Over Three Thousand Persons at Her Home in Pennsylvania To Celebrate Her Birthday.
Reading, Penn. August 13 – To-day the humble home of Betsy Trout of Earl, Berks County, was surrounded by over 3,000 persons, who assembled there in her honor of her one hundred and first birthday. The Reverend H.W. Wannkessel, pastor of Hill Church, of which the aged woman is a member, originated and had charge of the celebration, the object of which was to raise money for the benefit of Mrs. Trout and her daughter, Mary Ann, who have lived together in a little log house for many years. The daughter will be seventy-four years of age next January. Visitors will begin to arrive early in the morning, and all the farmyards in the vicinity were filled with carriages and buggies, and barns with horses. In the groves adjoining the home of the Trouts were hundreds of teams that could not find quarters on the farms.
Last year the one hundredth birthday of Mrs. Trout was celebrated in a manner similar to this year’s celebration, over 2,500 persons participated. Quite a sum of money was realized for the Trouts by selling refreshments, photographs, & c. The cash proceeds from to-day’s celebration will exceed greatly those of last year.
There are few residents of Berks County who have not wished to see Mrs. Trout and her daughter. Every schoolboy knows she is the oldest person in Berks and the adjoining counties. At to-day’s celebration people were present from great distances.
Visitors were allowed in the house of the Trouts, which contains the quaintest and most curious old furniture.
She was married eighty years ago, her husband dying five years later. She has taken only one railroad trip in her life, and that was many years ago. She has visited Reading only once, although Reading is close by.
Both mother and daughter have both been very poor all their lives. Both have worked for neighboring farmers. At the age of ninety the mother earned a day’s wages in the harvest fields.
Submitted by Brenda.
Last Modified