List of American supercentenarians

People from the United States who have lived to be 110 or older

American supercentenarians are citizens or residents of the United States who have attained or surpassed 110 years of age. By January 2015, the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) had validated the longevity claims of 782 American supercentenarians.[1][needs update] The oldest living American is Naomi Whitehead (born in Georgia on September 26, 1910, and now residing in Greenville, Pennsylvania), aged 114 years, 318 days.[2] The longest-lived person ever from the United States is Sarah Knauss, of Hollywood, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, who died on December 30, 1999, aged 119 years and 97 days.[3][4]

## 100 oldest known Americans

[edit]

Below is a list of the 100 longest-lived American supercentenarians, according to the GRG and reliable sourcing.[1][5]

Deceased Living

Rank  | Name  | Sex  | Birth date  | Death date  | Age  | Birthplace  | Place of death
or residence

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

01  | Sarah Knauss[1] |

| September 24, 1880  | December 30, 1999  | 119 years, 97 days  | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania
02  | Maria Branyas[6] |

| March 4, 1907  | August 19, 2024[7] | 117 years, 168 days  | California | Spain
03  | Delphia Welford[8] |

| September 9, 1875  | November 14, 1992  | 117 years, 66 days  | Mississippi | Tennessee
04  | Susannah Mushatt Jones[5] |

| July 6, 1899  | May 12, 2016  | 116 years, 311 days  | Alabama | New York
05  | Gertrude Weaver[5] |

| July 4, 1898  | April 6, 2015  | 116 years, 276 days  | Arkansas | Arkansas
06  | Elizabeth Bolden[1] |

| August 15, 1890  | December 11, 2006  | 116 years, 118 days  | Tennessee  | Tennessee
07  | Besse Cooper[5] |

| August 26, 1896  | December 4, 2012  | 116 years, 100 days  | Tennessee  | Georgia
08  | Easter Wiggins[9] |

| June 1, 1874  | July 7, 1990  | 116 years, 36 days  | Mississippi  | Mississippi
09  | Jeralean Talley[5] |

| May 23, 1899  | June 17, 2015  | 116 years, 25 days  | Georgia  | Michigan
10  | Edith Ceccarelli[6] |

| February 5, 1908  | February 22, 2024[10] | 116 years, 17 days  | California  | California
11  | Ella Miller[11] |

| December 6, 1884  | November 21, 2000  | 115 years, 351 days  | Tennessee  | Virginia
12  | Maggie Barnes[1][a] |

| March 6, 1882  | January 19, 1998  | 115 years, 319 days  | North Carolina | North Carolina
13  | Dina Manfredini[5] |

| April 4, 1897  | December 17, 2012  | 115 years, 257 days  | Italy | Iowa
14  | Christian Mortensen[1] |

| August 16, 1882  | April 25, 1998  | 115 years, 252 days  | Denmark | California
15  | Hester Ford[5] |

| August 15, 1905  | April 17, 2021[12] | 115 years, 245 days  | South Carolina | North Carolina
16  | Edna Parker[5] |

| April 20, 1893  | November 26, 2008  | 115 years, 220 days  | Indiana | Indiana
17  | Margaret Skeete[1] |

| October 27, 1878  | May 7, 1994  | 115 years, 192 days  | Texas | Virginia
18  | Bernice Madigan[5] |

| July 24, 1899  | January 3, 2015  | 115 years, 163 days  | Massachusetts | Massachusetts
19  | Gertrude Baines[5] |

| April 6, 1894  | September 11, 2009  | 115 years, 158 days  | Georgia  | California
20  | Bettie Wilson[1] |

| September 13, 1890  | February 13, 2006  | 115 years, 153 days  | Mississippi  | Mississippi
21  | Iris Westman[5] |

| August 28, 1905  | January 3, 2021[13] | 115 years, 128 days  | North Dakota | North Dakota
22  | Marie-Josephine Gaudette[5] |

| March 25, 1902  | July 13, 2017  | 115 years, 110 days  | New Hampshire | Italy
23  | Susie Gibson[1] |

| October 31, 1890  | February 16, 2006  | 115 years, 108 days  | Mississippi  | Alabama
Thelma Sutcliffe[5] |

