Dalle Villemain of Pharsalia, Chenango County, NY (1873)

 Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, April 17, 1873

Remarkable Longevity

One Hundred and Eight Years Old, Yet Still Vigorous and Hearty

Sketch of the Life of Dalle Villemain

Every schoolboy of Chenango County, who has come to years of maturity, and a good many who never have and never will, has at some period of his scholastic career declaimed "Spartacus to the Gladiators."  One sentence, in which Spartacus describes the "vine-clad hills of Old Pharsalia," has about it ever a vague seeming of familiarity to him.  It comes back to his mind in some such way as Plato's reminiscences floated over the philosophic soul.  But the mystery is solved, when he recalls that the early settlers of our County were attacked with their classic spasm and so Chenango County has its Pharsalia.  But to write of the "vine-clad hills" of our Pharsalia would transcend even poetic license.

One day last week, we went aboard the cars of the Auburn Branch, to take a trip to Pharsalia.  Getting off at Lower Beaver Meadow, a flourishing hamlet, built since the railroad, we there jumped into a sleigh, and rode over "Cold Hill" and through the woods, with snow four feet deep beneath our runners, and a bride and groom riding along ahead of us, till we met a team, when the bride was unceremoniously unloaded into snow that enveloped her deeper than ever did the "toils of love."  Over a wide, open field, across which the wind swept cold and raw, down into a small valley, and we were at the house of Mr. Augustus Gauchat.

Here we met Dalle Villemain.  Mister Villemain is of the age of 108 years.  To appreciate his great age, it is necessary to recall to mind others who have passed off the stage of action, though contemporary with him.  On the 15th day of August 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born.  When the babe, that, as the emperor of the French, was destined to rule Europe, lay purple in his mother's arms, Villemain was a boy of four; yet that same Napoleon has slept in his grave a half century.

Villemain was born on the 18th day of April 1765 at Frotte, Departement of the Haute-Saone, France.  His boyhood was passed in his native village.  His employment at that time was looking after his mother's cow - his mother being a widow, and he her youngest son.  As there are no fences in France, looking after the cow meant more to him than it does to an American youth.  It was a continual oversight, "from smiling morn till dewy eve," for if the cow was allowed to trespass on another's demesue, her owner was subject to a fine.

Thus, playing the part of a shepherd, without a care, he grew to manhood, and developed into a strong, active, happy-hearted young fellow, devoted to all of the athletic games which were practiced at the various fairs in his neighborhood. At the age of twenty-two, following in the way in which Mr. Collyer advises all young people to go, he married.  With the wife of his youth, he lived thirty-four years. Their union was not blessed with any offspring.  He supported himself during this time by following the avocation of a "hod-carrier," or, as we would day "tending mason."

In the meantime, great changes had happened to his country. France had been writing history at a fearful rate; had reddened her pages with the blood of the Revolution - the Eumenides days of Carlyle; had fought with the youthful Napoleon on the sands of Egypt, and by the sacred fords of the Holy Land; "had descended like an avalanche" upon the plains of Lombardy, and immortalized the name of Marengo; had seen the "sun of Austerlitz go down;" had battled at Jena; had made its idolized commander First Console for life, and crowned the First Consol, Emperor; had followed his victorious eagles to the gates of Moscow, and lost amid the streets of the burning city, the star of destiny in which their leader had trusted so long and so successfully.

It will be remembered by all, that Napoleon on his return from his disastrous Russian campaign, in the latter months of 1814, with wonderful energy, set about recruiting his decimated ranks. A conscription was ordered of all available men - it was even proposed by the emperor, to draft those who had already done their share of military service and had been discharged.  Villemain had never been conscripted, because, being the youngest son of a widow, the law exempted him for military service.  Four of his brothers had been or were serving in the armica of their country.  But nothing prevented him from going as a substitute, if he saw fit. John Baptist Turner, the son of a gentleman living near Bayford, was one of the conscripts called out by Napoleon, at this desperate period in his career.  The father of John Baptist did not favor the idea of the conscription of his son and sought a substitute.  He found Villemain and offered him 4,300 francs to take the place of his boy.  Villemain agreed and 300 francs were paid him. We are sorry to state that the honesty of the father of John Baptist Turner was no better than the courage of John Baptist himself - and Villemain never received the other 4,000 francs.  That little amount of "back pay" he would be willing and glad and have no conscientious scruples in voting into his pockets, even at this late day.

