Gertrude Baines - Personal History

Personal History

Born in Shellman, Georgia, Baines was the third daughter of Jordan (1863 – October 23, 1921) and Amelia "Amy" Baines (née Daniel), who were married in Terrell County, Georgia on January 1, 1887. She recalled that her earliest memory was a car ride to Canada.

Gertrude Baines married Sam Conley at a "very young age" and had a daughter, Annabelle, born in 1909, who died of typhoid fever at age 18. If alive, at the time of Baines death she would have been a 100 year-old person. In 1920, Gertrude Conley was recorded as living in Hartford, Connecticut. She later moved to Ohio, where she worked as a maid at Ohio State University, before moving many years later to California. She lived on her own until 1999 when she was 105 years old, and resided at the Western Convalescent Home in Jefferson Park, Los Angeles until her death. According to MSNBC.com, she enjoyed "simple pleasures" of eating a diet of bacon and eggs, and watched shows like The Price Is Right and Jerry Springer.

Baines voted for Barack Obama for U.S. President in the 2008 election. The only other time she voted in a Presidential election was in 1960 for John F. Kennedy.