The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1916-07-29
HAS ODD CAREER.
Woman at One Time Headed Six
Living Generations.
HAD FIVE SONS IN CIVIL WAR.

While She Was Celebrating Her One
Hundred and Fourth Birthday Il
Was Figured Out That Venerable Old
Lady of Wisconsin Has 1875 Descend
ants-Is Rugged and Enjoys Life.
Prairie du Chen, Wis.-Grandma
Shrake Is In her one hundred and fifth
year, for she celebrated her one hun
dred and fourth birthday anniversary
recently. She Is a most remarkable
woman In several respects. With the
aid Of a 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 recognize
people only when they get within q
few feet Of her. She has a rugged con-
stitution and Is able to take care OF
three square meals a day and enjoy
them.
At the birthday anniversary thirty
five Of her relatives were present to
do honor to the event, an event that
Is exceedingly rare
While the circle were enjoying din
ner it was figured out that this veneer
able old lady had 1S5 descendants hv-
ing at the present time, as follows:
Three sons, of which Sylvester Ault,
aged eighty-three, of Oelwein, Ia, was
present at the celebration and who de-
clares that he Is still a young man;
forty-six grandchildren, ninety-two
great-grandchildren forty great-great-
grandchildren and four great-great-
great-grandcnildren
Mrs. Shrake herself was the mother
Of ten children, Of which the three sons
are all that are living of the first gen.
Grafton.
And what a wonderful family record
Is Grandma Shrake's-the head at one
time Of six living generations, all fe-
male, the only known instance Of the
kind in the United States. Death has
removed only two of the links. The
six generations are: Mrs. Lydia
Shrake of Wyoming, Mrs. Margaret
Elder deceased, Mrs. Rachel Golf (de-
ceased), Mrs. Malissa Spaulding of
California, Mrs. Cora Gulley Of Cali
fornia, baby Agnes Gulley Of Califor
mia. They all used to live at Wyalus-
ing.
Grandma Lydia Thomas Ault-Shrake
was born in Connellsville, Fayette
county, Pa, and at the age Of four
moved with her parents to Coshocton,
O., where at the age Of eighteen she
married William Ault in May, 1882.
To them were born five children-Lou-
lisa, Sylvester, Margaret, Elias and
William. Two of these sons, Sylvester
and William Ault, served in the late
civil war, the former in the Fifteenth
Wisconsin and the latter In Company
A, Thirty first Wisconsin. In Septem-
Der, 1899, her husband died, and two
years later she married Jacob Shrake.
In 1914 they moved to Green county,
Wis, and in 1850 to Wyalusing, their
home ever since. To the last union
were born five children-Jacob, Of Bag
ley; Jane. David, Abner and George.
Three of these sons served in the civil
war, Jacob in Company A, Thirty first
Wisconsin; David In Company Fl, Wis
consin's Eagle regiment, and Abner in
Company c, Forty-eighth Wisconsin.
This makes five sons Grandma Shrake
sent to the front in the dark days of
the war, another remarkable thing
to her credit and showing her patriot
ism. Her second husband, Mr.. Shrake,
who died in 1861. was also a soldier in
the war of 1912.