How did the people of colonial america view aging, especially reaching advanced age?

They viewed reaching an advanced age as a significant accomplishment.
Life expectancy in early colonial Virginia was less than 25 years -- including the reality of infant mortality and a high number of deaths in childhood.  In the colonial beginnings of New England, around 40% of children died before reaching adult age.  Life in the colonies was very hard for the early colonists.

If i remember correctly it was caused by people hurling bodies at a country for some reason and them they all became infected