The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1922-07-28
WOMAN 103 YEARS OLD
Mrs. Rose Davis Has Passed Gen.
fury Mark: Enjoys Life


fury Mark: Enjoys Life
st. James, July 22.-The st.
Jane Plaindealer relates this story:
IF we are always thinking OF
what happened in the past, we
couldn't live. I suppose we were
put on this earth to take a certain
amount Of trouble, but we must
make the comfort we get. We all
have good things and some times
we have bad, but we must make
the most of what we get" This is
a little of the good, wholesome phi
losophy of Mrs. Rose Davis, who
is 103 years old, and who is the
Oldest living woman the Plaindealer
has found in Watonwan county.
Mrs. Davis is now living with her
daughter, Mrs. e. Hughes in Madel-
ia She is an active woman, tend
ing to her own work. Her eye sight
is good and with the aid of glasses
she reads and sews. Wien alone,
Mrs. Davis can remember great
deal about her former life, but
when questioned it is hard for her
to give the exact dates of incidents
in her life.
With the aid of a crutc1, the ag-
ed pioneer gets around the house
very well. She takes an active in
terest in gardening although she
seldom does much of tae actual
work.
Mrs. Davis was born near Dublin
in Ireland in April, 1919. She grew
to womanhood there and was mar
ried. At the age of about twenty
wien she had one child, the fam
lily moved to this country. They
landed at New York and lived in
New York state for eleven years.
Mr.. Davis was an overseer in "a
hardware store doing the buying.
He had to drive over a board road
to Utica, N. Y. on the Erie Canal
where the goods came in and went
out. .
But times were too prosperous in
the East, as Mrs. Davis put it, and
her husband had a touch of the
western fever. So the, family pick
ed up and came West. They settl-
ed at Fox Lake, Wis, where they
lived during the Civil War.
Mrs. Davis came to Ceresco, Min
nesota in 1854 and she lived here
uuIIuS lie ldLlcI PAL y" Vi IAC IL :
dian trouble. They moved to Ger
south Of the present site Of Madei-
ia. At the time they came to
Minnesota, there was only an old
she'll of a house standing where
the Noonan Hotel is now located.
They did their business in Lake
Crystal and Mankato. There was
not a house between their home in
CeEesco and Madelia.
Mr.. Davis appreciates the kind
treatment which she has received
from her many friends. 81 have
lived here long tine and folks
are mighty good to Nhe," she says.
81 had good home, in Ceresco,
and had a good time, Death and
sickness CAME into our family, but
that comes in every LIE. Now I
am getting old, but am happy and
contented."
She remembers the time when
eggs sold for five cents a dozen
and butter did not bring enough to
pay TO haul it away from the farm.
At one time one hundred acres of
wheat was Just about ready to cut
wnen hail storm swept 1t away
entirely. ,
things?' Mrs. Davis asked. eff we
would think about all the bad
things that happened, we couldn't
live. child. ] suppose we were put
on this earth for some trouble along
with the good things. We must
take tle good and the bad and
make the most out of them"
Mrs. Davis has had eight child
rem, three of whom are living. They
are Mrs. Margaret Dineen, aged
seventy, Sleepy Eye, Mimi; Mrs.
Ed. Hughes, Madelia, and Jim Davis
Madeha. She has eighteen grand
children, one OF whom is Mrs. Aus
tia Christensen of st. James. She
also has fifteen great grand child