Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-02-22
HAVE Wa A oENTENAalANl
An Interesting Letter which DOESN'T an
swer the Question.
SLIM. February IA, 1891.
To ne Eiiior of ne Dispatch!

To NE Editor OF ne Dlspu'ct'
n NAV seem 70 be q forlorn hope 20 get
an acknowledgement from You that any any
one has lived in Virginia TO the age OK One e
hundred years or more. nj ,aiil nev ngs
tbeIess make the effort by sending you two
documents for publication which VIII DC
likeIv To satisfy other people II they DO not
satiafv Won that Mrs. Mcdonald was ayeri-
fshle osntenar1an. One of these documents
IL a letter recently written by Squire jacob
Peters. whom l will youch for as respecta-
BILE man as any in Botetourt county, 20
Mr.. James Goodwin, cashier OF the BARK OK
Fincastle. in which letter Squire refers re-
fers TO the other document enclosed,
which IL AN account given by the editor OF
the Fincastle Herald in the issue OF 9Th OF
April. 1880. of the said editors attendance
hv imitation upon the family reunion held
at Souire Peters's house on the occasion OK
the celebration of his mothers one-hun-
dredth birthday. No doubt you Will say,
AZ Won did lately in the case of q lady who
died at the age Of one hundred and three
in one of the eastern counties OF virginia:
1.-THE case is fairly made out; but, then,
she was not born in Virginia, but IN North
Carolina Well, what difference does that
make3 The question is not where Mrs.
McDonald was born, but tChen she was
born, which was on the Sd day OF April,
1850. according to the family record and the
statements of Mrs. Mcdonald herself and
her numerous kindred, some OF whom are
almost as old as she was.
Just score this as one case of Virginia
centenarian, and am on the track OF an
other case of lady who died In Franklin
county aged one hundred and Si1 years. l
will give you the entire facts soon.
Yours, &C., r. JOHNSTON
WAsKEY's MILLS, December %, 1890.
James GOdtcin, Esq.,:
Nv Esteemed Friend,-Your letter OF
25th instant came duly to hand Saturday
last, read and contents noted. With plea
snre I will give YOU all the information
that / am in possession OF IN regard 10 my
dear old mothers birth, age, death, ETC.;
LIST. Her one-hundredth birthday was
celebrated at my house the Sd day Of April,
1880, at which time we had family re-
union. For reference the printed partlcu-
lars OF the occasion accompany this. Her
fathers name was George Crltz; her mo-
theirs maiden name l can't give, and l
never knew it. Both came from Germany
and were sold TO pay their passage. Ihey
served their time out and settled IN wash
ington county, Maryland, where mother was
born. according to the family record, on
the Sd day or April, 1880.
At the age of seven her father and fami-
" came to Botetourt and settled on the
lands now owned by George W. Styne'
Samuel Iipes, and - Huffman, near
Waskey's Mills.
Anne Critz, my mother. was twenty-siS
years old when first married November Is,
1866 to Abram Peters (my father NoYem-
Der Sth.
NV father died the 10th day Of October,
1917. Mothers second marriage was NO
yember 8, 1881, to Edward Mcdonald, who
lived 10 the age of nlnety-three. The first
marriage was solemnized by the Rev. John
Helms. of Flncastle; the second by Rev.
John NJ. Fulton. of Fincastle.
Mothers family consisted Of three chill
dren. Mary Bigler the oldest, was born
October l, 1903, and is now IN her eighty
third year, and is living of Mountain
Union. She has been widow fifty
wears. was born July 4, 1910
and am in my eighty-first year. Eliza
Houseman was born November II, 1914
Mary Bigler had seven children; -four
dead, three living. had ten; hyt'
! living and five dead. Eliza had two; both
dead. She died the 9th day of January
1887 She was the first wife OF Levin
Houseman, Sr.
1 cannot give you in detail the descend
ants 10 the fifth generation.
Mother died June 7. 1850, aged one hun
bred years two months and four days.
| have copy of the family record
| Mothers father was German scholar anC
| kept his family record in the German Ian
guage. He is buried on the farm allow
referred to. Grandmother is buried nea
| Springfield, o.
NV mother was one Of ten of the family
| A number Of them lived to be ninety; hat
one sister who lived to be ninety-seyen
| The youngest Of the ten died in Hawkin
| county, Tenn, about ten years ago
eighty-six years old; was in the war o
| 1912, was in the mess with Abraham Bru
| Baker; was quite prominent man in hi
day: was for many years colonel Of tn
militia in Hawkins, and represented hi
| county and district in both branches o
! the Legislature, and was a member of tn
| State Convention when it seeded in 1861
| For the last act he had to refugee int
North Carolina. At the close Of the wa
he went to Washington and obtained hi
amnesty, and returned home through tn
State Of Ohio. Truly your friend,
JACOB PETERS.