Abstract
Centenarians, the fastest growing age group in the United States, recently have become the focus of medical and social research. However, historically, little is known of centenarians beyond anecdotal narrative. This research identifies 60 centenarians from 55,914 burials between 1825 and 1985 in a single Midwest county. These centenarians are compared to a sample of burials from the same county and time span, and to patterns of current centenarians. The prevalence of centenarians, historically, compares more favorably with current prevalence rates than anticipated, suggesting regional concentrations of the oldest old. Racial crossover was found, as anticipated, but historically, centenarians were not as disproportionately female as is the contemporary centenarian population. Seasonal death patterns of centenarians are similar to, but more exaggerated than, the seasonal patterns of younger elderly. Finally, findings suggest that centenarians came from larger families than noncentenarians, and that these families experienced greater longevity.
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Foster, G.S., Hendrickson, D. & New-Freeland, L. A Sociological Assessment of Centenarians from Central Illinois Cemeteries, 1825–1985. Journal of Aging and Identity 7, 257–273 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020713605095
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020713605095