Protestant Exiles from France/Volume 2 - Book Third - Chapter 27 - Longevity
Longevity.
The longevity of many of the refugees and their descendants (as my readers must have remarked) was remarkable. With regard to families originally planted in Barnstaple, Mr. Burn mentions the surnames Servantes and Roche. With regard to the former, he says, two ladies of this family now (1846) reside in Exeter, the one is upwards of ninety, and the other upwards of eighty. Monnier Roche used to say. “My grandfather was drowned when he was one hundred and eleven, and if he had not been drowned, he might have been alive now.” In the Scots Magazine there are two announcements — 13th December 1770, died at Rumsey, in Hampshire, aged one hundred and ten, Mr. Cordelon, a native of France; and in the number for January 1772, the death is announced, as having occurred at Rumsey in the previous month, of “Mr. Cordelon, a French refugee, aged one hundred and seven.” In the Dublin Freeman’s Journal for 15th October 1765, there was this announcement:— “Died a few days ago, Captain Lolamong, aged one hundred and twelve years; he was an officer in King William’s army and behaved with considerable courage.” [Query, Lalemant? or L’Allemagne?]