Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-11-05
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS OLD
Mrs. Sarah Van Nostrand Still Enjoys Ceie-
brating Her Birthdays.


One OF the most picturesque figures IN
one q, the most historical portions OF
New Jersey is Mrs. Sarah Van Nostrand
~ Milestone. on the 9th OF September she
celebrated her 1Ojth birthday. ana sur
prised everybody by remaining up u"
midnight until the last guest hau IeI..
When the dominic of the church ae'os3
tho Rarftan river left her he SAID;
hone vou NAV live to celebrate many more
birthdays and feel as wen anu i'o" -"
we'll as you do now"
s'be old lady took his hand and replied:
'I may not be here next year. out II
am / hone all the friends VINO were mere
tonight VIII be with us.
II seems Incredible that person porn
one wear after the adoption or the feueral
Constitution and who was baDy III arms
when Washington was inaugurateu shoui y.
still be in the land OF the living WIN Ialr
memory. good appetite, and taxing an NJ
terest in the passing events. Many stoileS
have been written about Mrs. Van Nos
trand: some OF them good, many or them
atrociously false, so false ana RIDICULOUS
in fact. that her 75-year-old spinster
daughter. who has lived with her Tor
,hirty years and has taken care OF her'
now refuses TO admit TO the house any
person known 10 have connection WIN
newspapers. L-r..
n has been the custom of the family
for the last twelve years to celebrate
the old Iady's birthday. ON these occa-
slons people drive from New Brunswick
and Bound Brook. Someryille. ana Pam
field TO do her homage. Amateur scrlo-
blers for local papers turn out IN great
force. and for weeks thereafter tne
family is inundated with paragraphs
ell q n
try. describing habits that Mrs. Van
Nostrand never possessed. and ascnb-
ing episodes TO her that her family IN
dignity repudiates.
II is this class OF paragraph that BE-
gets cynicism as TO her age, and when
a Denver paper seriously declared tna'
woman Of alleged l05 who could ride
horse without a saddle could only ne
raised i'm New Jersey" the family de-
cided to expose her no more TO news
paper criticism or gossip. or course, MIS-
Van Nostrand does not ride horse.
with or without a saddle. She has not
been able to ride for years. once IN
while she ventures out for drive with
Uncle Peter Merrill who is II himself
and spryer than many men of 30. Uncle
Peter drives a Iow-seated buggy, 1.-The
only one in Milestone, and this Is great
when she wants an airing.
As TO Mrs. Van Nostrands age there
IL not the slightest doubt. The site of the
house where she was born in stu pointer
out by the older people across the Rarithn
where the dingy old hotel now stands.
The old family Bible affords additional
evidence. while the records of the church
are irrefutable. Her father was John van
Arsdae of family that furnished many
recruits to Washington's tattered Cont
mental army. He was born on farm bach
of Somerville in 1865, and was a drummer
boy for several years during the ReVoiu-
tfonery war His daughter. christened
Sarah. has lived all her long life In the
vicinity OF Milestone. Uncle Peter Merrill
remembers her as woman OF middle age
when he was a boy. Men of middle age
speak OF her as an old lady when they
were at school Several ancient colored
women hereabout boast OF ages ranging
| from 40 to ll2. But Mrs. Van Nostrand
repudiates their assertion by declaring
| that she remembers them as children
| when she was young girl.
She married when young and was the
mother of eight children. six o.
whom are now living: one of them, son
| Ben" is the village blacksmith, hale
| and sturdy man OF 80. Another son past
| rs years is I'm the feed business. She ha:
fourteen grandchildren, thirteen great
| grandchildren, and one great-great-grand
| child.
Since her daughter began to take care o.
her house thirty years ago Mrs. Var
| Nostrand has had life OF tranquility
and ease Occasionally she has dabbleC
| in homework, but as a rule she sits a
| the corner window, which commands 8
view of the village street which leads e
| Weston TO the right and New Brunswick
10 the left noddlng pleasantly to th'
| younger people or waving her hand t
the older folks as they walk or drive by
| Her eyesight Is excellent, her hearing
| good. and her digestion. In the Language
OF one OF the villagers, splendid"
| She habitually wears the cap that wa!
more familiar in our grandmothers' tint
than now. She is slender. almost fragile
| In figure, as all very old ladies are. Tn,
pressure OF lO5 years has caused Sigh
stoop In the shoulders, but not so marked
| as in most elderly people thirty year!
| younger Her voice is tremulous. as Is {
| be expected. She is proud of the fact tina
| her father served in the Revolutionar,
war, and that she is the oldest member o.
| the Middlebrook Chapter of tine Daughter
Of the Revolution. for the battle of Mid
dlebrook was fought within a few miles
Of the place where she was born, and tbs
remains OF several British soldiers whs
were killed In that affair are buried hart
| by the Central railway of New Jersey!
| tracks. between Plainfield and Dunellen
while Washington himself viewed the con
| hict from the historical rock on tn
Watching Mountains, to the north o
| Dunellen.