The Washington times., 1901-09-05
DEATH OF A CENTENARIAN.
An Aged Colored Woman Who Knew
Washington and Lafayette.

| n
Washington and Lafayette.
Mrs. Eliza Williams. aged III years and
: months. was buried yesterday afternoon
at Mount Zion Cemetery, in the pres
ence of eighteen grandchildren, and eight
| at-grandchildren The ancient color
ed woman had lived an eventful life, dur
ing which she had known well George
| Washington and General Lafayette. and
| some of the most prominent politicians
and statesmen of Virginia. Her death oc-
currsd on Sunday, at her residence, S32
| Twenty Street northwest, from old
age. She has been i'll since last Christ
| mas. when her health. which had re-
| manned good for so many years, at last
| began to break. A numerous progeny
| gathered around her bedside during the
| last moments.
| on the death bed Sunday, Mrs. Will
| liams even then in the full possession
of her faculties. called for the picture of
| General Washington, which has hung in
| the humble home in Georgetown for TWEEN
| ~ years. since she first came to Wash
| ington. She still recognized the likeness.
| General Washington was a fine gentle
| man." she said when | was a child l
waited upon him and fetched water for
him from the old spring down on massa' S
| place. He used to pat me on the head
| and say that l would die young. l was
| weakly girl in those times, but l have
| lived a hundred years since then. He
was a fine gentleman. and / want to see
him and Miss Martha" She died facing
| the cheap chrome of Washington which
for many years. had been the most valued
possession she owned.
When 'pickaninny." she used to say,
sfa . str nf
for the triumphal entry of the Marquise
de Lafayette, then on his tour through
the United States. She remembered him
weil as she did John Marshall and Wash
ington.
Mrs. Williams was born when the
United States was scarcely out of its
baby clothes, and she has lived to see 1t
the greatest nation in the world. More
over. she has kept abreast of the times in
spite of her lack OF education, and up to
the time of her death she gloried in the
fact that the Government started by her
master and his famous friends had grown
so~great.
When the news of the war for indie
pendence was as freSh in the minds of
the people 100 years ago as the war with
Spain is now the aged colored woman was
born in slavery on a virginia plantation.
and she was an old woman before she
obtained her freedom. Three grandchil-
dren had been raised and sold into slavery
before she could call herself her own. yet
the people whom she loved most were
those who had been her former masters.
At her death the recollections of the past
century came back to her and the faces
and names which she recalled were those
of more than 100 years past
The old woman has lived in George
town for twenty years. She was born in
Fauquier County, Virginia, in llS9, at
Valley View the estate of Col. William
st
a young woman she was given as a we'd
ding present by Colonel Gibson to his
daughter. Miss Alice, who married Judge
Richard Henry Field. of Culpeper, one of
the most prominent politicians and states
men of the Old Dominion, and an inti-
mate friend of many of the men who have
made the name of Virginia famous. Be
fore this. however. she had known both
Washington and Lafayette.
While on the Gibson estate General La
fayette passed through that section of
the country. He stopped at valley
View" and the old colored woman, then
a girl waited upon him. She remembered
well the great stir created in the country
over his arrival. and at Culpeper. near
the other members of the colored popula-
ton, had swept the streets of the town
and strewn the road with wild flowers in
honor of the occasion.
While still girl on the Gibson planta-
ton, General Washington made frequent
visits to the place, and she, on more than
one occasion. leil unOsr MS notice. A one
time she rode from Alexandria to Valley
View" then one of the best known es-
tates in Virginia. with Washington, and
she was proud of this event above all
others.
After her mistress married Judge Field
she lived at Culpeper, and many stirring
events Of the war between the States oc-
Cured under her eyes. Judge Field Joined
the Southern cause, and was away from
home for four years. His wife had died,
and the plantation was left In the charge
of Mrs Williams, her husband, and an
aged negro slave. They guarded the es-
tate as well as though it had been theirs,
with watchful eyes. When General Sher-
idaa conducted his campaign in that sec
tion of the country the old colored woman
performed an heroic act, in saving the
life of her husband at the risk of her own.
Judge Field had on his place a large
stillhouse. where. during the palmy days,
great quantities of applejack were made.
Sheridanis soldiers had learned of this,
and they paid a visit one afternoon to the
place for the purpose of sampling the
liquor. Mrs Williams. then an aged
place of Judge Fields favorite stock.
The soldiers took the keys of the cellar
from her, found the coveted liquor, and
drank it from their hats. Soon intoxi-
husband had not Mrs. Williams thrown
herself in the way of the soldiers, pre-
venting them from executing their in
tention.
When the emancipation proclamation
was signed Mrs. Williams. although she
was then free. refused to desert the old
home. She remained there and continued
to take charge OF the place until the war
closed. Judge Field, a Confederate Of
ficer, was a refugee. He would not sur
render, and he finally died away from
home, in the mountains of Virginia.
After the war, when Mrs. Williams hus-
band died, she came to Washington,
where she has resided ever since.
Mrs. Williams leaves twelve children
eighteen grandchildren. ard eight great
grandchildren. Her youngest daughter
is fifty years Of age She has a grand
child, the first child to her eldest daugh-
ter. who died some years ago, at the same
age. There is no doubt as Il. the authen-
ITCHY of her age Her numerous descend
ants would be proof enough. Her chill
dren and grefrS grandchildren have learn
ed the story of her early life, and they
have a record of her birth. and of her
various masters during slavery. She was