| October 1, 1906  | January 17, 2022[14] | Nebraska | Nebraska
25  | Edna Kern[8] |

| October 14, 1900  | January 20, 2016  | 115 years, 98 days  | California  | Nevada
26  | Elizabeth Francis[2] |

| July 25, 1909  | October 22, 2024[15] | 115 years, 89 days  | Louisiana | Texas
27  | Augusta Holtz[1] |

| August 3, 1871  | October 21, 1986  | 115 years, 79 days  | Prussia[b] | Missouri
28  | Bessie Hendricks[16] |

| November 7, 1907  | January 3, 2023[17] | 115 years, 57 days  | Iowa  | Iowa
29  | Katie Hatton[18] |

| December 18, 1876  | January 24, 1992  | 115 years, 37 days  | Texas  | Texas
30  | Maud Farris-Luse[19] |

| February 21, 1887  | March 18, 2002  | 115 years, 25 days  | Michigan  | Michigan
31  | Antonia Gerena Rivera[5] |

| May 19, 1900  | June 2, 2015  | 115 years, 14 days  | Puerto Rico[c] | Florida
32  | Mary Bidwell[21] |

| May 9, 1881  | April 25, 1996  | 114 years, 352 days  | Connecticut | Connecticut
33  | Hazel Plummer[16] |

| June 19, 1908  | May 25, 2023[22] | 114 years, 340 days  | Massachusetts  | Massachusetts
34  | Ophelia Burks[9] |

| October 25, 1903  | September 27, 2018  | 114 years, 337 days  | Louisiana  | Louisiana
35  | Eliza Underwood[23] |

| March 15, 1866  | January 27, 1981  | 114 years, 318 days  | North Carolina  | District of Columbia
Naomi Whitehead[2] |

| September 26, 1910  | Living  | 114 years, 318 days  | Georgia  | Pennsylvania
37  | Mary Josephine Ray[5] |

| May 17, 1895  | March 7, 2010  | 114 years, 294 days  | Canada | New Hampshire
38  | Goldie Steinberg[5] |

| October 30, 1900  | August 16, 2015  | 114 years, 290 days  | Moldova[d] | New York
39  | Delphine Gibson[5] |

| August 17, 1903  | May 9, 2018  | 114 years, 265 days  | South Carolina  | Pennsylvania
40  | Mary Royster[24] |

| April 15, 1875  | December 28, 1989  | 114 years, 257 days  | Virginia  | North Carolina
41  | Neva Morris[5] |

| August 3, 1895  | April 6, 2010  | 114 years, 246 days  | Iowa  | Iowa
42  | Mary Ana Long[25] |

| February 18, 1905  | October 16, 2019  | 114 years, 240 days  | Kentucky | Kentucky
43  | Blanche Cobb[5] |

| September 8, 1900  | May 1, 2015  | 114 years, 235 days  | Georgia  | Florida
44  | Mila Mangold[5] |

| November 14, 1907  | July 2, 2022[26] | 114 years, 230 days  | Nebraska  | California
45  | Myrtle Dorsey[27] |

| November 20, 1885  | June 25, 2000  | 114 years, 218 days  | Ohio | Ohio
46  | Carrie Lazenby[28] |

| February 9, 1882  | September 4, 1996  | 114 years, 208 days  | Georgia  | Illinois
47  | Walter Breuning[5] |

| September 21, 1896  | April 14, 2011  | 114 years, 205 days  | Minnesota | Montana
48  | Eunice Sanborn[5] |

| July 20, 1896  | January 31, 2011  | 114 years, 195 days  | Louisiana  | Texas
49  | Grace Clawson[1] |

| November 15, 1887  | May 28, 2002  | 114 years, 194 days  | United Kingdom | New York
50  | Wilhelmina Kott[1] |

| March 7, 1880  | September 6, 1994  | 114 years, 183 days  | Illinois  | Illinois
Adelina Domingues[1] |

| February 19, 1888  | August 21, 2002  | Cape Verde[e] | California
52  | Lucy Mirigian[5] |

| August 15, 1906  | February 12, 2021  | 114 years, 181 days  | Armenia[f] | California
53  | Charlotte Benkner[1] |

