The Pettit Correspondent, Vol. 1, No. 1, page 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The following article was sent to me by Ann Auskings in June, 1985. It was originally published in Perry County, Ohio in 1905. The identity of the writer is unknown. The Oldest Woman in the County Mrs. Hearing is Ninety-Six Years of Age Portersville, Ohio, March, '05 Editor Herald-Leader: -Please allow me to correct a statement made in your paper of recent date, concerning the oldest woman in Morgan County. In the year 1819, Mr. Pettet his wife, nine children and his wife's mother, accompanied by a neighbor by the name of George Moore, with his family the whole party numbering eighteen, started to move to Zanesville, with a two-horse wagon, bringing two cows with them. The entire party, except Mrs. Pettet, her baby and one boy who was lame, walked the whole distance. "But", said grandmother, with dry humor, telling the writer, of the trip, "it was only about two hundred miles." They reached their destination after two weeks' travel. Soon the little girl Lovey was busy peddling sewing thread of her mother's spinning, to the inhabitants of the infant city of Zanesville. The thread became famous and the demand soon exceeded the supply. Here Mrs. Pettet died in 1821, leaving the subject of this sketch, at twelve years of age her father's housekeeper. Soon after his wife's death, Mr. Pettet moved to Deerfield township Morgan County, and later to Bearfield township Perry County. Here Lovey was married when nineteen years of age to John Appleman, and the young couple went to housekeeping, in Deerfield township, in a log cabin, on a farm owned by Mr. Appleman's father. In the year 1835, John Appleman entered eighty acres of land in Deerfield township, built a house and moved into it, and here on fifty-seven acres of the original eighty, still lives the aged subject of this sketch. Seventy years in one dwelling place. At that time the country was all in forest, and deer, wildcats and the smaller wild animals abounded, while the [howl?] of the wolf was often heard, and a bear occasionally made a raid on the pig pen. Mr. Appleman frequently went deer hunting, while his wife prepared breakfast; sometimes killing two or three before the meal was ready. To John and Lovey Appleman were born three sons and four daughters. The three sons are dead. The daughters are Mrs. Margaret Rogers Zanesville, O.; Mrs. Lydia Hane, Ashville, O.; Mrs. Caroline Laughlin, Williamsport, O. and Miss Elizabeth Appleman, who remains at the old home. Miss Appleman is cripple who has not walked for over a quarter of a century. After the death of John Appleman, his widow married David B. Hearing, who was also born in Pennsylvania. To this union was born a son and a daughter. The daughter Hannah died soon after her marriage. And the son Louis lives at the old home and with his wife cares for his aged mother. David Hearing died about eleven years ago, lacking eight days of being ninety two years old. He had been blind about thirty two years. Lovey Hearing was the mother of nine children, has forty grand- children, fifty nine great-grand- children and six great-great- grand-children, making one hundred and fourteen descendents in all. We can not claim for grandmother Hearing as good health, nor as perfect use of her faculties as has grandmother Sang, but she seems to have no particular ailment, has a good appetite and can still walk about the house. Her sense of wit and humor was always a prominent trait in her character. A few days ago a farmer friend asked her if she was going to help him plant corn this spring. She said, "No I have given that up, but I will drop a few beans for you". Not long ago she said to the writer "How long will I have to live yet to be a hundred?" Said I "Four years". "Well," said she with a comical shake of her head, "I'm not going to try to make it." All honor to our dear old grandmothers, whose stout hand and stouter hearts have fought life's battles so bravely, and borne life's burdens so well; wresting homes from the wilderness, toiling unceasingly for loved ones, doing whatever their hands found to do with their might. May the kind Father tenderly smooth the last stretch of the journey for the tottering feet, until they shall be welcomed home to the land of eternal youth. If Mrs. Lovey Hearing reaches her next birthday, which is April 6th, she will be ninety six. The above photograph was taken three or four years ago. She was born April 6th, 1809, in 1Messer [sic] County, Pennsylvania. The nearest town to her birthplace was called Poland. Her father's name was 2Thomas Pettet, who was twice married, Mrs. Hearing being a child of the second marriage. Although quite young at the time she remembers her half brother Plummer's being drafted to go to the War of 1812. She remembers her mother stitching away at the clothing for the soldier boy, the tears stealing down her face as she sewed. Not long after Plummer Pettet started to the war, some of the children saw a man approaching the house. On a closer view , this proved to be the son coming back. As he entered the house, he caught up his little sister Lovey in his arms while the rest of the family gathered around him, inquiring the cause of his return. We can imagine their joy when he told them that the war was over, and he had met the soldiers returning from the field. 1Undoubtedly, Mercer Co., PA. 2A Thomas Pettit is found in Mahoning twp., Mercer Co. on the 1800 federal census for PA - now in Lawrence Co. See the Plummer Pettit article in this issue. Lawrence Co., PA was created in 1850; Mahoning Co., OH in 1846. - Ed.