The San Francisco call., 1905-05-07
INSTANCES OF
LONGEVITY
A Fair Proportion of People
Have Lived Beyond Cen
tury Mark, but Few 10 120
ONE REACHED 100 YEARS
His Record Yet Stands Above
Any Other Authentic Case
Since Beginning of Our Era

Aunt Fanny Lomax, the aged COLI
ored woman who only short time ago
at her residence across the river near
Georgetown celebrated the one hum
dred and fourth anniversary OF her
BIRTH" said one OF Washington's Oldest
inhabitants. .'is a true example OF lon
gevity. HerEecords are straight and
her credentials equally as good. but"
said he. she Is a case among many
thousands. 1 have given much study to
the subject of longevity" continued the
old gentleman. "and have no hesitation
in saying that nine out of ten OF these
centenarians we hear about. many OF
them In the almshouses or in country
regions. supported by their friends or
their descendants. do not know when
they We're born. and there are no rec
ords extant to show the date. and
while many OF them can remember
events that have occurred sixty or even
seventy years ago, they can cary their
mental g1ances no further to the rear
A great many hOnors are attendant
upon old age" he went on to say, and
I think the feeling Of homage Is as wen
exenplified by the Chinese as by any
other people. In thar country IL q man
lives over a hundred the universal I'M
preston Is that he must have been q
good man TO have been blessed with 20
many years of existence. and he has
statues and memorial arches and mon
uments erected to his memory. 1t IL to
be noted, however. that these meuen--
toes are few and far between. for few
men are so good in their lives as to Ess
to be 100 years Old"
The old resident may have been sub
stantially correct in his assertions. but
the truth is that very many people
have lived beyond the age Of 100 years.
In q census OF Great Britain taken
about forty years ago Ii was shown
that 80 persons within the period OF
the census had lived to be over 100
years old.
I Searching into statistics concerning
advanced age. IL IS found that Galen.
the great physician, who died some
tian era, had worried along through
140 years OF earthly existence. As
late as the year 1870 a slave
woman died ir Jamaica who was re-
puted TO be 1856 years OF age Her name
was Cooba. She is of frequent mem
tion In bdbks on longevity Her menu
ory was perfect up to the time of her
death. and she could see 70 thread
needle until year Of her being called
to the other world. She saw four gem
erations Of her masters family.
In 1872 Esnina Diamond died ae
Kingston, Jamaica, aged $50. jamaica
must have been a great place for long
life. AT Port Royal on that island also
In the year 1872 died Ann Wignall. over
whose head the summers OF 40 had
shed their sunshine. Ann was slave
who was captured in Africa and car
ried to the West Indies.
But these old folk were not all col
ored people. In one OF the census re-
ports Of Great Britain occurs the fol-
lowing:
Lord Bacon. in his History OF LAfs
and Death quotes as q fact unques-
toned that few years before he wrote
a Morris dance was performed in Here
fordshfre at the May games by eight
men whose ages in the aggregate
amounted to 500 years.
The Library Of Health. an English
publication, many years ago published
this paragraph:
! We were personally acquainted with
the late Donald Mcdonald Of quarrel
some memory. who was sent to the
house of correction for a street brawl
when he was 165 years old When log
he enjoyed excellent health His father
lived TO be 137, and no one knows when
he would have died had he not been ac-
cidentally killed"
Many women also have had a long
lease on life. Mrs. James Simon died
In London 119 years Of age.
Probably the oldest man since our
well remembered Methuselah. at least
the oldest man during the Christian
era up to date. was Henry Jenkins,
laborer, who was born at Ellerton-on-
Slade. He was 12 years old when the
battle OF Flodden Field was fought
On his tomb in Bolton churchyard y
inscribed:
o..--.s--..... .,-.......-.-..o