Emma Tillman

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Emma Fanchon Faust Tillman (née Faust; November 22, 1892 – January 28, 2007) was the world's oldest living person for four days in late January 2007.[1] She holds the record for the shortest period spent as the world's oldest person.[2]

Life[change | change source]

Emma Tillmann was born to sharecroppers in Sedalia, North Carolina on November 22, 1892, being one of 23 children and one of 15 children to live to adulthood.[1][3] She moved to Connecticut together with her family in 1900 and was a member of her local church (the Metropolitan AME Zion Church in Hartford, Connecticut) since 1915, for a whopping 91 years in total.[1] Tillman was the President of the Chancel Choir for 15 years and the church Secretary for 13 years.[1] Since she could not find a job as a regular secretary due to discrimination, she had a career in catering, including baking cakes for both Katharine Hepburn's father and Jackie Robinson.[3] Tillman's husband died in 1939, before the United States's entry into World War II, and she also outlived one of her two daughters.[3] However, all of her Emma Tillman's siblings who moved to the Northern United States with her in 1900 ended up living beyond the age of 100.[3]

Tillman died on January 28, 2007 and was survived by her 80-year-old daughter Marjorie and also by many other younger descendants of hers.[3] She was the last remaining undisputed person born in 1892.[2] She was succeeded as the world's oldest living person by 114-year-old Japanese woman Yone Minagawa.[3]

Related pages[change | change source]

Preceded by
Emiliano Mercado del Toro
Oldest recognized living person
January 24, 2007 – January 28, 2007
Succeeded by
Yone Minagawa
Preceded by
Julie Winnefred Bertrand
Oldest living woman
January 18, 2007 – January 28, 2007
Succeeded by
Yone Minagawa

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "1892Gallery.html, as of June 10, 2019". grg.org.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Table C - World's Oldest Person (WOP) Titleholders Since 1955 Gerontology Research Group
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Medina, Jennifer (30 January 2007). "Obituary: Emma Tillman, world's oldest person, at age 114 - Americas - International Herald Tribune" – via NYTimes.com.