109 YEAR OLD NEW ENGLAND WOMAN DIES, LONGEVITY DUE TO HARD WORK & REGULAR HOURS
Pawtucket, Rhode Island (JFK+50) On October 4, 1924, Mrs. Maria Horton Chappel passed away at the home of her daughter in Seekonk*, Massachusetts.
According to the Associated Press, Mrs. Chappel had claimed to be "the oldest woman in New England."
At age 109, she believed her longevity was due to "hard work, regular hours, and abstention from eating sweets."
One of Mrs. Chappel's sons is the former mayor of Willimantle, Connecticut.
*Seekonk, located in Bristol County, Massachusetts on the border with Rhode Island, was settled in 1636 & incorporated in 1812.
JFK+50 NOTE
According to the University of California, Berkeley, the average life expectancy of American women in 1924 was 61.5. Mrs. Chappel exceeded that by 47.5 years.
My mother celebrated her 99th birthday on October 2, 2024. The life expectancy of a woman born in Australia in 1925 was 63.3. Mom was born in Sydney.
SOURCES
"Life expectancy in the U.S.A.," University of California, Berkeley, www.u.demog.berkeley.edu/
"Woman, Aged 109, Believed Oldest in New England, Dies," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., October 4, 1924, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/
