December the seventh, 1748.
In the morning I undertook again a little journey, to Raccoon, in New Jersey.
It does not seem difficult to find out the reasons, why the people multiply more here than in Europe. As soon as a person is old enough, he may marry in these provinces, without any fear of poverty; for there is such a tract of good ground yet uncultivated, that a new-married man can, without difficulty, get a spot of ground, where he may sufficiently subsist with his wife and children. The taxes are very low, and he [[4]]need not be under any concern on their account. The liberties he enjoys are so great, that he considers himself as a prince in his possessions. I shall here demonstrate by some plain examples, what effect such a constitution is capable of.
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 1739, May the 30th, the children, grand and great-grandchildren, of Mr. Richard Buttington, in the parish of Chester, in Pensylvania, were assembled in [[5]]his house; and they made together one hundred and fifteen persons. The parent of these children, Richard Buttington, who was born in England, was then entering into his eighty-fifth year: and was at that time quite fresh, active, and sensible. His eldest son, then sixty years old, was the first Englishman born in Pensylvania.
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.
In this manner, the usual wish or blessing in our liturgy, that the new-married couple [[6]]may see their grandchildren, till the third and fourth generation, has been literally fulfilled in regard to some of these persons[1].
December the 9th. In every country, we commonly meet with a number of insects; of which many, though they be ever so small and contemptible, can do considerable damage to the inhabitants. Of these dangerous insects, there are likewise some in North America: some are peculiar to that country, others are common to Europe likewise.