Gilpin observer., 1899-11-23
HAPPY OLD COUPLE.
6IxTY-EIGHT YEARS WITHOUT
HARSH WORDS.
A Glimpse at the Worlds History Con-
temporary with the Events That Have
Marked Their Simple Lives - Stiu
Agile and Hearty.
philadelphia Letter.)

The oldest married couple in the
United States celebrated their we'd
ding anniversary few days since in
Wilmington. Del. For sixty-eight
years Mr.. and Mrs. Adam Dayett have
lived together as man and wife, hav-
ing married in 1881. Mr.. Dayett is
80 years old and his wife is Sc.
This statement scarcely conveys an
idea of what a remarkable period of
time their life has covered. Their
union was almost coincident with the
birth of our country and they have
seen it grow from a small and scat
tered collection of struggling colonies
into one of the most powerful and
wealthy nations in the history Of the
worlds history. When they were mar
ried King George III. was still king of
England, Queen Victoria was a girl
10 years old, who had not even been
considered in connection with royal
honors and President Mckinley had
not yet even been born. Andrew Jack
son was president and the halls of con-
gress were resounding with the thun-
der OF the forensic greatness of that
noted group of ante-bellum statesmen,
Webster, Clay and Calhoun. Abraham
Lincoln was an obscure and unknown
country lawyer and the Republican
party was not to be born for twenty
five years.
Both were living when Napoleon and
Wellington fought that most Titanic
of all modern s-Waterloo-and
they have seen our government bring
four wars ts a successful conclusion
1872, MeXican, rebellion, and Spanish.
They have lived under every presi-
dent except the first three, and Mr..
Dayett has voted for every one since
Jackson.
When they were children there was
not railroad engine in the United
States, electricity was unknown, the
first steamboat was only six years old,
and the country west of the Mississip-
pi was an unexplored wilderness.
Beethoven, Rossini and Schubert
were living and composing, and Scott,
Byron and Shelly were in the height
of their fame. Edmund Kean was the
worlds greatest actor and Malibran
was the Queen of Song" They have
seen naval warfare revolutionized,
have witnessed the birth of all the
great inventions, have seen steam and
electricity supplant man, horse and
wind power and have lived through
our territorial growth from thirteen
Atlantic coast states to a country on
whose possessions the sun never SETS
Mr.. Dayett, although more than 30
years old, is alert and active, frequent
ly taking strolls and evincing active
interest in the affairs of the day. AL
though last year he was obliged to re-
sort to his spectacles to read the print
of the daily papers, he believes he has
been endowed with second vision, for
he is able to peruse the newspapers
now without the aid of eyeglasses.
And SO is Mrs. Dayett still agile and
able to busy herself with household af-
fairs, "just to pass away the time," as
one of her children aptly expressed it.
Only the other morning did she take
her accustomed broom and sweep the
sidewalk fronting the Tull residence.
Mrs. Dayett makes practice of taking
this exercise daily and she always as
sists about the house.
They were married September 81,
1881, at the residence of Mrs. Dayett's
brother. Nathan Hendrickson. Lear
Newark. The Rev. Thomas Warbur-
ton, local preacher of Cecil county,
Nd, officiated at the ceremony the
only living person who attended the
service that made the couple man and
wife being the Rev. William H. Hen
erickson, now OF Booths Corner. He
was at the anniversary celebration.
Mr. and Mrs Dayett had four children
all of whom are now living and were
present. They are William Thomas
Dayett, of near Glasgow; Nathan Hen