Photo Gallery for Supercentenarians born in the year 1889,
as of December 20, 2019.
May 25, 2015; Frank Ahmann was born in Iowa, United States on May 11, 1889 and passed away in the same state on March 22, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 316 days. At the time of his death, he was the oldest living man in Iowa.
In her adult years:
With her husband Joe:
In her older years:
All photos were sourced from her Find a Grave page.
Edith Archer was born in Ohio, United States on November 25, 1889 and died in Indiana, United States on April 11, 2001 at the ag of 111 years, 137 days.
May 25, 2015; Anna Balsiger was born in Wisconsin, United States on February 11, 1889 and passed away in the same state on September 14, 2001 at the age of 112 years, 215 days. At the time of her death, she was the oldest person ever from Wisconsin. Her Wisconsin longevity record was broken by Bertha Harris in 2014.
May 25, 2015; Mabel Bauman was born in Nebraska, United States on July 22, 1889 and passed away in the same state on July 12, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 356 days.
November 13, 2003; Robert Young has just sent us the following photos...
Following the death of Mitoyo Kawate of Japan, at age 114, Charlotte
(Enterlein) Benkner now herself 114, is currently, to our knowledge, the oldest person in the
world. She was born on November 16, 1889 in Leipzig, GERMANY. Charlotte Enterlein later
came to the US in 1896. She subsequently married fellow German immigrant and steelworker
Karl Benkner [1883 - 1965] in 1908, leading to more than 56 years of marriage, but she never
had any children of her own. For a time she retired to Tucson, AZ, but returned to Ohio shortly
after her 110th birthday. She remains active, writing letters to friends and politicians. Charlotte
has voted in every presidential election since women won the right to vote in 1920. She currently
lives in North Lima, Ohio, a southern suburb of Youngstown, nowhere near Lima, OH, but 203
miles to the East. Her 98-year-old younger sister, Tillie O-Hare, died on January 25, 2004 at age
99.
We have just learned that Charlotte Benkner died on Friday, May 14th at age 114 years, 180 days. Click for her Obituary in The Los Angeles Times.
Update: Charlotte Benkner subsequently lost her title as World's Oldest Person to Maria Capovilla who was verified after her death.
Aged 109:
Photo sourced from The Daily Advertiser.
August 21, 2019; Edward Bernard was born in Louisiana, United States on June 22, 1889 and died in the same state on August 11, 2000 at the age of 111 years, 50 days.
In the 1920s:
In 1935, wearing a white dress whilst accompanied by her mother (sitting), sister, and niece:
Working in the fields of Kaffzieg (now Kawcze, Poland):
In her niece's home:
In her later years:
On her 110th birthday:
Photos sourced from http://wenzel-orf.de.
Meta Berndt was born in Kaffzieg, Prussia (Pomerania), Germany (now Kawze, Poland) on November 9, 1889 and died in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany on December 28, 2001 at the age of 112 years, 49 days. She is the oldest person ever from North Rhine-Westphalia.
May 25, 2015; Lora Blair was born in Kansas, United States on July 8, 1889 and passed away in the same state on December 28, 1999 at the age of 110 years, 173 days.
March 15, 2002 (AP) -- This just in from Louis Epstein...
Nellie Bradley
died Monday, March 11th in Silsden in Northeast England at age 112 years 180 days. The
Guinness Book of Records has not yet recognized a new oldest living Briton.
Ref: Obituary Section, The Los Angeles Times, p. B17 (March 16, 2002).
Photo sourced from The Post-Crescent.
June 27, 2017; Alma Bruss was born in Wisconsin, United States on September 17, 1889 and died in the same state on November 4, 2000 at the age of 111 years, 48 days.
Maria Esther Heredia Lecaro de Capovilla was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador on September 14, 1889, and died in the same town on August 27, 2006, at the age of 116 years, 347 days. At the time of her death, she was the oldest person in the world. Capovilla was the first verified person to celebrate a 116th birthday since Sarah Knauss in 1996. She remains the oldest verified person ever from South America and the sixth oldest verified person ever. When her case was verified by Guinness in 2006, they commented "María Esther de Capovilla has beaten the odds – not only to live past 116, but to have the records to prove it. While a lot of the time it's difficult for people to prove their age, there was no problem with any of the documents we were shown in Mrs. Capovilla's case."
