Mathew Beard

Mathew Beard
Mathew Beard
Born	9 July 1870?
Died	16 February 1985 (aged 114?)
Known for	Old age

Mathew Beard (July 9, 1870? – February 16, 1985) was an American supercentenarian claimant, farmer and claimed veteran of the Spanish–American War in 1898. Beard is verified to be the first person in history to become 114 years old, although the oldest living person at the time of Beard's death at age 114 years, 222 days was believed to be the now debunked Japaneseman Shigechiyo Izumi who claimed to be 5 years older and died over a year later.[1]

Biography and age controversy

Beard claimed to be born on July 9, 1870 in Norfolk, Virginia. However, it is not supported by any record. According to the 1935 US census and the 1940 Florida State census, he was born in Florida and may have been born later, in 1872 or 1879. The oldest reliable census, from 1880, includes a Matthew Beard born 1870 in Illinois while the 1900 US census includes one with the same name born 1890 in Texas and the Georgia State census the same year includes one Mathew Beard born October 1886.

When Beard was three years old, his family moved to Missouri where he worked in a saw mill at age 12. At age 17, he moved to Wildwood, Florida and worked on laying the tracks for the Seaboard extension of the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad, but he did not settle there until later. In 1898, he claimed to be fighting in Cuba in the Spanish–American War and after the war he worked as a farmer in Wildwood.

Beard married in 1919 and had twelve children (of whom eight were living after his death) born between 1911 and 1940.

Related pages

List of American supercentenarians

References

"Table M - World's Oldest Men (WOM) Titleholders Since 1973". Revision #8. Gerontology Research Group. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2022.

Records
Preceded by Fannie Thomas	Oldest validated person ever 19 April 1984 - 14 March 1986	Succeeded by Augusta Holtz
Preceded by John Mosley Turner	Oldest validated man ever 16 April 1982 - 26 March 1997	Succeeded by Christian Mortensen
Preceded by Emma Wilson	World's oldest living person 13 October 1983 - 16 February 1985	Succeeded by Augusta Holtz
Preceded by Charlie Phillips	World's oldest living man 5 September 1980 - 16 February 1985	Succeeded by Joe Thomas

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[GRG-1] "Table M - World's Oldest Men (WOM) Titleholders Since 1973". Revision #8. Gerontology Research Group. 10 April 2018. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2022.