The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-02-11
MRS. LORENDA NYFONG, OLDEST RESIDENT
OF COUNTY, CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL
Is One Hundred Years of Age Today-Has
Perfect Health and Narrates Early
History.

ton or the state, Is Mrs. LoFenda
Nyfong, who celebrated the one hun
dredth anniversary of her b'-th Mon
day. AT present she IS residing with
her daughter Mrs. August Weissert,
twelve miles southeast OF this city on
the Leesburg road. Enjoying perfect
health, with ali of her senses except
ing her sigh istact, perfectly able
TO make he, bout rhe homes OF
her caildre .ndchildren. quite
able to c; conwer sation, not
only with but any stranger,
and with a that would put
person yo by Fifty years to
shame, the ~ Il this woman is most
remarkable. ike most elderly peo-
pie, who when they attain over eighty
years, live merely shadow OF an ex-
istence. Grandma Nyfong, as sie is
called, is very able. Not desiring
death, but ralmly waiting for the
Master to call, this centenarian sets
a wonderful example for us OF diff
ferent sphere AS the old lady states
it, she has nothing left to live for,
yet she is grateful that old age has
has been so kind to her, leaving her
with full possession of her faculties,
and not an invalid TO be a burden
upon her children. and so she is al
ways prepared for the end of her long
existence, whenever the time comes.
The secret of the wonderful Ion
gevity of Grandma Nyfong, is her
great inherited vitality. She has not
been visited by a physician in the past
fifty years, and in her entire lifetime
suffered only one serious illness. The
loss OF her siglt, which although not
complete, makes her unable to dis
singuish persons or colors, yet she is
able to distinguish daylight from
darkness. was the result OF lifetime
spent in heavy reading, and needle
work At this latter occupation, Mrs.
Nyfong was quite adept, and has at
present a sample OF fancy work which
she executed when a girl thirteen
years of age, a relic which has been
preserved in the f,tnily for eighty
seven years. The piece is quite a
work of art II consists of piece
of loosely woven linen, about two
feet square. The linen is embroidered
over all with various colored silk,
containing words Of various sizes, the
smaller of which are hard to dis
Germ 1t reads as follows: keep thy
Heart with all Diligence. Then fol-
lows a series of FIVE different sizes
and styles of the English alphabet
These are worked with different col
ors o< silk thread. Then comes the
name of the girl VINO worked the
piece. Lorenda Watson, Sampler. The
word sampler" signifies what the
piece is called, namely sample OF
what the student could do. The name
Of her old Ohio school teacher comes
next, and is Emelia Maynard, In
strlpctress. A verse follows:
What conscience dictates to be done
Or warns us not TO do,
This teach me more than He'll to
shun,
That more than heaven 10 pursue
The verse as Grandma Nyfong re-
calls it, was one which she selected
herself, under the direction OF her in
structress. Other relics OF ofden day.
are an old grease hnp. used before
candles were invented also a candle
stick, the first that she had used wher
aaese were introduced.
Story of Her Life.
Lo-enda Watson was born in Liber
~ township, Delaware county, Ohio
on February sth, 1909 Her father.
name was William Watson. and hei
mothers name was Sally White
Through her father, tle subject o
TINS sketch. is descended from roy alty
OF England John Watson, her grand
father, was the son of the THIRD Lore
Watson; ne quarreled with his pa-er
and enlisted with the British army
under Burgoyne, which was just be
ing dispatched to America, TO sup
press the Revolution mere. The arm,
failed to suppress, and surrendered t.
Washington at Saratoga. After tn,
Revolutionary war John Watson
having no home in England, decide;
TO locate in America and settled nea
Hartford Connecticut The descend
ants bear the tradition that this prou'
and blueblooded ancestor. caused 4
be erected yer the door of his hous
IN Hartford, the following legend:
'We are in for Free Republic
Believing that one man IS as good a
another. so long as he behaves him
self"-John Watson.
John Watson married a Colonia
girl. and spent the remainder of hi
life in Hartford His only son wa
William Watson, who married Mis-
Sally White TIE couple early move
TO Delaware county, Ohio. where al
Of the children, OF which there wer
seven were born. The oldest of tn
children was Lorenda who celebrated
her one hundredtl anniversary Mon
day. The other children, her brother
and sisters were, VIM. A, who settlet
in Illinois, George w, who settled il
Ohio. Perry c.. who settled at Mar
lingo, Ohio, Henry W., who late
made his home in Michigan. Anna c
who married and lived IN Bourbon
Minerva. who also married. but set
tied at Delphos, Ohio, and Cyrus. VIII
lived and died at Bourbon. Althoug
Lorenda was the oldest of eight child
rem. she has outlived them all, the
J.aI -, pt,a ,h0,-o