The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1921-08-18
HERMIT FOR NINETY YEARS.
"Aunt Betty" Elliott Died Without
Ever Riding On a Train.

Ninety years IN the Oach couuIEy
of Missouri, without ever having rid
den on a railroad train or visited a
town larger than Moberly, Huntsville
or Macon, was the record OF Aunt
Betty" Elliott, whose death occurred
Thursday at the home of her sister,
Mrs. S. P. Rice, six miles west OF
Jacksonville. Missouri.
Miss Elliott was one of very in
teresting trio, the other two being her
brothers, Perry and Jordan Elliott,
who died few years ago. Ali their
lives they had lived upon the land
which was taken up by their father,
William Elliott, when he came from
Kentucky, to Northern Missouri IN
1916. After the death of their par
ent and the marriage of the younger
children, Miss Elliott and her two
brothers lived on the old homestead,
CARRYING on their farming operations
and duties about the house in the
same primitive manner as was con-
Quoted by their parents in the pioneer
days.
Had One Ride in Motor Car.
Miss Elliott once enjoyed the ex-
perience of riding in motor car. She
said she got as far as College Mound
when something about it went dead
and they had to hitch on couple OF
mules to haul them back home. She
never. cared much for motor cars
since then.
The Elliott brothers developed the
estate until it comprised about two
thousand acres and, although in the
heart of the very richest growing Sec
ton of Missouri, much of it was
rough pasture land. For great many
years the farm was inclosed with rail
fences, which as time went by sank
far into the ground. The fencing
around their farm marks almost the
last of the old rail fences in Northern
| Missouri.
None of the three had found time
in their busy lives to go to school,
but they knew the value of stock and
grain, and were as shrewd in their
deals as anybody. Underneath a large
part of their land are valuable beds
Of coal.
Flight shy of doctors and medi-
cine. Have. nothing to interest you
and keep going. Learn to go to sleep
easily and don't borrow trouble. Get
out in the air and raise turkeys,
ducks and chickens. Eat hearty and
go to bed early
That was the rule of Aunt Bet
ty."
Scorned Luxury for Simple Life.
Fourteen years ago a staff CORE
spondent for The Star visited the Ell
liott trio and spent day with @'the
children of nature" who scorned lux
uries to live the simple life of their
parents, pioneers of Missouri. There
the correspondent found a leaky
house, built by their parents; WE'LL,
which was started the year after the
Civil war and never had been COM
pleted, and three children" all
more than 70, who never had had
time to ever think about marriage.
The only thing modern on the farm
was nice looking range in the kitch-
en- which the "boys" had purchased
for Aunt Betty"
Friends? Why Aunt Betty had
thousands of them, it seemed. She
tossed few handfuls of corn on the
bed of wood chips, which served as
roadway up to the house. Flocks OF
fowls, turkeys, ducks and chickens
Immediately clustered about her.
Here are my friends, and you see
why never get lonesome, she told
the correspondent
And It was an extremely happy
family. Late in the evening the two
"boys" returned to the house. All
talked in gentle, quiet tones. In
brief they outlined their lives as fol-
lows:
Never too old to work.
Never had a quarrel with anybody.
Never swapped horse.
Never owned a dog.
Never used tobacco in any form.
Never belonged to a church, but
believed in God.
Never we're in lawsuit.
Never knew the extent of their
wealth.
Kept their accounts with pins on
shingles.
What was good enough for their
forefathers was good enough TOR
them.