| November 16, 1889  | May 14, 2004  | 114 years, 180 days  | Germany | Ohio
54  | Ettie Mae Greene[29] |

| September 19, 1877  | February 26, 1992  | 114 years, 160 days  | West Virginia | West Virginia
55  | Dominga Velasco[5] |

| May 12, 1901  | October 11, 2015  | 114 years, 152 days  | Mexico | California
56  | Irene Frank[1] |

| October 1, 1881  | February 28, 1996  | 114 years, 150 days  | Texas  | Missouri
57  | Georgia Ella Jordan[30] |

| September 18, 1880  | February 9, 1995  | 114 years, 144 days  | Georgia  | Virginia
58  | Olivia Patricia Thomas[5] |

| June 29, 1895  | November 16, 2009  | 114 years, 140 days  | Iowa  | New York
Alelia Murphy[5] |

| July 6, 1905  | November 23, 2019  | North Carolina  | New York
60  | Irene Dunham[5] |

| December 16, 1907  | May 1, 2022[31] | 114 years, 136 days  | Michigan  | Michigan
61  | Nina Willis[16] |

| January 14, 1909  | May 17, 2023[32] | 114 years, 123 days  | Georgia  | Georgia
Pearl Berg[6] |

| October 1, 1909  | February 1, 2024[33] | Indiana  | California
63  | Anna Henderson[5] |

| March 5, 1900  | July 1, 2014  | 114 years, 118 days  | Georgia  | Pennsylvania
64  | Emma Verona Johnston[1] |

| August 6, 1890  | December 1, 2004  | 114 years, 117 days  | Iowa  | Ohio
Mamie Rearden[1] |

| September 7, 1898  | January 2, 2013  | South Carolina  | Georgia
Erna Zahn[5] |

| April 14, 1908  | August 9, 2022[34] | Wisconsin | Minnesota
67  | Bettie Chatmon[1] |

| April 30, 1884  | August 16, 1998  | 114 years, 108 days  | Louisiana  | Texas
Lessie Brown[5] |

| September 22, 1904  | January 8, 2019  | Georgia  | Ohio
69  | Odie Matthews[1] |

| December 28, 1878  | April 14, 1993  | 114 years, 107 days  | Texas  | Arizona
70  | Florence Knapp[1] |

| October 10, 1873  | January 11, 1988  | 114 years, 93 days  | Pennsylvania  | Pennsylvania
Elena Slough[1] |

| July 4, 1889  | October 5, 2003  | Pennsylvania  | New Jersey
72  | Mary Anna Boone[1] |

| February 10, 1887  | May 13, 2001  | 114 years, 92 days  | Kentucky  | Kentucky
73  | Minnie Whicker[5] |

| July 24, 1906  | October 22, 2020  | 114 years, 90 days  | Arkansas  | California
74  | Mary Harris[2] |

| May 13, 1911  | Living  | 114 years, 89 days  | New York  | Tennessee
75  | Delma Kollar[5] |

| October 31, 1897  | January 24, 2012  | 114 years, 85 days  | Kansas | Oregon
76  | Ila Jones[5] |

| August 21, 1903  | November 10, 2017  | 114 years, 81 days  | Georgia  | Georgia
77  | Maggie Renfro[5] |

| November 14, 1895  | January 22, 2010  | 114 years, 69 days  | Louisiana  | Louisiana
78  | Emma Tillman[1] |

| November 22, 1892  | January 28, 2007  | 114 years, 67 days  | North Carolina  | Connecticut
Anna Stoehr[5] |

| October 15, 1900  | December 21, 2014  | Iowa  | Minnesota
80  | Leila Denmark[5] |

| February 1, 1898  | April 1, 2012  | 114 years, 60 days  | Georgia  | Georgia
81  | Adele Dunlap[1] |

| December 12, 1902  | February 5, 2017[35] | 114 years, 55 days  | New Jersey  | New Jersey
82  | Naomi Conner[1] |

| August 30, 1899  | October 18, 2013  | 114 years, 49 days  | Texas  | Texas
Ora Holland[5] |

| December 24, 1900  | February 11, 2015  | Missouri  | Oklahoma
84  | Bonita Gibson[2] |

