Tennessee Archives

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Ruth Blackman at 111 years old. She was an American supercentenarian known as the oldest living person in Virginia, USA, at the time of her death.

Ruth Blackman was born on 24 October 1905 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee, USA.

In 1927, she was married to Ralph Prudon Blackman and had two daughters with him. After the wedding, the couple moved to Portsmouth after her husband landed a job at the Navy shipyard in Norfolk.

At the age of 106.
(Source: Suffolk News-Herald)

In the late 1940s, Ruth started to volunteer for the Girls Scouts as a support for her daughters’ activities. She showcased her skills as a seamstress when she helped the girls in her troop achieve their sewing badges. Even though her daughters finished being in the Girl Scouts, she spent years training troop leaders who wanted to enter the organization.

Ruth Blackman passed away on 15 June 2017 in Portsmouth, Virginia, USA, when she was 111 years old.

For more information, please visit Ruth Blackman’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Cathron ”Catherine” Cornelia Waller of the United States at age 110. She was born in Somerville, Fayette County, Tennessee, United States on 1 December 1848. Waller grew up in East Tennessee, except during the Civil War, when she was attending school in Corinth, Mississippi. She had five siblings.

On 2 December 1875, at the age of 27, Waller got married in the old Peabody Hotel in Memphis. The couple had three daughters. Before she got married, Waller lived near Somerville. Her husband was a young business pioneer just across the border in Arkansas, so they decided to move there. Her husband bought a large piece of land a few miles north of Osceola and built a one-room house that also served as a store near a boat landing. A few years later, when the settlement needed a name, her husband suggested naming it after their daughter, Luxora.

In January 1951, aged 103, along with her daughter, Luxora.
(Source: The Memphis Press-Scimitar)

Waller remained an active gardener until she reached the age of 100. When asked about the secret of her longevity, she attributed it to a “combination of faith in mankind and hope for the future through memories of the past.”

Waller passed away in Luxora, Mississippi County, Arkansas, USA, on 4 January 1959, at the age of 110 years, 34 days. At the time of death, she was the world’s oldest known living person.

LongeviQuest congratulates Catherine Waller’s family on her posthumous recognition.

For more information, please view Waller’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Agnes Fair at 110 years old. She was an American longevity holder believed to be the first supercentenarian from Tennessee, USA.

Agnes Fair was born on 10 February 1858 in Dewitt, Michigan, USA, to parents James Green Pike and Ann Matilda Simmons. Unfortunately, both of her parents passed away when she was about to turn six years old. She became an orphan and was placed under the care of her aunt.

In 1876, Agnes married James Eugene Fair (1847-1927) and the couple had two daughters and a son. In the same year, they relocated to Knoxville and established a foundry in the city.

At the age of 96.
(Source: The Knoxville News-Sentinel)

When she was in her 80s, she was diagnosed with a heart condition that made her bedridden. With her limited mobility, Agnes could only sit up with the aid of a wheelchair. She was living with her daughter until her daughter passed away in March 1963. After that, she moved into the Kingston Pike Nursing Home in Knoxville.

Upon her validation, it was revealed that in February 1968, Agnes became the first supercentenarian in Tennessee, USA.

Agnes Fair passed away in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, 14 March 1968, at the age of 110.

For more information, please view Agnes Fair’s Directory Profile here.

LongeviQuest is pleased to announce the age validation of Brunette Nelms at 111 years old. She was an American supercentenarian known as the oldest living person in Tennessee, USA, at the time of her death.

Nelms was born on 9 March 1910 in Ashland, Mississippi, USA, as Willie Faye Crawford. Aside from her twin sister, she had five more siblings to parents John William Crawford and Mary Louella Casey.

After graduating from Ashland High School, she went to pursue a degree in Physical Education at Mississippi State College for Women in 1928. She was forced to drop out of school when the Great Depression emerged. On a positive note, she worked as a teacher during the year so she can pay for her summer classes at the University of Alabama. She then graduated from college in 1937 and continued to be a teacher for the next 40 years of her life.

She married Walter Claiborne Nelms on 11 September 1937 and the couple was blessed with two daughters. They lived in multiple towns across the state of Mississippi.

Playing a piano at the age of 108.
(Photo credit: djournal.com)

When she was 106 years old, she was still able to play piano and participate in physical activities like Tai Chi, weight training, and yoga.

Brunette Nelms passed away on 4 May 2021 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, at the age of 111 years old.

For more information, please view Brunette Nelms’ Directory Profile here.

Longeviquest is pleased to confirm that Mary Harris recently celebrated her birthday on the 13th of May 2023 at the age of 112 years old and is now the oldest living person in the U.S. State of Tennessee. She was born in Ithaca, New York, USA on 13 May 1911. Mrs. Harris was born premature, and the doctor said that she was too little and would not live. However, she defied the odds and has lived a long and full life.

She married James Richard Harris in 1937 and they had two daughters. The couple ran a dry-cleaning business and dairy farm in New York and Harris worked as the bookkeeper both times. At the age of 77, Mrs. Harris began painting and has since become a talented artist and has had her work displayed in several exhibitions. In 2003, her husband died at the age of 90. Her family continued to grow and today she has five grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

On her 110th birthday, holding a letter signed by Pope Francis.
(Source: WRCBtv)

On her 110th birthday, Harris received a letter from Pope Francis. The Pope congratulated Harris on her long life and praised her for her dedication to her family and community. Harris was deeply touched by the Pope’s letter and said that it was the highlight of her birthday.

For more information, please view Mary Haris’s Directory Profile here.