Telegram-herald., 1891-11-25
OUR VERY OLD PEOPLE
Uncle Tommy Jerrott Nearing the
Century Mark.
MRS. EUyICE BOOTH OVER SIyETY
sons Of hs Incidents in the Lsng Livss
Of thess Aged and Happy Persons
Judge Mo-risos and Grandpa Biz
sell Stin Vigorous.

sprightly and elastic as that OF man
fifty years old.
''Unele Tommie" was found at st.
Marks home, where he has lived much
of the time since the home vas opened.
"Uncle Tommie" was born "withln the
sound OF the bow-bells" ninety-eight
years ago last May, and came 10 Amer
ica forty-eight years ago. Thirty eight
years ago he took up has residence in
Grand RAPID. When asked II be had
ever seen Queen Victoria, the old gen.
tleman chuckled as he answered, AYE.
and L ate at her expense on her mar
rage day. A table was sIrs Tor half
mile down coach road and every
thing you could think of WAS there ,r
us To eat. We were all told TO bring cur
own knife anu fork, and all else would
he provided. After We had eaten
our ill, q big barrel of beer
was rolled out Tor us TO help our
selves from. On! IL was great day for
England" Uncle Tommie" is usually
very well, but has been ailing for three
weeks. "If hadn't been so sick |
would have had my new set of teeth
by this time," said he. He is able to
go all over the city and is as active as
many a man fifty years his junicr.
His eyesight is very good and his hear
ing excellent. His eyes are bright
blue, and head is covered with silky
white hair. The old FELLOW is full of
fun. ard had good deal TO say about
the girl he was sparkling" He says
sne is nice, rich widow--fcr that mat
ter he says he has the pick OF several
rich widows of the city. When he is
one hundred years old he is going to
ride all over the city in "coach and
four" He Is rather undecided
whether to ask an old or young girl
to ride with hm that day, but thinks
perhaps it would be best 10 take the lat
ter so as to have both ends OF the CEN
tury on exhibition at the same time.
Mrs, Eunsce Booth 90.
Perhaps the oldest lady IN the city
is Mrs. Eun,ce Booth, mother of Mrs.
James B. Wilson. Mrs. Booth was SO
present month. Her hearing is
defective, but her eyesght is
very good. Her eyes do not
look old, and her voice would not be-
tray that she was such very aged
woman. She was born in Cheshire,
Connecticut, and lived there until she
was married when she moved to
Ohio. In 1861 she came TO Grsn
Rapids. In moving to Ouio
she went to New Haven and took the
boat TO New York. She had never
been on steamboat before, and
as the boat moved off she was frightened
almost to death and called for her
father-In-iaw to come aud take her off
she wanted TO go home. She learned,
as did all other girls OF that day, to
spin and weave. She says that her
sister spun some particularly fine
linen at one time, $50 fine that
twenty knots of it could easily pass
through a top tumble" rhe linen
was Tor table c.oih. Before that
time the Icons could only weave
yard wide, but about the time her sis
ter had the linen ready, they heard of
new loom over at Wallingford that
could weave two yards wide.
She Rode TO waii.bgford.
Mrs. Booth was buts yoing girl at
the time, but mounting horse she
rode over to Wallingford and ordered a
table cloth made of the "nine-snowball
pattern" The old lady still has
the table cloth in her possession,
and a really beautiful thing il Is.
She also has piece of fancy work that
she did when she was about II years
old. 1t is for the top OF dresser, and
is bordered with fine netting fringe.
The center is of two thlcknesses of
white cloth. very line on the top,
coarse in under. She gays she gave 30
cents to have the pattern traced on it
pattern consisting or iiowcr-pot In
the center aad q grape vine ali around
IL. After having tue pattern traced shc
sewed all over the liDes with tiny
stitches through both thick nesses. Then
turning 1t over she separated the
threads of the cosfse bsek with her
stiletto and poked la Any i-sof cotton,
SO as to- give a rounded appearance to
the grapes, flowers and SO IN. The
effect is like that oi modern Mar
sai.les quilt, and IT IS beautiful piece
OF work.
Mrs. Wilson has a sort of q running
account of her mothers life up TO the
year 1882, and ii makes interesting
reading.
Other Old Gentlemen.
Among the old gentlemen ia the city
a.e Judge MORRISON and "tirsndpa"
Blssell. Judge Morrison IL S. years old,
ard has hved in Grand Rrpids fifty-six
years. When he first came here there
were only three frame houses, and
across the river was an Indian settle
ment. One day he went across 20 VISIT
the chief who wssd,niDg on surgeons
eggs. Through the interpreter the
chIef invited Judge Morrison to dine
With him, Al which the Judge made up
e WY face and declined, much 10 the
old chefs sdisplessure. But afterwards
when Judge MORRISON started a store
here, the old chief and be "nsde up
and became quite fr1endly.
':Grandps" Bsseli wlii be nlnty-one
very soon, and verv lively, bright,
cheerful old fellow be is. After the
great Aiierton-race Mr.. Pisseli proposed
that another great excitement could be
gotten up hy entering Judge Morrison
aud himself for foot race.
Are Gr~st Creuis..
lie and Judge Morrison sre great
crouies and nlsnage % GET lots OF fun
cus each other, ard OF the world ia
raj. Mr.. Bss~eli says ne vas born
" 60 fan n hiFn, and be hash Z lived AL
II i out Of him yet. he lived IN A.
tanY when the first best vent through
on she Erie canal. ttw8ss ldsriee day
tor Aihsny. C.nnoas asd b~tn placed
80 certain distances al the way from
sihsay b. Ruifslo- 50 secn ss the beat
cau4s IN sight lie Alhsav cspnon yrs
fred The next tsnaen psaeed vhnfs
tlse report ef The s3rst coald be heSrel.
1ss ffsn hrpd. ard so on - Bud ale
anffa they SD aeatfser Iahsiee.