The daughter of a colonel, Maria Capovilla heralded from the aristocratic elite. In her youth, she enjoyed attending upper class social functions and art classes. She also regularly visited a nearby plantation, where she would drink fresh donkey and cow milk. Maria married a a military officer, Antonio Capovilla, in 1917, with whom she had five children. In her adult years, Capovilla liked to embroider, paint, play piano and dance the waltz at parties. She always ate three meals a day and never smoked or drank heavily. Fervently religious, Capovilla said her prayers daily, took communion every Friday and always joined the family for meals.
At the age of 100, Maria nearly died from a stomach ailment and was given the last rites by a priest, but amazingly she made a complete recovery and remained free of health problems for the next 15 years. In December 2005, at the age of 116, Maria was still in excellent health for her age and able to watch TV, read the paper and walk without the aid of a stick (though she was helped by an aide). However, Maria was unable able to leave her home in the two years prior to her death. By March 2006, Capovilla had nearly stopped talking and was no longer able to read the newspaper, but she was still able to fan herself and walk a few steps when helped by two people. Capovilla remained fairly well until she finally succumbed to a bout of pneumonia in the last week of August 2006, just 18 days before she would have celebrated her 117th birthday. Capovilla outlived her husband (by 57 years) and two of her five children. At the time of her death, she also had twelve grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Capovilla's calm disposition may have been the secret to her longevity. When she was confirmed as the World's Oldest Person, her daughter Irma said "We see the condition she is in, and what is admirable is not only that she reached this age, but that she got here in this shape, in very good health. She always had a very tranquil character. She does not get upset by anything. She takes things very calmly and she has been that way her whole life."
October 16, 2017; Arthur "Bo" Carter was born in Louisiana, United States on October 5, 1889 and died in Texas, United States on June 11, 2001 at the age of 111 years, 249 days.
October 30, 2002; The current oldest living American (by about a week) is now
Mary
Dorothy (Perry) Christian born June 12, 1889 in Massachusetts and who currently resides in
San Pablo, California. Louis Epstein of New York reports that Prof. John Wilmoth, a
well-known demographer with the University of California at Berkeley (which is not very far
away from San Pablo), went to visit Mary Christian on December 1, 2002. He reported that she is
not very well physically, having severe problems with both her senses and her mobility, but is
otherwise reasonably alert. Thank you to Robert Young of Atlanta, Georgia, our GRG Senior
Claims Investigator, for providing us with the photo above taken when she was age 104.
Young has now obtained a more recent photo below taken at age 113...
April 22, 2003; Michael Rinna reported that Mary Christian died on the afternoon of Easter Sunday, April 20, 2003 of pneumonia at age 113 years 312 days.
January 7, 2002;
Yukichi Chuganji of Japan, born March 23, 1889, died on Sunday, September 28,
2003 at age 114 years 189 days. A retired silkworm breeder, he was pronounced dead from
natural causes in his home by his 65-year old nephew, Tadao Haji. Bedridden in recent years,
Chuganji had been living with his 74-year old daughter Kyoko in the city of Ogori. Chuganji
was born in the farming town of Chikushino on Japan's southernmost main island of
Kyushu. There are an estimated 20,000 Japanese over the age of 100, and women make up
about 80 percent of this total. Japan's life expectancy is the longest in the world for both sexes -
85.2 years for women and 78.3 for men in 2002. Researchers say the country's traditional
fish-based, low-fat diet may be the secret to the long lives.
Our thanks to the Nishinihon Newspaper Company of Japan for providing us with the photo above on January 31, 2002. The woman with Yukichi Chuganji is his daughter Kyoko Chuganji, who was 72 years old at the time.
On January 3, 2002, Yukichi Chuganji became the oldest living man in the world, following the death of Antonio Todde. On December 29, 2002, he became the oldest living person in the world, following the death of Mae Harrington. He was the first man to hold the title of World's Oldest Person since Mathew Beard in 1985. On March 23, 2003, he became the third verified man to reach the age of 114, after Mathew Beard and Christian Mortensen. At the time of his death, Chuganji was the oldest Asian man ever. He retained the Asian male longevity for more than ten years, until it was surpassed by Jiroemon Kimura in 2011. Yukichi Chuganji attributed his longevity to healthy eating and being an optimist.
