Death of Mrs. Rebecca Packard of Covington, Aged 105 Years. Remarkable Old Woman. Lived Under the Administration of Every President of the United States.

Mrs. Rebecca Packard of Covington, who celebrated her 105th birthday last October, died at her home in that township on Tuesday morning at 7 o’clock. She had been failing for some time. Mrs. Packard had lived in three centuries, and is supposed to have been the oldest white person born in the United States.

Mrs. Packard was born October 13, 1795, in Norfolk township, Litchfield county, Conn. She was the daughter of Russell Rose, a Revolutionary soldier, who was on General Washington’s staff at Valley Forge. In the winter of 1807-1808, Mr. Rose moved his family to Tioga county and settled in what is now Ward township. The journey was made in sleighs. Since that time Mrs. Packard had resided in this county, with the exception of two years, during which she lived in Yates county, N. Y.

On June 30, 1814, she married John Packard, who died in 1842, leaving her with six sons and five daughters, of whom four sons and two daughters survive her: Mrs. L. P. Smith of Troy, aged 81; N. R. Packard of Mainesburg, aged 70; John H. Packard of Mitchell’s Creek, aged 66; Mrs. E. R. Ford of Ansonia, aged 54; and A. F. Packard of Cherry Flats, aged 61.

The sons are all veterans of the civil war. Mrs. Packard leaves thirty-two grandchildren, forty-nine great grandchildren and several descendants of the fourth generation.

Until she was seventy years old Mrs. Packard was an indefatigable weaver of cloth and carpets. Since then she had done much fancy needlework and made many quilts. Each of her children and grandchildren have a quilt of her piecing. One of the quilts, which was given to A. H. Packard of Elmira, contains over 1,000 pieces and was made by Mrs. Packard in her 98th year.

It was not until a few months ago that Mrs. Packard began to show evidences of her extreme age. Up to that time she had been healthy, fairly robust, ate heartily and was able to walk about the house and yard without aid. Her brain was clear, and she was well posted upon the topics of the day. She also made frequent trips on the Tioga railroad alone. Although her eyesight had become somewhat dimmed and her hearing quite defective, she conversed very intelligently.

Comparing her life with the history of the United States, we find that she was born when George Washington was president; that she was twelve years old when Robert Fulton built the first steamboat; that she was 34 years old when Robert Stevenson built the first locomotive and 49 years old when Samuel F. Morse invented the telegraph. Her funeral was held Thursday of last week from her late home and was largely attended.