Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1890-05-09
OLDEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD.
A Negress Who Has Documents Showing
That She Was Born in 1745.

That She Was Born in 1745.
In the northeastern portion of Dallas,
Tex, between Bryan and Live Oak
streets, and fronting the Houston and
Texas Central railway, lives Aunt July
Cole, who has but recently grown too
old to take in washing. The cabin in
which she lives is a rude hovel, and yet
it is kept as neat as pin. 1t is sur
rounded by dozen huts of the same
kind, though not so well kept, all hud-
died together in an irregular colony.
The railway people have forced their
right of way with barbed wire to keep
the horde of pickaninnies off the track,
but in vain. They crawl through the
fangs of the fence and gather upon the
road in such numbers that the cautious
engineer finds it necessary on passing
through Freedmantown to use both bell
and whistle.
day The Republic man crawled through
the wire fence, and with difficulty found
the cabin of the sole Furginny Aunty."
She sat in low chair andsmoked blue
clay pipe. AS she raised her face slowly
and her wrinkled features were first
seen the writer involuntarily asked him
self: "Is it alive:" When she spoke her
tremulous and cracked voice increased
his astonishment. But it was not only
alive, but it smoked and talked.
"My name is July Cole" she said. "I
belonged to Col. Cole in Furginny, and
he fit de Britishers wild Gen. Washing
ton. Norfolk was my home, sir; right
on de sea. My nanny come from de
Cape in Afriky, and my daddy went
back dere. My nanny was named
Lucretia, and was give TO Col. Cole by
Gen. Washington's lady, who had many
servants. I was brought to Henry
county, Tennessee, and sold to Thomas
Waters. had great-grandchillun den.
After helped to settle Tennessee l was
sold TO William Rabb for Ian. Mars
JEFF come to take me home to Tennessee,
but ole man Rabb wouldn't let me go
wild him. Den lived on Rabbs Creek,
below La Grange, Tex. was took away
from my husband and two chillun in
Tennessee, and my ole man he run away
dogs right on de banks of de Mississippi
river. Yes, sir, right dar in de bed of
de river. whar de hill is and de high
trees, and right down by de boat in de
dark-fur he was runnin to git on de
boat wild me, But dey caught i'm and ]
never saw i'm any more"
On being asked her age the old woman
began to rise slowly, holding, in the
meantime, to the chair for support
Il doesn't know by de figgers, but 1
knows by happenins,' she said. She
moved to an old trunk, which was COW
cred with rawhide with the hair on and
tackled with big headed brass tacks.
From this she drew an old letter on blue
paper, which she says was "de paper"
given to Mars Waters by Mars Cole when
she was sold. Only the lower half of the
sheet remains, the other having evidently
been taken off by time, and the only legi-
BILE portion of the writing Purports to give
the date of Aunt Julys birth. The only
words are twas born Dec. 10, 1745."
The writer had heard that she was 145
years old, but of course he believed moth
ing of the kind. The appearance of the
old negro and the evidence produced by
her to prove her age were astonishing.
'Dey says | is cr hundred and forty
five year ole, an, honey, spec it is So"
"What is your earliest remembrance,
aunty? Do you remember Gen. Wash
toni"
II never seed him, she said, "but [
knows when he was general and knows
when he was president, too. | heerd
Mars Cole say when de tea was flung
outen de Boston ship | has seed de
Tories, an my brother was wild Mars
Cole when he went into de war wild de
Britishers. Dat war was seven years,
and Mars Cole he got shot in de arm. 1
members when dey fit de French an In
juns, too, sir.
1t took quite Il while to get all this out
of the aged creature, who is very feeble.
She had only one want-smoking tobacco
and that was supplied, after which the
writer left her at her low, hairy trunk
putting away her documents st.
Louis Republic.