Having entered the army, Villemain was hurried off to Fort Huninge.  This fort, as near as we can ascertain was one of a chain of fortifications Napoleon had constructed "over in Mayence, beyond the Rhine."

The reign of Napoleon was now drawing to a crisis.  The great campaign with the coalition was about to commence.  When there was need of the Napoleon who had conquered almost the world, that Napoleon seems suddenly to have been lost.  All that remained was an irresolute man, disputing with destiny.  If he had concentrated his armies, he might have had 400,.000 men in the heart of France. To have done this, he would have been compelled to call in troops from distant stations of the empire.  Could he lessen his grasp upon the realm he had conquered?  It required to do it not a greater genius than his but a greater soul.  He wanted this heroism.  He left 120,000 men shut up in the strong places in Mayence.  Among the 120.000 was Villemain.

He and his comrades made a long and desperate resistance.  For four months they fought and starved in Fort Huninge.  As the old hero lively remarked "they could not get out, nor anyone get in."  The only meat they had was a dead horse now and then, which the enemy's shot had killed.  When Villimain first entered the fort, he was more or less impetuous and careless of danger. Despite the caution of his comrades, he would crawl upon the ramparts of the fort.  This was all well enough, but soon a huge bomb came screaming along, and so the old veteran said, "he got down pretty quick."

The fort was given up when Napoleon "renounced for himself and his heirs the thrones of France and Italy."

After the surrender of the fort, Villemain returned to his native town.  Here, as a result of the hardships of the siege through which he had just passed, he was taken sick.  For forty days he lay helpless. During this time "he did not eat a mouthful."  This sickness, excepting an attack of the black erysipelas a year or two since, is the only sickness he has experienced in all of his long life.  On recovering from this attack, he resumed his labor of "tending mason" earning from twenty to thirty cents per day.  His recreation consisted in attending the fairs in the neighborhood and contending in foot races and other sports.  He had the reputation of great fleetness of foot.

When he was fifty-six years of age his first wife died.  He had lived with her thirty-four years.  He was rather old for a widower, but that did not discourage him.  He set about finding another helpmate.  He had some very amusing experiences.  He came near getting caught by a designing "maid in a shop," but discovering that she was altogether too extravagant for him, he gave her the "go by" - a wise proceeding, no doubt.  After two years of widowed single blessedness, he was again married.  Five children blessed this union.  Two of them died in France. Three grew to manhood and womanhood.  One of these three died a few months since at the age of nearly sixty years.  He has fifteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

At the age of eighty-two, Villemain came to this country.   His son, who had immigrated some time before and who was living in Utica [Oneida Co. NY], sent for his parents.  So, the old man started.  He sold out all his possessions and, in that way, obtained money enough to purchase his passage.  It happened to be in the troublesome times when the French Revolution of '48 was breaking out.  Arriving at Paris he found nothing but uproar and excitement.  A sharper, perceiving that the old man was unaccustomed to traveling, here offered his services, obtained Villemain's goods, and gave a receipt for the same, promising to send them on to Havre de Grace. Arrived at Havre, the old man waited for his goods to come, but they did not.  Leaving his receipt with a person there, he and his wife and daughters embarked for America, possessing nothing in the world except the clothes on their backs. The goods left in Paris, and the receipt left at Havre, have not been heard from to this day.

