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8 ite Old Is John? What is the Truth about Old Made John Ao- i|V rw Shell,of Greasy Creek.Kentudw? Is He'The iSw9y/ , ' '/1 IMSHSBBS Man”. (I or ® n ®y a Youngster of 95 to 100 Summers? \ - - - ■ re t‘ Z +|f JS - 'H'HHe I‘ ‘ ” 4*. i S IB El >n *'"'SHE age-old puzzle, “How old is Ann/* is now put V Iw? <tnii i&k \ r • «^'■"■'"■■■■■"■ TWs" 4" / «S<jb [B* ?~' ~ * 4*l4* - HH I * nto the shade by the question lately agitated in the i I \ ’ -Wm - -1 -----' | | public press as to “How old is John?” If! \ :::: J: 1 Jjj I yZOMS HKMMk> 11: I 01d “ Uncle ” Johnny Shell, the Kentucky moun- V B¥\ X. vl' -- ~ IlgM .W “T—■■' --' , „ w taineer, who paid a visit to the Kentucky State Fair \\ w «£' x '"' SHWi/ S Eutlj HHfr T' i’ i‘ 4 at Louisville last fall, has become famous over- i WiL w \ : x::::::: ja| f f H| H|E j ± 11 s? 1 "feht ßß a result of this controversy. 14 -1 \ e ■‘ " T"' ’" ilfi r a Such papers as the “New York Herald**, the “Literary li ill Ib! Digest”, and other periodicals of national circulation, have qlj* \ JM&JsI 1! MJ AUh - = " --- -' I printed his picture, with comments on the question at issue. t Jg? fflff mwR ; J "‘: So much interest has been shown in the matter, that • t I UMwill I Special investigator was sent to Greasy Creek, Kentucky, by f Jr IIIH HMHHBHBi I BBWHk JOHN mm. and n*Mv jSflx The Chattanooga Medicine Company (whose leffidbi S x I Xkg John Shell, Ms second wife and 5-year-oid |V» Thedford’s Black-Draught Liver Medicine—had been used IEHBF Jr I to a &®WO Site. 0 * John Shelu Ot- in the Shell family for many years) in order to get more in- i "' ,l '" l '"""" i""ntfffLjini|r ' ■ */■•?!- formation on the subject. I w Cop yright The investigator’s report is given on another column i I bl 1 of this page. The results of this investigation seem to 1 1 \u x&'l vk show, on the testimony of friends and neighbors, that 1 J T nla n 8 for a man of his age, and that his mind is clearer than y JI HB®c®«a|sK,, |H tha * of e avera s e centenarian. f ' ’ v? - 818 rzs'<|X A statement from his grandson (A. H. Sh‘ell) regard- J. mul HBB -? —XATCTi’A ing the use of Thedford’s Black-Draught, by John i H I S? Vt :- k Shell himself, is given at the foot of this bHHIIHh e RMPr' - < s& gsSg.* vSffilC S ” I hQmHMKK? IB ai> T?7 home at Greasy Creek, Kentucky, where he has / B! 8 V JUaMS lived for 55 years. His first wife died here, at the / FACTS vs. FCTON IS j ° hnshen IM ° ■■v ■ w iiwiiviv J* g year-old son, Albert, to sharpen 4 jack-knife. I ~ OHN SHELL is without doubt she XejKfT/ ~ 11KI . rft . NV W $ / ¥ most remarkable centenarian 1 **—J Copynyhl, UNDERWOOD & UNDERWOOD. IV<® i ✓ w|| Jti&figS IBSjWwlllp | have seen, and he is about the V eighth I have met,” says our investigator# “His memory is won- k e S 91 '—■ derful. The nearest that he and his family can come to his age B g -W' is 112 years. His family has never claimed him to be over that age. || |J i ljj The tax records that were burned in the court house at Harlan gave g| ' the date of his birth, as near as they could make it out, as September, 1808. Bl ? I He also counts from the age of his first wife, who died at the age of 107. Eg “John Shell cannot read or write,but for many years he was an RHI expert maker of flint-lock rifles. John Shell rifles, marked with his private lwMßßWMlß‘]^rar>YV i^ r , .4. V K ? S' mark