The early to mid-1800s in the United States were marked by deep division and grave racial injustice. Slavery remained widespread in some regions, particularly in the South. Disputes over slavery and human rights were the central cause of the U.S. Civil War, fought between 1861 and 1865. Following the Union victory, the 13th Amendment was ratified in December 1865, after having been passed by Congress earlier that year. Although slavery was already being dismantled throughout 1865, its abolition continued into 1866, when slavery among Native American tribes was formally ended.
As a result, millions of enslaved people were freed. In reality, many formerly enslaved individuals faced immense hardship, as they had little access to education or material resources. These conditions allowed socioeconomic disadvantages to persist—inequalities that, in many respects, continue to the present day. Some have argued that the extreme conditions of slavery may have produced a form of survival selection, potentially contributing to greater longevity among African Americans. I do not take a position on this hypothesis, nor am I interested in discussing race and ethnicity beyond what is necessary for this editorial.
Much as the last surviving veterans of the Civil War died off in the 1940s and 1950s, media attention in the 1960s and 1970s shifted toward the final individuals who claimed to have experienced slavery firsthand. As with Civil War veterans, numerous people asserted such claims without supporting evidence. This problem is compounded by the fact that U.S. census records prior to 1870 paid little attention to this population, and even the 1870 census was far from comprehensive or accurate.
We have encountered several supercentenarian claims from this group but have been unable to validate any of them. Most individuals were ultimately found to be younger than claimed, while others remain unresolved.
Edmonie Mackey (1 July 1864/65 – 3 May 1975) of Mississippi
While browsing Find A Grave a few years ago in search of new potential supercentenarians to research, I came across a grave in Lafayette, Mississippi, belonging to a woman named Edmonie Mackey. The memorial stated that she was born on July 1, 1860, and died on May 3, 1975—just shy of her 115th birthday. From the outset, I believed this to be an exaggerated claim, but it remained worthwhile to determine the extent of that exaggeration.
I began searching and was fortunate to find an article from the July 1, 1971, edition of The Oxford Eagle that reported on the alleged 111th birthday of “Monie” Mackey in Orwood, Mississippi. The article provided background information on Mackey and her adopted daughter, noting that she had 13 siblings and that her family had lived on Parson Moore’s property in Taylor, Mississippi. It also stated that Mrs. Mackey was “born about freedom time,” suggesting a birth date near the abolition of slavery in the United States. I was also able to locate an obituary that confirmed Mackey’s date of death.
Further research revealed that her maiden name was Fondren and that she was the daughter of Dave Fondren and Lucinda Carter. This information allowed the investigation into her age claim to continue.
The 1950 census listed Mrs. Mackey right where she was expected to be, Lafayette, Mississippi. She was at the time 84 years old, indicating a birth in 1865. Mackey lived with her adopted daughter, Frances Brown, and the daughter’s family.
Robert Brown Male 76 Head Mississippi
Francis Brown Female 34 Wife Mississippi
Laurence Smith Male 14 Son Mississippi
Shelby Smith Male 14 Son Mississippi
Edmonia Macky Female 84 Mother-in-law Mississippi
The 1940 census dampened my hopes that Mackey was a supercentenarian as she was now only 70 years old, supporting 1869. She lived in Yalobusha, Mississippi with her husband Mumford Mackey as well as her daughter Francis (24) and her children + husband (different from 1950 census).
Mumford P Mackey Male 70 Head Mississippi
Edmonie Mackey Female 70 Wife Mississippi
Francis C Conway Female 24 Daughter Mississippi
Lawrence Conway Male 4 Grandson Mississippi
Shelby Conway Male 4 Grandson Mississippi
Joe Conway Male 40 Son-in-law Mississippi
I continued digging and found the 1930 census, once again supporting a birth in 1869. Mackey lived with her husband and 14-year-old daughter Frances in Yalobusha, Mississippi.
Munford Mackie Male 63 Head Mississippi
Monie Mackie Female 60 Wife Mississippi
Frances Mackie Female 14 Daughter Mississippi
I was surprised when finding the 1920 census and seeing that she was supposedly 53 years old at the time. Usually when a person exaggerates their age they start by adding a year or two and then increasing it as time goes by. But here Mackey was older than expected given the previous two census records. Mackey was living in Lafayette, Mississippi with her husband and daughter (now named Cornell and aged 4).
Mumphis Mackey Male 52 Mississippi Head
Edmonie Mackey Female 53 Mississippi Wife
Carnell Mackey Female 4 Mississippi Daughter
We now take a detour and start from the other end because I have been unable to find the marriage record.
The 1870 census from Lafayette was surprising to say the least. I did not expect Monie to even have been born by then, given how often people exaggerate their ages. Not only was she alive, but she was five years old at the time. This debunks her claim to have been born in 1860 but leaves room for a birth in 1864, given that she claimed to have been born in July (although this enumeration occurred in August). The census lists D and Lucinda Fondren as the supposed parents of twelve children, Money being one of the youngest children.
