Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-06-10
THE OLDEST CITIZEN.
Who He is and Where He Has Spent Hi

that city, at the ripe age OF 1O6. He has
never used glasses, and he can read, sew,
thread needle and darns his own stock
ings though he has young wife, aged ~.
Rice was born in Hartford county, Mary
land, near Baltimore, in 1714, of slave par
ents on the Webster plantation. On the
death of his master Richard was sold to a
Mr. Massey, who owned an adjoining
| plantation, to serve until he was twenty
one years of age. after which, according to
the provisions of the will of his old master,
he was to serve one of the heirs for eight
years before he received his freedom.
| When lie was "a he was manumitted,
| crossed the river at point near Port De-
pusit and worked for a few months, when
he made his way to Columbia, this county,
and obtained work in distillery, where he
remained fourteen years.
| Shortly after his arrival in Columbia he
married Nancy Richards, went to house
| keeping, aid having steady work made a
good living, lived comfortably and saved
up little money. Seven. children were
| born to him il: this place. and when the
| youngest was about three years Of age a
| scheme was projected ior the colonization
| of Hayti, and the ship Charles WAS char
| tered to take out load of emigrants.
| Richard sold out in Columbia, and, ac-
| companied by his wife. one daughter,
| aged eleven years, 4 son, three years, and
a niece thirteen years Of age, and sixteen
| of his friends and nciyhbors, proceeded to
Philadelphia, where they joined the colony
| of about three hundred souls, and set sail
| for their new home.
All landed safely, but soon bcsah to
sickcn and die from icvers and malarial
diseases, until only a handful of the band
| which had landed with such bright hopes
of Il successful future were left. After
staying about three years Richard started
| for nome, leaving his wife and the two
girls to follow him, the little boy having
| died some time before. and landed in Phil
| adelphia, where he remained for short
time, and then re turn ned to Columbia.
In speaking yesterday of his return the
old man seemed to be inspired with some
| of his oltl-tilnc igor, and said II was
homesick to get back, and thought l
would be very happy, but when landed
and thought OF my family left behind me 1
was very unhappy. | remember we
landed on the 9th of March, and there was
snow on the ground, the first had seen
| f,rt l. nd h 1, ,Cr
look more like home than it would have
done without it"
He sent for his wife Il short time after
his RETURN but she died before she could
take passage, and her sister, who had
gone with the company. kept the girls,
and lie has never heard anything from
them since receiving the news of his wife S
death.
The first thing Richard found to do after
returning to Columbia was the building OF
the reservoir, and the digging of the
trenches for the pipe from the spring
where the water was obtained. The con-
tract for the work was taken by three men
and successfully carried out, they doing all
the work except the blasting of small
quantity Of hard rock which they cncoun-
tered.
To test the memory OF the old man, he
was asked how long the trench was from
the spring to the basin, and he answered,
without II moments hesitation, Zone
miie aud 4 quarter and twelve perches, and
We dus every foot OF git, except eleven
pcrchcs of rock which we had bIaSted''
After the completion of the water works
he worked on the ferry between Columbia
and WrightSvillc for Il number of years.
assisted in building the first bridge which
spanned the river at that point, and, ON it
being destroyed by a flood, aided in build
ing the second one, which was destroyed
by fire in July, 1864, during, the rebel
raid.
lie also assisted in building the dam,
and is able to give all the minute details of
the work. During this time. in the year
1888 he again married, his second wife
being a widow named Henrietta Lee. and
who is still living and in good health, al
though almost eighty years Of age. By
this marriage Richard became the brother
in-law of Stephen Smith, senior partner of
the firm of Smith & Whipper, extensive
lumber dealers of Philadelphia and Colum-
| bia. and afterward father-in-law of VIM.
Whipper, the junior member of the same
firm, who married the present Mrs. Rice's
daughter 10y her first marriage.
For years he remained in Columbia,
worked on the river and in lumber yards,
lived frugally and accumulated some prop
ty both in that place and in Wrightsville,
but in 1857, although the winters and sum-
mers of more than four score years had
passed over his head, he sold out every
thing, and, in company with his wife and
two children, emigrated to Canada, where
he rented small farm and went to work.
The country and climate were new to them,
and for the first year they were unable to
make anything, and after buying their
cows. a horse, some pigs and sheep, their
little hoard of gold was nearly all gone be-
fore they could get any return for their
labor.
They remained there seventeen years by
which time they had become poor and
after selling out what little remained, bare
ly h I'd enough to bring them to the home of
daughter in Philadelphia, where they