Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-05-17
Her lO4TH BIRTHDAY
Grandma Shrake of WyaIusing.
Passes One More Milestone.
STILL WELL AND HEARTY.
Has Lived In Grant County Since 1850
1856 Descendants of This Remark
able Old Lady.

The Milwaukee Free Press of Mon
day gives an excellent account of the
104th birthday celebration of Grandma
Shrake of Wyalusing, Grant county.
Grandma Shrake lives in Wyalusing, a
village of about fifty inhabitants, three
miles north of Bagley. The Free Press
says:
Grandma Shrake is in her 105th
year for she celebrated her 104th
birthday last Thursday She is most
remarkable woman in several respects.
With the aid of cane she is able to
get about quite well and she is always
cheerful and happy. Up to year ago
she was able to read the newspapers
but her eyesight has failed fast since
that time and she is now able to recog-
nize people only when they get within
few feet of her. She has a rugged.
constitution and is able to take care
of three square meals day and en-
joy them.
At the birthday anniversary at Wya~
lusing last Thursday thirty-five of her
relatives were present to do honor to-
the event, an event that is exceeding
~ rare.
Has 1856 Descendants.
While the circle were enjoying dim
ner it was figured out that this ven
cradle old lady had 1876 descendants
living at the present time as follows:
Three sons of which Sylvester Ault,
aged SO of Olewein, Ia, was present
at the celebration last Thursday and
I,
man, forty-six grandchildren, ninety
two great grandchildren, forty great
great grandchildren and four great
great great grandchildren.
Mrs. Shrake herself was the mother
of ten children of which the three sons
are ali that are living Of the first gen
GRAFTON.
Head Of Six Generations.
And what a wonderful family rec
ord is Grandma Shrake's-the head of
six living generations, all female, the.
only known instance of the kind in
the United States. Death has removed
only two of the links. The six gener-
atiOns are: Mrs Lydia Shrake Of
Wyalusing; Mrs. Margaret Elder (de-
ceased), Mrs. Rachel Golf (deceased),
Mrs. Malissa Spau1ding of California,
Mrs. Cora Gulley of California; Baby
Agness Gulley of California They all
used to live at Wyalusing.
Born in Pennsylvania.
Grandma Lydia Thomas -Shrake
was born in Connellsville, Fayette
county, Pa, and at the age of four,
moved with her parents to COsh0cton,
O., where at the age of Is she married
William Ault in May, 1880. To them
were born five children-Louise, Syl-
vester, Margaret, Elias and William.
Two of these sons, Sylvester and Will
liam Ault, served in the late Civil war,
the former in the Fiftieth Wisconsin
and the latter in Company A, Thirty
first Wisconsin. In September 1899,
her husband died, and two years later
she married Jacob Shrake. In 1874
they moved to Green county, Wis, and
in 1850 to Wyalusing, residing there.
ever since
To the last union were born child
ren-JacOb of Bagley, Jane, David,
Abner and George. Three of these
sons also served in the Civil war,
Jacob in Company A, Thirty-first Wis
consin; David in Company F. H., Wis
consin's Eagle Regiment, and Abner
in Company G, Forty eighth Wiscon-
sin. This makes five sons Grandma
Shrake sent to the front in the dark
days of the rebellion; another re-
markable thing to her credit and
showing her patriotism. Her second
husband, Mr.. Shrake, who died in
1861, was also a soldier in the war of
1912.