The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1884-12-30
CENTENARIANS.
T hree of Them Die in st.
Louis in One Week.
An Interesting sketch Of the Old
est Known Settlers IN Mis-
SSCri.

and unprecedente In history, no less
than three having passed away about
the same time. As there are many
Sedalians well acquainted with two of
the parties, the following brief sketch,
mainly copied from the Globe-Demo-
crat, will prove interesting:
MRS HATTIE PORTER,
one of the trio, after q short illness,
died on Thursday night at the resi-
dence of an adopted child, Mrs. John
Williamson, 1924 South Second street.
She was buried yesterday from the
house, and one of her intimate friends
did not attend, Jude Pousette, that
friend. whose age as nearly as can be
ascertained, was the same, had died on
Friday night. Mrs. Porter was a
negress, aud had no record of her age,
but Its estimate was a matter Of calcu
lation. From known dates of events
with which she had connection it was
calculated by those who knew her
that she was not less than 102 years.
She was born in Virginia, and was
brought here by her master in her
days of young womanhood. That
was about seventy years ogo. Her
master became involved in debt and
she was sold and ran execution to
Pierre Chouteau, ST. She lived In
his household number of years, when
she was sold to T. S. Smith, and
afterward to a Maj. Abercrombie,
who took her south. Her husband is
said to have been a BODY servant of
Zach Taylor. He purchased her free
dom, and they lived together until
Mr.. Taylor was elected president.
when he took her husband to Washing
ton. Mrs. Porter never saw him
after that, as he was taken i'll, and
died when he had intended to come
to st. Louis, where she was again
residing. She never had a child of
her own, and so adopted Mrs. VIII
hanson, now woman of 40 or there
abouts. She was remarkably bri hit
in her last years, doing an amount of
work that was almost Incredible, and
shaming younger hands. But she
never had any education except that
which fitted her for homework, being
unable to either read or write. She
had all of those qualities, however,
upon which the
AUCTIONEER WHO SOLD HER
in front of the old Court House
dwelt; health, good looks, willing
hands and sufficient knowledge to
make those hands useful She told
neighbor &c that so effective was
this eloquence that "Misha Chouteau"
paid 81 500 for her. Within the
time that has elapsed since her arrival
st. Louis has become city, and her
recollectious, disjointed though they
were, would have been valuable to
historian, as furnishing, as no record
of facts could, the color of the social
life of.tbe early days in ct. Louis.
Mr.. Richard Bowling, one of the
oldest residents of st. Louis, has been
frequently called the Directory of
1S18,' on account of his accurate
recollection of that portion of the his
tory of St. Louis. He had long
known Mrs. Porter, and is authority
for the statement that her age is 102.
The statement of Mrs. Williamson
that she was 100, he says is inaccurate
as ne knew her when she came to St.
Louis, and was sure she was not at
that time more than 50 years OF age |
MRS PoUsETTE.
i Mrs. Jude Pousette, a creole, who
for many years was an intimate friend |
and neighbor of the deceased Mrs. |
Hettie Porter died on Friday evening
at her home, 1892 South Second |
street, or as locally known, Columbus
street. Mrs. Pousette Was born
about the year 1871 or 1882. She was
the slave of Joseph Brazeau, whose
was situated near what is
now the corner of Morgan AID M lin
streets: She lived under three differ
ent governments. Sic remembered
the Spanish rule, fJlIowed by that of
France, and was girl of Is or IA
years when the French governor was
by Capt. stoddard, who
was appointed by the American gov.
srnment on the cessation of the terri
DRY by the French. She had distinct
ecollections. and was fond of reiterat
ng them to her grandchildren, OF the
CEREMONY of lowering the Ere nch
lag, and hosting that of the American
lation, which took place on the 4th y
f March, 1904. The farm of the (
5razeau is said 10 be in the neighbor-
lood ofthe place at which the deceased
lved for many years. and at which q
ne died. While still a girl, Brazeau
al