The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-02-11
DO PEOPLE LIVE AS LONG AS
THEY DID A CENTURY AGO?
Years Ago, Says James D. Grist,
Centenarians Were Quite
Commc-. ~
(By James D. Grist.)

(By James D. Grist.)
York. S. c., Dec. 6.-Does longe-
witty of life prevail to as great de-
gree and are the centenarians as nu-
merous in South Carolina as was the
case in the state century or more
ago?
eyes," you say. "more so,'' as you
recall that Mrs. Margaret Mason died
at Greer few years ago at the age
of4fe7 and that Miss Susan Pursley
died in York county few months
ago at the age of about 104.
Then you think of improved meth
DDS of sanitation with which you are
more or less familiar, of the many
and skillful doctors and specialists
and, of the many articles that you
read in the newspapers and maya
zines giving rules and regulations
forSthe'S preservation of life and
healthc You are convinced maybe
that people live as long today as they
eveE did and longer and you are sure
that they should be more healthy be-
cause they are better protected.
But let: us dig into nusty files OF
newspapers and other records for a
bit in order that we may get line
on some Of the old folk of a century
or mofa ago who lived in South Caro-
line.
Neighbours Was ia.
There died in Laurens county IN the
year 1898 a Mr.. Neighbours at the
age of ia years. His widow died the
sa,lsg;ssisar at Che age of lo9 years.
While the people of Laurens county
aresSaaie healthy today and great
many of them lived their allotted
thfee score and ten it is doubtful If
thsre has lived in Laurens county IN
anS time during the past decade a
citizen or citizens who lived ia
yeaars or. 109 years. Both old man
Neighbours and his wife were Penn
sykanians and moved to South Car
olina when the state was quite young
They were married 80 years. 1t is re-
corded that "when 1o5 Mrs. Neigh
bours broke her thigh which healed
very kindly.a Then there was Mrs.
Newly of Laurens who died before
1890 at the age Of 112 years.
There was, living in orangeourg
county, SO late as the year 1903, Mary
Miller who was then 10 years OF age.
She was a native of Germany who en-
;orated to South Carolina when she
was about thirty years of age. Date
of her death is not recorded but she
certainly passed the mark of a cen
tury and decade. 4
Excused On Account of Age
Along about 1907 Old Man Benja-
min Busl5y of Edgefeld county, swore
that he was r los years. Of age. An IN
teresting incident connected with no.
tation of bis age is the fact that ne
was. drawn that year 20 serve on the
Jury and in order shat he might be
excused from jury duty he stated his
age-1os. No doubt the judge glad
ly excused him. .'f@+@
In 1908 Mr.. William Atwood was
living in Abbeville county. He was
not married until he was sixty-hve
wears of age and later he became the
father of nine children. Then there
was Margaret Dickson who died IN
ADbeville county about 177s at the
age of 104 years.
Rev. Jeremiah Smith died in Sum-
ter county in 1893 at the age OF loe
wears. At the age M 80 he was saA
engaged in the ministry.
Woman Had Tsa, Husbands
There IS no record that Nelly Sny-
der of~Lexington-eoanty lived to be
100 years of age;. but she was W
wears of age in 1909 when all track
was lost of her. She assprobably the \
most married womaR who ever lived
in South Carolina siAeeSnp to the year
1908 she had had ten husbands, an the
last of whom she had outlived. A
Lexington county man who passed the the
century mark was Andrew Rummy
of SANDY Run" dthe year 17s7
he was 10s years Of age and still. in
the land of the living.
Insthe year 1908, according to the
historian, DIR. Ramsey, Peter Carson
: was living near Greenville court house