just behind the lock, are prized by collectors. B B .T» S, t"' = “In order to get a consensus of opinion as to his probable age, 1 iS thought it best to secure statements and affidavits from members of the family fe vi \ and neighbors, who have known him for many years. I therefore secured y| \ ~ „ '.jL—- ~ "" ■■ '"' such statements from Judge A. B Cornett, T. H Howard, attorney-at-law, | \\. CopynDhi UNDtfIWOOO 6 UNOERwOOD* New Yor*> and W. B. Kelly, ex-United States Marshal, and others. These are among the KH \ x 1 i most substantial and reliable men of Kentucky.” W»%\ Tttf A jR4h t Extracts from their statements are given below. WJX® ::::::: ii fifar. ' Over 100, Says W. B. Kelly Ww in :::::: frmSS£^K I have known “Uncle” Johnny Shell for years, in fact, stayed with him a good deal, x|lV\ ’ill 4k g& * Jx : : : ::‘ pBKJj ’: if ZI -1« about 16 years ago. From the age Mr. Shell claimed to be, when I stayed with him, and the ‘7 / v\ 11 M; ■---''A. time that has elapsed since, I would judge him to be a good deal over 100 years old. W>/%\ -- y \ w, t ZZ Z" - : j ■ -■ ” W.B.KELLY, W%\ “S Ex-United States Marshal. ski .J -W - ZZ :At ’::::: x «JBUIWVL2? JfeJiw fe ■■’ k ■: ■ 1 tF* Subscribed and sworn to before me this April 24th, 1920. XlVwa y&x W '’’lb f jQ;: ■; —£:::: *fpag;£ ”** :X. E. F. BOGGEN, Notary Public, Harlan Co., Ky. TttL^mS v jeg»|M 1 ‘^l'-r •■■A” jt ~' • y mv Shell Family Record Says 112 1 •:: ■ .> k k 4 My Aunt, Mrs. Martha Garrison, says that the date in her Bible, containing grandpa’s ~ ~ :: jyT lit t(d : 4t- *+l. age, was September 15, 1808. I have every reason to believe that she speaks the truth. My V/Bis[" ’: ’4A 1 .<*■«• *y<y J /''‘‘lL father, W. C. Shell, says this is the truth so far as he has ever known: also my uncle, ''<•' +-w mwßm!-*:? S \ I r \®lu * * Z . » * A.B.She11. \» 1 A. H. SHELL. . J | Subscribed and sworn to before me this 26th day of April, 1920. i a V-<wXy% g |wirf:: :::: ~L G. W. HOWARD, County Court Clerk. ~HJ I»_. ft ZZ Z: Z ZZ Z Z *At Least 110, Says T. S. Ward Mll ME : :::::::::: I will be 81 years old the 10th of July, 1920. 1 was born and raised in Harlan County, ••• ’ I I J:: Kentucky, In 1863 I met Johnny Shell, who was called “Uncle Johnny” then. Iwasdodg- _—|—. \ ~T tim t/sttut rir-mTT JT ZZ Z Z n~' ZZZ ZZ Z ing the Confederate army and met “Uncle Johnny”. He was too old then for service in the Olao 6t uNCIiE wOHra &HKLL ----■-; 4;: H Civil war. lam satisfied he is at least 110 years old, as he is a much older man than 1 am. V <Sy b L tfc *T' Most every one in Harlan County knows me and will take my word,for anything I say. 1 K’- J| A Remarkable Old MOTlPf’Ai'negr. dfk TZ ZZ:ZZ ■: Z g:: ZZZZ would not make a statement unless 1 believed it to be true. T . s . WARD ,_ f? NOW LMltf at Greasy Creek, Kentucky. Ik ®L Tj'■ :j 1 j Subscribed and sworn .to before me, this 23rd day of April,’l92o. ’ ' Z i] ' Was thought by some to be 131 years old, but a full investigation V?® ■ M. G. SMITH, Notary Public, Harlan Co., Ky. 1 does not disclose any reliable records going back so far. V fj Attorney Howard Says Over 100 ’ (l 1 M ffh> Tn different conversations with John Shell, he often told about coming to Kentucky with his father tn the x^2^SSsr-’ - -. r?.YZ"/. : ?;. ; .v.- : i- : VL ‘O_ Z Z TTI » ’ r"P ■C^^SpV: : A’‘ _».WyalSfr KrTTi summer oi 1816. and that they camped where the town of Harlan, Ky., is now located, and that at that time he was 12 : -’ : . •."