List of American supercentenarians facts for kids
American supercentenarians are people living in the United States who have reached the amazing age of 110 years or older! It's a very rare achievement. As of January 2015, a group called the Gerontology Research Group (GRG) had confirmed that 782 Americans had reached this incredible age.
The oldest person born in America, who now lives in Spain, is Maria Branyas. She was born in San Francisco, California, on March 4, 1907. The oldest person living in the U.S. is Elizabeth Francis, born in Houston, Texas, on July 25, 1909. The longest-lived American ever was Sarah Knauss from Hollywood, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. She lived to be 119 years and 97 days old before she passed away on December 30, 1999.
Contents
Who are the oldest Americans?
Below is a list of the 100 longest-lived American supercentenarians. This information comes from the GRG and other reliable sources.
Deceased Living
Rank | Name | Sex | Birth date | Death date | Age | Birthplace | Place of death or residence |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sarah Knauss |
|
September 24, 1880 | December 30, 1999 | 119 years, 97 days | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
2 | Delphia Welford |
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September 9, 1875 | November 14, 1992 | 117 years, 66 days | Mississippi | Tennessee |
3 | Maria Branyas |
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March 4, 1907 | Living | 118 years, 113 days | California | Spain |
4 | Susannah Mushatt Jones |
|
July 6, 1899 | May 12, 2016 | 116 years, 311 days | Alabama | New York |
5 | Gertrude Weaver |
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July 4, 1898 | April 6, 2015 | 116 years, 276 days | Arkansas | Arkansas |
6 | Elizabeth Bolden |
|
August 15, 1890 | December 11, 2006 | 116 years, 118 days | Tennessee | Tennessee |
7 | Besse Cooper |
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August 26, 1896 | December 4, 2012 | 116 years, 100 days | Tennessee | Georgia |
8 | Jeralean Talley |
|
May 23, 1899 | June 17, 2015 | 116 years, 25 days | Georgia | Michigan |
9 | Edith Ceccarelli |
|
February 5, 1908 | February 22, 2024 | 116 years, 17 days | California | California |
10 | Maggie Barnes |
|
March 6, 1882 | January 19, 1998 | 115 years, 319 days | North Carolina | North Carolina |
11 | Dina Manfredini |
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April 4, 1897 | December 17, 2012 | 115 years, 257 days | Italy | Iowa |
12 | Christian Mortensen |
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August 16, 1882 | April 25, 1998 | 115 years, 252 days | Denmark | California |
13 | Hester Ford |
|
August 15, 1905 | April 17, 2021 | 115 years, 245 days | South Carolina | North Carolina |
14 | Edna Parker |
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April 20, 1893 | November 26, 2008 | 115 years, 220 days | Indiana | Indiana |
15 | Margaret Skeete |
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October 27, 1878 | May 7, 1994 | 115 years, 192 days | Texas | Virginia |
16 | Bernice Madigan |
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July 24, 1899 | January 3, 2015 | 115 years, 163 days | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
17 | Gertrude Baines |
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April 6, 1894 | September 11, 2009 | 115 years, 158 days | Georgia | California |
18 | Bettie Wilson |
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September 13, 1890 | February 13, 2006 | 115 years, 153 days | Mississippi | Mississippi |
19 | Iris Westman |
|
August 28, 1905 | January 3, 2021 | 115 years, 128 days | North Dakota | North Dakota |
20 | Marie-Josephine Gaudette |
|
March 25, 1902 | July 13, 2017 | 115 years, 110 days | New Hampshire | Italy |
21 | Susie Gibson |
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October 31, 1890 | February 16, 2006 | 115 years, 108 days | Mississippi | Alabama |
Thelma Sutcliffe |
|
October 1, 1906 | January 17, 2022 | Nebraska | Nebraska | ||
23 | Edna Kern |
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October 14, 1900 | January 20, 2016 | 115 years, 98 days | California | Nevada |
24 | Augusta Holtz |
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August 3, 1871 | October 21, 1986 | 115 years, 79 days | Prussia | Missouri |
25 | Bessie Hendricks |
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November 7, 1907 | January 3, 2023 | 115 years, 57 days | Iowa | Iowa |
26 | Maud Farris-Luse |
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February 21, 1887 | March 18, 2002 | 115 years, 25 days | Michigan | Michigan |
