Cutting Teeth at Age of 90!

Since I have written several blog posts recently about inaccurate dates on the grave markers of some of my Spurlock kin, I thought I would post the following article that also exaggerates the longevity of the Spurlocks. In the article, my paternal great-grandaunts, Sarah "Sallie" Spurlock Duncan and Frances Spurlock Miller also express their views on life, politics and religion. I posted a photo of Aunt Sal and Aunt Frances here.

Although not confirmed, I believe the item appeared in the The Winnfield (LA) News-American in 1926. 

"Cutting Teeth at Age of 90 Novel Experience of Visitor 

"Grow old along with me, The best is yet to be—Youth shows but half:" So it is with Mrs. Sallie J. Duncan, 90 years old, who has cut a part of her third set of teeth, an upper front, after doing without teeth of any kind for thirty years. This tooth of the third set has been in use now about two years.
 This is the information given out by Mrs. Duncan, herself, who with her sister, Mrs. Francis E. Miler, 92 years old, of Jonesboro, are visiting their neice, Mrs. Ed Crawley.
 "About two years ago," Mrs. Duncan stated, "my mouth got a little sore and in a few days I noticed something that looked and felt like a piece of bone coming through my 'gums'. It kept getting larger and pretty soon I found out that I had an upper front tooth."
 A local dentist accompanied the reporter and made a careful examination of Mrs. Duncan's tooth and stated that it was a normal tooth and very unusual. Mrs. Duncan seemed very proud of her tooth and was highly elated over the prospect of getting a "write up" in the paper.
 Mrs. Duncan's and Mrs. Miller's family have an unusual record for longevity, also, their grandfather, John Spurlock, a native of Illinois, was 119 when he died in Alabama where the family had moved from Illinois, they stated. Their father, Ransom Spurlock, was 104 when he died at Arcadia where the family had moved 85 years ago. Their mother, who before her marriage, was Miss Ellender Vickers, only lacked a few months reaching the century mark, and they now live with their "baby" brother, J. F. Spurlock, 78 years old, five miles east of Jonesboro in Jackson parish where he farms. He is also a Presbyterian minister.
 Mrs. Duncan is Presbyterian while Mrs. Miller belongs to the Primitive Baptist Church. Each have outlived their husbands, both of whom served in the civil war.
 "What have you always done for a livlihood," Mrs. Duncan was asked? "We were born farmers and we are still farmers," Mrs. Miller stated. "Why, we can cook, wash, iron, milk, in fact do anything we ever could," said Mrs. Duncan with a twinkle of genuine pride in her eyes. "We raise most of our living—never had to buy a bucket of lard yet, and we are both very fond of meats, vegetables and cornbread—never through very much of 'nick-nacks.' We go to bed early and get up early—never had to use glasses to read."
 "What do you think of the present generation, is it getting better or worse?" they were asked. "Not much better—not much worse. There was a plenty of fighting and 'raising sand' when we were young, and there is still plenty of it," Mrs. Miller stated.
 "What do you think about the presidential election—who are you supporting for president"? the reporter asked. "I think Smith is the right man," Mrs. Miller said. 'I don't know very much about Hoover." Mrs. Duncan stated she didn't believe in women voting and preaching. "Why, I went to hear a woman preach about three years ago—looked just like trying to work a horse on the wrong side of the wagon tongue," she stated.
 They are both exceptionally hardy and active, and were planning a shopping trip uptown Thursday, and kept the News-American reporter "waiting" fully ten minutes before the interview while Mrs. Duncan finished some work in her neice's garden."

 Here's a copy of the clipping:

© 2011 Denise Spurlock