Travels into North America, Volume 2 (of 3)

By PETER KALM, Professor of Oeconomy in the University of Aobo in Swedish Finland , and Member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences. TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH By JOHN REINHOLD FORSTER, F.A.S.
Enriched with a Map, several Cuts for the Illustration of Natural History, and some additional Notes. VOL. II. LONDON: Printed for the EDITOR; And Sold by T. Lowndes, in Fleet-street, MDCCLXXI.
New Jersey, Raccoon.
December the seventh, 1748.
In the morning I undertook again a little journey, to Raccoon , in New Jersey .
Maons Keen , one of the Swedes in Raccoon , was now near seventy years old: he had many children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren; so that, of those who were yet alive, he could muster up forty-five persons. Besides them, several of his children and grandchildren died young, and some in a mature age. He was, therefore, uncommonly blessed. Yet his happiness is not comparable to that which is to be seen in the following examples, and which I have extracted from the Philadelphia gazette.
In the year 1732, January the 24th, died at Ipswich , in New England , Mrs. Sarah Tuthil , a widow, aged eighty-six years. She had brought sixteen children into the world; and from seven of them only, she had seen one hundred and seventy-seven grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
In the year 1742, on the 8th of January , died at Trenton , in New Jersey , Mrs. Sarah Furman , a widow, aged ninety-seven years. She was born in New England ; and left five children, sixty-one grandchildren, one hundred and eighty-two great-grandchildren, and twelve great-great-grandchildren, who were all alive when she died.
In the year 1739, on the 28th of January , died at South Kingston , in New England , Mrs. Maria Hazard , a widow, in the hundredth year of her age. She was born in Rhode Island , and was a grandmother of the then vice-governor of that island, Mr. George Hazard . She could count altogether five hundred children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. When she died, two hundred and five persons of them were alive; a grand-daughter of hers had already been grandmother near fifteen years.