Aged 109:
Aged 110:
Both photos courtesy of Cass County Star Gazette.
October 9, 2016; Cecile Ann Cox was born in Illinois, United States on August 30, 1889 and died in the same state on November 25, 2000 at the age of 111 years, 87 days.
March 20, 2002; Following the death of Maud Farris-Luse on March 18th,
Nellie Florence (Wakefield) Cross, age 112, is one of the oldest women in America.
She was born on October 28, 1889. The above photo was taken in 1999 with her
Great-Great-Great-Grandchildren! Even older than Nellie was Grace Clawson who died in
2002 at the age of 114.
April 3, 2002; We are sad to report that Nellie Cross died this morning at her home in Des Moines, Iowa. She is survived by nearly 200 descendants including 27 Great-Great-Great-Grandchildren. Louis Epstein of New York writes that "She was the second-oldest authenticated person in the United States, after John McMorran and the oldest in the history of Iowa, a state with one of the highest concentrations of Centenarians. At the moment we have no fully authenticated cases in the US between John McMorran and Fred Hale (December 1, 1890), but both Hazel Luther (December 1889) and Verona Johnston (August 1890) seem close to being validated."
October 14, 2002; Bart Versieck of Belgium has just sent us this photo (by way of Mr.
Robert Young of Atlanta, Georgia and Dany Chambre of Belgium) of
Marie-Louise Alice De Ruyver born in Belgium on February 10, 1889. She died on March
14, 1999 at age 110 years, 32 days. [ Editor's Note: The dates under the photo are given
in European format.]
On her 103rd birthday:
On her 105th birthday:
On her 110th birthday:
All photos sourced from the Aberdeen Evening Express.
December 20, 2019; Rita Donn was born in Scotland, United Kingdom on January 11, 1889 and died in Buckie, Scotland, United Kingdom on January 17, 1999 at the age of 110 years, 6 days.
Maria Teresa Fumarola-Ligorio, 113
March 27, 2003; Robert Young of Atlanta, Georgia has provided us, by way of
Gianni Alunni of Italy, this photograph of
Maria Teresa Fumarola-Ligorio, taken on the occasion of her 113th birthday. She was
born on December 2, 1889 and at age 113 is currently the oldest person in Europe.
May 14, 2003; According to a report from one of her Great Grandchildren, Maria Teresa Fumarola died today at the age of 113 years, 163 days. The second and third pictures were sent by Andrea Maggiore, who sent us the newspaper clipping in Italian.
Maria Teresa Fumarola worked in the fields of Taranto until 1989, when she was 100. She outlived both her husband (by more than 40 years) and five of her ten children. She remains the oldest person ever from the region of Apulia and one of the ten oldest Italians ever.
Aged 101:
February 26, 2017; Mae Harrington was born in New York, United States on January 20, 1889 and died in the same place on December 29, 2002 at the age of 113 years, 343 days. On August 21, 2002, she became the oldest living person in the United States and the world, following the death of Adelina Domingues. On August 23, 2002, she passed the final age of Delina Filkins and became the oldest person ever from New York. Her New York longevity record was broken by Grace Thaxton in 2005. She was the last World's Oldest Person verified as deceased under the age of 114, although some records, including her 1900 census record and SSDI, suggest she was born in 1887.
Born as Mary Agnes Maxwell, she grew up on a dairy farm in Clinton, Oneida County, New York and had three sisters and a brother. In her youth, she was fond of animals, dancing, and Dean Martin. She married George Harrington, a local highway department worker, and had one son who died in an airplane crash during the Second World War. After her husband passed away in 1959, Harrington lived alone in Clinton until she was 100, when she decided to enter the Heritage Health Care Center in Utica, New York. A niece, Elizabeth Burns, described her as a very private person who suffered from vision and hearing problems in her later years.
Benjamin Holcomb farmed wheat, dabbled in cotton and raised cattle for most of his life. He married three times and had many children. Mr Holcomb learned to read at an early age and this inspired a lifelong interest. When he entered his nursing home, Mr Holcomb subscribed to and regularly read about a dozen magazines and newspapers. He was not enlisted to fight in either World War, but his father fought in the American Civil War for the successful Unionist side and his oldest son, Chester, a turret gunner in a B-17, was shot down and killed over the English Channel during WWII. When asked for the secret to his longevity, Mr Holcomb said "If you live one day at a time and you don't die, you'll live a long life."
