Sarah DeRemer Knauss (; September 24, 1880 – December 30, 1999) was an American
supercentenarian
A supercentenarian (sometimes hyphenated as super-centenarian) is a person who has reached the age of 110 years. This age is achieved by about one in 1,000 centenarians. Supercentenarians typically live a life free of major age-related diseases u ...
. She is the
oldest person ever from the United States and, on April 16, 1998, became the world's
oldest living person. She remains as the third-oldest well-documented person ever, living to the age of 119 years and 97 days. Her birthdate has been independently verified through numerous census and other records.
Early life
Sarah DeRemer Clark was born on September 24, 1880, to Walter Clark and his wife Amelia, the daughter of German immigrants,
in
Hollywood, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
Hollywood was an unincorporated community and coal town which was ultimately incorporated into the boundaries of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, United States.
Notable person
* Sarah Knauss (1880–1999), a supercentenarian who lived to be 119 years ol ...
, a small coal-mining community. Her family later moved to
South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
South Bethlehem is a borough in Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 481 at the 2010 census.
Geography
South Bethlehem is located in northern Armstrong County in western Pennsylvania on the south side of Redbank C ...
. She was the third of her parents' seven children, but three of her brothers died in infancy and childhood.
Personal life
She married Abraham Lincoln Knauss (1878–1965) in 1901;
Abraham was originally a tanner. He later became a prominent
Lehigh County, Pennsylvania
Lehigh County (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Lechaa Kaundi'') is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 374,557. ,
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
leader and the
recorder of deeds
Recorder of deeds or deeds registry is a government office tasked with maintaining public records and documents, especially records relating to real estate ownership that provide persons other than the owner of a property with real rights over ...
for this county, serving from 1937 until retiring in 1951. Abraham died in 1965, at the age of 86. Their only child, Kathryn, was born in 1903 and died in 2005 at the age of 101.
Through most of her life, Knauss acted as a housewife. She enjoyed knitting, crocheting, and sewing.
Before Knauss' death, there were six living generations in her family. Life magazine, in February 1999, took a photo of Knauss along with a member from each of these generations, up to her newborn great-great-great grandchild.
Health and lifestyle
It was not until Knauss reached 111 years old that she took up residency at a nursing home in
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...
due to her frailness and failing eyesight. In 1995, Knauss remarked that she enjoyed her life because she still had her health and could "do things."
At 117 years old, Knauss underwent a blood transfusion due to having low haemoglobin, and she continued to take heart medication for the rest of her life. Those around her believed her to be of sound mind up until her death, and within the last year of her life, she still had conversations with her daughter Kathryn. Eventually, she did struggle to recognize her daughter; however, this may have been due to her failing hearing and eyesight rather than a failing mind.
When asked how she had survived to her great age, Knauss responded that one should “keep yourself busy, work hard, and not worry about how old you are.” She was a non-smoker and was never considered obese at any point in her life. She did have a fondness for sweets, however, and her great-granddaughter claimed that Knauss "hated vegetables." A member of the staff at Knauss' nursing home claimed that she was the friendliest of all residents at the home, and her relatives failed to remember a point in her life that she scolded anyone or even appeared stressed.
Death
Knauss died of
natural causes
In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...
on December 30, 1999 in
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Allenschteddel'', ''Allenschtadt'', or ''Ellsdaun'') is a city in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. The city has a population of 125,845 as of the 2020 United ...
.
An autopsy was performed on her body, but the results were never made public; however, she was not known to have been suffering from any illness at the time of her death. After her death, Eva Morris of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
(1885–2000) became the world's
oldest living person.
She remained the second oldest known validated person until
Kane Tanaka
was a Japanese supercentenarian who, until her death at the age of , was the world's oldest verified living person following the death of Chiyo Miyako on 22 July 2018. She is the oldest verified Japanese person and the second-oldest verified ...
surpassed her age on 10 April 2022.
Longevity records and verification
At age 116, Knauss was recognized as being the new United States national
longevity
The word " longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography. However, the term ''longevity'' is sometimes meant to refer only to especially long-lived members of a population, whereas ''life expectancy'' is always d ...
record holder, then thought to have been Carrie C. White (reportedly 1874–1991).
On April 16, 1998, she became the world's oldest person after 117-year-old French Canadian
Marie-Louise Meilleur
Marie-Louise Fébronie Meilleur (née Chassé; August 29, 1880 – April 16, 1998) was a Canadian supercentenarian. Meilleur is the oldest validated Canadian ever and upon the death of longevity world record holder Jeanne Calment, became the world ...
died. Knauss remains the oldest documented person from the United States,
and is the third-oldest fully documented person ever, after French supercentenarian
Jeanne Calment
Jeanne Louise Calment (; 21 February 1875 – 4 August 1997) was a French supercentenarian and the oldest human whose age is documented, with a lifespan of 122 years and 164 days. Her longevity attracted media attention and medical studies ...
and Japanese supercentenarian
Kane Tanaka
was a Japanese supercentenarian who, until her death at the age of , was the world's oldest verified living person following the death of Chiyo Miyako on 22 July 2018. She is the oldest verified Japanese person and the second-oldest verified ...
. She was recognized as the
world's oldest living person by
Guinness World Records
''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
from April 16, 1998 until her death the next year at the age of 119 years and 97 days.
Knauss' records have been heavily reviewed to ensure the claims surrounding her lifespan are legitimate. Many records have been found that verify her claim, including the record of the 1890 census, taken when Knauss was still in childhood.
''Demographics''
Retrieved April 2021
See also
* List of the verified oldest people
These are lists of the 100 known verified oldest people sorted in descending order by age in years and days.
The oldest person ever whose age has been independently verified is Jeanne Calment (1875–1997) of France, who lived to the age of 12 ...
References
External links
Photo portrait—Sarah Knauss aged 117 in 1997
CBC News
CBC News is a division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the news gathering and production of news programs on the corporation's English-language operations, namely CBC Television, CBC Radio, CBC News Network, and CBC.ca. ...
*
''Allentown Morning Call'' collection of articles about her 1993–2000
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knauss, Sarah
1880 births
1999 deaths
American supercentenarians
people from Allentown, Pennsylvania
people from Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
women supercentenarians