27 | Antonia Gerena Rivera |
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May 19, 1900 | June 2, 2015 | 115 years, 14 days | Puerto Rico | Florida |
28 | Mary Bidwell |
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May 9, 1881 | April 25, 1996 | 114 years, 352 days | Connecticut | Connecticut |
29 | Hazel Plummer |
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June 19, 1908 | May 25, 2023 | 114 years, 340 days | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
30 | Ophelia Burks |
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October 25, 1903 | September 27, 2018 | 114 years, 337 days | Louisiana | Louisiana |
31 | Mary Josephine Ray |
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May 17, 1895 | March 7, 2010 | 114 years, 294 days | Canada | New Hampshire |
32 | Goldie Steinberg |
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October 30, 1900 | August 16, 2015 | 114 years, 290 days | Moldova | New York |
33 | Elizabeth Francis |
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July 25, 1909 | Living | 115 years, 335 days | Louisiana | Texas |
34 | Delphine Gibson |
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August 17, 1903 | May 9, 2018 | 114 years, 265 days | South Carolina | Pennsylvania |
35 | Mary Royster |
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April 15, 1875 | December 28, 1989 | 114 years, 257 days | Virginia | North Carolina |
36 | Neva Morris |
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August 3, 1895 | April 6, 2010 | 114 years, 246 days | Iowa | Iowa |
37 | Blanche Cobb |
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September 8, 1900 | May 1, 2015 | 114 years, 235 days | Georgia | Florida |
38 | Mila Mangold |
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November 14, 1907 | July 2, 2022 | 114 years, 230 days | Nebraska | California |
39 | Myrtle Dorsey |
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November 20, 1885 | June 25, 2000 | 114 years, 218 days | Ohio | Ohio |
40 | Carrie Lazenby |
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February 9, 1882 | September 4, 1996 | 114 years, 208 days | Georgia | Illinois |
41 | Walter Breuning |
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September 21, 1896 | April 14, 2011 | 114 years, 205 days | Minnesota | Montana |
42 | Eunice Sanborn |
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July 20, 1896 | January 31, 2011 | 114 years, 195 days | Louisiana | Texas |
43 | Grace Clawson |
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November 15, 1887 | May 28, 2002 | 114 years, 194 days | United Kingdom | New York |
44 | Wilhelmina Kott |
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March 7, 1880 | September 6, 1994 | 114 years, 183 days | Illinois | Illinois |
Adelina Domingues |
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February 19, 1888 | August 21, 2002 | Cape Verde | California | ||
46 | Lucy Mirigian |
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August 15, 1906 | February 12, 2021 | 114 years, 181 days | Armenia | California |
47 | Charlotte Benkner |
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November 16, 1889 | May 14, 2004 | 114 years, 180 days | Germany | Ohio |
48 | Ettie Mae Greene |
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September 19, 1877 | February 26, 1992 | 114 years, 160 days | West Virginia | West Virginia |
49 | Dominga Velasco |
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May 12, 1901 | October 11, 2015 | 114 years, 152 days | Mexico | California |
50 | Irene Frank |
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October 1, 1881 | February 28, 1996 | 114 years, 150 days | Texas | Missouri |
51 | Georgia Ella Jordan |
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September 18, 1880 | February 9, 1995 | 114 years, 144 days | Georgia | Virginia |
52 | Olivia Patricia Thomas |
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June 29, 1895 | November 16, 2009 | 114 years, 140 days | Iowa | New York |
Alelia Murphy |
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July 6, 1905 | November 23, 2019 | North Carolina | New York | ||
54 | Irene Dunham |
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December 16, 1907 | May 1, 2022 | 114 years, 136 days | Michigan | Michigan |
55 | Nina Willis |
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January 14, 1909 | May 17, 2023 | 114 years, 123 days | Georgia | Georgia |
Pearl Berg |
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October 1, 1909 | February 1, 2024 | Indiana | California | ||
57 | Anna Henderson |
