Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-12-12
Centenar;ans.

Are there any centenarians! III so. 10"
many? II anybody In Virginia has a CEN
ienarisu amongst his acquaintance, we
should be pleased II he would furnish US
the evidence Of the fact that the person is
a centcnarian. Bridgeport corresponds
ent OF the New York Sun has found twenty
centcDarians in Connecticut alone. He
writes a long letter. and tells in the case oil
almost every person named that he or she
was BON in such u year. but IN not one
single instance does be furnish the proof
Of his statement. or tell upon what authority
it Is based. Here is specimen:
Edmond II. Kidder. who lives in Ber-
lin, was born in Fairfield on August IL,
1884. At the age OF fourteen he shipped Us
n cabin. boy and sailed around the world.
After residing in New York and New Jcr-
sew he established home in Berlin, where
he has lived since 1862 His sight. hear
| ing, and memory have become impaired.
We have no doubt that his memory is
"lmpaired " lie Is supposed to be hun
dred years old; but unfortunately his old
est ueigbbor is not likely to be over eighty,
and so there is nobody to corroborite his
own assertion. Here IS another specimen /;
Que hundred years ago January 6. 1858,
Mrs. Lucy Luther was born In East Had
dam. and she has resided there until the
pres, Mt day. Az Miss Lord she married.
in 1911. John Luther. She lives with her
oldest daughter, who is sixty years OF age"
Now, anaIyze that paragraph. She was
born in 1888. and married in 1911. She
was therefore twcnty-eight years old when
she married. That might well be. But
her oldest daughter is now only sixty years
old-that il. was born in 1924, thirteen
years after her marriage. These statements
do not carry conviction witt them.
Again we quote:
Henry Able, also Of Enfield. Is reputed
to be one hundred. He had five children
and six great-grandcbildren.
On the first day of the present month
Darby Green. OF Redhington. was one hun
bred and one years old. lie is native OF
Kibaha. county Clare. Ireland.
Isaac Clark. OF New Haven. Is an inmate
| OF the town-house. where he has lived since
1879. He was born on Long Island, near
Montauk Point, on September 81. l1'S,
which was but short time previous To the
close OF the revolutionary war. His sight
and hearing are acute.
These instances speak for themselves.
one OF the centenarians is In the poor.
house. Another is "reputed" to he one
hundred. The third was born in Ireland
and we Judge the SUMS correspondent
didn't 90 to Ireland TO get the proofs o.
the truth Of the old mans averment
Again:
Triphenia Jackson (colored) now lives IN
Hartford with niece. She is believed e
have been one hundred and two years o.
ace last June. Much Of her time Is spen
| I'm bed. though she can move about without
| assistance.
In Easton lives trim little coloreC
woman. whose age has lately been fixed a
one hundred and five wears. The eXac
date cannot be aScertained, though it Is he
lieyed TO he within u week OF the comm.
Thanksgiying. She was the daughter o
Titus Burr, and l. called Aunt Nancy. Al
aged resident OF EaStOn, now In his ninety
| fifth wear. asserts that Aunt Nancy was al
old woman when he was OF age.
We have colored folks in Virginia wit
are several hundred years old according T.
their own notions-Aunt NANCIEs il
abundance. But look A man ninety-fy
years old says Aunt NANCY was an oil
woman when nc was twenty-one years old
But she couldn't have been over thirty
one even il she is one hundred and iiy
wears old now. "FiXed at one hundre
and five" is good. Why not at one hun
dred and twenty-five!
Again:
The MISUNDERSTANDING birthday q
MIS-. Bridget Farley was celebrated in We'
Strstford on August Goth last. She wa
born in Kent, Ireland.
just so. Again:
Another colored woman who has reachc
the great age OF one hundred and one year
l. Mrs. Violet Cbappell, Of Ellington, VIII
firsssaw light on August 20. 1888.
1.-THE colored troops fought nOby."