Cincinnati (OH) Enquirer, August 14, 1879, p. 1 CAREER OF A CENTENARIAN Death of the Oldest Man in Indiana Lexington, Ind., August 13-Kinder Furgerson (consider Ferguson a spelling variant), without a doubt the oldest man in Indiana, died yesterday at 5 PM at the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Gobin, who resides one and a half miles from Holman's Station in Schott County. Had he lived to see the 23rd of this month, he would have been 108 years of age. He had been quite feeble for a month past but sat at the table and ate his dinner as usual yesterday, and at four o'clock told his daughter he would die in an hour, and he did. Kinder Furgerson was born on Sunday, August 23, 1771, in Montgomery County, Virginia. He was married in 1792 at the age of 21 and then moved to Woodford County in the same year where he lived till 1794 when he migrated to Shelby County, Kentucky. Here his first child, Nancy, was born in a short time after their arrival at their new Kentucky home. He resided here till 1825 when he moved with his family to what is now known at Otter Village, Ripley County, where they remained but about one year and then removed to Scott County, Indiana, and located near Holman Station, where he has resided ever since and where he died yesterday, for a period of 53 years. In 1857, Mr. Furgerson built a flour mill at Lexington for a man named Robbins and ran it for him for a period of 10 years. Kinder Furgerson and wife were the parents of 14 children. The eldest one, Nancy Priest, is now living in Sauk County, Wisconsin, and is 87 years of age. Their youngest child died in her seventh year and had she lived to now would have been 48 years of age. His oldest son, Andrew Furgerson, is now 84 and resides not far from here and is in good health, barring rheumatism. Another son, Richard, lives near here and is 78 and in good health. Margaret Richmond, a daughter, lives near Bedford, Ky., and is now 66 years old. Of the remaining children born to them, five died before attaining their majority, and the others lived to see their 50th birthday before they died. Mrs. Furgerson, wife of Kinder, died in 1869 having almost reached the age of 95, having resided with her husband for 72 years, one month and four days from the date of their marriage. Kinder Furgerson evidently springs from a long-lived family. His mother lived to be 107 years of age, and twenty years before she died was stricken blind, and for 13 years she remained in this sightless condition when her eyesight was restored and she could see as distinctly as before up to her death which occurred just seven years later, so that she never had to use glasses. Your correspondent had a long talk with this centenarian just a few days before his death, and he recollects distinctly the circumstances of the surrender of the British troops and the termination of the Revolutionary War. He was himself engaged in numerous battles with the Indians up to the War of 1812 when he enlisted and served through that entire war for which he was at his death drawing a pension. He was a man of many eccentricities and peculiar characteristics. He never brooded over trouble, real or imaginary, but accepted whatever fell to his lot with apparent satisfaction. He was never during life the possessor of more than about $100 worth of this world's goods, yet never lacked for the necessaries of life. After years of labor he erected a house that soon took fire and burned down together with all its contents. He set to work good naturedly and erected another. At this time his eyes were so badly injured by close contact with the fire that inside of a year he lost his eyesight entirely and has since been blind. He was very deaf, too, which made it somewhat difficult to talk to him. He was a natural mechanic and worker at mill righting, shoe and wagon-making and basket making. He never enjoyed or endured an idle moment. For several before and up to the time of his death, he slept under a feather bed wrapped up head and ears, no matter how hot the weather, and seemed to suffer when a cold draught of air passed over him. He shaved regularly and was very particular and cleanly about his person. He was a moderate drinker all his life and never belonged to any church until he was 70 years of age when he joined the M. E. Church and has been a consistent member ever since. He was of the Democratic faith and always voted regularly at each recurring election. Thus ends the life sands of the oldest man in Indiana. There are several more of Mr. Furgerson's neighbors here in Scott County who are far above 90 years of age, but none who have quite reached 100. It is generally conceded that Scott County contains more extremely old people than any other county in this state. A few we might mention are: Thomas Clark, 99; Mrs. Walling, 90; Mrs. Gobin, 91; Daniel Kimberlain, 94; man and woman residing with Mr. Applegate, 97 and 99; Mrs. Fidler, died recently, 104; Hubbard Gray, died recently, 90; Buck Nokes, about 90; Mrs. Robbins, 82; Thomas Drydan, 86; Dan McLane, 90; Andy Furgerson, 84; and Nathaniel Dinsmore, 92. There are in the county several others whose ages would range above 90 whose names your correspondent could not learn.