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March 5, 1900 | July 1, 2014 | 114 years, 118 days | Georgia | Pennsylvania |
58 | Emma Verona Johnston |
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August 6, 1890 | December 1, 2004 | 114 years, 117 days | Iowa | Ohio |
Mamie Rearden |
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September 7, 1898 | January 2, 2013 | South Carolina | Georgia | ||
Erna Zahn |
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April 14, 1908 | August 9, 2022 | Wisconsin | Minnesota | ||
61 | Bettie Chatmon |
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April 30, 1884 | August 16, 1998 | 114 years, 108 days | Louisiana | Texas |
Lessie Brown |
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September 22, 1904 | January 8, 2019 | Georgia | Ohio | ||
63 | Odie Matthews |
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December 28, 1878 | April 14, 1993 | 114 years, 107 days | Texas | Arizona |
64 | Florence Knapp |
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October 10, 1873 | January 11, 1988 | 114 years, 93 days | Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania |
Elena Slough |
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July 4, 1889 | October 5, 2003 | Pennsylvania | New Jersey | ||
66 | Mary Anna Boone |
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February 10, 1887 | May 13, 2001 | 114 years, 92 days | Kentucky | Kentucky |
67 | Minnie Whicker |
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July 24, 1906 | October 22, 2020 | 114 years, 90 days | Arkansas | California |
68 | Delma Kollar |
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October 31, 1897 | January 24, 2012 | 114 years, 85 days | Kansas | Oregon |
69 | Ila Jones |
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August 21, 1903 | November 10, 2017 | 114 years, 81 days | Georgia | Georgia |
70 | Maggie Renfro |
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November 14, 1895 | January 22, 2010 | 114 years, 69 days | Louisiana | Louisiana |
71 | Emma Tillman |
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November 22, 1892 | January 28, 2007 | 114 years, 67 days | North Carolina | Connecticut |
Anna Stoehr |
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October 15, 1900 | December 21, 2014 | Iowa | Minnesota | ||
73 | Leila Denmark |
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February 1, 1898 | April 1, 2012 | 114 years, 60 days | Georgia | Georgia |
74 | Adele Dunlap |
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December 12, 1902 | February 5, 2017 | 114 years, 55 days | New Jersey | New Jersey |
75 | Naomi Conner |
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August 30, 1899 | October 18, 2013 | 114 years, 49 days | Texas | Texas |
Ora Holland |
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December 24, 1900 | February 11, 2015 | Missouri | Oklahoma | ||
77 | Katie Hatton |
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December 18, 1877 | January 24, 1992 | 114 years, 37 days | Texas | Texas |
78 | Ellen Goodwill |
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February 2, 1907 | March 2, 2021 | 114 years, 28 days | Kentucky | Michigan |
79 | Grace Thaxton |
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June 18, 1891 | July 6, 2005 | 114 years, 18 days | New York | Kentucky |
80 | Soledad Mexia |
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August 13, 1899 | August 30, 2013 | 114 years, 17 days | Mexico | California |
81 | Minnie Ward |
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November 19, 1885 | December 2, 1999 | 114 years, 13 days | Tennessee | Massachusetts |
82 | Arbella Ewing |
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March 13, 1894 | March 22, 2008 | 114 years, 9 days | Texas | Texas |
83 | Catherine Hagel |
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November 28, 1894 | December 6, 2008 | 114 years, 8 days | Minnesota | Minnesota |
84 | Emma Otis |
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October 22, 1901 | October 25, 2015 | 114 years, 3 days | Washington | Washington |
85 | Fred H. Hale, Sr. |
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December 1, 1890 | November 19, 2004 | 113 years, 354 days | Maine | New York |
86 | Miriam Carpelan |
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July 8, 1882 | June 22, 1996 | 113 years, 350 days | United Kingdom | California |
Elsie Thompson |
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April 5, 1899 | March 21, 2013 | Pennsylvania | Florida | ||
88 | Bertha Fry |
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December 1, 1893 | November 14, 2007 | 113 years, 348 days | Indiana | Indiana |
