Who is the earliest born person you've known? (1980s, different, ally)

[Trimac20]

I'm not as old as you spring chickens, born in 1986, so obviously I can't boast of knowing people of such vintage!

There are probably a few candidates of oldest person I've actually met.

I recall meeting my dad's childhood friend's father back in 1996 I believe. I actually believe I remember them talking about how he was very old, at least 90...so he was born in 1906 or so. I remember him giving me some money. The house was quite interesting, it was in Malaysia, and spikes of solid ivory rose like a menacing warning on the gate. Going off topic a bit, two of our family friends also from Malaysia used to own a pet bear! Back in the 1970s and 1980s that was legal, apparently. It was before I was born, but apparently my parents saw the poor Malayan sun bear.

Back on topic...at the church we used to go to there was an old lady who was 101 I met. This was 2004, so she would've been born in 1902-1903. Even meeting her and saying hello felt like a privilege.

Recently while visiting a friend who lived at an aged care facility I met one of the residents, who was also 100, I believe. Another old lady, this was just last year so she was born in 1909. I volunteered at another aged care facility but I think the oldest there was late 80s or 90 at oldest.

So I don't think I've met anyone born before 1900 but I did have the privilege of meeting two centenarians.

My grandfather was born in 1920 and is 91 years of age.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by 13 Letter Crap Spreader

Not long ago I tried to look up the earliest born person to ever appear on TV or in a movie/silent film and I couldn't really come up with anything.

I searched for the exact same thing!

Since the first films/motion pictures as we know them were developed in the 1890s, and show street scenes, I find it not implausible that a few very old people might've slipped into these random street scenes. It'd be cool to think of someone who was 100 appearing in films made in 1897-1900, making them born in the 18th century! Perhaps in 1799 or something. Seeing someone in moving film who was born a mere generation after the United States was founded kind of makes it seem not that long ago.

As for photographs...the earliest photograph was taken in 1826 yet there's a photo of John Quincy Adams supposedly dating from 1824? Even so, he was born in 1767, 10 years before the Declaration of Independence, so it's quite startling to see the countenance of one who was a young man during the 1800s, well into the colonial era.

As with films, I'm guessing there were people in the 90s photographed in the 1830s, so born in the 1740s. My personal guess is the earliest image of a person captured is someone born between 1735-1745.

[KickAssArmyChick]

My great grandmother. She was born in 1874. (might have been earlier) She died in 1986...she was 112 as far as my family knew. She was a Native South American Indian and I was told she was given a birth certificate years after she was born because they weren't sure how old she was so they basically made up a date. My family thinks she might have been over 115.

[TheGreatGarfield]

I guess My great grand mother who was born in 1900 and died in 1999.

[lucknow]

My great grandfather was born in 1865. He left Ontario as a young man to work in the bush cutting trees to make enough money to buy a farm. Te bush he was working in is now part of the city of Detroit. He made enough and moved back to Ontario where he farmed until he died in 1958.

[Green Onions]

I don't know, but a couple of months ago my wife's Grandmother passed away.

She was born in the first year of the Taft Administration.

[Orangeish]

My great grandmother, whom I only met once in a valley forge retirement home, was born about 1903, 80 years before myself. That would have to be the winner for me. Should be fun who in this thread has the furthest back connection. The extreme I guess would be someone who is 85 (the oldest poster on CD that I've heard of) perhaps met a 90 year old in their youth. So mayyyyybe 1840-ish is possible?

[luzianne]

Probably my great uncle, who was born in 1878. He died when I was 6. We went and visited him about a week before he died and the last time I saw him, he was sitting in front of the living room window in his house. It was Easter and I had an Easter basket and I asked him if he wanted any Easter candy. He said "no." I was in that town about a year ago and found a map and based on my memory (their house was next to a park), was able to find the house. People living in it (probably wondered why I was taking pictures), and I told my kids that the last time I saw my great uncle, he was sitting in front of that window right there...

[2nd trick op]

My great grandmother (maternal/maternal) was born in 1873 in a remote area of Northwestern Pennsylvania, and lived to the age of 90.

She was, unfortunately, somewhat unstable -- my maternal grandmother was illegitimate and the breakup of another woman's marriage was involved. Great-gran "compensated" by retreating into hellfire fundamentalism, and her only son -- a highly-articulate, educated man who shaped much of my life, could never come to terms with his closeted preference for his own sex.

I believe that such "strange" stories and arrangements in our own backgrounds are far more common -- and a far-stronger influence -- than we care to recognize.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by PhenomenalAJ

By that I mean born earliest, definitely include people who are now long deceased and describe anything interesting you've heard from them. The earliest born person I've met personally is my great grandfather who was born in 1904 and is long gone. I remember he told me he lived in kind of a mud hut of sorts when he was a kid and told me how everyone in his village gathered around when they saw an airplane in the sky and how it was such an unbelievable occasion he'll never forget.

My grandmother was born in the 1895. I've meet quite a few other people from that time period. Its kind of hard for me to believe that now there is almost no one still alive, who was born before 1900.