The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-09-22
A Favored Land! a Fruitful
People! The Old North
State Forever!

commonwealth; BAT there Is one feature
which has had less attention than Its
merits call for steing that 1t goes to
prove the exceeding healthtullness OF
the country. We refer to the unusual
size of our families. Statistics show
that North Carolina has fewer Deaths,
in ratio to her population than eny
Southern State, except the nest OF
mountains called 10y the 1ankecs)
West Virginia, and there is no doubt
that in number of Births she leads
ali the other States of the Original
Thirteen if not the whole Union.
Iu New England, for example, 1t Is a
very rare thing for a family, to have
more than Or one or two chicks; and
among the older. weather., more high
toned classes II Is quite Common to
have none At all, or such a little one
that it don't count
Whereas in \ .rth Carolina, average
Young %couples, well mated and healthy,
will FIJI the Family Bible with
in ten wears, and bring a regiment Of
Youngsters TO rally round the roast beef
at first toot of the TIN horn Indeed
1t would be easy to count q dozen tami
lies with a dozen children, tor every
family that have none. This is an hon
orable fact. Ii bespeaks the heathful-
ness of our SOIL and the good health,
ole. 1t is SO universally true that
whe one meets with II chlldless faml-
Is, the circumstances Is at Il attrlbu
ted to ill-health or hereditary ailments.
1r fralltv OF constitution on one side or
both and not to vice, dissipation, or
deliberate wickedneSs, as Is too often
the Case at the North, according to
Northern writer's, and physicians.
Moreover there are some sections OF
North Carolina hat may almost chat
lenge the world in Prolltlcness. The
Northern tier Of counties from Stokes
TO Northampton are noted tor large tam
lies; averaging from ten TO twenty
dren to the house, Granville county, III
particular, has well obeyed the pr+cept
Be fruitful, and Multiply, and Replen-
ssh the Earth" We e informed, by
undoubteI authority. that one old lady
Of high character ard great popularity.
who acted Is midwife, throughout u
circuit Of | 5 to 20 miles around her home,
delivered nearly four Monsund children,
during sixty years service. Among
them were some of the twenty seven
(2O sons of Archibald Gordon the
largest family of which we ever heard,
out OF Ulah, OF the Bible.
Families of twenty children are, how
ever, quite Common. Not far fom
his birth place, resides another large
rorthy family, the Canadys. Dir. 5
II. CAnnady gave Us account OF All do
ady, then living who numbered some
three hundre and twenty descendants :
in til: third generations, i. e., sou>,
y~rand-sOn~, aud preat-grand sons
The Granville Free Ldncp, last wear
n, tie the marriage Of Charles Beasley,
an OLD coIored man, who has been mar
RED seven times, and has had 81 CHI
dren, oi whom47 are living. He claims
to be 90 years oil. but Is described a.
cond ucting him>elf-''spry as a young
buck on t~klug home his seventh
bride
The 7'oJoccouj'yt ofSept. 18th OSSD
gives the following staten mt of ore
township Of Granville county,
rTownesviIle IS perhaps our most
prolific townsE p Its reputation is t
# modern date. half a century ago.
George Newell, poor, industrious anbi-
to make money, married a blue
eyed, rosy cheek girl, who gave birth
III due ani propertime TO twins. George
told his young wife if it was we re
peated, he would abandon her.
In nine months and thirty days it was
repeated. and George Newell, made
good his word and started on foot tol
Inc .h,t, To. ~1.cn T..
elder brother lived. He stopped on the
Yadkin, and made acquainted with hir
domestic caiaunities. The younger
brother protested, and vowed he should
20 no further, but return to his wife and
children. He rested on the Yadkin for
tyear and was prevailed on to return,
liter making IA crop. La nine months
from the day of his return the loving
wife presented the husband with tri
plets. lie resolved to carry out his
original intention, had his shoes halt
soled, and his poke or wallet packed for
the journey. The IN came to the
rescue and alter consultation it was de
lermlned, that the neighbors should be
called on to contribute money to buy a
morse and cart that he might take his
wife and her seven boy bah es, for there
Vas not a girl in the flock. George
Newell left with a heavy heart and a
iull cart, for Hawkins county, and has
never returned The same calamity
beieil DIR. Henderson Of DeSota county
Hiss The Doctor bore the application
With great tortitude, and the Legisla-
ure of that State gave each Of the seven
children a section of land. We learn
these facts from Mr.. w. B. Hunt, who
5 nc maker of fish stories, but cite, as
some proof Of the possibility Of the
story, the fact that three families in
George Novels old neighborhood, have
,hlrty six children, and he names the
men to wit; j. Allston, Buck Boyd,
md John Thomas. He refers to the
register OF deeds Mr.. Bullock as having
personal knowledge, of the thirty-six in
.hrce families"
ANOTHER COUNTY HEARD FROM
Adjoining Granville on the west is
Person county, and the Milton Chreni-
Gle furnishes a recent item which shows
that boundary lines do MT always
blRd:-"On the 4th day Of this month,
it being the birth Gay Of the venerable
John ID. Clayton, of the Roxboro town
hip, who is bet ween 70 and 50 years
old, there was a big entertainment
given 10y the old man to his children
and grind children, numbering ia all
pressn, 90! Seventeen Of these were
children by his last wife. The old man