The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-04-02
"UNCLE IRA" JENNINGS, VET
ERAN.
He Conveyed James K. Polk, Willard
Fillmore, and Andrew Jackson.

DUBLIN, Ga, March GA few miles
from the City of Macon resides Uncle
Ira" Jennings, the veteran stage driver,
and the Oldest s%tar-route mail rider in
the United States in point of years of
continuous service.
He was born July Is, 1915, at Dandy,
Tompkins county, N. Y, on the Ithaca
and Owego Turnpike. He is now 60
ing IN eighty years, weighs $50 pounds,
is 5 feet 4 inches in height, and, consid-
ering his advanced age, is a fine speci-
men of manhood.
Though he has been storm-toesed
and weather beaten, like an ancient
mariner, he has never known what a
days sickness was. He began stage
and mail driving in 1881, when he
drove a four-in-hand coach from Owe
go, in Tioga county, N. Y, to Ithaca,
in Tompkins county, N. Y, a distance
of twenty nine miles.
In conjunction with the United States
mails he carried passengers, but the
line was discontinued for a wooden rail
way. The body of the coach was re-
moved and placed on the wheels of the
railroad Uncle Ira" had the pleasure
of being the first man to drive on the
road.
The wheels of the road were made of
planks, and rolled on stringers. Pas
sengers and the mails were carried in
the coach, which was drawn by two
horses, tandem.
He had some distinguished person
ages as passengers, among them being
John A. Dix, Charles Dudley Warner,
William L. Marcy, William Fl. Seward
and Hamilton Fish. He drove James
K. Polk, of Tennessee, and Willard Fill
more in 1916.
1.-Two of the most prominent pas
sengers I ever had" said he recently,
''were Martin Van Buren, and Andrew
Jackson. Chance threw them together.
During the tedious journey they were
very jovial, cracking jokes and spin
ming yarns. When their destination,
Dandy, was reached, Jackson (who
was then President) handed mes silver
dollar"
1.-THE country was excited then, and
there was a bitter controversy between
the two rival political organizations
called the Masons and anti Masons.
The former supported Jackson, and I
exerted all my influence in his behalf.
An anti Mason was postmaster at Dan
by, and I recollect distinctly what
Jackson said on that occasion. The ex-
preston was couched in such signif-
can't language that I never shall forget
it. This was the terse remark: All
that are not for me are against me, and
they must be hulled out, and he ousted
the anti Mason postmaster, who was
succeeded by my uncle, Hudson Jen-
nings.
81 deposited my first vote for Martin
Van Buren, in 1886, at Macon. The
great Senator John @: Calhoun, was
the most scholarly gentleman I ever
drove. Henry Clay and Daniel Web
ster were frequently my passengers. 1t
was always necessary to avoid a rough
road and travel at a slow rate of speed
to please these two men of national
fame"
Uncle Ira" in 1888, accepted a posi-
ton to drive a mail coach between
Richmond and Petersburg, Va. His
employer became financially embar
raised in a few months, leaving him in
straitened circumstances. While in
Richmond he became acquainted with
an Indian trader and star-router named
Sattmarsh, who induced him to come
to Macon and carry the mails from the
latter city to Knoxville, in Crawford
county, this State. He arrived in
Macon in 1884, and up to four years
ago traversed the route daily. His
eyesight becoming somewhat impaired,
he was forced to resign the position
N. Y. Times.
See our Climbing List.