Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-21
"a MOUNTAIN PINK ;,
4 New Jersey Eegress who is ZIG Yea
Old

4 New Jersey Negress who is ZIG Xea1 :
Old.
The Oldest person, perhaps, now living
in the United states, SAYS the Phila-
delphia Rec0rd, Is Sylvia Duhoice, Q
( negress and former slave. who, in Aus asst
last, celebrated hex 1l0th birthday. and
who lives ir Geeti.rtt1non The bleak sum-
nit of the Soar oUllair 1a Hunter
don coun So. Jersey. LIE Gtrle
frame cas- rs-- one room hardly large
enough lie swinging Of eat. anj
which is hidden amid the stuated under
brush and huge boulders that lend d
rugged and barren picturesqueness to the
lone spot, this famous ''mountain pink
drags out her buTdensome life, attended
by her '.baby' as she calls her youngest
daughter, Elizabeth Alexander, who is
herself 70 years Of age.
When a reporter, after a wearisome
climb of miles, reached the cabin the
other day be found the ys neTablr human
relic stirring up wash clothes shat were
in boiler on the stove, while the ''baby,'
lusty and stout limbed. was cbOpping
wood, swinging her AK with the skill and
strength OF an Amazon. For half a cen
fury old Sylvia bias lived upon the identi-
cal spot upon Whicbiher cabin now stands.
The structure in which all these years
were passed had begun to tumble in sheer
decay about her. Tor ii was a bold target
for the fierce winds that swet p with hGr-
ricane-like fury over the top Of the old
gray mountain. 1t at last became not
even ii shelter FIR beast. Her COndi-
ton excited the COmmiseration OF Rev.
Mr.. Ferris, mountain missionary, who
succeeded in interesting the ladies Of the
Pres Lyterian Church, at Pennington. ten
miles away. in her behalf They raised
the money for the building Of a new cabin,
and into this she has just moved. The
structure is not lathed or plastered. and
there is no carpet on the floor. The old
| lady sleeps on a cot while her daughter
TepOses on an Old straw mattress in the
loft, which without a window and is
zreached by the aid of a primitive ladder.
There is not " Single article Of comfort
about the place and hardly the neces-
saries of life. But the new house is a
I palace IN comparison with the old one.
The centenarian is remarkably pre-
served for So great an age. She says that
/ she can hear purity good" Her eyesight
4 is excellent and she never wore .'specs. 2
/ She can boast Of the possession Of one
| sound tooth. and saws that since she was
/ 80 years old she has drawn ''crumbs Of
/ comfort from a clay tobacco pipe. Il
/ think as much OF Old clay pipe as DO
1 Of my darter over yander," she remarked.
/ The old lady is densely ignorant, never
4 even having been taught TO read on write.
! and this, combined with her c!0uded
! memory, prevented her telling much
/ about herself. But tie daughter says
/ that her age is fully attested by an entry
/ Of her birth i'm the family Bible OF Mag
/ Baird, to whom her father, Il slave. be.
1 l0nged. S-e was born near Rock Mills.
mt the edge Of the Somerset Mountain, I'm
/ Somerset county, Nj. When q girl she
/ was sold or given to man named Du-
! bOCe, who lived at Great Bend on the
north branch If the Su=quehanna river,
] in Pennsylvania. She says she operated
/ a ferry for her master, aud took bis name
\ When she reached her 18th wear, and was
/ her own master, DubOice furnished her
/ with a paper setting forth that she was a
1 free woman. Armed with this she re.
1 turned to Jersey, which was at that time
a slave State.
Her father served as q ffar in the Cont
4 mental army, i'm the command of Mai
Baird, his master. He participated in &
number Of battles. She has no memory
( for events, and gets Jhe Revolution sadly
| mixed with the war Of 1912. She is thc
mother OF three children. the eldest
/ judith Roberts. whose age is S3years, living
/ at Princeton, y. j. She cannot recall tl(
ages Of Ter father or mother when they
died, but says her sOn-in-law, Francis
/ CraZer, died in Philadelphia during the
/ Centennial, at the age OF 104 years. Old
Sylvia is as ''pert rs cricket" can wall
about unaided and is but little stopped
/ from age. Two years ago she made g
Journey to Lambertyille, and then to New
Egypt. Her life has been published il
book form by Prof. LaTicOn, OF RingOes
and has had n large sale in that section
Mrs. Alexander told the reporter that she
had to take as tender care OF her mother
as though she were baby. The
doctor will not permit her to take medi
cine, but prescribes nOurishing food
These Old women subsist wholly upOr
charity. The daughter regretted that
owing to the care required by the mother
she is unable to 90 out to work for theil
support, and the consequence is that they
are in great restitution. Old Sylvia needs
clothes, an easy-chair and, worse still
nOurishing food. Her extraordinary agt
and helplessness appeal strongly to thu
| charitable.