•’•••••■: - •;-'.-.--...-/iW - Zr; M TTZ 71 years old. In abstracting old land papers I found one where an entry was made by S. Shell (John’s father) in the ,'.'l Z'i *» T ~ JLp ]I U wa»afr & ■a- year 1816, itt the neighborhood where he now lives. 1 have every reason to believe John Shell is a good deal over 100 - - JLLjLLLLL. «. years old.— - ~ _' „ 3JI u T. H. HOWARD, Attorney at Law. Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 23rd day of April. 1920, iii ——-——■fill M. G. SMITH, Notary Public, Harlan Co., Ky. H Over 100 and an Honest Man H | ! have known Johnny Shell for about TO years. I have sold Mm goods for 40 &9 Al ■ ■ I 8 1 OI 11R A ■ -7.? •' years. W. B. Kelly told of a man Smith. He and Shell grew up together, about the same ape. fed V+firft ftIMT Hlf Hrt&irS VFfcrtll'ft If Smith had lived he would be a little over a hundred now. Richard Wilson, who was raised w\l St Tt" iTi r" li I BIW 9 111111 O I Hl .’ : M a few miles from Shell, says Shell has turned 100. I talked to Shell last year. Heknewme SgO VIuIuIBIUbH U V OU S 111 O 9 i Ull W UIQIIIJOUII and talked to me as intelligently as 1 ever heard him. I have always found John Shell an [SR ** mrwruuuH ureev w ■wu honest man. ;*? Judge Cornett Says All of 108 ’ C HOWARD ’ fe A. H. Shell, aged of Chappell, Kentucky, grandson of John Shell, an old. old man. From all reports Iron, the lew who lived here when he said be came here Xid whose picture is shown in the group at top of this page, authorized publication I m the age of about 12, he is now at least 108 years old, and I believe older. I have talked g© - r? W with him in the last year and he seemed to be intelligent and just as rational as I ever saw him. n, a fr»llrwir?«rr ef-<i4-arnan4« ESSay wHgSSWaaEWwBro' (Judge) A. B. CORNETT, Harlan. Ky. ' k OI IOC Statement. ?■-< i J tam t H “My grandfather has lived to a remarkable age. When a young man, he I have known Unde Johnny” Shell all my life. I am almost 68. I wfiutd place K§ J ° ° J ° Egf<J®;. W&V- •* his age at 106. Johnny Shell was older than my mother, and she would have been 104. had she Kt . u «...« «. . t . j j j- • « . . .•r_ P'a >RiW iive/tiii now. F.o. lewis. took very little medicine. Os late years he has needed medicine and my wife In justice to John Shell and his family, it should be said H as looked after it for him. . . He needed something as a laxative and to R that neither he nor they have ever claimed the extreme old age M ihrar nni;«rr ch Q ft" (I/d that was given in some of the reports published in the daily ->| keep his uvei acting, so she sends co the store lOi y press. A story of the kind grows in the*telling, and the desire @,. r for something startling to make good reading is no doubt the K&T A iPir Ph'O A TT/ITFI’ cause for the interesting fiction (founded on fact) that has been X JWL JEjIxI; O J^Xdr&wAV^JL/J&.ra. UvU* for published about old “Uncle’* Johnny Shell. H - 9 «vk «. Facts, however, in many cases, are just as interesting as » and makes him a tea from that and it keeps him in splendid shape. 1«. fiction, and we have endeavored in this article to give the facts j! w f as we have been able to find them. |g H L. A. 9 flTrajJß f THE CHATTANOOGA MEDICINE CO. EMHmnQBBHHHBBKUHraBBBMHBKffiaBKBEaaraHKnKBBBBBBMMI THE ATTjANTA TRI WEEKLY JOURNAL. THURSDAY, JULY 8