Mary Ramsey Wood - Longevity Claim

Longevity Claim

The claim that Mary Ramsey Wood lived to 120, though long accepted as correct, now appears to be incorrect.

Had she truly lived to age 120, as claimed, Mary Ramsey Wood would have been the world's oldest person and would still hold the record as "oldest American on record" even today. She does not, however; that distinction, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, belongs to Sarah Knauss, who died at age 119.

There is a Mary Wood listed in the 1880 Hillsboro census, however, whose age is stated as 69 years old. This age would place her date of birth in 1811, making her 96 years old at the time of her death.

The 1880 census listing includes the following matching points: this "Mary Wood" was born in Tennessee; had both parents born in England; and had a daughter named "Catherine". There is no other "Mary Wood" living in Hillsboro, Oregon recorded in the 1880 census.

The 1900 census also lists a Mary Wood in Hillsboro, again with several details that strongly suggest she is the same woman. She was listed as having been born in May 1809, which would have made her 98 at the time of her death.