Editor's Note: We have just learned from his grand daughter that Benjamin Holcomb passed away on Saturday night, December 2, 2000. He was 111 years; 152 days old. More details will be posted as they are available.
Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan, 114
February 12, 2004; Robert Young has just sent us this photo of
Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan, was likely born August 31st or else the next day
September 1, 1889 in Utuado, Puerto Rico. She now resides in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.
Documents that support her age include a Baptismal Certificate issued April 18, 1890 declaring
that she was born on August 31, 1889. However, her delayed Birth Certificate, issued in 1948,
says September 1, 1889. An August 11, 2000 letter from former-President Bill Clinton
commemorates her 111th birthday.
Thus, it appears that Ramona really is 114 years old, and could possibly be the world's oldest person at the present time. A Marriage Certificate has not yet been located, which the Guinness World Records have requested as part of its documentation process.
Of course, their current "Official" World's Oldest Person is Charlotte Benkner, 114 years old, born November 16, 1889, whose own baptismal paper appears to have been written on April 8, 1890, just ten days before Ramona's! However, Benkner's 1908 Marriage Certificate and 1910 and 1920 Census listings provide additional proof of age documents that have yet to be located in Ramona's case. We hope to resolve this discrepancy soon.
March
28, 2004; The discrepancy has now been resolved, and Robert Young has just sent us these
new photos of
Sra. Ramona Trinidad Iglesias-Jordan 114 years old, born in Puerto Rico on August
31,
1889, and currently cited by the GRG as the Oldest Living Person in the World. On
March 29, 2004, The Guinness Book of World Records has also recognized her status as
the World's Oldest Living Person.
May 29, 2004; Sra. Ramona Trinidad died of pneumonia today, Saturday, May 29th, at the age of 114 years, 272 days. Therefore, The World's Oldest Living Person title now goes to Hendrikje Van Andel-Schipper of The Netherlands, who was born on June 29, 1890.
Photo courtesy of the Oldest in Denmark blog.
December 24, 2015; Karen Jespersen was born in Midtjylland, Denmark on May 5, 1889 and died in the same region on August 4, 2000 at the age of 111 years, 91 days. At the time of her death, she was the oldest living person in Denmark. She remains the second oldest Danish person ever to die in Denmark and the oldest person ever to die Midtjylland, although two emigrants from Midtjylland have lived longer.
October 31, 2003; Louis Epstein of New York has sent us this photo from the
Chugoku newspaper in Hiroshima, Japan of
Mitoyo Kawate born on May 15, 1889 and now 114 years old. She has just been
confirmed by The Guinness Book of World Records to be the Oldest Person in the
World
following the death of Kamato Hongo this morning.
[ Editor's Note: Can any
of our readers who reads Japanese tell us what these captions actually say?]
November 13, 2003; We have just been informed that Mitoyo Kawate died overnight at the age of 114 years, 182 days, of pneumonia less than two weeks after taking over the title from her countrywoman Kamato Hongo. Click for her Obituary from the BBC. The title now shifts to the US, as Charlotte Benkner, of North Lima, Ohio, has now been designated the oldest living person in the world and is expected to turn 114 next Sunday.
May 24, 2002; Robert Young has just received these photos of
Ito Konno
(Tsurumaki) Kinase, taken on the occasion of her 112th birthday party on December 31,
2001.
November 9, 2002; Two more photos provided by Bart Versieck of Belgium are as follows:
We have just
learned that Ito Kinase born December 31, 1889 died on January 24, 2003 at 113 years, 24
days.
July 18, 2001; Robert Young has identified Maria Laqua as the oldest living
woman in Germany (aged 112 years, born February 12, 1889);
[
Copyright:
Herr Harald Wenzel-Orf
photographer of Germany.] Born on February 12, 1889 in Rheydt, she was one of 13 children of
a working-class family. After marrying Karl Laqua, she gave birth to two sons, Paul and Karl-
Heinz. They both died in 1945 while fighting for the German Army in World War II. Then, in
1958, she lost her husband as well. In 1968, she moved into the nursing home 'St. Elisabeth' in
Bad Hönningen in the German state of Rheinland-Pfalz. She became the oldest individual
in
Germany on March 29, 1999, when Wilhelm Schorner passed away at age 110. She went on to
hold this title for almost three years until she died on March 9, 2002 at age 112 years and 362
days. Maria Laqua was the first person in Germany to reach the age of 112 and still heads the
age-
list of all validated German Supercentenarians. An interesting side-note: All three German
women
who ever turned 12 years old were born in 1889, with Rosalia Hasenkampf and
Meta Berndt completing this elite club.
