The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1916-07-01
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 Fisured-out That Venerable Old
Lady of Wisconsin Has 1876 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 hum
bred 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 a 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 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 1856 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 young man;
forty-six grandchildren, ninety-two
great-grandchildre forty great-great-
grandchildren and four great-great-
great-grandcnildre
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 q 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
6lA dIC. n1AS. AyNlea
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 1874 they moved to Green county
Wis, and in 1850 to Wyalusing, theil
home ever since. To the last unioI
were born five children-Jacob, of Bag
lev; Jane, David, Abner and George
Three of these SONS served in the civi
war, Jacob in Company A, Thirty-firs
Wisconsin,; David in Company II, Wis
consin's Eagle regiment, and Abner IL
Company c, Forty-eighth Wisconsin
This makes five sons Grandma ShrakC
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 il
| the war of 1872.