The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-01-20
Leonard Rocder Will Celebrate His
Birthday Tomorrow and Has
Been Doing it Since
Il 1900.
HE IS NOT FEEBLE
Old Man Who as Lived Over
Century, is Totally Blind
But is Not Entirely
Helpless.

The Quincy old man will be 100
tomorrow and is in good health and IL
able TO live few years longer. The
Herald says of him:
On Thursday, January 21st, John
Leonard Roeder OF 304 Payson afe-
nue., celebrates the Tooth anniver
sary of his birth. Without doubt he
is the Oldest man in this state and
when it comes to vitality and good
health, the ability to get around and
to take care of himself, in spite OF
the fact that he is blind, there are
few centenarians in this country who
can compare with llim. Since his Z
hundreCth birthday he has been
blind, but this does not make him
! helpless. He still dresses and I'M
dresses without any assistance and 1
all that is necessary when meal time I
comes is to see that his plate is sup
yied as he can get along well /
without any help, being strong and |
his grip certain, SO that his family !
need not worry about him splitting
his drink CT dropping his food. His
health today is as good as it was
4 twenty years ago The past decade
has passed over him without leav-
/ ing any apparent marks and there is
absolutely no Indication that he will
not live for number of years more.
He has his room upstairs, and
goes to and from his room without a
guide. He sleeps as we'll as child
and not having any duties to per-
form. he sleeps late. He dresses,
laces his shoes and comes down
stairs for his breakfast. During the
day, at this time of the year, he sits
around near the stove and passes
away the time as well as i. is possible
for a man of his age and his af-
Fiction, the inability to see. He eats
three hearty meals every day and is
the last one of the family to retire.
Mr.. Roeder was born in Grossher-
!. bach, Bavaria. Germany, January 81,
1900. He saw the close of the
eighteenth century, lived through the
entire nineteenth and has nearly
completed the first decade of the
twentieth. His father was a shoe
maker and the son learned tle same
trade After finishing his education
in the schools of his native town, he
: served the apprenticeship In MS
fathers shop He then became
: iourneyman and travelled through
the entire German empire, accord
, ing TO the custom of those days.
These journeys were made on foot,
, the iourneyman travelling from one
, town to another and working at every
Y place as long as was necessary
to earn enough money to keep him
: in clothing and the necessary tools
t Of his trade. Upon completion of his
q ..Wanderjahre'' he was married to
}. Miss Maria Appolonia Dehm who
was born in 1904, in Dauerzell, ia
vara.
Together Mr. and Mrs Roeder
n emigrated to this country in 1874
n coming via Philadelphia and Gin
A cinnati to ST. Louis, from where they
e went TO Pittsfied, coming to Quincy
: in ls45. when this city was no larger
u than Pittsfeld and nothing but
d more village. Mr. Roeder FOLLOWED
his occupation as shoemaker and was
re located on State street for man!
u wears His wife died in 1867.
4 Having no children of their own
J Mr. and Mrs. Roeder adopted al
" ornban girl today the wife of Johl
10 p liebig. the ice and coal deale
at Third and Della ware streets. Fo
III, mast twenty years he has mad
IA his home with Mrs. Liebig, who ha
" cared for him as faithfully on NOR
- ca than an own daughter might nav
: done.
Lost an Eye.
When 80 years of age Mr. Roede
N had the misfortune to lose the sigh
of one eve He was cutting brush fo
meas. when small piece of woo
flew up, hitting him in the eye an
destroying the sight. Ten years late
cataract developed in the othe
eve, owing to the strain resultin
from the loss OF the other and h
soon became totally blind after tina
Physicians were of the opinion Tn;
the sight of the eye covered by tt
\ cataract could be restored, but
was feared at the time when tn
operation should have been pc
y formed that he was not stror
enough to overcome the shock.
~
presence of strangers always lrl
tates him and not having had al
visitors for many years, he does n
appreciate call any longer. AS b
few. other than curious peopl
would visit him the family prefe
u 10 have him let alone as it caus