Robert Young has now informed us that Maria Laqua passed away on February 9, 2002, just three days shy of her 113th birthday.
Aged 52:
Aged 81:
Aged 107:
Photos sourced from Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.
October 24, 2017; Mollie Lollis was born in Ohio, United States on December 3, 1889 and died in Kentucky, United States on May 12, 2001 at the age of 111 years, 160 days. She was a teacher for many years.
February 7, 2002
Mrs. Hazel Houghton (Penniman) Luther was born on December 11, 1889. She is 111
years in the photos above.
On her 113th birthday. Click for more details from the Daytona Beach News
Journal.
January 31, 2003; Hazel's niece called us today to report that Hazel Luther passed away this morning (around 2 AM EST). Hazel was the oldest member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants and the oldest graduate of the Juilliard School of Music (then called the Institute of Musical Arts).
February 2, 2003; Datona Beach, FL ( Tampa Tribune) " Mrs. Hazel Penniman Luther, the oldest woman in Florida at age 113, died Friday," officials said. "She was taken to Halifax Medical Center early Friday, when she developed a cold and high temperature," said the Rev. Pam Stewart. She died peacefully in the emergency room. Born December 11, 1889, Luther was the world's ninth-oldest living person, according to The Gerontology Research Group. She was the fifth-oldest living American and the second- oldest Floridian; John McMorran of Lakeland, FL was born 175 days before Hazel Luther. At her 113th birthday party, Luther was asked whether she wanted to live forever. "I think I already have," she replied. Luther earned two diplomas in singing. She performed classical music and taught voice lessons. She met her husband, Robert Luther, in 1918 as he sang bass at church. He was a First Lieutenant Infantryman in Washington, D.C., and they later moved to Detroit, where he worked for Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company. The couple had no children.
March 20, 2002; Following the death earlier this week of Ms. Maud Farris-Luse, the oldest American is now a man (John McMorran) and not a woman for the first time in recent memory. The oldest American woman is Mrs. Nellie Cross whose photo is posted above with her Great- Great-Great-Grandchildren. However, Grace Clawson, 114, was later discovered to be even older.
John Ingram McMorran, a Michigan man who now lives in Lakeland, Florida,
Click on the image for more details.
[ Editor's Note: We have just
learned that Mc Morran passed away around 1:00 PM EST on Monday, February 24, 2003
from heart failure and complications of pneumonia. He had been designated as "Resident of the
Month" in the Tandem Nursing Home Newsletter]
July 31, 2002; Bart
Versieck of Belgium has just sent us this photo of John McMorran
John is now 113
and still holds the title of oldest living American man. This latest photo above together with his
39-year-old Grandson, Scott McMorran, was taken on the occasion of his 113th Birthday
Party at Tandem Health Care in North Lakeland, FL.
John Ingram McMorran was born in Goodland Township, Michigan on June 19, 1889. He died on February 24, 2003 at the age of 113 years, 250 days. McMorran was the oldest man in America at the time of his death. He also holds the distinction of being the oldest man never to become World's Oldest Man, as he was born three months after Japanese man Yukichi Chuganji, who outlived him.
In his youth, a fortune teller predicted McMorran would live to the great age of 111, but this apparently farsical prediction actually proved conservative, as he managed to surpass it by more than two years. At the time of his death in 2003, McMorran was a great-great-grandfather. His sister, Lillia Elizabeth Webb lived to the age of 103. His great-granddaughter Lisa Saxton said "He was never sick. He lived a great life. Obviously, he was well put together. He smoked cigars, drank beer and ate greasy food. He was an amazing man."
Robert Young of Atlanta, Georgia has E-mailed us a photo of
Geneva Arlene (Grazer [or Grazier]) McNicholl was born on December 10, 1889
in Lafayette, Oregon, and is now 112 years old. This particular photo was taken on December
4th while she was 111. We have just learned that she has now passed away on January 22, 2002
at age 112 years 43 days.
