Mrs. Delila McKinney is 100 Years Old



One hundred years Old.

It is not generally known, but it is nevertheless true that Mrs. Delila McKinney, of our county , is one hundred years old. Mrs. M. lives with her baby, Jolly Squire Jack McKinney, of Gilbertsboro, who is fifty four. She was born in East Tenn., and while quite young removed with her mother's family to a point on Ragsdale creek, Giles county, Tenn., Her husband, James McKinney, was a lifelong resident of this county and died at the advanced age of ninety two years. When they settled the place upon which she now lives it was in the woods and their trials in the new settlement form quite a romance. She and her husband were burned out by soldiers because they had trespassed on the Indian Reservation. The soldiers came at one time while the first crop of corn was in good roasting ear state and every stalk was cut and burned. The last time they came, Mr. McKinney was sick in bed, and when the officer told her that he had orders to burn the house, she plead with him to such good effect that he took a skillet placed it in the corner of the room made a fire in it and left, but that fire did not last long. The old lady's mind is good, and she relates with much satisfaction numerous incidents occurring in the early days of the settlement, among others that a bear was caught in a cage near their house, and another that when she was quite a child living on Ragsdale creek her mother sent her out to drive up the cows and in so doing she was chased by two bears and had to leave for home in a hurry. She is the mother of nine children six of whom are living, the youngest being now as stated above fifty four years old. The old lady is quite lively, her hearing is somewhat defective, but you can readily make her understand. She is very much devoted to her young grandchildren and they to her, and the squire and wife have to be very careful how they correct them in her presence or they will feel the weight of her staff. She goes wherever she pleases, visits the neighbors who live near her, and smokes all the time, nearly, winds up her old family clock several times a day. She does not use spectacles, and says if she had a good gentle nag she could ride anywhere. Although living in fifteen miles of this place, she has never visited it but once and that was since the war. Her mind acts slowly but her memory, especially of long ago matters, is remarkably good. She has always been active, energetic, and thoroughly domestic and as long as she kept house, made a capital housekeeper. The Squire and his excellent wife give her the best attention, and humor her every fancy and she thinks there is no one like the Squires wife.

ALABAMA COURIER
JANUARY 6, 1881
Pg. 3E


Submitted by Gabrielle McKinney