@sailor-haumea yes but keep in mind I’m personally only looking into centenarians from the North East of England.
The other interesting thing about Blaze Driver is that he lived across 3 different centuries.
I'm sure this has happened for quite a few hundred years now as the required age to achieve isn't that high (if your birth year ends in say 96-99). But we still don't know too many whose birth predates the 1700s.
four verified centenarians born before 1750
Was Margaret Turnbull debunked?
According to Durham Records Online, there was a Margaret Turnbull born in 1774 at Hunwick who may have been the Margaret Turnbull who died at Hunwick in 1776.
four verified centenarians born before 1750
Was Margaret Turnbull debunked?
According to Durham Records Online, there was a Margaret Turnbull born in 1774 at Hunwick who may have been the Margaret Turnbull who died at Hunwick in 1776.
I haven't been able to reach a conclusive decision regarding her. Turnbull was/is a very common surname in the North East of England. My mother has two aunts and both married different men with the surname Turnbull, just to give some perspective lol.
I am on the cusp of verifying another early centenarian case:
Dorothy Buttiman (nee Common), bapt 15 March 1745, died 30 September 1851 (aged 106)
Investigation notes attached below:
I'll take some time to review everything again before verifying, but all the evidence seems to match up very nicely.
While researching my family tree, I stumbled upon the death record of an Elizabeth Holder, who died in the first quarter (Jan/Feb/Mar) of 1860 allegedly aged 101. The registration district of death is Dursley, Gloucestershire, England. I decided to research further to see if she really was an early centenarian.
Her burial record states she was buried on 2 April 1860 at Holy Cross in Owlpen, very close to Dursley, so she probably died in late March.
Find My Past gave me a match for her 1851 census record:
First name(s) | Last name | Relationship | Marital status | Sex | Age | Birth year | Occupation | Birth place |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Betty | Holder | Head | Widow | Female | 91 | 1760 | Pauper weaver wool | Owlpen, Gloucestershire, England |
Sarah | Holder | Daughter | Unmarried | Female | 66 | 1785 | Pauper weaver wool | Owlpen, Gloucestershire, England |
I then found her daughter Sarah's baptism record, which confirms she was baptised in Owlpen on 20 March 1785. Her parents were James and Elizabeth Holder. Using this information, I looked to see if Elizabeth had other children:
* Mary - bap. 17 Jan 1790
* Richard - bap. 17 Jan 1790
* Richard - bap. 23 Feb 1794
* James - bap. 16 Apr 1797
* Richard - bap. 2 Apr 1802
* William - bap. 2 Apr 1802 (born 1798 according to Find My Past transcript)
* Rachael - bap. 2 May 1805
Seeing that Sarah is the oldest child, it's likely that James and Elizabeth were married a short time before her birth. Bearing this in mind, I was able to find a likely marriage record. Elizabeth Shipton married James Holder on 29 August 1784 in Uley, a village right next door to Owlpen.
Next step - looking for a baptism record. There are 2 possible matches in Uley:
* Elizabeth Shipton - bap. 25 Dec 1761, parents John and Mary
* Elizabeth Shipton - bap. 5 Sep 1762, mother Mary. After further research, I found a record that confirmed this Elizabeth was buried on 12 April 1765.
This means that Elizabeth Holder was likely "only" 98 when she died. Not a centenarian, but still a very good age for that time. Only exaggerated by a couple of years, and probably not deliberately, but still shows the importance of the validation process.
I found the burial record of Mary Jane Turner, who was buried in Ditchling, East Sussex, England, on 19 September 1857 with an age given of 100 years, 8 months.
I found her 1851 census, which shows her as unmarried, and from a well-to-do family since her nephew was a rector, her great-nephew was a student at Oxford University, and she also had housemaids.
Mary Jane | Turner | Head | Unmarried | Female | 94 | 1757 | Landed proprietor and fundholder | Keymer, Sussex, England |
Edward | Turner | Nephew | Married | Male | 56 | 1795 | Rector of maresfield sussex | Westmeston, Sussex, England |
Elizabeth | Turner | Niece | Married | Female | 57 | 1794 | Wife of the preceding | Keymer, Sussex, England |
Thomas Richard | Turner | Grand nephew | Unmarried | Male | 21 | 1830 | Son of the preceding and commoner queens colledge oxford | Nuthurst, Sussex, England |
Amy | Moon | Visitor | Married | Female | 58 | 1793 | Wife of a retired porter living at brightain | Edburton, Sussex, England |
Esther | Wood | Servant | Unmarried | Female | 28 | 1823 | House servant cook | Maresfield, Sussex, England |
Sarah | Stevens | Servant | Unmarried | Female | 16 | 1835 | House servant kitchenmaid | Ditchling, Sussex, England |
As she was unmarried, her case may not be able to be verified to the rigorous standards required, but I was able to find a baptism record which matches the 1851 census.
A Mary Jane Turner, daughter of William and Sarah, was baptised on 25 January 1757 in Keymer, which also fits nicely with the age given on the death certificate. Just to be more certain, I checked her nephew Edward's ancestry. He was baptised on 8 July 1794 in Westmeston as the son of Richard and Jane Turner. Mary Jane did have a brother named Richard, baptised 14 June 1763.
If the baptism record is a match, then Mary Jane Turner can be considered an early centenarian, with a lifespan of c.25 January 1757 - c.19 September 1857, or 100 years, c.228 days.