Emma Morano, the Final Person Born in the 19th Century, Passes Away

[DonRocks]

I'm not much into "oldest this-or-that," but if this is true, then it's a fairly big deal, and the last time it will ever happen in our lifetimes:

"Italy's Emma Morano, the World's Oldest Person, Dies at 117"  on abcnews.go.com

Why is it such a big deal? Because Ms. Morano was THE LAST person born in the 1800s.

It's pretty sobering that the *youngest* of my grandparents was born in 1896.

Ms. Morano is the only person in world history about whom we can be certain that they were *the* final survivor from two centuries prior; we didn't have the communications technology to verify the final person living who was born in the 1700s.

[The Hersch]

All of my grandparents were born in the 1890s, although I think they were all born after 1896. The last of them, my father's mother, died sometime in the 1980s, I believe, probably about ten years after my father, who died age 55 in 1975, to the relief of all. My father and his mother hated each other (he often remarked that she was too mean to die), and of course all of my father's children hated him, and were not particularly fond of his mother either. My father's mother and her younger (gay) son moved together to Hawaii (from California) sometime in the late 1960s, I believe, and ended up hating it there, mostly because of the large non-white population, which tells you a bit about what kind of people they were. Some time in the early 1980s, I think, her other son having presumably been taken out of the picture by himself dying, my mother got a horrifying letter from my father's mother in which the old dame proposed planting herself on my mother permanently. I remember my mother saying something like "that's it; my life is over". I advised her simply to ignore the letter, which she did, and I don't think she ever heard from the old bat again. Ah, family! (My mother's parents were lovely people.)

[saf]

On April 15, 2017 at 11:39 PM, DonRocks said:

Ms. Morano is the only person in world history about whom we can be certain that they were *the* final survivor from two centuries prior; we didn't have the communications technology to verify the final person living who was born in the 1700s.

There are still some cut-off places. Although, seems likely to be correct.

2 of my grandparents (Dad's side) were born in the 1800s. They both died in the 80s. My great-aunt (Mom's side), who was a grandmother figure to me (my grandmother, her younger sister, died very young.) was also born in the 1800s, and also died in the 80s. I found their stories fascinating. I'm glad I got to know them.

[Steve R.]

My father married & had children late so, although I am "only" 65 (& the older sibling), he was born in 1910.   It was only after I was 30 or so that I appreciated having a father whose frame of reference & stories had to do with a time way before any of my friends' parents.   Unlike even the oldest of them, he was an adult (over 18) during the Great Depression & certainly not a young Army recruit in WW II.  Made quite an impression on me, now that I reflect on it.