The sun., 1910-06-05
iV7 and HEAD OF HHE FAMILY
IGED MENNONITE FtRWER FOL-
Lows GRIVBSONS TO IuERICI.
HAS -. .S0S 20 shSN Nhea q d lDoablssi
R tie Oughl 10 CouAr In- llrlnGs = san
sg Ia.A GFandssa " so and llas tireai-
gFrat-grandssna Grew lhg In Dakstn.

gFrsl.EranassRa IssSu lng In Daksla.
unique procession oi immigrants
pssse,l oui VI the iron gates u the Barge
OAics landing a. the Battery yesterday
Al the head was 1 white hatred little man
of leaihery cOmpieHion wearing arge
bone rimmed spectaclss. lie scorned th.
assistance of his gray haired sou AMI his
grandson. a yo,iAgsteF ~ IN. The alert,
parchment faced httls man n Peter Beke
the oldest immigrant that ever has hson
admitted into this port lie arrived
with q son. George. aged 10. sud = grand
son. Frederick. and Fr-dercks two
children. who are under 70
The E!lis Island inspectors were in
clined IN stop Frederick. Who led the
Bekel tribe from the large that landed
them AZ the rsRnd from the Cunarder
ls,sitahia H- loOked his age. aud thers
is tradition of the Osler sort that
man after ~ has no righ, to seek
PASTURES new Frederick referred the
inquireFs 10 his father, just astern.
How abOBt Il. pop Major Ssmaey,
who speaks all the languages of Europe
asked the venerable George Bekel Fred.
ericks father smiled and remarked that
he regretted that he could not stand
sponsor for Frederick. but that he would
have TO PASS the problem up TO the real
head of the family. the leathery Httls
alert piOnser. Oreat-great-grandfatheI
/ Peter. aged i0i
grants oi tho tender aRe % NJ who spoke
nothing but Gazette. the only langIag g
I the MaiOr dos not know, but be never
had seen . cenienartan. lie could no'
recall that there was any age limit on
immigrants. While he was meditatinH
tho head Of the family drew from a large
and very fat pocketboOk n lot of money
and securities, the total value Of which
was 24. snn This he thought might in
dicate that he did not intend 20 he 4
burdsn on the community
0reat-gFandfaiher George and his son
/ Frederick then Strengthened out things.
/ The centenarian was a farmer in southern
Russia His a0n CieOrge's sons had gone
away n North Dakota many years AGO
and had reared children and Erandchii
dren. GeorEe feh the call Of the West
and hroached the subject Of immigra ting
D.
had a strong desire to look at those Yankee
youngsters he had heard about. and finally
after half a years consideration. a proper
German in ermiasion. decided that he
would cross the Atlantic and grow uy
with the new country He ~ a Mennonite
a hard worker and a man ~ Droper piety.
~ his son also H. That is why the head
of tho family had charge of the funds
Thev alone would have admitted hun
but he had also ahidavits from his grand
sous. who are prosperous farmers IN
North Dakota. that they are willing and
ahle 10 take care ~ Great great grand
father Peter for the rest of his days.
which. iud ring from the appearance ~
the lntle man ~s;erday. nav some time
make him the oldest man that ever has
lived IN America The family says u
has the record 10 prove that he is Just
a. old ~ he says.
Great -great -grandfather Peter said h.
rather liked aea travel. particularly on N
swift q ship a. tis lilsitania. which he
had heard vas much faster than TIE ships
that used - bring folks here when he was
a huv He said he had seen Halley's
comet several times on the trip. and de-
tla-ed that Il vas not nearly ~ impres-
siye a. the SANE visitor when " came be
fore he could not rscall having seen u
t1e time before that. but he heard his
father. wh0 died at the az Of TO-. talk
about comets of tremendous power. Ne
himself had seen many other come q
much uiore impressive than the one that
h fading in the west nov
1he gallant I'D boy travelled IN the
st-e~agn and found " ~ his liking VI
vail 90 West on an immigrant train. a.
he does not believe IN the expensive frill'
Of travel. He does not speak any Eaglish
hut fs has hops that he may learn enough
& talk the American language - his
great great-grs1dohildren before he 4
put away T.deT a stone on whicf
/ there will - tnaoTihed the declaration
I tlRt he waa the most ancient pioneer
tiaf ever tackled farming in the Wild
l W.