Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-08-30
Mrs. KeIeher, 100 Today, Lives
In Present as Well as Past
Kin, Friends Fete
Retired U. S. Worker
At Surprise Porty

Mrs. Frances Reynolds Keleher,
who is 100 years old today and re-
tired nearly 30 years ago from a
Government job because of "old
age" believes that living century
is all right If you can remember the
past and, at the same time, know
what is going on in the present.
Her memory is exact and her in
terest in the modern world remains
keen. She has been in Washington
since 1885, worked for the old Pen
sion Office for 80 years and now
stays at the Kendall House Sana-
forum. 1923 Ogden street NV.
Her room holds newspapers, mag
azines, books and correspondence.
She not only writes frequent let
tiers. but she still composes verses,
especially for greeting cards to
friends.
Apologies for Glasses.
Mrs. Keleher apologies for using
glasses when she reads and for
referring occasionally to a bulky
scrapbook to find a SPECIFIC date of
some event in life that began
August 30, 1916, in President Martin
Van Buren's home town of Kinder
hook, N. Y.
She voices positive opinions on
such sensitive subjects as Russia
and the Washington climate. In
her later years." she says, damp
winters have bothered her. She
never expects to grow accustomed
to the humidity after more than
90 summers in these surroundings.
But she finds Washington's spring
and autumn ideal"
Soviet Russia, in her opinion. is
less than ideal at the moment
She reads the papers daily and
tries to keep up with international
events. Yet, as in the case of MANY
lar younger, she frankly doesn't
know what Russia is up to.
Pioneer American Family.
Mrs. Keleher is not one to live in
the past, but she draws readily on a
remarkable memory of happenings
before thesCivil War. She also tells
how her ancestors came to the COL
onles and settled in Boston and near
Albany. Some OF them ran the
blockade for the colonies during the
Revolution. One of them owned the
Boston house in which young Ben
Jamin Franklin lived Another com
manded the historic ship Hornet.
Having lived through the Mexi-
can, Civil, Spanish American and
two world wars, many of her sharp
est recollectionS are of the effect of
war on families as well as nations
She admits she ENCOURAGED an Ia
year-old brother to enlist for the
Civil War and adds, II would have
enlisted myself if I hadn't been a
girl" Her two brothers came
through the war unscathed. The
marf she married in 1866 died six
years later, principally as a result
OF earlier hardships he had suffered
while serving with the Union Army
in Tennessee.
Before she was n, she lost her
husband and two infants. She
taught school in Illinois for about
IL years and then went to Phila-
delphia to write book reviews and
circulars" for publishing company.
There she met and ultimately mar
ried Preston Howell Keleher, who
died many years ago.
She came to Washington, where
one of her brothers lived. Her only
near relative now is a daughter, Miss
Edith D. Keleher of 118 Eleventh
street Sc, teacher at Blow
School, Nineteenth street and Ben
ming road NE. She has several
nephews and nieces in upper New
York State and New England.
One of her great regrets is that
she never saw Abraham Lincoln.
She moved to Illinois year after
his death. Il liked the people of
Illinois so well that I always felt II
knew Lincoln whose Springfield
home was close to the towns where
lived" she said.
OF all the Presidents she has seen
come and 60, Mrs. Keleher speaks
most fondly of Theodore Roosevelt.
She said that as a Government en-
ploye about the time of Spanish