https://longeviquest.com/2024/08/johnson-parks-1884-1998-status-reclassification/

LongeviQuest recently reviewed the case of Johnson Parks, who was long believed to have been the world’s oldest living man at the time of his passing in July 1998. However, after further examination, the Global Validation Commission concluded that he most likely wasn’t a supercentenarian.

According to the only located news report about him—an obituary published in the Orlando Sentinel on July 22, 1998—Johnson Parks was a farm laborer who passed away in Mount Dora, Florida, on 17 July, at the age of 113. He was born in Alabama and moved to Central Florida in 1961. He was a Baptist. Survivors included his daughter, Julia, a son named Willie, and a brother, Erris Jackson. However, several details in this report were found to be inaccurate upon further research. Records indicate that Parks was actually born in Lumpkin, Stewart County, Georgia. While he did have a daughter named Julia, the “son” mentioned was actually his grandson, and the “brother” was in fact his brother-in-law.

Parks claimed to have been born on 15 October (previously 25 October), 1884. If this age was accurate, he would have been 113 years and 275 days old at the time of his passing. His age was verified by the Kestenbaum study and later validated by the Gerontology Research Group.

Following the passing of Christian Mortensen on 25 April 1998, Parks would have become the world’s oldest living man, holding the title for nearly three months until his own death, after which Walter Richardson succeeded him.

Research conducted by several individuals, including James Roberts, Jeffrey Xu, and D. Gonik, suggests that Parks was more likely 102 or 103 years old at the time of his passing. Detailed genealogical investigation and early-life evidence support this conclusion, with most early and mid-life records indicating he was younger than previously thought. This includes the earliest record, the 1900 census, which was enumerated in May and listed his age as 5, with a birth month of January 1895. This birth year is further supported by subsequent records, including the 1910 census, which lists him as 14 years old, and a World War I draft record that gives his birthdate as 25 October 1895.

It’s likely that the evidence used by other groups and organizations to validate him actually belonged to a different man. A man with the same name was born in Pike County, Georgia, likely on 2 October 1884. However, there is no evidence linking this individual to the claimant, and he may have passed away in 1954.

In light of this recent discovery, LongeviQuest will withdraw our recognition of this man’s age validation.