| July 4, 1911  | Living  | 114 years, 37 days  | Kansas  | Michigan
85  | Ellen Goodwill[5] |

| February 2, 1907  | March 2, 2021[36] | 114 years, 28 days  | Kentucky  | Michigan
86  | Grace Thaxton[1] |

| June 18, 1891  | July 6, 2005  | 114 years, 18 days  | New York  | Kentucky
87  | Soledad Mexia[1] |

| August 13, 1899  | August 30, 2013  | 114 years, 17 days  | Mexico  | California
88  | Minnie Ward[1] |

| November 19, 1885  | December 2, 1999  | 114 years, 13 days  | Tennessee  | Massachusetts
89  | Arbella Ewing[5] |

| March 13, 1894  | March 22, 2008  | 114 years, 9 days  | Texas  | Texas
90  | Catherine Hagel[5] |

| November 28, 1894  | December 6, 2008  | 114 years, 8 days  | Minnesota  | Minnesota
91  | Emma Otis[5] |

| October 22, 1901  | October 25, 2015  | 114 years, 3 days  | Washington | Washington
92  | Ellen Jurick[37] |

| July 15, 1895  | July 13, 2009  | 113 years, 363 days  | Pennsylvania  | Michigan
93  | Fred Harold Hale[1] |

| December 1, 1890  | November 19, 2004  | 113 years, 354 days  | Maine | New York
94  | Miriam Carpelan[1] |

| July 8, 1882  | June 22, 1996  | 113 years, 350 days  | United Kingdom  | California
Elsie Thompson[1] |

| April 5, 1899  | March 21, 2013  | Pennsylvania  | Florida
96  | Bertha Fry[1] |

| December 1, 1893  | November 14, 2007  | 113 years, 348 days  | Indiana  | Indiana
97  | Mae Harrington[1] |

| January 20, 1889  | December 29, 2002  | 113 years, 343 days  | New York  | New York
98  | Ellen Thomas[38] |

| December 25, 1877  | December 2, 1991  | 113 years, 342 days  | Tennessee  | Michigan
Daisey Bailey[5] |

| March 30, 1896  | March 7, 2010  | Tennessee  | Michigan
100  | Agatha Mitchell[5] |

| March 26, 1887  | February 25, 2001  | 113 years, 336 days  | Virginia  | Virginia

## Biographies

[edit]

### Delphia Welford

[edit]

Delphia S. Welford (September 9, 1875 - November 14, 1992)[39] was an American supercentenarian claimed to have been born on September 9, 1881; however, research conducted by the Gerontology Research Group between 2016 and 2023 determined that she was actually born in 1875, and that she was born in Okolona, Mississippi.[40]

Welford's parents were Richard and Heddie Welford. The family moved to Humboldt, Tennessee, when she was still a child. She had one son, Leo Mathis, in the late 1890s. Welford never married and spent the rest of her life in Humboldt. She was a homemaker and a member of the Lane Chapel C.M.E Church.

Welford died at Parkview Manor Health Care Center in Humboldt, on November 14, 1992, at the age of 117 years, 66 days. She had been the oldest person ever from the United States after surpassing the age of Easter Wiggins on October 16, 1991. Welford would continue to hold this distinction until November 30, 1997, when Sarah Knauss lived past her final age. Remarkably, despite living past 117 years, Welford was never the world's oldest living person as Jeanne Calment was older and still alive when Welford died. Welford is the oldest person never to have been the world's oldest living person.

### Mary Bidwell

[edit]

Mary Electa Bidwell (May 9, 1881 – April 25, 1996)[21] was an American supercentenarian. She died aged 114 years and 352 days and is the oldest person on record ever to die in Connecticut.[41][42][43]

Her parents were Charles Woodruff Bidwell and Alice Beach Nobel.[42] She was a descendant of John Bidwell, one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut. Bidwell worked as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse for six years. She married Charles Hubbell Bidwell, a distant cousin, in 1906.[41] Bidwell lived on her own in North Haven, Connecticut, until she was 110. Bidwell died at the Arden House, a nursing home in Hamden, Connecticut.[43]

### Maggie Barnes

[edit]

Maggie Pauline Barnes (née Hinnant; c. March 6, between 1880 and 1882 – January 19, 1998)[44] was an American supercentenarian. She was born to a former slave and married a tenant farmer. Barnes died on January 19, 1998, in Johnston County, North Carolina, of gangrene.[45]

Her exact year of birth has been disputed. Though the year 1882 is written in her family bible, her marriage license claims that she was born in 1880.[45] Authenticating to what was put on the family Bible, Barnes may have lived for 115 years and 319 days.

