Old Age

I was working on Bryant Bentley last night. This morning I found his wife's death certificate. It said she died of "old age". Since I am considered "old" by some of my nieces and nephews, and probably by my son and his wife, (I am only 5 to my granddaughter), I got to wondering what the doctors and coroners considered old age. I did a search among my 21,000 folks entered into the family tree so far and came up with five death certificates whose cause of death was listed as old age. They are:

Archelaus Craft who married Elizabeth "Betsy" Adams and is my 5th great grandfather was born on December 25, 1749 and died November 8, 1853 at age 103.

Ephraim Thomas Hammons, a first cousin five times removed, married Drucilla B. Craft. He was born on February 14, 1833 and died September 19, 1916 at 83.

Sarah F. Holcomb who married Robert Bryant Bentley was 86 when she died on December 25, 1943 in Whitesburg.
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George Washington Hall who was married to Elizabeth Tackett and was Enoch Mahlon Hall's brother died of arterisclerosis due to old age at 95. He died on January 1, 1948.

Susannah, my 3rd great grandmother, who was married to Joel Martin Wright died in April 1860 at age 75. Her death cerificate says old age.

We don't know the date of Susannah's death, but I am guessing she died on Good Friday or Easter Sunday because from this list of deaths it appears that those who reach an "old age" were either born or died on a holdiday. Maybe that's the secret of living to a ripe old age. (And yes, for those of you who don't know me, I am kidding)