89 | Mae Harrington |
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January 20, 1889 | December 29, 2002 | 113 years, 343 days | New York | New York |
90 | Daisey Bailey |
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March 30, 1896 | March 7, 2010 | 113 years, 342 days | Tennessee | Michigan |
91 | Secundina Camarena |
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July 16, 1891 | June 20, 2005 | 113 years, 339 days | Mexico | California |
92 | Agatha Mitchell |
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March 26, 1887 | February 25, 2001 | 113 years, 336 days | Virginia | Virginia |
93 | Goldie Michelson |
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August 8, 1902 | July 8, 2016 | 113 years, 335 days | Ukraine | Massachusetts |
94 | Merle Barwis |
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December 23, 1900 | November 22, 2014 | 113 years, 334 days | Iowa | Canada |
95 | Clara Huhn |
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January 28, 1887 | December 20, 2000 | 113 years, 327 days | Nebraska | California |
Beulah Meloche |
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December 5, 1906 | October 27, 2020 | New York | New York | ||
97 | Eliza Underwood |
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March 15, 1867 | January 27, 1981 | 113 years, 318 days | North Carolina | District of Columbia |
Corinne Dixon Taylor |
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April 2, 1893 | February 14, 2007 | District of Columbia | District of Columbia | ||
99 | Annabelle Holblinger |
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March 16, 1909 | January 27, 2023 | 113 years, 317 days | New York | Colorado |
100 | Mary Christian |
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June 12, 1889 | April 20, 2003 | 113 years, 312 days | Massachusetts | California |
Stories of supercentenarians
Mary Bidwell
Mary Electa Bidwell (born May 9, 1881 – died April 25, 1996) was an American supercentenarian. She lived to be 114 years and 352 days old. She is the oldest person ever recorded to have died in Connecticut.
Mary's parents were Charles Woodruff Bidwell and Alice Beach Nobel. She was a descendant of John Bidwell, who helped start Hartford, Connecticut. Mary worked as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse for six years. In 1906, she married Charles Hubbell Bidwell, who was a distant cousin. Mary lived by herself in North Haven, Connecticut, until she was 110 years old. She passed away at the Arden House, a nursing home in Hamden, Connecticut.
Maggie Barnes
Maggie Pauline Barnes (born Hinnant; March 6, 1882 – died January 19, 1998) was an American supercentenarian. Her mother was a former slave. Maggie married a tenant farmer. She died in Johnston County, North Carolina, on January 19, 1998.
There was some discussion about her exact birth year. Her family bible says 1882. However, the 1900 US Census says 1881, and her marriage license says 1880. Based on her family bible, Maggie lived for 115 years and 319 days.
Adelina Domingues
Adelina Domingues (born February 19, 1888 – died August 21, 2002) was a supercentenarian from Cape Verde. She was considered the oldest person in the world for a short time in 2002. This was after Grace Clawson, another supercentenarian, passed away.
Adelina was born in Cape Verde. Her father was Italian and worked as a harbor pilot. Her mother was Portuguese. In 1907, Adelina married a ship captain and moved to the United States. Her husband died in 1950. Adelina was a missionary for the Church of the Nazarene in Cape Verde and other parts of Africa. She was also a religious preacher in Massachusetts. She was a skilled seamstress too.
Adelina strongly believed in the American Dream. She was very religious and had conservative political ideas. She even exchanged letters with former President of the United States Ronald Reagan. She had four children, but only one son, Frank, lived to be an adult. Frank died in 1998 at age 71, and Adelina lived for four more years after him. Adelina Domingues passed away at a nursing home in the San Diego, California, area on August 21, 2002. She was 114 years and 183 days old. She had thought she was 115, but her family and diplomats from Cape Verde found her baptism records. These records showed she was 114 when she died.
Charlotte Benkner
Charlotte Benkner (born Enterlein; November 16, 1889 – died May 14, 2004) was an American supercentenarian. She was thought to be the world's oldest person from 2003 to 2004. Later, when other supercentenarians were confirmed, she was ranked as the third oldest person at the time of her death.