### Adelina Domingues

[edit]

Adelina Domingues (February 19, 1888 – August 21, 2002) was a Cape Verdean American supercentenarian who was the world's oldest person from the death of 114-year-old British-American woman Grace Clawson on May 28, 2002, to her own death less than three months later.[46] Domingues was born in Cape Verde. Domingues's Italian father was a harbor pilot by profession, and her mother was Portuguese by ethnicity.[47] She married a ship captain in 1907, and moved to the United States that year.[47] Her husband died from cancer in 1950.[47] Domingues was a missionary from the Church of the Nazarene in Cape Verde and other parts of Africa, and also a religious preacher when she lived in Massachusetts, as well as an expert seamstress.[47]

Domingues was a firm believer in the American Dream, was deeply religious, had conservative political views and was a pen pal of former President of the United States Ronald Reagan.[47] She had four children, but only one of them (a son, Frank) reached adulthood.[47] Frank died in 1998 at the age of 71, with Adelina outliving him by four years.[47] Domingues died at a nursing home in the San Diego, California, area on August 21, 2002, at age 114 years and 183 days.[47] She had claimed she was actually one year older, or 115 years old, but her family and Cape Verdean diplomats did some research and discovered her baptismal information, from which they concluded that Domingues was 114 years old when she died.[48]

### Charlotte Benkner

[edit]

Charlotte Benkner (née Enterlein; November 16, 1889 – May 14, 2004)[49][50][51][52] was an American supercentenarian and considered the world's oldest person from 2003 to 2004.[53][49][50] Subsequent recognition of other supercentenarians ranked Benkner as the third oldest at the time of her death.[51]

Benkner was born in Leipzig, Germany, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1896. She grew up in Peekskill, New York, where her family ran the Albert Hotel, and as a young woman once met then U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt.[52][54] After her 1908 marriage to Karl Benkner, she moved west, living in Pennsylvania and Ohio, before retiring to Arizona. Already a supercentenarian and the oldest person in Arizona, Benkner returned to Ohio to live in North Lima with her sister Tillie O'Hare, her youngest sibling.[52] Tillie died in January 2004, just three weeks shy of becoming a centenarian.[54] Benkner survived her sister by only four months, and died at age 114 years and 180 days, after a brief hospital stay in Youngstown, Ohio.

### Fred Harold Hale

[edit]

Frederick Harold Hale Sr. (December 1, 1890 – November 19, 2004) was born in New Sharon, Maine. He married Flora Mooers (d. 1979) in 1910, and had five children, three of which he outlived.[55] Throughout his life, he worked as a railroad worker and a beekeeper, before retiring to pursue gardening and canning produce. At the age of 95, he surfed for the first time in Hawaii, while on his way back to the U.S. from visiting his grandson in Japan.[56] He was recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest driver in the world at the age of 104, and he continued driving until age 108. At 109, he moved to the Syracuse area in New York State. A lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox, he was alive to see both their 1918 and 2004 World Series victories.[55]

On March 5, 2004, upon the death of 114-year-old Joan Riudavets of Spain, Hale became the world's oldest living man. He died on November 19, 12 days before his 114th birthday,[55] and was succeeded as the world's oldest man by Emiliano Mercado del Toro.

