Survivors of the 19th Century: The Last People Born in the 1800s
These incredibly resilient individuals have witnessed history unfold, living through times when the United States had only 45 states. They were children when the Model T Ford hit the roads, experienced the sinking of the Titanic, and were already in their 40s during World War II. As of March 2013, they are the last surviving people born in the 1800s.
**Jiroemon Kimura**
Born on April 19, 1897, Jiroemon Kimura from Japan is the longest-living verified man in history. He grew up in Kyotango, Kyoto, and spent most of his life working as a farmer and a postal worker. Tragically, he outlived two of his seven children.
**Misao Okawa**
Misao Okawa, recognized as the world’s oldest woman in 2013, was born in Osaka, Japan, on March 5, 1898. She married in 1919 and had three children, two of whom are still alive and over 90 years old. She received a certificate from Guinness World Records at her nursing home in Osaka.
**Maria Redaelli-Granoli**
Maria Redaelli-Granoli, born on April 3, 1899, in Italy’s Lombardy region, is the oldest person in Italy. She experienced her first hospital visit at the age of 104 after fracturing her femur in 2007.
**Elsie Thompson**
Elsie Thompson, the oldest living American, has led a politically engaged life. A committed Republican, she still enjoys singing hymns. Her secret to a long life? Simply loving people.
**Jeralean Talley**
Born in Inkster, Michigan, on May 23, 1899, Jeralean Talley is the fifth oldest person globally, the oldest living black person, and the oldest in Michigan. She attributes her longevity to her faith in the Lord.
**Susannah Mushatt Jones**
Susannah Mushatt Jones, born on July 6, 1899, is the oldest person in New York State and the sixth oldest in the world. She hails from Lowndes County, Alabama, and was the third of eleven children.
**Bernice Madigan**
Bernice Madigan, born on July 24, 1899, is Massachusetts’ oldest resident. Born in West Springfield and moved to Cheshire at the age of six, she still resides there. Remarkably, she took no vitamins or daily medicine even as she turned 110.
**Soledad Mexia**
Soledad Mexia, born on August 13, 1899, is the oldest living Mexican. Despite losing a leg to an infection in 2010, she remains remarkably spirited.
**Evelyn Kozak**
Evelyn Kozak, born on August 14, 1899, is the last surviving Jew born in the 1800s. She grew up in New York City’s Lower East Side as one of nine children.
**Mitsue Nagasaki**
Mitsue Nagasaki, born on September 18, 1899, in Kure City, Hiroshima, still lives there today.
**Emma Morano-Martinuzzi**
Emma Morano-Martinuzzi, born on November 29, 1899, lives independently in her apartment. As an Italian, she credits her longevity to a daily indulgence in chocolate and Mediterranean wine.
**Grace Jones**
Grace Jones, the youngest of the supercentenarians born in the 1800s, was born in London, England, on December 7, 1899. She is the oldest person in the United Kingdom and attributes her long life to “good, English food, never anything frozen.”
