Relates Interesting Reminiscences on His Centennial Birthday Anniversary --Has Always Been Moderate in Everything
Leesport: Jacob Freeman completed his 100th year. He is in comparatively good health. In an interview with the Eagle he said: "My parents were Casper and Christiana Freeman. I was born about two miles from Belleman's Church, on a farm later owned by a Mr. Noecker, adjoining the Ludwig Mill property. I was born April 14, 1803, and was confirmed at Belleman's Church when I was about 18 years old, by Rev. Jacob Moyer, Reformed pastor. By mistake I was placed on the tax list when I was 18 years old. I served in the militia under Capt. Abraham Miesse. Our battalion came together at Centerville, now called Garfield. I cast my first Presidential vote for John Quincy Adams in 1824. When young I accompanied Benj. Weidenhammer, who moved to Defiance, in Ohio, on wagons. Mr. Weidenhammer was a brother of the late George Weidenhammer, of the Half-Way House. While on this trip a buffalo, with its young, came across our almost trackless path. It made us think of Berks and home. She looked defiantly at our teams, but fortunately made no dash on our tired horses. We felt better after she had disappeared. I can eat and sleep and smoke my pipe; at least I had it filled three times since supper. It is a pastime for me. My eyesight is poor, but my health, in general is food."
During the past year Mr. Freeman's wife died. He is the owner of the Leesport Hotel, besides several small tracts of land. He rises at 7 a.m. and retires at 9 p.m. He sits on his rocking chair and entire day. During the century he has passed wonderful changes have taken place. At the time of his birth there were but 17 states in the Union. He helped to build the Reading Railroad. He was 9 years old when the second war with Great Britain was fought. He was 4 years old when steam set the first vessel in motion in the United States, and 10 years old when the first steamboat was launched on Western waters, which occurred at Pittsburg, in 1813. He remembers when there was but one house where Leesport is now located, and when the present lively borough of West Leesport was a dense forest. The only clearing in those days in the present limits of the borough, was a small log building, occupied by a ferryman, for instead of the present old wooden bridge those days afforded nothing but a crude ferry that cost the party crossing quite a consideration. The original house in Leesport which the centenarian remembers is the one now occupied by O. A. Keim, superintendent of the Leesport Furnace, and owned by the Leesport Furnace Company. Mr. Freeman was a personal friend of Samuel Lee the founder of Leesport, who was a young man at the time Mr. Freeman was approaching the middle age. He is a member of the Reformed Church, of this place and has communed regularly at his home. Mrs. Adam Potteiger, of Leesport, is a daughter of Mr. Freeman, and Mrs. A. H. DeTurk and Mrs. Emma Hollenbach are step-daughters. Jacob Freeman is the oldest person in Berks County. He followed no special rule to attain his great age. Like scores of other centenarians he allowed his own impulses to dictate his mode of life. He always has been moderate in all things. He smokes at present from 8 to 15 pipes a day to kill time. He has always used "old rye" moderately and ate anything that confronted him. His only advise is: "Don't overdo it. Anything is killing if you don't know when to stop."
[Source: Reading Eagle, Reading, PA, April 14, 1903. Submitted by Betty.]