Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1931-04-09
Died At Age OF 1O2

We want to tell you about the
oldest woman buried here-Martha
Applegate. While this woman was
our great aunt, and we knew much
of her life history, we want to
quote from sketch written by Mrs
Mary Wilson, a former well-known
writer from Bristol, for the Demo-
crat: Mrs. Applegate whose maid.
en- name was Fry, was born in
Pennsylvania, March, 1902. She is
the oldest and last of family re-
markable for their longevity, four
sisters having died in the past few
years. Up to within the past few
weeks her health has been re-
markable. For short time back
her health has been failing rapidly,
although she is still able to be
about, and looks no older than
many women of 70. She has but
five living descendants. The de-
scendants of whom Mrs. Wilson
spoke were her daughter, Mrs. r. J.
Sammons, of whom we will tell you
later, J. A. Applegate, grandson,
and his three children. Aunt Mat
tie" died in 1904, aged 102 years.
She always wore her bonnet which
perhaps explains her looking young
er than her years. She was a weav-
er until crippled by fall, after
which she was unable to do that
kind of work. OF the five sisters Of
her family, four are buried here.
We just want to stop here to tell
you that their aggregate ages is
359 years. Rebecca Jane Sammons,
daughter of John and Martha APP
plegate. He disappeared when
Mrs. Sammons and her brother
Samuel were small children, and
was never heard Of was born Nov
IS, 1926; died March Is, 1919, aged
so years, four months and 27 days.
She was married to John Sammons
in 1855. They never had any chill
dren, but took their nephew and
niece j. A. Applegate and sister
Eva, into their home, after the
death of their parents. Eva died at
the age of IL, and is buried at
Pleasant Grove, Meigsville town
ship, near the old home of the Sam
mons. j. A. Applegate resides at
Lansing, Mich.
John SammOns
John Sammons was born April
%, 1914, in Brooks county, Vir-
ginia; died in 1905. In his younger
days he followed river boating. AS
we remember he made AZ trips
with fiat boats loaded with meat,
flour, and in fact all kinds of food
stuffs. At the beginning of the
Civil war, he started with two
loads. Getting into the Rebel lines
he was taken prisoner and boats
and cargo confiscated. They had a
rope around his neck, ready to
hang him, when he gave sign of a
secret order of which he was
member, and the leader of the gang,
who was a member of the same
lodge, got him out and took him to
his home and under cover of the
night, helped him out of the coun
try but he lost all his provisions.
He never recovered from the finan-
cial loss, and in the year 1890 or
81, he sold his farm, which is now
owned by Chas. Dearth, and came to
Bristol township, buying the Camp
bell place, now owned by III. G..
Later he sold out to
DR.. f. w. Hall and bought the home
now owned by G. f. (Bub) Ander- !
son, south of the old Bristol store,
where his death occurred. We al /!
ways enjoyed hearing him tell OF /
his experience. On one trip down |
the river, he contracted smallpox, |
and was taken to the pest house." |
where he could look out the win
dow and see them carrying out the |
dead. At that time the doctors did (
not know how to handle the dis
ease as they do now. When the |
smallpox was SO bad in the Nicely |
Vile neighborhood, Mr.. Sammons
and VIM. Boden who had had the
disease, buried the dead. We re-
Of hearing Mr.. Sammons
tell about when they would come in
sight of the cemetery with a body,