BIOGRAPHY

Traylor was born in Mina, Chautauqua County, New York, USA, on 6 February 1906. Her parents were Thomas Stenson and Bessie Cummings. She grew up on a farm that straddled the Pennsylvania-New York State border.

At the age of 18, she met her soon-to-be-husband at a square dance. The couple married and moved to Detroit but divorced just a couple of months later. She remained in Detroit, attending beautician school and becoming a hairdresser. She later met Hoy Crittendon Traylor (1898–1975) at the Pier Ballroom, whom she married in 1927.

Traylor worked as a hairdresser in Detroit for about 30 years, eventually owning her own salon. The couple retired in the 1960s and moved to Florida. Her husband passed away in 1975. She stayed in Florida with her two sisters until 2006, after they both died. She decided to return to Erie County, New York, where her brother and many nieces and nephews lived.

Traylor passed away in North East, Pennsylvania, USA, on 18 August 2017, at the age of 111.

RECOGNITION

Her age was validated by LongeviQuest on 17 June 2023.

ATTRIBUTION

* “North East woman celebrates 109th birthday” – Erie Times-News, 7 February 2015

* “14th Oldest Lady in the United States” – The Post-Journal, 22 August 2017

* “Melissa E. Stetson Traylor” – FindAGrave

GALLERY