This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: McCormick Classification: obituary Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.mccormick/3126/mb.ashx Message Board Post: DEATH OF OLDEST MAN IN UNITED STATES James McCormick, who was without a doubt the oldest man in the United States, died in Newburg, New York on November 11 at the good old age of one hundred and fourteen years, three months and five days. He was remarkable for health and strength as long as longetivity and his life was an excellent temperance argument. He was born August 16, 1751, in the county of Cavan, Ireland. His age was accuratly fixed by the fact that in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, when age becomes important there as they were here during the recent draft, he was then forty seven years old. In his youth he was not remarkable for anything except health and strength. He was a very early riser, often going to his work before day, and coming home at night very tired, he naturally sought bed early. When a young man he lifted, on occasion, a stone weighting 700 pounds. He was also quite a pedestrian in his younger days. On one occasion he walked to Dublin from a place 52 miles from it, and the nex! t day he walked back to the place in less thatn 13 hours."If there was a Fair", said he, "within 80 miles, I would walk to it". He was not married until he was 45 years old. He was the father of 14 children, five who died in Ireland and the other nine came over to this country He was among the last to come over and arrived in this country the latter part of 1846, and with the exception of 3 years spent out west, he has always lived at New Windsor. Some of his habits were curiuous. It was the custom of farmers to take a pail of water to quench thirst; but once he stated that no matter how hard he worked, he never experienced thirst like the others did. He drank little water, or any other fluid, and his meals were so highly salted that no one but himself could eat it. He was a distiller withoug a license, but never indulged himslf. He never used tea or coffee until a year before his death, and milk he particularly disliked, believing it to be unhealthy. Potatos, corned beef and cabbage formed the preincipal part of his diet. In his younger years, he disliked tobacco, but at age 65, started smoking a pipe. His hearing, sense of touch and smell were remarkably acute. No signs of weakness of the mind could be detected. His memorywas remarkable to times and places and he was never sick a day in his life, although at times suffered with a tooth ache. At the time of his death, he had only 4 teeth left. His eyesight! started to decline 2 years previous to his death, until he was almost blind. His hair never turned grey. He was a rebelin the Irish Rebellion of1798 and was wounded in the left leg. Sacramento Bee, 1/10/1866