Elizabeth Bolden was born in Somerville, Tennessee, USA, on 15 August 1890. She had a stroke at the age of 114, after which she lost the ability to speak and required a feeding tube for care.
At the time of her 116th birthday in August 2006, Bolden had 40 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, 150 great-great-grandchildren, 220 great-great-great-grandchildren, and 75 great-great-great-great-grandchildren.
Elizabeth Bolden died in Memphis, Tennessee, USA on 11 December 2006 at the age of 116 years, 118 days.
Bolden is the record holder for the state of Tennessee. She was the world’s oldest living person from the death of Maria Heredia on 27 August 2006 until her own death. She remains among the Top 20 longest-lived people of all time, and among the Top 5 longest-lived Americans.