The Washington critic., 1886-05-14
A PAGE OF OLD HISTORY.
"Reminiscences of Annie Coats, til
Centenarian of Capitol Hill.

"Reminiscences of Annie Coats, the
Ccntenarian of Capitol Hill.
There is living on Capitol Hill, near
the Jail, an old colored woman named
Annie Goats, who claims to have been
40 years old last March. She was
born in 1776, and raised at Chestnut
Hill, near Port Tobacco, Nd, and
lived there nearly oil of her slave life.
She was brought up as house.servant
by her original owner, DR.. Rceder,
who afterward sold her to Mr.. Charles
f. Dement,, father of Mr.. Billy Dement,
of this city. She does not know that
any of DR.. Reeder's family are now in
existence, and of course knows nothing
of what became of the Bible in which
she says she distinctly remembers her
birth was recorded, therefore she has
no tangible proof of her actual age.
but her statements are so clearly given,
and in no instance contradictory, that
one cannot help believing her. She re-
members well when George Washing
ton died and saw his dead body at the
time at Mount Vernon.
During the war of 1919 she was q
grown woman with one child, and fled
for her life to the western part of Vir-
ginia with number of other negroes
from the British, who had attacked
Washington. People In those days,
she says, always travelled in OK carts.
She remembers the British soldiers
perfectly.
She says the first steam vessel which
came up the Potomac was large
steamsphip, propelled both by steam
and sail, and all steamboats, after that
were large, flat open barges, spacious
enough to carry fifty passengers with
their baggage and two oX.carts, using
eight teams. The superstitious people,
when they first saw the steamboats, and
smoke, thought that the devil was
coming. Wood or charcoal was used
for fuel.
She remembers when the White
House was being erected, and says
that most of the road between George
town and the city ran through dense
woods. When she first saw the Capi.
tol, the grounds surrounding 1t were
covered with woods and were very
billy and uneven, and when she Is
carried around the city now she hardly
knows it, except by few old land
marks. She says people in her day
married very late in life and she con-
sidcred herself settled at go. She al
ways accompanied her owners wher-
ever they went, and therefore visited
the city often.
She knew and saw great many Of.
ficers in the late war, and before it was
considered too old to work. Being
never in the city at the time of an in.
auguration, she, therefore, failed to see
any of the Presidents.
She has retained her faculties won
derfully, and is only troubled with @
shortness of breath when she moves
She has what is called her second
sight, remembering when she was al.
most blind. She is of course very
feeble, but not so much so as one would
suppose at that age, and does not think
about dying yet.
Three of her children are still living
two sons, aged 70 and 10, and O
daughter, all residing in this city, and
large number of grand, great-grand
and great great grand children, sc
many indeed that she cannot keer
track of them. She lives with her son and
son.in.law. at 1920 L street southeast
Persons who have seen Annie anC
heard her recollections think she mus
be older than 10, but she says that Il
her real age and she has never at
| tempted to make out that she Is older
ALICE HARRISON New National! Mon
| day night!