The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-08-07

| had Her First Marriage Certificate.
A few minutes past Il O'Clock yes
terday the spirit OF the oldest citizen Of
| Wichita, If not Of Kansas. took its eter-
nal fight, and as the easrbound Missouri
Pacific left the city last night the body
was borne to Osawatomie. where it will
be followed to the grave by children.
grandchildren, great grandchildren and
great-grest grandchildren, great-great-
great grandchildren and friends.
Mrs. Nancy Fristow, aged 1o3 years,
died yesterday at 24o South Mead ave
nue., of old age. She was perfectly con-
sctous 10 the last and few minutes be
fore her death turned 70 her grandson.
John Cox, VINO is himself a man past
the middle OF life. and said: John, all
is well 1 am only going home, and
| with a happy smile upon her face she
fell asleep TO know no more waking
until the sounding Of the trumpet.
By examination OF her papers which
she had carefully kept something Of
the his tory OF the rema rkable life which
was closed yesterday was CLEANED by a
reporter for the Eagl
Nancy Cain was born July 4. 1898, at
Blaine Cross Roads, Green county, Tenn
esse, az the slave OF Theodore Cain.
She received permission from her mas
ter to be united IN marriage to Thomas
Murry on May T. 1913, or two month =
before she was 10 years OF age This
permission or marriage license was still
in the possession OF the woman al her
death. It will read rather strange TO
people in civilized America that mar
rage license We're not issued by any
county officer, but were issued TO the
slaves only by their masters. who de-
cided not only when they should be
sold and separated from their families,
but when and TO whom they should be
given in marriage. To this union four
children were born, two OF whom are
among the most prominent as we'll as
wealthiest colored men in Kansas to-
day.
In June, 1920 before the state OF Mis-
souri, was taken into the Union she was
sold 10 a man named Warren, who set
lied on the banks of the Missouri river
where Warrensburg now stands. War
rem ran a tavern and Nancy was in
stalled as first cook While there she
claims TO have had the pleasure OF
cooking many meals for persons who
became famous in history and remem-
bers on one occasion of cooking a fine
'possum for John c. Fremont when
he stopped at their house on his way
TO the Rocky mountains, on which trip
he won the title OF being The Path
Finder"
She was afterwards sold 10 man
ne med Fristow, who resided in Bates
county. Missouri, and here she was
married by a regular ordained Baptist
minister to Soloman Fristow and from
this marriage four children were born,
ell Of whom reached maturity and rails
ed large families as well as the chill
dren born OF her first husband. At the
time OF her death she had eight living
children. forty-three grand children.
sixty-two great grandchildren, So great
great grand children and 81 grest-great-
great grandchildren.
The woman was said to have been po-
sessed OF a wonderful memory and could
give dates and historical occurancas
equal to that Of the best read historian
She was the mother Of three children
when the star fell the first time in 1920,
and had married children and grand
children when the star fell in 1885. She
remembered we'll JEFF Davis. General
Grant and Price being a. Warren's
hotel on their way to the Mexican war.
She was 40 years old when she said
she saw the first cornmeal which had
been ground at a mill, as before that
time she had prepared the cornmeal in
a pestle, she was over 40 years OF age
when she saw the first iron plow, and
was 80 years old when she heard the
first steam whistle. She saws that the
colored people were having a big dance
one night when a steamboat came up
the river and blew its whistle TO land
for wood. In a. moment the fiddle was
dropped and every darkey was on his
knees. An old Baptist preacher went
out 10 meet what he supposed was Ga
brsel, but when he turned the corner Of
the wood shed and beheld the great
steamboat with its lights on the smoke
stack, with the sparks flying. the mate
OF the boat swearing. the men throw
ing fuel into the furnace and the HORT
bic whistle blowing he lost al desire %
meet Mr.. Gabriel and rushed back into
the cabin and called out: Children
pray, It is not Gabriel. but II is the
devil himself seed him, He's not only
come hisself. but ne done stole Gabriers
horn and he's brought he'll along wild
him. Repent and be converted and never
done captured the water"
II was a scene which Mrs. Fristow
said never could be forgotten and IL
had a power impressive upon the wick
ed OF that neighborhcod- She was
what was known as Christian woman
and had been a member OF the Baptist |
church ninety years. She said she /
was converted at a campmee ting held /
by Peter Cartwright in Tennessee and I
that she had gone with her master and /
mistress 70 the campmeetiag 70 see the 1
fun. and that all were converted AMI 4
when they went home they all joined .
the Baptist church. /
II was interesting to hear the old /
colored lady. who did not appear % be .
over 50 years OF age. speak OF the won 4
derful improvements during her life 4
" hich was closed yesterday. When /
she was IA years old Fulton made his 4
first steamboat trial up the Hudson:
she was 81 when the first passenger
rain was run on the roalroad: she was
Is when the first steam voyage was
made between American and England
When she was born there was slavery
n Russia. Hungary, Prussia. Austria.
Scotland. in the British. French ard
Spanish colonies and in North and
wiped out and WREN she was % years
ma one month old the p-ocla nation ~
President Lincoln was first read At
he beginning OF her life there were
,Sei in American homes the same prs-
ritive means by which the worlds wool
nd fax had been reduced u yarn for
Geo years. She was 81 years OF age
Much in Little