The Republican journal., 1903-11-05
NAMES OLDEST RESIDENT.
"Aunt', Salome Sellars celebrates her 1O4t
birthday at Deer Isle.

"Aunt" SalOme Sellars celebrates her 1O4th
birthday at Deer Isle.
The Oldest resident in Maine, "Aunt" Sa-
lone Sellers, celebrated her 104th birthday,
Oct. 16, at her home in Deer Isle. In accord
ance with the custom of many years, the
Martha Washington benevolent society, OF
which she is the Oldest living member, and
one of the two surviving charter members
of 6s years ago, met with the venerable lady
to observe the day.
Mrs. Sellers enjoys good health and re-
tains all her faculties to remarkable de-
gree, being able to read coarse print with
out the aid of glasses, and always has at
hand some work to employ her time.
She is the daughter of Edward and Deb
orah (Cushman) Sylvester, and was born
on the farm now owned by Capt. George
Knowlton at Webbs Cove. and was the
Youngest of six children. Her father moved
| there from Marshfield, Mass, about 1889,
building at first a log house in which she was
| born, and later frame house, in which she
grew up, and which was torn down to give
| place to Capt knOwton's present home.
Their nearest neighbors then were the
family of Samuel Webb, who lived on the
farm still occupied by his descendants.
Mrs. Sellers can remember that part OF the
| island (now StoningtOn) when there were
no roads other than bride paths, or a cart
road where sufficient use had made one,
and she remembers riding, as little child,
to the church at Northwest Harbor in her
| fathers arms on horseback. While her
mother sat behind them on pillion
| The first schools to which she went-a
| summer and winter term OF two or three
weeks each-were kept in any dwelling
| house which could spare room large
enough.
When Mrs. Sellers was about - years old
frame schoohouse was built on Mill hill
| in South Deer Isle, to which she had to
walk mile and half, and IN winter mac haa
| to sit all day with her clothes freezing about
her feet. The teachers We're generally Wo-
, men, and their pay was usually 75 cents a
week.
Mrs. Sellers can remember the "embargo"
days of the war of 1912, and paying IS cents
a yard for cotton. IalloW dips We're ere tnelr
lights, except when an occasional seal was
killed for its oil. Matches were undreamed
of.
The fire was carefully "raked up" at
night, and in the morning the ashes raked
Oft the Goals again to start the new hre
Otherwise the fire was kindled by the flint
and steel and tinder, or the family had to
send to the nearest neighbor for few
Goals, while the rest waited shivering.
Shortly before Mrs. Sellers was 80 years
old she went to Newburyport for visit,
and there saw the first steamboat that came
to that port, and heard the first factory that
was built there discussed as risky venture.
There were no regular mails then, letters
+ being sent by whomsoever would take them,
if they could not be sent to one of the few
i poSt0fficeS in existence Their clothes we're
| mostly homespun and home Wove, and their
| farms and the ocean produced the most OF
their living, by no means an uncomfortable
one.
In 1880 Mrs Sellers was married to Joseph
Sellers, who died in 1865. They had six
children, of whom two sons, Mr.. W. R. Sell
lers and Albert Sellers, with whom she re-
sides, are living.