Centenarians

Yesterday, we reported here the death of Brooke Astor, the former Roberta Brooke Russell, at age 105. I noticed also yesterday that the world's oldest person, 114 year-old Yone Minagawa, had died in Japan.

According to the Census Bureau, in the year 2000, the United States had 50,454 persons over the age of 100, out of a total population of 281,421,906. I couldn't find a breakdown by gender, but we all have a pretty good idea who's got the edge!

There are several centenarians on my family tree.

William Sanford was born in 1809 in Virginia and died at age 106 in 1916 in Rockdale, Milam County, Texas.

William Henry Long was born on March 21, 1889 and died on August 26, 1990, at age 101, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Christina Alta Long Neal, sister of William Henry Long, was born on April 2, 1898, and died on September 14, 2000, at age 102, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Tina and Will's sister, Rosetta Bell Long, was nearly a centenarian. She was born on May 28, 1900 and died on March 17, 1994, at age 93, in Kansas City, Missouri.