs
and then. George from his youth had
a fancy for solitary settlement and an
aversion TO any other company than
his dog and gun. His habits Ia early
life were insensibly modelled on those
of the Indians, Of whom he knew
considerable more than of his own
race. He was cradled in their midst,
and when the great Indian walk"
took place in 1868 and most of the
white settlers north Of tie noun
tains''-as the region Of country is
called above the Delaware Water Gap
were butehered aud their houses
George. his family and
their home were exempted from the
general doom. George, though 8
mere child at the time, remembers
that terrible walk" of the Indians
and remembers, too, how his fathers
roof gave shelter to several of the un-
fortunate settlers. The
YOUNGEST DAUGHTER OF MIR LIE
BARRE,
a lively lass OF seventy-six, with an
eve as bright and sharp as an, otter's,
opened the door for us, and having
stirred up the fire in the hearth start
ed with a brisk step to tell her venera-
BILE parent that two visitors desired to
see him. The room where we waited
to embrace the aceOmmoda-
tions of kitchen, reception room,
sleeping apartment and museum OF
relics, consisting OF old fiints, leather
leggins, Indian arrows, shot pouches,
knives, and all the odds and
ends that entered into the equipments
of a frontiersman of the olden time.
The house appeared 10 have been
constructed of logs, but bJ
means of elap-bOard facing 10 the ex-
terror and a liberal application of
whitewash to the inside it wore a tol,
erabIy comfortably look. Soon Geo.
entered with feeble step and walked
slowly, without aid, to a willow-bot-
toned chair near the fire. he took
but very
SLIGHT NOTICE OF HIS VISITORS
until his daughter, whose astonish-
ing vivaeity at seventy-six made Us
marvel quite as much as did the far
memory Of Der father, intro
duced US. He told Mr.. Brodhead that
he did not know him, but that he was
well acquainted with his grandfather
and his great grandfather. He was
slow to talk al first, saying that he
had q touch Of rheumatism, but he
hoped to shake II of when the warm
set in. He had never been
sick, but twice in his life, and then,
as he observed, it was entirely due to
his own indiseretion in sleeping on
damp ground out In the woods at
night.
VICTORY OVER TIME.
As he sat OppO ite to Us in the chair
he presented unmistakabie marks of
extreme old age without the usual sc-
of paralized or impaired
sensts. HIS eye-sight is as good as
that of the average of men of sixty.
His hearing is slightly defective and
made it necessary 20 address him in q
voice somewhat louder than the ordi.
nary conversational tone.
MINCTE MEMORY.
His memory Of prior events to his
one hundredth year is silgularly clear
though the further back he reaches
the more lumieous his recollection
becomes. He Is not quite sure wheth-
er his friend Depue, who was shot in
the Thiskey insurrectiOn of 170l, died
-.