Photo sourced from http://castle.eiu.edu/.
May 12, 2016; Cora Meek was born in Illinois, United States on September 15, 1889 and died in the same state on July 1, 2001 at the age of 111 years, 289 days.
Just prior to her 110th birthday:
Photo courtesy of Nanaimo Daily News.
May 5, 2018; Elizabeth Middler was born in Scotand, United Kingdom on October 12, 1889 and died in Manitoba, Canada on April 19, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 190 days.
May 25, 2015; Elsa Moberg was born in Vastra Gotaland County, Sweden on June 30, 1889 and passed away in Stockholm County, Sweden on November 20, 2001 at the age of 112 years, 143 days. At the time of her death, she was the oldest person ever from Sweden. Her Swedish longevity record was broken by Astrid Zachrison in 2007, but she remains the oldest person ever from Stockholm County.
Photo courtesy of the Yesteryears newspaper.
October 12, 2016; Lillian Moore was born in Michigan, United States on August 17, 1889 and died in the same state on December 19, 1999 at the age of 110 years, 124 days.
May 25, 2015; Marie-Laure Nadon was born in Quebec, Canada on April 12, 1889 and passed away in the same province on August 18, 2001 at the age of 112 years, 128 days. At the time of her death, she was the oldest person ever from Quebec, although this record was broken by Julie Winnefred Bertrand in 2004.
Chiake Nakamura was born in Japan on December 31, 1889 and died on July 7, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 189 days.
Aged 110:
Photo sourced from Yomiuri News Paper (Hokkaido regional version).
March 3, 2017; Matsuno Oikawa was born in Japan on February 20, 1889 and died in Ofanuto, Iwate, Japan on January 3, 2002 at the age of 112 years, 317 days. On August 14, 2001, she became the oldest living person in Japan, following the death of Mie Ishiguro. At the time of her death, she was the oldest person ever from Iwate. Her Iwate longevity record was broken by Tae Ito in 2016.
October 30, 2002; Robert Young has sent us this photo from today's
St. Petersburg Times of
Aged 104:
Aged 105:
Aged 113:
The last three photos are courtesy of Tampa Bay Times and South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Miss Mary L. Parr who was born on February 1, 1889 in Indiana and died on October 29,
2002 in Florida at the age of 113 years 270 days. Mary never married, never had children, and
has outlived nearly all her relatives. [ Editor's Note: This just in from Susan Prine
Nichols... "Mary Parr was my Father's Aunt. Her Sister Lillian Prine was my Grandmother. My
six children and I are her only remaining relatives."\ She lived most recently in a retirement
center in St. Petersburg, FL. More details of her life can be found in her Obituary from the
Associated Press...
"Mary L. Parr, 113; Said to Be Oldest Resident of U.S.," The Los Angeles Times, p. B17
(October 31, 2002).
[ Editor's Note: In its Obituary, the AP acknowledged this website and the
Gerontology Research Group, "a non profit organization that studies aging," for establishing
Mary Parr's status as "Oldest American." We therefore wish to recognize the work of our
Centenarian Committee members who have caused this Gerontology Research Group to
become,
over the years, the defacto standard that other experts turn to when authenticating facts
regarding this admittedly-specialized field of human demography. Thank you; and keep up the
good work! See information about Committee members at the bottom of our Tables web page
containing Tables A-E, etc..]
Undated photo:
On her 110th birthday:
Photos sourced from Uxbridge & West Drayton Gazette.
March 4, 2019; Amy Pearce was born in England, United Kingdom on May 22, 1889 and died in the same country on June 20, 1999 at the age of 110 years, 29 days.
November 29, 2002; Bart Versieck of Belgium has sent us by way of Robert Young
of Atlanta, Georgia this picture of
Martha Pellow. She was born May 18, 1889 and died on June 2, 2000 in Wisconsin at
the age of 111 years, 15 days, believed to be the oldest nun in the United States at the time of her
death.
Incidentally, the oldest nun in Belgium was Maria Ludovica Van Sprengel, alias Sister Alberta, who was born January 30, 1882 and died April 22, 1993 at 111 years, 82 days (see her picture). However, the world record for the oldest nun may be Sister Augustine Tessier of France, also known as Sister Julia, born January 2, 1869 and died March 8, 1981 at 112 years, 65 days (see picture above).