### Emma Verona Johnston

[edit]

Emma Verona Johnston (née Calhoun; August 6, 1890 – December 1, 2004) was an American supercentenarian who was born in Indianola, Iowa, to a large family.[57] She graduated from Drake University in the Class of 1912 and went on to work as a Latin teacher before she married ophthalmologist Harry Johnston;[58][59][60] at the time of her death, she was the university's oldest living graduate.[58]

At age 98, Johnston moved from Iowa to Ohio in order to live with her daughter and son-in-law. Even after turning 110, she continued to be in good health, alert and engaging in conversations, and was still able to walk up steps.[58] She became the oldest known living American in May 2004.[57] Three months later, on the occasion of her 114th birthday, she was presented with a proclamation signed by then Drake University President David Maxwell.[61] The university's Vice President for Institutional Advancement, John Willey, nominated her for an honorary degree.[60] Johnston died in Worthington, Ohio, on December 1, 2004,[57] at age 114 years and 117 days.

### Bettie Wilson

[edit]

Bettie Antry Wilson (née Rutherford; September 13, 1890 – February 13, 2006)[62] was thought to be the oldest living person in the United States from December 2004 until the subsequent verification of Elizabeth Bolden. Both were born in the rural South, where they lived less than 100 miles apart. Wilson was the daughter of freed slaves, Solomon and Delia Rutherford.[63]

In April 2005, Wilson moved into a new home funded by donations, in New Albany. She celebrated her 115th birthday in September 2005, and died on February 13, 2006, aged 115 years, 153 days.[62]

### George Francis

[edit]

George Rene Francis (June 6, 1896 – December 27, 2008)[64][65][66] was an American supercentenarian and the joint second-oldest living man in the world, together with Englishman Henry Allingham, also born on June 6, 1896, until Francis's death aged 112 years and 204 days. He was also the oldest living man in the United States, following the death of then 111-year-old Antonio Pierro on February 8, 2007. Francis was from New Orleans, Louisiana, but after 1949 lived in Sacramento, California, where a local newspaper published a poem that Francis enjoyed reciting to friends and the public throughout his life.[67] He credited his longevity to nature, and enjoyed a rich diet of pork, eggs, milk and lard. He gave up smoking cigars at the age of 75.[68]

Francis attempted to join the army in World War I, but was rejected for service in 1918 as being too short and small (he weighed only about 100 pounds [45 kg]). Despite this, he later was a boxer before becoming a barber and then a chauffeur.[64]

### Evelyn Kozak

[edit]

Eva Chavka Rivka "Evelyn" Kozak (née Jacobson) (August 14, 1899 – June 11, 2013)[69][70] was an American Jewish supercentenarian,[71][72][73][74] born in New York City to Isaac and Kate Jacobson, who fled from the Russian Empire, and the oldest verified Jewish person in history from November 6, 2012, 12 weeks after turning 113, when she broke fellow German-born American Adelheid Kirschbaum's record of 113 years and 83 days though until August 27, 2014, when fellow Russian-born American Goldie Steinberg (born October 30, 1900), who was the oldest living Jewish person after her death, broke her record.

Kozak died of a heart attack at a hospital in Brooklyn, New York City, early in the morning of June 11, 2013,[when?] barely around a quarter of a day before the oldest living person, 116-year-old Japaneseman Jiroemon Kimura (who died 2:08 a.m. the night of June 12, which is 1:08 p.m. the afternoon of June 11 EDT).

### Bernice Madigan

[edit]

Bernice Madigan (née Emerson; July 24, 1899 – January 3, 2015) was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts,[5][75][76] and moved to Cheshire when she was six.[77] In 1918, after graduating from Adams High School,[77][78] she responded to government drives to recruit women into employment during WWI, and moved to Washington, D.C.[75] After the war, she worked as a secretary for the Department of the Treasury and the Veterans Administration.[79] She married Paul Madigan (d. 1976) in 1925;[79] they lived in the Washington, D.C., area and then in Silver Spring, Maryland.[77] She retired in 1942, after which she volunteered with the church and at nursing homes, playing piano for residents.[77] She returned to live with family in Massachusetts in 2007.[79] She participated in Boston University School of Medicine's New England Centenarian Study,[80] and was interviewed and filmed by the Center for Aging at the University of Chicago and the ABC World News.[80] She is one of 100 centenarians in The Archon Genomics XPRIZE.[81][82] She joined social media, with profiles on Facebook and Twitter.[79][83][84] Madigan died in her sleep at the age of 115 years and 163 days at 2 a.m. on January 3, 2015.[76][84] At the time of her death, she was the oldest living resident of Massachusetts,[85] the fourth-oldest living person in the United States[86] and the world's fifth-oldest living person.[86][87]

