Little Rock, AR – At 116, Arkansas Woman Named Oldest American

    0

    Gertrude Weaver, right, talks with her son Joe Weaver, Thursday, July 3, 2014 at Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center in Camden, Ark., a day before her 116th birthday. The Gerontology Research Group says Weaver is the oldest person in the United States and second-oldest person in the world. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston)Little Rock, AR – A south Arkansas woman celebrated her 116th birthday Friday with cake, a party and a new title — she’s now officially the oldest confirmed living American and second-oldest person in the world, the Gerontology Research Group said.

    Join our WhatsApp group

    Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email


    Gertrude Weaver spent her birthday at home at the Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation in Camden, about 100 miles southwest of Little Rock. This year’s festivities included the new award from the Gerontology Research Group, which analyzed U.S. Census records to determine that Weaver is the oldest living American, rather than 115-year-old Jeralean Talley, who was born in 1899.

    The research group, which consults with the Guinness Book of World Records, found that the 1900 Census listed Weaver as 2 years old — putting her birthday in 1898, said Robert Young, the research’s group database administrator and senior consultant for Guinness.

    That makes Weaver the second-oldest person in the world behind 116-year-old Misao Okawa of Japan and the 11th oldest person of all time, he said.

    “Normally, 116 would be old enough to be the world’s oldest person,” Young said. “There’s kind of heavy competition at the moment.”

    Weaver was born in southwest Arkansas near the border with Texas, and was married in 1915. She and her husband had four children, all of whom have died except for a 93-year-old son. Along with Census records, the Gerontology Research Group used Weaver’s 1915 marriage certificate, which listed her age as 17, to confirm her birth year, Young said.

    Although no birth record exists for Weaver, she celebrates her birthday each year on July 4 and did the same this year. At her 115th birthday party last year, Weaver was “waving and just eating it all up,” said Vicki Vaughan, the marketing and admissions director at Silver Oaks.

    “Most people want to know, ‘Well, can she talk?'” Vaughan said. “Her health is starting to decline a little bit this year — I can tell a difference from last year, but she still is up and gets out of the room and comes to all of her meals, comes to activities. She’ll laugh and smile and clap.”

    Weaver first stayed at the Camden nursing home at the age of 104 after she suffered a broken hip, Vaughan said. But Weaver recovered after rehabilitation and moved back home with her granddaughter, before returning to the nursing home at the age of 109.

    Weaver cited three factors for her longevity: “Trusting in the Lord, hard work and loving everybody.”

    “You have to follow God. Don’t follow anyone else,” she told the Camden News this week. “Be obedient and follow the laws and don’t worry about anything. I’ve followed him for many, many years and I ain’t tired.”

    Below is a List of world’s oldest people with confirmed ages.

    The Gerontology Research Group has confirmed the ages of more than 70 living supercentenarians — or those who are 110 and older. Nearly all are women, and most are located in North America, Europe and Japan, where proof-of-age records are more readily available.

    Here are the 10 oldest people in the world whose ages have been validated by the group:

    1. Misao Okawa, 116, Japan

    2. Gertrude Weaver, 116, United States

    3. Jeralean Talley, 115, United States

    4. Susannah Mushatt Jones, who turns 115 on Sunday, United States

    5. Bernice Madigan, 114, United States

    6. Emma Morano-Martinuzzi, 114, Italy

    7. Antonia Gerena Rivera, 114, United States

    8. Ethel Lang, 114, England

    9. Nabi Tajima, 113, Japan

    10. Blanche Cobb, 113, United States


    Listen to the VINnews podcast on:

    iTunes | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podbean | Amazon

    Follow VINnews for Breaking News Updates


    Connect with VINnews

    Join our WhatsApp group