The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-01

Martin Moran, of Providence, who
who easily Scranton's oldest citizen,
and possibly the oldest man in the
state, died yesterday morning at 5
o'clock
Just how old he was no one knows,
| except possibly the keepers of the par
| ish records In Westport, County Mayo,
| Ireland where Moran was cbristened
some time towards the wane of the last
| century. That he was over 100 years
old is certain but how much over it
can only be conjectured.
His grandson, John F. Moran, a con-
| ductor for the Scranton Railway COM
pany, said last night that his grand
| father was III years of age, but other
members of the family doubted this,
| saying that no one could say with any
degree of accuracy how old he was.
The grandson bases his assertion on
| a statement made to him by the old
man about two years ago, that he was
| then about 1l5 years of age. The two
| were having a chat and in q casual
way the grandson asked the old man to
| try and figure out how old he was.
| "Well," the old fellow replied, II don't
know, to tell the truth, but / must be
according my best calculations, about
lis years now"
RECKONING HIS AGE.
From two fixed facts Moran's age
| can be figured out to be all of III
years. When he was married in Ire
land he was 40 years of age, which he
remembered from the fact that his
birth record was looked up at the time.
His three SONS were all born in Ire
land, and there is difference of about
ten years between the age of the old
est one, Hugh, and the youngest, Thom-
as. He came to this country and spent
a short time in Philadelphia, at which
port he landed.
He walked from Philadelphia to Car
bondale and remained there for some
time. Then he moved to Sport Hill,
Dunmore, and opened a saloon. He Of
ten told that the only hard days
work he ever did in his life was Il
half a day he worked in Leggett's gap,
when the Delaware, Lackawanna and
Western read was being put through
to Great Bend. He quit because they
would not allow him to smoke on duty
The Leggett's gap road was built just
about fifty years ago. Adding forty
the age at which he was married, tC
ten, the number of years he must have
remained in Ireland after his marriage
and fifty, the time that has elapsed
since he worked on the Leggett's gar
road, he would be an even hunedred
but to this must be added the years
that he spent in Philadelphia and Car.
bondale, before he settled in Sport Hill
which would easily make his age any.
We're from one hundred and ten t
one hundred and twenty years.
RETAINED HIS SENSES.
In addition to being the oldest mar
in the region, Moran was possibly the
most remarkable old man that ha'
been ever called to public attention
hereabouts. Up to about two years agC
he had as good use of his senses as al
most any man of half his years, anC
it is less than three years, so his SOM
say, since he ceased shaving himself
He could read his prayer-bo as HI
used to say to himself, las we'll as th
priest" and he had but one eye a
that, the sight in the other having beer
destroyed by cataract which formed
when he was aboard ship coming t,
this country.
Moran was a saloonkeeper nearly al
his life and was what might be called
a steady drinker. He was an inveter
ate user of tobacco, his pipe and him
self being inseparable companions from
his boyhood days until a week befor,
his death.
Two sons survive him, Hugh who Il
between 55 and 60 years, and Thomas
who is about As. Neither knows hi
age positively. The third son, John
who died four years ago at the age o
46, left two children, John F. Moran, O
Providence, and Mrs. Hannah Kelly, o
431 Lackawanna avenue. The othe
grandchildren are Hugh, Mary, Kat
and Martin Moran, children of Thoma
Moran. The centenarian's wife diet
about five years ago. She, like man,
extremely old persons, had no accur
ate knowledge of her age, but it is sup
posed she was about IS years old.
The funeral will take place Thursda,
morning from his late residence, 80
Oak street. A requiem mass will b
celebrated at Holy Rosary church an,
interment made in Hyde Park Catho
lie cemetery.