Emma Jane Thompson age validation
The Gerontology Research Group announces the age validation of Emma Jane Thompson.
Emma Jane Croft was born October 5 1855 in Chambersburg, Franklin County, Pennsylvania, USA to John and Margaret (nee Kreider) Croft. She was the first child born to the couple and had at least six siblings. Shortly before her first birthday, she was baptized on September 25 1856.
On May 15 1896, Emma married John Fremont Thompson in Chambersburg. They went on to have two daughters together – Ruth and Hilda. Emma was widowed on April 24 1931 when her husband passed away after nearly thirty-five years of marriage. She didn’t remarry after this and lived with her daughters from then on.
Emma received fairly significant attention in the local newspaper from at least the claimed age of 99 until her passing. She passed away in Waynesboro, Franklin County, Pennsylvania on June 18 1966, aged 110 years, 256 days. She had lived in the same area for seemingly all of her life. Her cause of death was given as myocardial insufficiency due to age.
Validation
Emma’s age came to GRG attention from newspaper cuttings, her death certificate and family trees on genealogy sites.
Emma Thompson claimed birth on October 5 consistently for all of her life, as far as can be seen. However, she claimed the year of birth was 1857. With the discovery of her baptism record from 1856, 1857 is out of the question. This was a Methodist baptism, where Emma is recorded as an infant – baptisms can take place at any age in the Methodist Church. To be classed as an infant, one is usually only called such until they have reach one year old. Given thorough evaluation of all other records, such as the 1860 and 1870 US federal censuses, it seems most likely that Emma was born October 5 1855, being baptized in September of the next year.
The GRG has accepted Emma’s age as validated from today; March 27 2025.