Charlotte was born in Leipzig, Germany. She moved to the U.S. in 1896. She grew up in Peekskill, New York, where her family ran the Albert Hotel. As a young woman, she once met then-U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. After marrying Karl Benkner in 1908, she moved to Pennsylvania and Ohio. She later retired to Arizona.
Even as a supercentenarian and the oldest person in Arizona, Charlotte moved back to Ohio. She lived in North Lima with her youngest sister, Tillie O'Hare. Tillie passed away in January 2004, just three weeks before her 100th birthday. Charlotte died only four months after her sister, at 114 years and 180 days old. She had a short stay in a hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, before she passed.
Emma Verona Johnston
Emma Verona Johnston (born Calhoun; August 6, 1890 – died December 1, 2004) was an American supercentenarian. She was born into a large family in Indianola, Iowa. She graduated from Drake University in 1912. She then worked as a Latin teacher. Later, she married Harry Johnston, an eye doctor. When she passed away, she was the oldest living graduate of Drake University.
At age 98, Emma moved from Iowa to Ohio to live with her daughter and son-in-law. Even after she turned 110, she was still in good health. She was alert, enjoyed conversations, and could still walk up steps. In May 2004, she became the oldest known living American. Three months later, on her 114th birthday, she received a special paper signed by then-Drake University President David Maxwell. The university's Vice President, John Willey, even suggested she receive an honorary degree. Emma Johnston passed away in Worthington, Ohio, on December 1, 2004. She was 114 years and 117 days old.
Bettie Wilson
Bettie Antry Wilson (born Rutherford; September 13, 1890 – died February 13, 2006) was the oldest person ever recorded in Mississippi. She was considered the oldest living person in the United States from December 2004. This was until Elizabeth Bolden was confirmed as older. Both Bettie and Elizabeth were born in the rural South, living less than 100 miles apart. Bettie was the daughter of freed slaves, Solomon and Delia Rutherford.
In April 2005, Bettie moved into a new home in New Albany. This home was paid for by donations. She celebrated her 115th birthday in September 2005. She passed away on February 13, 2006, at 115 years and 153 days old.
George Francis
George Rene Francis (born June 6, 1896 – died December 27, 2008) was an American supercentenarian. He was the second-oldest living man in the world, tied with Henry Allingham from England. Both were born on June 6, 1896. George was also the oldest living man in the United States after February 8, 2007.
George was from New Orleans, Louisiana. After 1949, he lived in Sacramento, California. A local newspaper there published a poem that George loved to share with friends and the public. He believed his long life was due to nature. He also enjoyed eating pork, eggs, milk, and lard. He stopped smoking cigars when he was 75.
George tried to join the army in World War I in 1918. However, he was not accepted because he was too short and small. He weighed only about 100 pounds. Despite this, he later became a boxer. After that, he worked as a barber and then as a chauffeur.
Bernice Madigan
Bernice Madigan (born Emerson; July 24, 1899 – died January 3, 2015) was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts. She moved to Cheshire when she was six. In 1918, after finishing Adams High School, she joined government efforts to hire women during World War I. She moved to Washington, D.C.. After the war, she worked as a secretary for the Department of the Treasury and the Veterans Administration.
She married Paul Madigan in 1925; he passed away in 1976. They lived in the Washington, D.C., area and then in Silver Spring, Maryland. Bernice retired in 1942. After retiring, she volunteered at her church and at nursing homes, playing piano for the residents. She moved back to Massachusetts in 2007 to live with family.
Bernice took part in the Boston University School of Medicine's New England Centenarian Study. She was also interviewed and filmed by the Center for Aging at the University of Chicago and ABC World News. She is one of 100 centenarians featured in The Archon Genomics XPRIZE. She even joined social media, with profiles on Facebook and Twitter. Bernice Madigan passed away peacefully in her sleep on January 3, 2015. She was 115 years and 163 days old. At the time of her death, she was the oldest person living in Massachusetts. She was also the fourth-oldest living person in the United States and the fifth-oldest living person in the world.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Supercentenarios estadounidenses para niños