Evening star., 1898-12-12
ONE CENTURY OF LIFE
Resident Of Washington Completes Her One
Hundredth Yea.
Children. Grandchildren and Great
Grandchildren Participate i'm Cele-
sbratiOn of the Anniversary.

A lady. resident of this District for the
past sixty years. who has rounded out full
century of life, vas Saturday afternoon the
central figure of a family reunion Of rare
| occurrence, her children. grandchildren and
great-grandchildren and some of her near
relatives having assembled to congratulate
her upon completing one hundred years of
ire Ihls lady Is Mrs. Eliza Dashiell, and
the reunion is at the residence of a daugh-
ter, Mrs George T. Raub, No. 1917 M street
| northwest. Mrs Dashiell has all her life
been OF a strong, healthy constitution. and
until few years ago was remarkable for
her easy carriage and erect figure, being
able 10 walk considera Bile distances with
niue fatigue 1t was seldom that she fail
eel to attend the services of her church the
Central Methodist Protestant at 18th and NJ
streets. walking thereto from the home of
her daughter, Mrs. Blackiston OIL West
munster street Though now bearing some
of the infirmities of age and having become
somewhat weak in body, she is yet stronger
mentally and physically than many who
are generation younger her mental fac
uities being unimpaired and she being still
able TO read some without glasses. Her
nearing is slightly affected.
OF Colonial Stock.
Mrs. Dashell is a daughter of John Hop
kins of Somerset county. Md, one of the
old colonial stock and she first saw the
light in Baltimore December 10 119S, her
father at that time being in business in that
city The family lived on Charles street.
baltimore, for few years. when the father
concluded TO return to his favorite occupa-
tOn OF farming, and when Mrs Dashiell
was nine years of age the family were set
tea on a farm in Somerset. Here she grew
10 Womanhood, and in her twentieth year
was married to Mr.. George Dashiell, a
young farmer of that section, who like her
was descendant of one of the old fam
hes of the eastern shore
ReV. DR.. Stone, afterward Bishop Stone.
performed the marriage ceremony. Settling
on neighboring farm. she spent twelve
years OF happy married life. when dea h
TOOK her husband, and she was left widow
with seven small children. With these she
came to Georgetown in 1886 and has re-
sided in the District ever since
SfX of her children reached majority of
Whom lour are now living-Mrs. Caroline
oIachston OF Westminster street, widow of
end four grandchildren; Mrs. ]. III. Hon
kins Of 1sls H street, who has one daugh-
ter Mrs. DR.. Hammond and four grand
children; Mrs. George T. Raub of NJ street
who has two children, and her son George
of Salisbury. Md. who has no children He
made this the occasion of one of his semi
| annual visits to Washington.
Mentally Vigorous.
Mrs. Dashell's mind Is bright and clear
and she distinctly remembers events of her
childhood's days: how excited We're the peo.
pie of the eastern shore during the war of
lsl2: the fear they had of marauding par
ties from British ships, which infested the
bay; now the Inhabitants. sailing to Balti-
more, endeayored to avoid observation and
when much of the travel was by canoe for
the same reason. She has not forgotten the
many primitive modes of life in the past
the days when stoves were unknown. and
when matches had not taken the place of the
finder box: when water navigation was by
wind and oar. and land travel by stage and
horse. In her nearly two-thirds of a cen
tury in this city shes has Witnessed its
growth almost from chaos to its present
magnificent proportions.
For over seventy years she has been a
member of the church, twenty of them in
the Georgetown NJ. p. Church and forty in
the Ninth Street tnow Centrab NJ. P.
Church. Now, as her age prevents heI
from walking beyond few steps her con-
ISOLATION is in reading the Scriptures.
Though always of quiet, domestic dis
position, devoting her life to her home,
family and church, Mrs. Dashiell has ever
taken an interest in the news of the day by
reading, and may peruse with interest what
but few have enjoyed-the published ac-
count of a centenarian's birthday celebra-
ton.