Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-05-09
A Hale Old Man.

The Waite rtown correspondent Of tb
Milwaukee Sentinel in the issue OF the III
inst. gives the following sketch Of our ven
| cradle citizen, Mr. Charles Branigan:
do not hesitate to say that our fellow.
citizen Charles Branigan is not only one 0
the Oldest but, for his age, the best pre-.
served and most vigorous person, physical
aud Intellectually, in the State of Wlscon-
sin Mr.. Braninan WAS born in the town
Monaghan, County Monaghan, Ireland, De-
! cember &c 1884, and he is therefore well
into his 93d year. He is in possession Of
all bis faculties and converse5 freely and
intelligeutly on all subjects with winch he
is acquainted. Age has told more on his
memory than IN any other respect But
still his mind can recur back back with
considerable c'earness for a great nun Der
of years. Considering the burden of his
years his carriage might be called erect,
ana he occasionally may be seen walking
without cane. MIR Brangan was married
In SO, and has been the husband of but
one wife, who died some twenty years ago.
He has been the father of nine children, five
Of whom, three daughters and two sons, are
now living. Mr.. B. came 10 the United
States in 1920, settling in Vermont, from
whence he removed to Ohio, where he lived
until emigrating to Wisconsin in l848
The student OF Irish history will realize
more fully the extreme age Of our subject
when it is remem bered that at the time of
the celebrated rebellion Of 1898 Mr.. Bran
agan was wel-gro vn lad Of IA yeacs Of
age, and remembers wildly the events of
that stirring period in Ireland. Among
the circumstances he recollects distinctly
of that far-dstant time is that of seeing
Corn wallis, who commanded the English
forces in Ireland during the IRISH Rebellion,
pass through Monagh han withwhat was called
bis Flying camp Here have contem-
porary with us a person who saw the Eng
Iish general that surrendered to Washington
at York town in 1881, nearly one hundred
years ago! CORVALLIS himself at that time
being 43 years of age. Mr.. Branigan IS
three years older than our constitution, and
was child of years of age when Wash
ington was elected President the first time.
The great Daniel O'Conne!l was BORN only
nine years before Mr. BranIgan Fl rst saw
light In the same Green Isle, and Mr. B
remembers as but Yesterday O'Connell' s
duel with D Esterre in 1915 The exucu-
ton of Robert Emmett in 1903 and the
great excitement it caused are also strongly
impressed on his memory, although occur
RUG "a years ago. When Napoleon ended
his ambitious career at Waterloo Mr.. Bran.
nigan was in his 3lst year, only Is years
the Junior of the great Frenchman. But
these comparative notes might be carried to
an unlimited extent; sufficient have been
given, however, to impress firmly upon the
mind by historical comparisons the lust
claim Mr.. Branigan has to being considered
venerable citizen. The friends of Mr..
Branigan have every reason to hope that
he will live to see his one hundredth birth
day. At the present time it would seem
from his health and strength that with care
he will give his relatives and friends an op-
portunity of celebrating with him tina.
event, which falls to the lot of so very few
that are of earth, earthly.