### Gertrude Weaver

[edit]

Gertrude Weaver (née Gaines; July 4, 1898 - April 6, 2015) was an American supercentenarian who held the title of world's oldest living person for six days in 2015. She gained the title after the death of Misao Okawa on April 1, 2015, and was succeeded by Jeralean Talley upon her death on April 6, 2015. Weaver became the oldest person in the United States at 114 years old on December 17, 2012. She also holds the titles of fifth-oldest person in American history and ninth-oldest person ever at 116 years, 276 days. Weaver was the third-to-last American born in the 1800s and the sixth-to-last American born in the 19th century.

Gertrude Gaines was born on July 4, 1898, in Lafayette County, Arkansas to sharecroppers Charles and Ophelia Gaines. Gaines married Gennie Weaver (1898–1969), with whom she had four children, on July 18, 1915. Gertrude was outlived by her second son and third child, Joe, who died at 93 in 2018. Weaver worked as a domestic helper for her entire life.[88] She temporarily moved into Silver Oaks Heath and Rehabilitation Center in Camden, Arkansas, at the age of 104 after she broke her hip, but moved back home soon after. Weaver permanently moved back into the nursing home at the age of 109.

Weaver said that the secret to her longevity was, "Use a lot of skin moisturiser, treat everyone nice, love your neighbour and eat your own cooking."[89] On July 4, 2014 (Weaver's 116th birthday), the mayor of Camden declared July 4 to be "Gertrude Day" in Weaver's honor. She died on April 6, 2015, of complications with pneumonia.[90]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ May have been older (116 or even 117); possibly born in 1881 or even 1880
2. ^ Holtz was born in the Province of Posen, which was a part of the German Empire at the time of her birth. Today, this area is a part of Poland.
3. ^ Residents of Puerto Rico born on or after April 25, 1898, are United States citizens.[20]
4. ^ Steinberg was born in Kishinev, which had then been a part of the Russian Empire. It is now the capital of Moldova.
5. ^ Domingues was born in Cape Verde, which was at that time a Portuguese colony. Now it is an independent country.
6. ^ Mirigian was born in Western Armenia, then part of the Ottoman Empire.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Wikkerink, Marco; Kroczek, Waclaw Jan (January 1, 2015). "GRG Database by Nation". Gerontology Research Group. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
2. ^ a b c d e "World Supercentenarian Rankings List". Gerontology Research Group. April 24, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
3. ^ "World's oldest person misses millennium". BBC News. December 31, 1999. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
4. ^ Frassinelli, Mike (September 25, 1999). "Mrs. Sarah Knauss, the World's Oldest Person, Turns 119". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on December 27, 2007.
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar Epstein, Louis; Young, Robert; Adams, Johnny; Muir, Mark (December 11, 2023). "GRG World Supercentenarian Rankings List – Validated Deceased Supercentenarians". Gerontology Research Group. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
6. ^ a b c "Supercentenarian deaths in 2024". Gerontology Research Group. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
7. ^ "Maria Branyas, world's oldest person, dies aged 117". Catalan News Agency. August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
8. ^ a b "2023 validations". Gerontology Research Group. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
9. ^ a b "2020 validations". Gerontology Research Group. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
10. ^ Smith, Chris (February 22, 2024). "Edie Ceccarelli, Willits resident and oldest living American, dies two weeks after 116th birthday". The Press Democrat. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
11. ^ "List of validated supercentenarians (listed chronologically by date of birth)". Gerontology Research Group. June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
12. ^ Korynta, Emma; Mendis, Tanya (April 17, 2021). "She was a pillar | Hester Ford, oldest living American, has died at 116". WCNC-TV. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
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Longevity

Ageing|

* Old age
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Life extension|

* Topic outline
* index
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Lists of
life expectancy|

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regions of countries|

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regions by continents|

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Records|

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Immortality|

* Biological immortality
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Longevity genes|

* FOXO3
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Related|

* Blue zone
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* Transhumanist politics
* Longest-living organisms
* oldest trees

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