Aged 107:
July 24, 2017; Jessie Penn was born in Alabama, United States on May 18, 1889 and died in the same state on June 30, 2001 at the age of 112 years, 43 days.
Concetta Ramundo-Urso was born on December 8, 1889 in Galatone, Apulia, Italy and died on January 31, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 54 days.
As a young woman:
In her final years:
May 25, 2015; Melvina Richardson was born in Indiana, United States on January 11, 1889 and passed away in the same state on March 31, 2001 at the age of 112 years, 79 days.
December 17, 2001; Garcia Larrache has obtained a photo of the oldest man in
Spain...
Joan Riudavets-Moll, then 113, meeting with then-Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria
Aznar.
Joan ["John" in Catalan Spanish] Riudavets-Moll was born on December 15, 1889
and died at the age of 114 years, 81 days on March 5, 2004.
He lived on the Balearic Island
of Minorca, SPAIN. His claim was validated by Dr. Michel Poulain, who wrote to us as
follows:
While spending some days in Barcelona, I took the opportunity to go with some Catalonian
colleagues in Minorca to visit and validate the case of Joan Riudavets.
He was
born in Es Migjorn Gran on December 15, 1889. He was the second son of Pedro
Riudavets Moll [1860 - 1927] and Catalina Moll Mercades [1864 - 1889] who died two weeks
after his birth. Then, his Father remarried and had seven other children among which two
brothers are surviving, born respectively in 1900 (Pedro) and 1907 (Jose). As a consequence, this
is a very special case of male longevity. In the years [1911 - 1913] Joan was responsible for
cultural activities in his village and a recent publication shows two photos of him when he was
ages 20 and 25, respectively. Juan married in 1917 at age 27 to Miss Juana Jordi Sales who was
then 28 and who died in 1975 when Joan was 86. Joan had three daughters, and he is now living
with Franscica who is single and 78 years old! During his long life, Joan was a
shoemaker, which is not unusual in Minorca. He didn't participate in WW I, as Spain itself was
not involved. As far as the Spanish Civil War was concerned, he was already 48. Today, he
leads a very quiet life, eats everything in normal portions, reads the newspapers, looks at the local
TV Guide, goes to bed after Midnight and wakes up around Noon. Up to age 110, he road a
bicycle, and I obtained a photo of him doing this. He autographed the photo, and he had no
difficulty writing his signature. He spontaneously stood up when we were leaving after a
two-hour long visit. As far as his health is concerned, he had an eye operation at age 108 for
cataracts. He is definitively exceptional and is in much better condition in comparison with
Antonio Todde, whom I met when he was about the same age. All records have been checked
carefully and copies have been made. All registers were well kept, and the surnames are
consistent with both his Father's and Mother's names, including all the names of his four
grandparents with indications of their survivorship.
In 1903, aged about 13:
On her wedding day in 1917:
On her 107th birthday:
These photos were sourced from her
Find a Grave page.
January 10, 2016; Anna Rust was born in Ohio, United States on October 11, 1889 and died in the same state on August 15, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 309 days.
Photo sourced from picture-alliance.com.
April 3, 2019; Wilhelm Schorner was born in Bavaria, Germany on February 3, 1889 and died in Bavaria on March 29, 1999 at the age of 110 years, 54 days. On January 5, 1999, he became the oldest living person in Germany following the death of Marie Stegmann.
April 1, 2003; Ray Allen, her Grandson, has sent us this photograph of
Elena (or Elana)(Rodenbaugh) Proctor Slough, age 113 years, who was born on
July 4, 1889 in Pennsylvania, but currently resides in Cape May, New Jersey. The first photo
was taken in June 2002 with her Grandson, Ray (R), and her Great Grandson, Wyatt (L), while
the second photo was taken in April 2003.
