Shrake

Hosea William Heath

February 17, 1869 – May 5, 1965

Hosea Heath Active at 93, Enjoys Living

By Beverly Boje, Staff Writer

When a man can look back over 93 years of life, he remembers much and compares the ways of today with those of yesterday. Hosea Heath, a long time resident of Carroll, is 93 and his memories of early life in the city never fail to bring a throng of eager listeners.

He remembers when Carroll had a population of 100 and when the present site of the Dr. Walter Annenberg home was just a pond of water where ducks stopped en route South.

BUTCHER 30 YEARS

Mr. Heath was a butcher at Beiter’s Market for nearly 30 years. “We used tread power to grind meat in those days,” he recalls. He opened his own slaughter house later and made quite a name for himself as a butcher.

“Once a Great Western train stuck 15 head of cattle on the Charley Parson ranch,” a neighbor remembers. “Hosea and his crew killed and butchered ‘till [sic] the next day’s sun came up and we didn’t lose a piece of meat.”

DROVE COVERED WAGON

Mr. Heath came to Carroll in his late teens. He was born in Otsego County, N.Y. and moved with his parents and sister, May, to Illinois when he was nine [FACT CHECK: His brother Richard was born (and died age 1) in 1872 in IL, so Hosea was actually 4]. “May and I drove the covered wagon,” he recalls, “while dad drove mother on the rig.”

He took his first plane trip on his ninetieth birthday. “It’s fast,” he says, “but I’m in no hurry.”

Mr. Heath attributes his old age and good health to activity. “A man rusts out before he wears out,” he maintains.

And he has seen much activity. He bought the farm on Gilley Hill in 1914. The hilly ground provided good pasture for dairy cattle and his herd supplied milk for a route. His milk route was of considerable size.

“When a Carroll physician would deliver a frail child,” his granddaughter, Mrs. Keith (Jack) Eason recalls, “he would recommend the mother to put the child on grandpa’s milk.”

FIRST CAR IN 1914

Mr. Heath’s first ride in a car was with Art Karney and Ed Hartman. In 1914 he bought his own car from Willie Parson. “I remember one day I passed Charley Irlbeck in his rig. I knew Charley was against cars and when mine spooked his horse he really got mad.”

Mr. Heath believes the automobile accounts for the biggest difference in the young people of today and those of his day.

“The young ones today take life a lot less seriously,” he says. “They go to so many parties. But it’s only natural. They get in a car and in half an hour they’re miles from Carroll. In my day we had about one party a week usually at a neighbor’s place.”

One particular party Mr. Heath remembers exceptionally well. It was the shoe factory dance where he met Minnie MacDonald of Scranton. “We went out for a snack after the dance,” he remembers, “and then I started courting her.” They were married two years later.

Minnie and Hosea had three children, but Garris was the only one to survive infancy. He lives in Dallas, Texas, now. Mr. Heath visits him through the winter months. “When the snow starts to fly here, I go South,” he says.

The summer months are spent with his granddaughter and family, Mrs. Eason.

Mr. Heath calls himself a scientist. “I experiment,” he says. “If I want to do something, I just try it out. I like living and I want to see how long I can stay active. So I walk around the block and do a little work each day and I’ve stayed active 93 years.”

FARMED UNTIL 85

He and his granddaughter’s husband farmed on Gilley Hill until he was 85. “He did a full day’s work, too,” said Jack. “He still helped us last summer.” The Easons moved to town last winter.

Mr. Heath has great respect for the modern ways of doing things. “In my day to see a circus meant traveling to town. Now you just switch on the television and sit back.”

“But you know,” he continues, “I wouldn’t trade places with any boy now. When I was young and herding cattle I was more satisfied than the modern boy with all his money and his car.”

Mr. Heath is known as quite a witter person. Once he and Frank Boje fixed dinner for the neighbors who were threshing on the Bowler farm. The main course, fried mock chicken, went over especially well. “Mock chicken,” Mr. Heath explained after the meal, “is mud turtle from the creek.”

Mr. Heath has one piece of advice for the young people. “Don’t be afraid of work,” he says. “It’s the best part of living.”