Landing in New York, he managed to reach Utica.  Here he found his son. At Utica he dwelt for a few months, from there he moved to Earlville [Madison Co. NY], from Earlville to Otselic [Chenango Co. NY], and from Otselic to Pharsalia [Chenango Co. NY], where he now resides.

While living at Utica, an amusing circumstance happened.  It seemed a foot race between a Yankee and a Frenchman had been agreed upon.  Stakes of $50 on each side had been put up. When the day for the foot race came, the Frenchman was disabled, having sprained his ankle.  He asked to be let off, but his opponent insisted that he should either run the race or forfeit the stakes.  What to do he was undecided.  Our old friend, who had been attracted to the spot by the sport, having some national pride of course, and not wishing to see his fellow countryman beaten, and also remembering the pastimes of his youth, volunteered to take the place of the disabled man.  The Frenchman consented, agreeing to give the old man half of the stakes in case he won, and the Yankee, considering how easily he could beat a man eighty-two years of age, readily fell in with the arrangement.  The race began. At the first the younger man took the lead, but on the home stretch the old Frenchman began to limber up and putting forth all his strength, he came in ahead, handsomely beating his opponent.

Villemain is five feet two inches in height, well proportioned, has deep, full lungs, that play as well now as ever, very active circulation, extremities warm - during the whole winter he has worn on his feet nothing but stockings, boots being too hot.  His eyesight is good.  He can distinguish the color of a thread at a distance of several inches from his eyes, and when asked to put his finger upon the middle of the thread, did it as accurately as any person could.  Uses tobacco, and always has - as long as he could remember - even before he was married the first time and takes his snuff with scarcely a perceptible trembling of the hand.  Has always drank his wine, and whenever he could get anything strong, drank that.  Has never been a drunkard but used to "get tight once in a while."  Probably if he had been brought up to sobriety and temperance, like modern young men, he might live to a respectable old age.  He has a pleasant, agreeable countenance, and is as happy as the day is long.  One of his friends remarked in our hearing that "he was the happiest man she ever knew.  Nothing ever seemed to trouble him."

Last summer he was spry and active, and spent his time in splitting wood.  He expects to do the same the coming season.  It is doubtful, though, whether he will be able.  This winter, he has been compelled to use two canes in walking.  When we saw him, he had discarded one.  It seems that a friend of his sent him, not long since, a bottle of brandy. The use of this stimulant, of which he had been deprived for some time, so strengthened him that he is able to walk with one cane.  He said, "he proposed when the brandy is gone to send word to his friend, that if he would present him with another bottle of it, he rather thinks by the time it is used he will be able to get on without any cane."  He is still a great lover and admirer of female beauty.  two years since, he visited our county fair. When he returned home, he informed his friends that "he had never seen such nice girls in France as he saw at Norwich."  an opinion which is undoubtedly correct.  His appetite is good and always has been.  He ever has been a good feeder, but never has overeaten.  While we were with him, he ate his dinner.  It consisted of a piece of bread, without butter, and a glass of brandy and water.  When he has no brandy, his dinner is simply bread and water.  Shortly after dinner, we bade the old veteran adieu, and left for Norwich. 

What wonderful changes are comprehended in the period of his life!  His own country has witnessed twelve different governments.  He was born under the constitutional monarchy of Louis XVI. This was followed by the first Republic; then the Directory; the First Consol; the Empire; the first Restoration in 1814; the "100 days" of Napoleon; the second Restoration; the monarchy of Louis Phillipe; the second Republic; the Presidency of Louis Napoleon; the Empire and Napoleon III; and now the third Republic.  Our own land has grown up into existence within that time.  How grand has been the advance of science and art.  His old age in fact has witnessed the introduction of the steamboat, the railroad and the telegraph.

In closing we would extend our thanks to Mr. Francois who acted as interpreter for us, to Mrs. Gauchat, for the excellent dinner she spread for us, and to Mr. Gauchat and son, for courtesies shown.