Woman 105 Years Old - Eleanor Combes, Crawford County, Illinois Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives Copyright 2000 Cindy McCachern 23 Oct. 1914, Oblong (IL) Oracle   Woman 105 Years Old   Aunt Eleanor Combes, who resides near Sullivan, is the oldest white woman in Indiana.  She celebrated her 105th birthday Saturday.  She was born in Salem, Ind. Oct. 10, 1809, her maiden name being McGrew. She might have seen with her own eyes every president with the exception of Washington.  She was born before the railroads and steamboats were thought of and she was married before the day of telegraph.  She was twice married, her first husband being Morgan Gambill and her second William Combes, who has been dead 26 years. She was the mother of eleven children, six of whom are living.  She has 37 grandchildren, 147 great grandchildren, 17 great great grand children.  When asked about her early life she said:   "I kept pretty close to my mother when father was away because I did not want the Indians to get me.  After I was married it was often necessary for my husband to go to the mill at Evansville or Merom for supplies.  At such times I bolted the doors and remained in the house with the children.  Sometimes he would be gone for days and of course we were all afraid when the wolves howled at night.  There were lots of bears and when the Indians came around I was particularly watchful.   I kept a musket within reach all the time.  The Indians never bothered us, although they passed and repassed often when going from one section to another."   Mrs. Combes neither reads nor writes.  She says that in the days when she was a girl, the people in her locality did not believe in education for women.  Mrs. Combes is a warm advocate of education for women at the present time, however, notwithstanding that she has lived five score and five years in Indiana, in the midst of a most remarkable progress in civilization.  Mrs. Combes has never made a trip on a railroad train.  She sees several trains pass her home each day and says she often wonders where all those people are going.  Her children have coaxed and argued and tried in every possible way to get her to board a train, but she will not do so, frankly admitting that she is afraid to ride on one.  Notwithstanding that she has lived for eight years within a mile of an interurban line, she has never seen a roller car.  She has never seen a steam boat.  Mrs. Combes eats but two meals a day, beginning with brakfast and ending with the noon meal.  She has doen this for many years and believes it is responsible for her contineud good health.  "If I eat supper," she said, "I can not sleep at night.  Without eating supper I can sleep like a log. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb Archivist with proof of this consent. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Cindy McCachern