D Fordren Male 43 Tennessee Black
Lucinda Fordren Female 33 Alabama Black
Geo Fordren Male 23 Mississippi Black
Gemima Fordren Female 20 Mississippi Black
F A Fordren Female 16 Mississippi Black
Frank Fordren Male 14 Mississippi Black
Fannie Fordren Female 16 Mississippi Black
Marinda Fordren Female 12 Mississippi Black
Pinkney Fordren Male 10 Mississippi Black
General Fordren Male 8 Mississippi Black
Bradford Fordren Male 6 Mississippi Black
Money Fordren Female 5 Mississippi Black
Addie Fordren Female 4 Mississippi Black
Wesley Fordren Male 2 Mississippi Black
The 1880 census is even more positive regarding Mackey having been a supercentenarian as she is now 16 years old and living with her parents, Dave and Lucinda, in Lafayette. There are a few new younger siblings listed and Edmonie is thus one of the older siblings in this census.
Dave Fondren Male 60 Alabama Head Black
Lucinda Fondren Female 55 Tennessee Wife Black
General Fondren Male 19 Mississippi Son Black
Bradford Fondren Male 18 Mississippi Son Black
Monring Fondren Female 16 Mississippi Daughter Black
Ida Fondren Female 14 Mississippi Daughter Black
Areilla Fondren Female 8 Mississippi Daughter Black
Wesley Fondren Male 6 Mississippi Son Black
Mississippi also had an enumeration of educable children that was taken for a few years and in 1885, Mackey and seven other Fondren-children were enumerated. This record is far from perfect as the ages of several children are several years younger than were to be expected, given the earlier census records. Money Fondren is listed as 17 years old, supporting a birth in 1867.
Wesley Fondren Male 12
John Fondren Male 14
Addie Fondren Female 15
Money Fondren Female 17
Rilla Fondren Female 12
Eddie Fondren Male 6
Lula Fondren Female 13
Edie Fondren Female 13
Edmonie remained at home for some time. She was living with her parents, a sister, as well as four children in Lafayette in the 1900 census. The record indicates extreme age deflation as she was noted as born in September 1875, which is more than a decade younger than expected.
Dave Fondren Male Jan 1830 Tennessee Head
Lou Fondren Female Jan 1830 Alabama Wife
Mony Fondren Female Sep 1875 Mississippi Daughter
Rella Fondren Female May 1876 Mississippi Daughter
Walter Fondren Male Sep 1887 Mississippi Grandson
Ula Fondren Female Mar 1891 Mississippi Granddaughter
Almon Fondren Female Oct 1896 Mississippi Granddaughter
Carrie Fondren Female Nov 1895 Mississippi Granddaughter
The 1910 census from Lafayette shows that Monie was now living with her sister and her two daughters. Her age is still deflated, but less so than previously.
Mona Fondren Female 44 Head Mississippi
Arrilla Fondren Female 31 Sister-in-law Mississippi
Alma Fondren Female 14 Daughter Mississippi
Carrie Fondren Female 12 Daughter Mississippi
A death record for Alma Armstrong from 14 May 1975, just 11 days after Mackey’s death, demonstrates that she died at age 79 and was the daughter of Edmonie Mackey.
Name: Alma L. Armstrong
Gender: Female
Race: Negro
Age: 79
Marital status: Widowed
Birth Date: 12 Oct 1896
Birth Place: Mississippi
Death Date: 14 May 1975
Death Place: Gary, Lake, Indiana, USA
Father: Enoch Freeman
Mother: Edmonia Mackey
In her obituary, it was noted that Frances also became a centenarian.
A tentative family tree is therefore (thanks to an Ancestry.com user for help with this):
Parents
Dave Fondren c. 1820–
Lucinda Carter c. 1825–
Siblings
Geo lee Fondren 1847–
Gemima Fordren 1850–
Fannie Fondren 1854–
Frank Fondren 1856–
Marinda Fondren 1858–
Pinkney Fondren 1860–
General Fondren 1862–
Brad Fondren 1864–
Edmonie Fondren 1864/1865–1975
Addie Fondren 1866–
Wesley Fordren 1868–
Areilla Fondren 1873–
Spouse
Mumford Mackey 1869–
Children
Alma Fondren 1896–1975
Ula Fondren 1891–
It must be noted that this case is far from conclusive. Because the relevant enumeration occurred after her birthday, it remains possible that Edmonie Mackey was “only” 109 years old at the time of her death. Even so, the evidence leaves open the possibility that she was born into slavery. With her death in 1975, approximately 110 years after the end of the Civil War, it is conceivable that the last living individual directly affected by abolition passed away, mostly forgotten by history.
Featured image depicts Edmonie Mackey in the July 1, 1971, edition of The Oxford Eagle.