While some records suggest Elena's was born in 1888 (such as a 1945 Birth Affidavit), the 1900 Census, taken in June, lists her as 10 years old and born in July 1889. The 1920 Census, taken in January, lists her as 30 years old (no birthdate given) which suggests she was born in 1889. The 1910 and 1930 censuses list her as 21 and 41, respectively. Because neither list a birth month (unlike the 1900 Census), these could be taken to mean she was born in 1888 (technically) or 1889 (age rounded --- 1910 minus 21 equals 1889). Without a Birth Certificate or early church record, Elena's true birth year --- 1888 or 1889 --- remains a mystery. [Even her name is spelled differently, "Elena" in some sources and "Elena" in others.] There is no doubt, however, that she is at least 114 years old, and hence currently the oldest living American whose age can be verified. Grandson Ray Allen said that Elena once said that she was "really born in 1889," but other family members believe 1888 is correct. For these reasons, The Gerontology Research Group has determined that her verifiable Birth Date is July 4, 1889, or the latest date of the records discrepancies, and thus 100 percent provable.
A claim to be born in 1888 has the additional the problem of her older brother Sylvester who is listed in the 1900 Census as born in September 1887. This would make a pregnancy and birth in July 1888 possible, but very close together. One hypothesis is that Sylvester was really born in 1886 and that the 1900 record also got his age wrong. On the other hand, no Birth Certificate has been produced for him either. Thus, to assume that three errors were made (1900 listings for Elena and Sylvester, and the 1920 listing for Elena) without documentary proof would be beyond the purview of our validated cases. Consequently, while there is a possibility that she could be 115 years old, we can only prove at this point that she is no less than 114 years old. --- Robert Young
October 5, 2003; We have just learned from an Associated Press reporter in Trenton, NJ that Elena Slough passed away early this morning at age 114 years, 89 days. Her Obituary appears in The Los Angeles Times as well as many other major newspapers throughout the country. The SSDI listed her as born July 4th.
With family on her 110th birthday:
Photos sourced from The Ottawa Citizen.
December 28, 2018; Mamie Smith was born in Ontario, Canada on March 1, 1889 and died in the same province on April 25, 2001 at the age of 112 years, 55 days.
Aged 103:
Photo sourced from The Selma Times-Journal.
August 21, 2019; Abbie Stewart was born in Alabama, United States on October 13, 1889 and died in the same state on September 28, 2001 at the age of 111 years, 350 days.
May 25, 2015; Karen Svisdal was born in Vestlandet, Norway on December 16, 1889 and passed away in the same province on February 23, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 69 days. At the time of her death, she was the oldest living person in Norway.
With her husband in 1908:
In her final years:
Photos sourced from Le Houallet.
May 12, 2016; Marie-Rose Theriault was born in New Brunswick, Canada on September 8, 1889 and died in Quebec, Canada on February 29, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 174 days.
Photo sourced from The Record, Hackensack NJ.
March 4, 2019; Pauline Thiessen was born in New York, United States on January 10, 1889 and died in New Jersey, United States on January 13, 1999 at the age of 110 years, 3 days.
January 5, 2002; We have just learned from several sources that Antonio Todde of Tiana, Sardinia, ITALY born January 22, 1889, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday/Friday morning, January 3rd at the age of 112, just 19 days shy of his 113th birthday. See the News Section of this Website for January 4, 2002 for more details.
July 30,
2000.Click on the image for
more details from The Times of London about Antonio Todde's acceptance by
The Guinness Book of Records as the World's Oldest Living Man.
Antonio Todde, a New Record-Holder at 111, and his Daughter Angela, 76.
"World's Oldest Living Man Owes It All to Wine, Pasta, and Genes"
Aged 106:
Aged 107:
Photos courtesy of Tampa Bay Times.
October 24, 2017; Harriet Trudgen was born in United Kingdom on May 22, 1889 and died in Florida, United States on August 2, 2000 at the age of 111 years, 72 days.
Aged 108:
July 30, 2017; Mary Waskom was born in Texas, United States on November 15, 1889 and died in California, United States on August 8, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 267 days.
Aged 107:
This photo was sourced from Press and Sun-Bulletin newspaper.
June 29, 2017; Emma Yager was born in New York, United States on November 12, 1889 and died in the same state on March 16, 2002 at the age of 112 years, 124 days.
On her 107th birthday:
Photo sourced from Springville Journal.
October 23, 2017; Vera Zeilman was born in New York, United States on December 27, 1889 and died in the same state on September 9, 2000 at the age of 110 years, 257 days.
Here ends the Photo Gallery for Supercentenarians born in 1889. Click on a link below to view our Photo Gallery for Supercentenarians born in another year.